Spoilers Superman Spoiler Thread

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I still like Reeve best, but I'd argue that he got a depiction of Superman right. He is very different to many comic-book interpretations--it all depends on who is writing him (and when, I guess). I wouldn't say any of them are more accurate portrayals, but I'd agree that Reeve's sincerity and earnestness has a quality to it which has never been beaten.

He did a great job of capturing the mid-1970s Superman, as drawn by Curt Swan, very well. But that portrayal was already slipping away by the point the movie came out.

 

[Justice and Rule]

its still not better than the first Reeve movie, Reeve got Supermans depiction right and it was a Superman movie not Kal and his Super friends

I would absolutely say it's a better movie than the first Reeve film. Reeve is arguably still the best Superman, but the Donner Superman films have rather rough spots and haven't aged as gracefully as some of the classics of the era. I'd much rather have Kal and the Superfriends than the plot of the first Superman film, especially Hoult Luthor against Hackman Luthor. In fact, I think for all the film adds, 2025 Superman really manages things very well and still manages to make Superman the center of a very dense film. People praise Mr. Terrific, but what I see people talking about is about how punk "kindness" is.

 

[Justice and Rule]

It was outsmarting the clone not Lex. The drones were its ‘brains’ (as in Luthor was its brain) so by removing them he could then outsmart the clone in a fight.

I disagree. Lex can say how dumb the clone is, but this is also Lex we are talking about, so I'm not fully convinced that he couldn't be trained or perhaps have free thought. Instead, Lex created a system where he has to be in control of things, which was Lex's weakness in the film. Superman didn't just exploit the clone's weakness, he exploited Lex's desire for absolute control over everything.

 

[Mannahnin]

I would absolutely say it's a better movie than the first Reeve film. Reeve is arguably still the best Superman, but the Donner Superman films have rather rough spots and haven't aged as gracefully as some of the classics of the era. I'd much rather have Kal and the Superfriends than the plot of the first Superman film, especially Hoult Luthor against Hackman Luthor. In fact, I think for all the film adds, 2025 Superman really manages things very well and still manages to make Superman the center of a very dense film. People praise Mr. Terrific, but what I see people talking about is about how punk kindness is.

 

[Morrus]

I disagree. Lex can say how dumb the clone is, but this is also Lex we are talking about, so I'm not fully convinced that he couldn't be trained or perhaps have free thought. Instead, Lex created a system where he has to be in control of things, which was Lex's weakness in the film. Superman didn't just exploit the clone's weakness, he exploited Lex's desire for absolute control over everything.

I think you're overthinking it. It was just brains > brawn, take away clone's brains, Supes wins. The film isn't that in-depth.

 

[chuckdee]

I think you're overthinking it. It was just brains > brawn, take away clone's brains, Supes wins. The film isn't that in-depth.

Which is the reason that I don't like it. What isn't explored enough in the Superman mythos is the fact that one of the reasons Lex is so obsessed with Superman isn't just because Superman is physically and morally Super, but also because of the fact that he is very intelligent. It's shown in some comics, but people focus on the punchy punchy in most cases over this fact.

 

[Morrus]

Which is the reason that I don't like it. What isn't explored enough in the Superman mythos is the fact that one of the reasons Lex is so obsessed with Superman isn't just because Superman is physically and morally Super, but also because of the fact that he is very intelligent. It's shown in some comics, but people focus on the punchy punchy in most cases over this fact.

Well this Supes isn’t the best at everything. That’s deliberate. Lex is smarter.

 

[chuckdee]

Well this Supes isn’t the best at everything. That’s deliberate. Lex is smarter.

He doesn't have to be the best... It's just one of the way that he vexes Lex. Lex knows he's smarter and underestimates Superman. But Superman still outsmarts his perfect plan. Which fuels his rage. I like that dynamic.

 

[Justice and Rule]

I think you're overthinking it. It was just brains > brawn, take away clone's brains, Supes wins. The film isn't that in-depth.

I think you're understating it. You can't outsmart the clone without outsmarting the operator, and I am not convinced that the clone is operated by voice-activation for any other reason besides Lex wanted the most direct way to vicariously beat the crap out of Supes. That's absolutely Superman being clever and changing the rules of the game.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Which is the reason that I don't like it. What isn't explored enough in the Superman mythos is the fact that one of the reasons Lex is so obsessed with Superman isn't just because Superman is physically and morally Super, but also because of the fact that he is very intelligent. It's shown in some comics, but people focus on the punchy punchy in most cases over this fact.

Well, it doesn't help that it isn't in any way consistent across different takes. The Man of Tomorrow take you've seen in some cases, including a lot of the Silver Age that was absolutely true (Kal was shown doing science in the Fortress on occasion, and was even referred to as having "super-intelligence"; he was the son of a very capable scientist (and in some later versions, two). On the other hand, he's often depicted as a fairly smart ordinary man, but not necessarily more than, or even as much as, Lois.

So you can swing either way on that one. I've got to say I'm not sure he's very often depicted as smarter than Lex, though.