Just got back and Man of Steel has jump to the top of my list of best of summer, enjoyed it!
So, about those Man of Steel reviews...
Bagpuss
Legend
I had a few issues with it, the final act just didn't feel like a Superman movie, it looked like a super hero battle but it didn't feel like Superman was the hero.
[sblock]
The fights really didn't feel like Superman in a fight to me. The destruction is epic, and I think Superman only twice makes any effort to safe humans in peril (some soldiers in the first battle, no one in the final battle). In the final fight the body count must be like twelve 9/11's happening at once and at least one or more caused by Superman's actions. There were a couple of points where I thought he was going to try and move the fight to somewhere where people were less likely to get hurt, but it didn't happen.
I think that was the most disappointing aspect of the film. Avengers handled it better with Captain Amercia's actions.
So the fights and events go on for an age, with a body count that must be going into several 10's or even 100's of thousands, but Superman doesn't take it else where or make an effort to save anyone except Lois.
It was way over the top and yet also disappointing, it's like they had to out do Avengers for property damage, but the writers, dictor of Avengers remembered people lived and worked in those buildings, and so you realized that it was humanity not just the heroes were in danger, and the heroes made an effort to save them.
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The other thing I didn't like was, his dad was always going on about Clark keeping his powers hidden, not saving people as it will draw attention to himself, even so much as to say he should have let a bus load of school children some of which would clearly have been Clark's friends die. Yet the only time we ever see Clark actually follow his dad's advice is when he lets his own father die.
He's willing to stand there and let his own father die, but then ignores the advice he sacrificed his Dad for and saves every Tom, Dick and Harry. That's some screwed up motivations going on there.
I thought either his dad would have admitted that no you couldn't really stand there and let the kids on the bus die, or Clark would have mentioned to Lois at his dad's grave that he vowed then never stand by and let someone die, where he could save them, but no. His human dad is a heartless git that will let a bus of school children die and yet somehow Superman grows up to be a good guy and not a villain? His mum must have been a really powerful influence for good, but we don't see any of that in the film.
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Another annoying bit, they are having a fight in the devastation around the spaceship, the destruction from the fight is even more impressive though so civilians are put at risk, but at least most civilians in that area are already dead or at least have feed the area or run for shelter. Still General Zod says something along the lines of "Did you grow up on a farm?" and Superman seems to get an idea in his head, and starts rapidly punching Zod back and back...
and I think oh right at last he's trying to get him to a farm or at least a wide open space away from people...
but no he's punching him through several perviously undamaged skyscrapers, towards a part of the city unaffected by the spaceship which will have more people, who won't be alert to the danger or sheltering in cover.
Dick move Superman, but then you did have a dick of a father to teach you.[/sblock]
[sblock]
The fights really didn't feel like Superman in a fight to me. The destruction is epic, and I think Superman only twice makes any effort to safe humans in peril (some soldiers in the first battle, no one in the final battle). In the final fight the body count must be like twelve 9/11's happening at once and at least one or more caused by Superman's actions. There were a couple of points where I thought he was going to try and move the fight to somewhere where people were less likely to get hurt, but it didn't happen.
I think that was the most disappointing aspect of the film. Avengers handled it better with Captain Amercia's actions.
So the fights and events go on for an age, with a body count that must be going into several 10's or even 100's of thousands, but Superman doesn't take it else where or make an effort to save anyone except Lois.
It was way over the top and yet also disappointing, it's like they had to out do Avengers for property damage, but the writers, dictor of Avengers remembered people lived and worked in those buildings, and so you realized that it was humanity not just the heroes were in danger, and the heroes made an effort to save them.
___________________________
The other thing I didn't like was, his dad was always going on about Clark keeping his powers hidden, not saving people as it will draw attention to himself, even so much as to say he should have let a bus load of school children some of which would clearly have been Clark's friends die. Yet the only time we ever see Clark actually follow his dad's advice is when he lets his own father die.
He's willing to stand there and let his own father die, but then ignores the advice he sacrificed his Dad for and saves every Tom, Dick and Harry. That's some screwed up motivations going on there.
I thought either his dad would have admitted that no you couldn't really stand there and let the kids on the bus die, or Clark would have mentioned to Lois at his dad's grave that he vowed then never stand by and let someone die, where he could save them, but no. His human dad is a heartless git that will let a bus of school children die and yet somehow Superman grows up to be a good guy and not a villain? His mum must have been a really powerful influence for good, but we don't see any of that in the film.
________________________________________________
Another annoying bit, they are having a fight in the devastation around the spaceship, the destruction from the fight is even more impressive though so civilians are put at risk, but at least most civilians in that area are already dead or at least have feed the area or run for shelter. Still General Zod says something along the lines of "Did you grow up on a farm?" and Superman seems to get an idea in his head, and starts rapidly punching Zod back and back...
and I think oh right at last he's trying to get him to a farm or at least a wide open space away from people...
but no he's punching him through several perviously undamaged skyscrapers, towards a part of the city unaffected by the spaceship which will have more people, who won't be alert to the danger or sheltering in cover.
Dick move Superman, but then you did have a dick of a father to teach you.[/sblock]
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It was not a perfect movie and I too had some issues with it but hey, summer blockbuster, some things you leave at the door.
Don't forget...
[sblock]Superman let babies die...if you look at the "Genesis Room" you see robots tending the eggs sacks, all they were waiting for was imprinting. Sure they were clones but WOW.[/sblock]
Snapdragyn
Explorer
This is a film where the more I think about it the less I like it.
