MovieChat Forums > Man of Steel (2013) Discussion > This movie really doesn't deserve the ha...

This movie really doesn't deserve the hate

posted 6 years ago by DarthRoger (867)
19 replies | jump to latest

I'm not a fan of Zach Snyder's Batman V Superman. It was a terribly directed and produced movie, as if it was done last minute on a patchwork story with grim aesthetics.

The case is not the same for Man of Steel, the movie that came before and gave us a new take on Clark Kent/Superman. He knows he's different, he knows he can do things he shouldn't be able to do and he's conflicted about his role in the world. It's a story of coming of age and finding your identity. I understand that premise.

Maybe - in Pa Kent's wisdom - the world wasn't ready for this type of Superman movie. Superman is supposed to be the bright hope, the optimist, the believer in virtue. Man of Steel gave Superman more psychological human frailty. He might think he was right but questioned it.

It wasn't a Superman people could wrap their arms around and love, because it wasn't Superman as he's always been presented. I think the critics reacted based on this pre-conceived vision of Superman imbedded in comic book culture. That's their right, they can dislike Snyder's version of the character but it gave me a better sense of Clark/Supes as a person instead of an image. That's where I think lots of viewers missed the heart of this movie.

Anyway, I just had to share. I'm a confirmed Marvel-head but feel like Man of Steel was very unfairly dumped upon.

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 6 years ago

Nope. A Superman who does not inspire, who lets his father get killed in a tornado when he had the power to act (despite the consequences), who needs a priest to tell him the right thing to do and one who brings the battle FROM a cornfield to the middle of a town? A Superman who lets his enemy throw a fuel truck at him and instead of stopping it, floats over it so it explodes without him and never looks back to see if anyone was hurt? A Superman who feels a mass grave is a place to make out?

That's no Superman I recognize.

[–] DarthRoger (867) 6 years ago

See, I understand that criticism, I really do and felt some of the same things when I saw the movie.

All I was trying to express is that I "get" what Snyder was trying to do with the character. That's all.
Does the movie have flaws? Absolutely. Does it get more hate that it deserves? I think so but that's only my opinion.

At the end of the day, I didn't loathe it the way I loathe BVS.

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 6 years ago

I GET what Snyder was going for....he said he was going for the "deconstruction of the hero" time and again. And I will say I am in the minority for liking his Watchmen for doing JUST that. The problem is....this is not an "original" (all pardon the the Charlton heroes Watchmen was based on) character. Superman is in the global consciousness. If I recall correctly, he has the SECOND most globally recognized symbol.

What I'm say is, with a character like that.....you can't DEconstruct him until you spend some time CONstructing him. Imagine if they had gone with Dark Knight Rises story without doing Batman Begins and the Dark Knight.....that's the mess we had here.

[–] DarthRoger (867) 6 years ago

I had not considered the points you just made but you are exactly right!

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 6 years ago

No, no, no....you apparently do not get the internet. You're SUPPOSED to stand your ground and argue and argue and then call me disparaging names. If you agree with me....well, the internet can die.

[–] DarthRoger (867) 6 years ago

I know, I'm breaking all sorts of internet spat rules here. :D

[–] FredBurroughs (19706) 6 years ago

For all that the movie did well, you highlighted some of the most boneheaded mistakes. Pa Kent's death was completely unnecessary and avoidable. Supes, after all, is FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET, so why wouldn't he be able to zip in and rescue his dad from a dense tornado without anyone noticing? Just one of many stupid choices.

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 6 years ago

And it's like the writers just ....did not get what the fathers death in the 1978 movie was conveying. When Pa Kent dies there of a heart attack, it shows Clark there are things he can't do (i mean,,,,they have Clark SAY this!). So somehow replacing a heart attack with rescuing a dog from a tornado (which, you know....is in the top 5 of things Clark CAN do) just shows boneheadedness on the part of the writers.

[–] DarthRoger (867) 6 years ago

Better point than any I made, especially about the heat attack that Clark couldn't do anything to stop.

Guess I'm trying to find the bright moments in a flawed movie. I still don't hate it. At least the fight scenes were entertaining to watch.

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 6 years ago

I don't even HATE it. The battles were definitely what two god like beings would do to a city and even the motivations were interesting and there were some strong performances.

If they called this MightyMan or Captain Protector or what have you? 8/10 movie. You call this Man of Steel and tell me this guy is supposed to be Superman? 4/10.

[–] TheReccher (343) 6 years ago

"Supes, after all, is FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET"

Correction. ADULT supes is faster than a speeding bullet. The film firmly established that Clark didn't know the peak of his power until Jor-El informed him later on.

[–] FredBurroughs (19706) 6 years ago

How does that excuse him from not even trying to save his Earth dad?

[–] TexasJack (12515) 6 years ago

I agree. Before I saw it, I wasn't aware of the fact the BvS was directed by the same dude who directed MoS. I despise the former and enjoyed the latter quite a bit.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

I disagree. It's a terrible film, gray and joyless and boring, and I think its take on Superman had been done too many times before.

Taking a character who seems one-dimensional and then making him unhappy and conflicted is actually the easy way to approach the "humanizing" thing. Especially when he's not actually human.

[–] furiousstyles (4359) 6 years ago

otter i completey agree with you , the DCEU fanatstics will have this down as a masterpiece along with BVS, but you have summed it up perfectly , its a very drab boring film

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

At least a couple of people genuinely like this film, and have explained their liking in sane, non-ranting, not-typical-for-DC-fan ways.

Whatever floats your boat, dudes, but I really dislike this movie. Everything I enjoy in movies, MoS brings the opposite of it.

[–] DceuFanticArmy (1111) 6 years ago

Mos is the best superman film in this century .Zack snyder nailed it .Only old school grandpas and mcutards hates it .Henry cavill >>> Christopher reeve (Even superman 78 was my fav in childhood but truth is truth )

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16175) 6 years ago

I really like it myself but I understand some complaints. They could have trimmed down about ten, fifteen minutes. I never got the impression that Cavill was morose and uncaring though. Solemn yeah, but it's hardly the aloof sociopath that he's been accused of being.

[–] k1l5l (10) 6 years ago

I actually think Man of Steel is the best DCEU movie so far. Zod was a great villain and a lot of the complaints about the film were exaggerated and misrepresented in my opinion.