Man of Steel (2013)

[Jor-L5150]

and the smack talk begins!

Over at the Hero Complex blog for the L.A. Times, there's a new interview with a few key figures in Warner Bros.' Superman revival. Most of the interesting quotes come courtesy of director Zack Snyder who made an interesting statement about the current state of the superhero that started this whole crazy thing. Said Snyder, "In the comic-book universe, you have all these sort of minor celebrities that have been put up as the end-all, be-all. And then you have the fallen king who’s sadly relegated to the shadows. It’s cool to resurrect him and say, ‘Understand that this is the granddaddy of all superheroes.’

[Rod]

finally i see a kick ass statement from zack snyder. yes!

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2013 19:24:44 GMT -5 @kris said:

Apr 25, 2013 19:07:30 GMT -5 Valentine Smith said:

Look at that...I was right AGAIN.

Man of Steel WILL NOT OPEN ON KRYPTON.

And, speaking of being right, Zimmer did the job for me today. I passed.

Congrats mate!


I bet he isn;t even called 'Superman' until the final scene, It will be like dialogue from Lois or something.

Well, duh! He was the Blur first!

[atp]

Apr 25, 2013 19:24:44 GMT -5 @kris said:

I bet he isn;t even called 'Superman' until the final scene, It will be like dialogue from Lois or something.

I think so too.

I also think that if he does end up working at the Daily Planet, it will be Lois' idea. She will know his identity very early in MoS, and she'll get him the job at the newspaper.

[Deleted]

Here's hoping. That's a dynamic in Smallville that I would have LOVED to have seen explored. Lois knowing the whole time. I would love for the last shot in the movie to be Lois's voice over of the article she seems to be reading in the trailer, over a montage with Clark putting on glasses for the first time, working a day as Clark, then having to change into Superman and flying off and saving the day, cut to black, MAN OF STEEL.

[atp]

"What if a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society had intended? What if a child aspired to something greater?"

At first, I assumed that when Jor-El says this, he is talking about Clark growing up to become Superman on earth.

But now, I am wondering if he is referring to children on Krypton and the way that they are cloned/engineered.

What do you think? Please?

[Deleted]

I'm pretty sure that's the context. He wants his son to be something other than what he would've automatically been on Krypton. It's an interesting take on it all, really.

[atp]

it also makes me think kal el is sent away to hide him from zod. not because krypton is going to explode

[Jor-L5150]

Apr 26, 2013 13:03:50 GMT -5 atp said:

it also makes me think kal el is sent away to hide him from zod. not because krypton is going to explode

krypton WILL explode.
trailer 2 shows lara looking out the window as massive volcanoes erupt around her.

otherwise, your spot on.

its a mix/mish mash of byrne's "man of steel/superman vol2"

in byrnes version, kryptonians ARE genetically engineered (or to be more accurate, selectively bred) and Jor and Lara are in an arranged marriage as tier DNA is perceived as the best on krypton, and they are in elite classes.
and, to your dismay, krypton DID indeed have a CLONE WAR. what had happened is the ruling class ad started to create clones of themselves, kept in suspended animation, to harvest organs and tissue as needed.
many kryptonians were aghast at the idea of creating a human kryptonian life, but to not recognise it as an individual- to make a living being, who was lower than a slave or beast of burden. this led to a civil war where one side, the ruling class elites using science with no moral compass, and the other, those who believe in sanctity of life and the individual went at it and did enough damage that the destruction of krypton was inevitable.

in one narrative, it was revealed the the original "eradicator" was built to purge non-conformist kryptonians who did not submit to te science councils dogmas of reliance on technology, genetic engineering and so on. it depicted an elderly kryptonian woman, living alone in a remote area- no robot servants, no skin-tight-body suits and she was raising organic foods.
she was atomised by the eradicator for being a heretic.

but i digress. MOS looks to be mining some of the best elements of te mythos of the last several decades.