Um... WTF, Nolan? Lazy storytelling much?
One thing which particularly bothered me was the lack of internal consistency. When Sups & Lois are on the spaceship, a big deal is made about it being the Earth vs. Kryptonian AIR that is the source of his super strength - he's weakened on the ship because of the AIR, & only gets strong enough to escape when the AIR is switched to an Earth mix.
But... whenever he's fighting Team Zod down on Earth... oh look, they're wearing their breathing masks to keep them supplied with good old Kryptonian-style air, BUT STILL FIGHTING WITH SUPER STRENGTH AND SPEED.
But... whenever he's fighting Team Zod down on Earth... oh look, they're wearing their breathing masks to keep them supplied with good old Kryptonian-style air, BUT STILL FIGHTING WITH SUPER STRENGTH AND SPEED.
Um... WTF, Nolan? Lazy storytelling much?
No, you misunderstood that bit. The yellow sun gave them the powers, not the air. The Kryptonian air was toxic to Supes because he wasn't used to it. Two different things.
Bagpuss
Legend
It wasn't just the yellow Sun, it was also stuff in the air as Zod only gained Superman's powers when he took of his mask. Until then he had only a Krytonian's strength and speed, which I think they tried to explain away by the gravity being different, for them.
But yeah Superman was only weak not due to a lack of sun/earth atmosphere but because he was poisoned by the Kyptonian one.
What I didn't get is why when Zod he learned that Kyptonians that have adapted to Earth, or grew up there had loads of extra powers, he still wanted to Terraform the planet. Surely it would make more sense to keep it like it is, to breed stronger Kyptonians with heat and x-ray vision.
They got all the powers from the yellow sun. The mask blocked the sensory stuff, and when he took it off it hurt him because he wasn't used to it, like Clark was. Zod was used to Kryptonian atmosphere; it isn't toxic to him. It wouldn't depower him.
The sun gives powers. The air was toxic to Clark. The maskes blocked the sensory stuff.
The only question was: what made Zod thing he needed a mask on Earth? He did, but only to block out the sensory stuff he didn't now about. He figured that out quick, then didn't need the mask. That mask scene was a bit weak.
Snapdragyn
Explorer
Well, no.
When Sups awakens tied to the table on the spaceship, the doctor specifically tells him that he has no power there. When the Jor-El program takes over the ship, Sups regains his power after 'Jor-El' reprograms the life support to produce Earth-like air - not because of any alteration to the ship's lighting (which would've made much more sense & been easily visible to the audience). That proves it was supposed to be Earth air granting super strength on the ship.
Then when battling Team Zod on Earth we twice see Sups damage or remove their breathers, causing them to breath Earth air. In these cases it leads to them gaining his sensory powers (x-ray vision, super hearing) & being overwhelmed by the input (something he had spent a lifetime learning to handle). It happens twice, & is a big point in both battles where it happens - they were fine standing in yellow sunlight & breathing their own air (& using super strength, contra the situation with Sups on the spaceship), but when the masks came off they suddenly gained super senses.
Both of these are departures from the comics canon (at least the older ones with which I'm familiar), which works like you mentioned - yellow sunlight & lighter gravity. I'm fine with that part. I just wish they had been internally consistent as to what happened when - if the air determines senses, then let Sups rip free of the table on the spaceship; if it determines strength then show Team Zod removing their breathers when they have to fight the super-strong Kal-El.
If what you're saying is that the sun gave strength but the air caused Sups to be so sickened that he was as weak as human-normal, then I think we're into the realm of splitting hairs. It walks like a duck, & quacks like a duck, but apparently we're supposed to call it a sick parrot instead?
Then when battling Team Zod on Earth we twice see Sups damage or remove their breathers, causing them to breath Earth air. In these cases it leads to them gaining his sensory powers (x-ray vision, super hearing) & being overwhelmed by the input (something he had spent a lifetime learning to handle). It happens twice, & is a big point in both battles where it happens - they were fine standing in yellow sunlight & breathing their own air (& using super strength, contra the situation with Sups on the spaceship), but when the masks came off they suddenly gained super senses.
Both of these are departures from the comics canon (at least the older ones with which I'm familiar), which works like you mentioned - yellow sunlight & lighter gravity. I'm fine with that part. I just wish they had been internally consistent as to what happened when - if the air determines senses, then let Sups rip free of the table on the spaceship; if it determines strength then show Team Zod removing their breathers when they have to fight the super-strong Kal-El.
If what you're saying is that the sun gave strength but the air caused Sups to be so sickened that he was as weak as human-normal, then I think we're into the realm of splitting hairs. It walks like a duck, & quacks like a duck, but apparently we're supposed to call it a sick parrot instead?
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This is all exactly what I said! Sun gives powers. Krypto air poisons. Masks block sensory stuff.
Yup. The movie largely departs from canon most of the way through.
If what you're saying is that the sun gave strength but the air caused Sups to be so sickened that he was as weak as human-normal, then I think we're into the realm of splitting hairs. It walks like a duck, & quacks like a duck, but apparently we're supposed to call it a sick parrot instead?
I don't really know what that duck stuff means, but that's what happened in the film, yes - the sun gave powers; the Krypto air was toxic to Clark. They were pretty explicit about that.
Snapdragyn
Explorer
So when he awakes recovered on the table... um....
Also, since Earth air gives sensory powers, why weren't the Kryptonians on the ship shown to be experiencing that issue when Lois was escaping? Oh right, internal consistency.
