Man of Steel review - WITH SPOILERS

[Operation:Mego]

Dude, I'm kidding. Now, where did I put my Geritol?

I figured you were.

[VintageMike]

I enjoyed it. Sure was was stuff I didn't love but it was good. I'm betting the next one will be even better and have more "fun" than this now that the Clark AE is in play and the origin is out of the way.

[B-Lister]

Unbelievably good. The non linear start and flashbacks seemed disjointed at first but wove into an amazing whole!

[B-Lister]

The only direct nod to previous films was Zod moving the tanker truck with the slightest nudge of his tiptoe.

[Operation:Mego]

(SPOILER)

Something that I don't think anyone else has brought up is that Hamilton dies as well. He's on the ship with Gen. Hardy and Faora. I'm kind of disapointed that they killed him, as I thought in a sequel he could've taken a role like that in S:TAS.

^Yes, yes and yes. Did you notice the LexCorp trucks?

Chris

Yes, I saw them too. That was a cool surprise as I had only heard of the LexCorp Tower logo being seen. Guess we know where Metropolis gets its resources from.

[madmarva]

The only direct nod to previous films was Zod moving the tanker truck with the slightest nudge of his tiptoe.

There are more than a few nods, direct or subtle, to the Donner and Lester films in Man of Steel from the exchange between Jor-el and Laura which nearly mimics Brando and York when they are about to send the baby into space to Coster's "reason" speech to young Clark which is similar to Glenn Ford's. I doubt that anyone could catch them all, but here's a few more.

Chris mentioned earlier the scene where a disguised Clark helps Lois off the plane as a nod to the helicopter scene. The bar scene is a nod to the dinner scene in SMII, which someone also mentioned in an earlier post.

Many felt the Phantom Zone in the original movies looked like a record album cover, well in this one it's a triangle reminiscent of the cover of Pink Flyod's Darkside of the Moon, which is an album that charted for more than 700 weeks on Billboard's top LP charts.

Faora' depiction is based on Sarah Douglas' performance in SMII and of course the one PZ villain who hulks over everyone is Non. The Lois /Superman interview, though this one isn't romantic and the little superman emblem key that replaces crystals, have there roots in the original films.

While Siegle and Shuster alluded to Moses from the book od Exodus in the Bible from the very beginning in Action Comics 1, it was the Superman films that first overtly cast the character as a messianic figure. The idea that the chest emblem was Kryptonian rather than A stylized English S is from the Donner/Lester films. The whole fight with Zod was one big technological one-ups-man ship over the fight with the PZ villains from SMII. Superman vents his frustration with a primal yell over killing Zod just like he did in SM the Movie for not being able to save Lois.

Heck, Man of Steel is a remake for the first two Superman films minus Luthor, but executed in a way and with a tone that doesn't take you out of the flow of this film like Supeman Returns, which basically had Routh and Spacey performing as Reeve and Hackman, did.

Superman Returns had a more original story; it just didn't fit the character or give the general public what it wanted out of a superman film.

That being said there is so much in Man of Steel that is not in the original two films or direct turns away from them, or executed better in them.

I really enjoyed Man of Steel, but Goyer and Snyder, consciously or not, were influenced greatly by Superman: The Movie and Superman II in making this film, just like everyone who has worked on the character since those films debuted has been. Those films are dated and have their issues, but they have become so much of the superman canon that we often don't realize their influence.

[B-Lister]

The giant in MOS was Nam-Ek a canonical Superman Phantom Zone criminal, NOT Non.

[madmarva]

Hey B-lister, sorry if I offended you with my post.

As for Nam-ek, it is the name of a PZ villain featured in Superman No 282 from the mid 70s and the Phantom zone mini series from the 80s and a late issue of DC Comics Presents around the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths (1984 or 85).

Nam-ek may have been the inspiration for Non in the original Superman movie or not, and the Goliath-like PZ villain may be named Nam-ek in the credits, although I did not catch him ever being called by name in the film, but Nam-ek from the comics had a horn on his forehead and purple, bumpy skin, which he contracted while performing experiments on a Kryptonian animal that had healing properties in its horn. He looked nothing like the giant in Man of Steel, although he had a beard like Non from the original Superman flicks before he mutated.

I have no doubt the giant Kryptonian in MOS was inspired more by Non from the Donner and Lester films than by the comics character Nam-ek, but to each his own.

Also when I wrote "the PZ villain that hulks over everyone is Non," I meant it in the metaphorical sense, not that the character was literally named Non. But, I didn't write clearly enough. Again, I wasn't trying to be a jackass, but in reading over my post, it may have seemed that way.

Glad you enjoyed the movie.

[The Toyroom]

Sounds like they went with legit comic names for Faora and Nam-Ek instead of the Donner movie versions of Ursa and Non, even if they were visually inspired by the latter...

[boss]

Is it wrong that I thought Ma Kent was hotter than Lois Lane?

[madmarva]

No doubt Diane Lane is hot, even when they try not to make her so.

[emeraldknight47]

No doubt Diane Lane is hot, even when they try not to make her so.

She just can't help herself! She was born that way!!!

[B-Lister]

Madmarva- I wasn't offended. Just making sure we are not confusing each other with minutiae.

I agree the nods were there, but I think it was a very wise decision to distance MOS from the Donner films. I truly hope we can move on, and let Cavill's Superman stand on his own.

[madmarva]

No confusion on my part. If I had my druthers, Goyer and Snyder would have opted to go with totally different direction rather with Man of Steel rather than a remake. But I do understand their decision. The reboot necessitated some replay of the origin and since Krypton was in play, it was easier to go with a Kryptonian threat rather than attempting to tell a villain's origin that was unrelated to Superman's.

As it is with all the destruction of the first film I think they did a nice job of setting the table for a xenophobic-type antagonist whether its Luthor, Glorious Godfrey, Batman, Maxwell Lord or even an original character, and I like the uneasy relationship with the US government. Him having to work double time to earn the people, nation and world's trust is logical and I'd like to see that explored as well. I just hope the consequences of the battles in MOS are addressed in the sequel and not just glossed over.

If as some have suggested that Supergirl could be part of the sequel, then Brianiac comes into play, but a story that doesn't involve another alien invasion would be preferable to me.

One interesting aspect of the way the climax played out is that at least Perry White if not Steve Lombard and the Jenny character would probably or could recognize their new stringer as Superman. I guess Lois would help him run interference.

It's going to be interesting to see where they go with the sequel.

[palitoy]

anybody else think the Polar Bear was an inside joke?