[Melv]

New quote from Snyder about the flying:

www.superherohype.com/news/articles/176485-zack-snyder-talks-henry-cavill-as-the-man-of-steel

"It's a more violent experience. It's raw. It takes effort to do it, and that's what we were really going for. It's almost like there's this kind of Right Stuff quality to it. He's constantly booming around, accelerating. You think he's going as fast as he can and then it's like 'Yeeaahh!' He's always got an extra gear he can use."

I like that, though I did want to see him hover at some point. Maybe he still will. It looks like his descent towards the army in the trailer is slow and controlled.

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2013 14:56:50 GMT -5 Melv said:

New quote from Snyder about the flying:

www.superherohype.com/news/articles/176485-zack-snyder-talks-henry-cavill-as-the-man-of-steel

"It's a more violent experience. It's raw. It takes effort to do it, and that's what we were really going for. It's almost like there's this kind of Right Stuff quality to it. He's constantly booming around, accelerating. You think he's going as fast as he can and then it's like 'Yeeaahh!' He's always got an extra gear he can use."

I like that, though I did want to see him hover at some point. Maybe he still will. It looks like his descent towards the army in the trailer is slow and controlled.

He's definitely hovering in front of the military so nothing to worry about there.

[crazy_asian_man]

Here's hoping. That's a dynamic in Smallville that I would have LOVED to have seen explored. Lois knowing the whole time.

Oddly, I'm not as bugged as I thought I would be, if this dynamic is radically changed for this movie series (after all, at this point, everything will get rebooted and changed after 3-4 movies it seems).... so long as other more interesting elements from the comics gets to be put on screen. (Brainiac like in the comics, vs. the scaled down/altered version in Smallville; Kandor; etc.)

Donner and Singer's version (mostly) wanted to hold onto most of the best things of the past comics & tv & radio versions- and transport it into the future.

If things are going to be greatly changed, then it's a bit of a return to how comic book adaptations were done in the 70's- change whatever the filmmaker wants to change, which is why I think I was generally so resistant because I think I've seen that approach at its worse on the tv adaptations (presumably).

Donner's Krypton wasn't the comic book's version of Krypton- and Lara wasn't a redhead - but the crystals were such an elegant touch, Susannah York was so great as Lara (with what little the part had), and most of the rest of Donner's stuff was done so well almost nobody cared.

With the Lois/Clark relationship, with Lois not knowing- it was cute and well done in the Donner film(s) and the Lois & Clark tv show was built around that whole dynamic for four years---

I thought Singer added a fresh and adult twist by adding the kid- and moving the Lois/Clark thing forward--- although I'll admit it also was a little weird/confusing that even at that, we weren't sure if Supes had given Lois a memory stealing kiss or spinned around the world.....

Even Mank and Donner had said/felt that they did everything when offered a chance to do Superman IV--- presumably they also meant that the relationship in that form also had a dead end.

Also- even the comics moved to having Lois knowing and then marrying Clark (only to hit ANOTHER dead end creatively when they didn't know what to do with that and then rebooted it).

So....
If this movie series decides to change it up and put the relationship in the far background and focus more on other elements on the mythos and action/adventure, at this point, I'd be all for it.

Would have rather they done the same via Singer's SR, but in many ways I think that Singer added the only real extension or twist to that relationship that could have added something more interesting to it- (*though I know the kid is what killed it for many fans, too)--- so if not that, I'm onboard for less Lois/Clark, more everything else in the comics to be brought on-screen.

On another note, from the brief bit with Amy Adams & Henry Cavill in the trailer-I'll admit they DO look great together on-screen.

[atp]

Apr 26, 2013 14:53:07 GMT -5 Jor-L5150 said:

and, to your dismay, krypton DID indeed have a CLONE WAR.

As long as no-one says, "Around the survivors, a perimeter create," I won't be too upset.

[Valentine Smith]

Here's the thing:

You want Lois to be someone girls/women want to identify with. The boys all have Superman.

I LOVE the idea that she knows, and has always known. It doesn't have to mean they get married. It doesn't mean their romantic relationship automatically accelerates. It just means she knows, and it means that she can be Superman's PARTNER in a very real, very important way in the future.

