DailySkew’s Superman Movie Opinion
I will assume that the 56% Rotten Tomatoes critics rating is some sort of anti-Christian backlash, just a way for the critics to get website traffic, or in the case of newspaper writers, to become a name. To say that Man of Steel is so much worse than the 2006 Superman Returns (75% RT) is ridiculous. The fans have spoken to the tune of $621,381,087 with a 77% RT rating even with all of the negative reviews. This discrepancy should prove once and for all not to believe the professional critics or paid bloggers.
I was not a fan who was predisposed to enjoy Man of Steel because I’m not really into reboots or changes to target Generation Y. I also was turned off by the religion debates online and on the radio about if Superman was supposed to be Jesus. Suffice to say I was pleasantly surprised in every way. The special effects, acting, and drama were all top notch. David S. Goyer’s script was fantastic and Zack Snyder’s directing was wonderful.
Forging The Man of Steel (aka Ripping Off Other Writers)
I do have some beef with the following writers not getting credit on screen (this is a pet peeve of mine, but it should not take away from the movie to you):
J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) and Shane Davis’ Superman: Earth One (2010): Instead of Zod, JMS created a character Tyrell who served the same function and called out Kal in the same exact way and used earth destroying machines to goad Kal-El to reveal himself. The Act 3 fight scene in Man of Steel appears to have been lifted directly from the graphic novel. Additionally, JMS tapped into the Generation Y Clark Kent even more so than Snyder and Goyer; JMS gave Clark a hoodie in 2010. Both “Clark Kent” characters are more “Kal-El” than the traditional Kent we’ve all grown up with. The ending is the same.
John Byrne’s 1980s era Superman (and I’m sure Marv Wolfman would sue for credit): Most non-comic book readers think that the popular TV series Smallville invented the dumb “no glasses Smallville Clark Kent”concept which gets everyone frustrated about the whole “secret identity” thing. However, it was everyone’s favorite curmudgeon John Byrne who invented that in 1986′s Man of Steel limited series (at the time, it set the record for best selling comic of all time and the MEDIA covered it, so it shouldn’t be news to people in 2013, alas…) Anyway, the problem with the “no glasses Clark” is obvious. You just have to accept that it’s part of the super-hero trope and move on. Seriously. You can accept he can fly, so you can accept his ‘secret identity”. The new film also took Byrne’s Kryptonian concepts (birth matrix, sterile world, robots) and Superman’s code of killing vs Zod being tested.
Geoff Johns and Christopher Donner’s Superman: Last Son (2006-2008): The real Zod and the Phanton Zone villains come back for the first time in post-Crisis continuity and attempt to convert Earth to New Krypton. ’nuff said.
Grant Morrison’s 2011 Action Comics reboot: The main concept that Man of Steel lifted from DC New 52 is that Superman is discriminated against by the military and government for being an alien. (I think that theme is a sci-fi take on immigration in America.)
Again, I just would like the world to know that these writers contributed to Man of Steel uncredited. Their works belong to Warner Brothers, but I think they should get a check in the mail.
Man of Steel Is Innovative on the Silver Screen
Back to the movie- I can’t understand why critics would say Man of Steel is generic and doesn’t cover new ground. The entire film in new ground compared the previous movies. (These critics never read the above mentioned comic books. Only I reserve the right to say Man of Steel did not cover new ground, but I won’t.) Previous Superman films had none of these concepts. They were all Silver Age Superman Christopher Reeve tributes (even the 2006 film was a tribute). Man of Steel doesn’t have the iconic soundtrack or a comedy version of Lex Luthor. Zod was less melodramatic. The costume was less hokey. The overall film was dark and we felt Kal-El’s loneliness and struggles more than previous films. It is a real, no strings attached reboot. No previous continuity is needed. No comic book needed to be read beforehand.
Recommended For Your Pleasure
Finally, I guess there are some casual movie fans that claim “that’s not my Superman”. They should keep in mind every generation says that. I said it many times. Yet I feel Superman holds up better from this modern interpretation than, say the new Spider-Man rebooted franchise, which truly covers NO new ground. Spider-Man’s current comic books are still offensive to me because Peter Parker still acts like a 16-year old. At least Superman is still a solid and stable character no matter what his incarnation or change.
I’ll take Man of Steel over other recent comic book movies such as The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man 3, Judge Dredd, and G.I. Joe Retaliation. It is probably neck and neck with Avengers, and I could go either way comparing the two.