It was always Siegel and Shuster's intention that would eventually happen. There's a great unpublished story by them where she DOES find out, and it fundamentally changes their dynamic.

I love it. I LOVE IT. For a guy like Superman to love a mortal woman, she'd better be EXCEPTIONAL. And to a modern audience, "exceptional" isn't someone who can't see past a bad suit and a pair of glasses.

[Deleted]

Good comments from Michael Shannon on Cavill

"He's perfect, he's flawless," Shannon, who plays Man of Steel villain General Zod in the flick, told us last night at the Hollywood premiere of him movie The Iceman.
"He's everything you could possibly want," he continued. "I saw the movie the other day for the first time, and I just love the original as much as anybody but I can't think of another actor in the business today that could come close to what he did. He was just sensational."

and from Adams

"he's fantastic, he's just so yum. He's the nicest guy, aside from the face," "Whenever I had to look into his eyes I would just start giggling," Adams admitted. "I was like 'Oh I gotta stop this.'"

[eccentricbeing]

It's realistic and much more dynamic that Lois would know from the get-go. I can't add anything else to what Val said because it's spot on. Here you have a woman who's mostly written as an independent, smart go-getter....but yet, she can't figure out Clark Kent is Superman. It totally takes away something about her character and belittles it.

[crazy_asian_man]

I love it. I LOVE IT. For a guy like Superman to love a mortal woman, she'd better be EXCEPTIONAL. And to a modern audience, "exceptional" isn't someone who can't see past a bad suit and a pair of glasses.

Well, it is/will be a signficant change, if we're all right about our predictions.

The charm & humor of the original Siegel/Shuster concept was the irony of this mild mannered 'everyman' getting trivialized because of outward appearances, when he truly is a superior being to everyone around him.... and even more charming because of funny idea that the one who really should recognize him, and loves him, can't.

If it has run its course- and if the idea has already been mined to death over the decades..... then the question could come up as to what replaces it, and if what it's being replaced with is as good as or better.

In the last couple of seasons (which I thought were the best ones outside of the first) of Smallvile was more of a Lois & Clark reboot than anything else- but was very entertaining.... even if the way they went into the relationship bit was very different from the comics and the movies.

At the same time, there was something lost- in a way, I thought that Lois (at least in the Donner version) was representing the audience on some level- the slightly (though less so in the Lester version) cynical and not-so-innocent point of view that wants to fall for the idea of a pure superbeing in body and spirit.

If Lois knows right up front- the question might be 'where does the character/relationship go from there, then?'.

Hopefully Goyer/Snyder (Nolan's just collecting the check I assume since Snyder took over) have an idea for where it should go- and not just pushing it in the background completely (ie TDKR's version of the Talia Al Ghul/Wayne relationship or the Selina Kyle/Batman one).

I suspected that if SR 2 happened, the Lois/Clark thing would have been pushed to the sidelines- because it was sort of established where they were in SR..... but with MOS- will it be pushed to the sidelines and always stay there?

If so, bit of a waste of talent for Amy Adams' part- if there's not much to play for sequels.... but..... I guess the time to really dive into this might be better once the movie comes out, and we see where all the pieces are put with this.

One thing I think everyone can agree on, though...

If it turns out to be a dream movie that connects with everyone- what if it takes another ten years or so for WB to ok a sequel?

[Jor-L5150]

“It’s a more violent experience. It’s raw. It takes effort to do it,


this.

see, we ALL had those "flying" dreams. we all did. every damn one of us, had those dreams- we're flyin and so on.

i dont know about you- but in MY dreams- flying, well... this sounds silly, but in MY dreams, flying DID take effort. it was concentration- a sense of vertigo, a sense of- that feeling in your stomach on a fast elevator, THAT is how it was in my flying dreams. it took focus.

i'd be embarrassed to share that- but then i know who's reading it.

[theoj]

Great article in the new Empire magazine not about Man of Steel but about SR and how there will never be a film like it again, referring to its unique combination of being a modern superhero movie but also a homage to the classic Superman movie. It's a review that revisits the film and highlights the fact that what we are now getting with Man of Steel will be exactly what SR was lacking in, namely action, but at the same time it is a film that will stand the test of time because it will go down as this unusual entity that doesn't fit toegether with anything else out there (its not a Chris Reeve movie though it does follow on from S2) and its not an entirely new Superman movie either, and it will stand on its own as something quite rare and distinct, so that when people look back on the Superman movies of the past, they'll immediately think of STM and probably MOS, but when they've exhausted the more commercial films, they'll rediscover this lost little gem called Superman Returns!

[Deleted]

Doubtful. Highly doubtful. People didn't like it a huge amount when it came out and since then, forget about it. SR is very much the red headed step child of superhero movies. It's not well regarded by the general public. MOS ain't gonna bring it back.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using proboards

[Rod]

Apr 26, 2013 18:37:06 GMT -5 Jor-L5150 said:

“It’s a more violent experience. It’s raw. It takes effort to do it,


this.

see, we ALL had those "flying" dreams. we all did. every damn one of us, had those dreams- we're flyin and so on.

i dont know about you- but in MY dreams- flying, well... this sounds silly, but in MY dreams, flying DID take effort. it was concentration- a sense of vertigo, a sense of- that feeling in your stomach on a fast elevator, THAT is how it was in my flying dreams. it took focus.

i'd be embarrassed to share that- but then i know who's reading it.

hahaha nice!

in my dreams flying sometimes did take effort, like swiming, i have to move my arms and stufff...a lot of effort. ;D

other times it is very easy as if i have a rocket propulsion. it has to do with a feeling of "let go"

one cool thing that always happens to me when i "discover" that i am dreaming:
imediately i start to fly.

of course people can relate to that.
superman flying is the personification of a collective dream.

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2013 20:14:30 GMT -5 @ucfkevin said:

Doubtful. Highly doubtful. People didn't like it a huge amount when it came out and since then, forget about it. SR is very much the red headed step child of superhero movies. It's not well regarded by the general public. MOS ain't gonna bring it back.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using proboards

In other words, it'll be a cult classic in another 15 years.

[crazy_asian_man]

Great article in the new Empire magazine not about Man of Steel but about SR and how there will never be a film like it again, referring to its unique combination of being a modern superhero movie but also a homage to the classic Superman movie. It's a review that revisits the film and highlights the fact that what we are now getting with Man of Steel will be exactly what SR was lacking in, namely action, but at the same time it is a film that will stand the test of time because it will go down as this unusual entity that doesn't fit toegether with anything else out there (its not a Chris Reeve movie though it does follow on from S2) and its not an entirely new Superman movie either, and it will stand on its own as something quite rare and distinct,

I think it's a rare entity, but I don't know if general fanboys would necessarily seek it out.

Superman fans aren't the majority of comic book fans, who seem to love Batman and X-men more.... and among them- would all Superman fans 10-15 years from now love the Donner films enough to seek out SR?

SR might end up being a cult like "Blade Runner" was- which wasn't all that loved in the theatres at the time- but it's hard to envision midnight showings that would bring people out to see and support it.

My guess would be that any superhero (particularly Superman) film would be considered too mainstream for cult audiences to embrace; but too different for mainstream audiences to cheer and have endless repeat viewings, too.

But then again..... if Ed Wood's "Planet 9 from Outer Space" and "Birdemic" can be cult films, doesn't seem like there's any real rules or boundaries as to what can be a cult film.

[eccentricbeing]

I really doubt Superman Returns is going to be a cult classic. A movie like Blade Runner became one for various reasons, one being the fact that it's an incredibly, visually stunning film with special effects that were perfected for its time. But outside of that and the philosophical texture of the story, Blade Runner is a rather, slow and dull movie. Superman Returns will be on the same shelf as Ben Affleck's Daredevil, the first Punisher movie, the 1990 version of Captain America, the Crow sequels.

[atp]

Look what IS considered a cult classic