He likes men...men in tights...

[video=youtube;RtmbZnXSQ7k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtmbZnXSQ7k[/video]

Saw this the overday and though it is heads and shoulders above Superman Returns, it to my mind still doesn't touch the '78 version. It is certainly enjoyable and there are good qualities about it, it just also has many flaws. Cavill is fine as Supes, way better than Routh(but thats partly because SR sucks so much) but nowhere near Reeve. Costner and Crowe are great and the Fiora chick is badass, as well as Meloni as the Col., but the rest of the cast is forgettable.

Also, I had a hard time believing that this Superman would care that much about humanity. I get that they were going for a more brooding and angsty film, but a childhood filled with ridicule and ostracization generally doesn't leave you with a good disposition towards those who were doing that to you. I realize the Kents were there to counter that, but it just felt hard to buy.

My biggest problem with this is its just pretty much forgettable, there's no really "oh shit" moments. The action gets to be a bit montonous, nothing really affects any of them. That said, lots of action is much more enjoyable than lots of boredom aka Superman Returns.

As for the "twist", if you know your comics, Supes did it in them, so not much by the way of surprise.

Having said all that and bored you to death, it is a fun movie, definitely enjoyable, here's to hoping the sequel can have a bit more soul.

I know the comics very well,[SPOILER] and he did it twice. Doomsday and General Zod[/SPOILER]. In the Golden Era he was not so heroic, sometimes coming across as a dick. But past that, he was a big boy scout. His squeaky clean image was even the entire reason Superman Vs. The Elite was such a huge success, because that group of maniacs made him challenge his beliefs.

So, I disagree that it wasn't a shocker. [SPOILER]It was a pretty big step to have the character do what he did...especially in such a brutal way.
[/SPOILER]
But I do agree that they rushed through the origin story and gave the viewer no indication that he should care for humanity. But that was touched upon by Jor-El in his discussion with his son. He saw himself as more human than Kryptonian, especially when he saw what Kryptonians were capable of. They allowed their world to be destroyed by crime, war, and environmental miscalculations.

Supes cared about humanity because he didn't have a choice. Superman has always been God-like, he could destroy us if he was so inclined, and even though his childhood was filled with bullying, even then he knew he was stronger, and better. Now he sees the world through adult eyes he knows that he can be the hope that we need. It is why Jor-El said, when Lois was in danger, "You can save her, you can save them all."

To see how different things played out, you should check out Red Son, an alternate reality tale where Superman crashed in Russia, instead of Kansas.

I know the comics very well,[SPOILER] and he did it twice. Doomsday and General Zod[/SPOILER]. In the Golden Era he was not so heroic, sometimes coming across as a dick. But past that, he was a big boy scout. His squeaky clean image was even the entire reason Superman Vs. The Elite was such a huge success, because that group of maniacs made him challenge his beliefs.

So, I disagree that it wasn't a shocker. [SPOILER]It was a pretty big step to have the character do what he did...especially in such a brutal way.
[/SPOILER]
But I do agree that they rushed through the origin story and gave the viewer no indication that he should care for humanity. But that was touched upon by Jor-El in his discussion with his son. He saw himself as more human than Kryptonian, especially when he saw what Kryptonians were capable of. They allowed their world to be destroyed by crime, war, and environmental miscalculations.

Supes cared about humanity because he didn't have a choice. Superman has always been God-like, he could destroy us if he was so inclined, and even though his childhood was filled with bullying, even then he knew he was stronger, and better. Now he sees the world through adult eyes he knows that he can be the hope that we need. It is why Jor-El said, when Lois was in danger, "You can save her, you can save them all."

To see how different things played out, you should check out Red Son, an alternate reality tale where Superman crashed in Russia, instead of Kansas.

I suppose I should have said that its not that shocking if you know comics, I suppose to a general audience it might be, but as your spoiler indicates he has done it multiple times. As for the brutality, eh, to me its not much different than Superman II where he does a similar thing and shrugs it off as "oh well". At least he seemed affected by his action in this.

Thats the thing though, they just tell you that he does, not why he does, its hard to swallow especially given the fact that they try to muddy the waters with the bullying. Also, most kids that were bullied in my experience don't grow up with a healthy worldview, you can't show that and expect it to have an impact and then just shrug it off when those experiences would affect the decisions he makes in the movie. But, I guess thats why he's Superman, better than mere mortals.

And Red Son is a badass book, I'm a fan of Millar anyway, but thats a well done story. I use that to counter my friends arguments that Supes is boring. In the hands of a good writer, Superman can be an awesome character.

[SPOILER]Actually, In Superman II, the villains, now simply powerless mortals, can be seen being escorted from the Fortress of Solitude, at least in the Richard Donner cut at the end. So, even then, he didn't do anything rash, hence his callous and dismissive shrug.[/SPOILER]

It is really difficult to be so vague about this without spoiling anything. LOL

[SPOILER]Actually, In Superman II, the villains, now simply powerless mortals, can be seen being escorted from the Fortress of Solitude, at least in the Richard Donner cut at the end. So, even then, he didn't do anything rash, hence his callous and dismissive shrug.[/SPOILER]

It is really difficult to be so vague about this without spoiling anything. LOL

Lol, I knew you'd come back with that. It isn't until 2006 that we find that out though, so for 26 years, the impression given is that he did indeed commit the action. And yes its becoming increasingly difficult to discuss without spoilers.

Lol, I knew you'd come back with that. It isn't until 2006 that we find that out though, so for 26 years, the impression given is that he did indeed commit the action. And yes its becoming increasingly difficult to discuss without spoilers.

I am not going to lie though, discussing this has me totally geeked out. I love all things Superman (and comic books in general), I even own the 2 serials starring Kirk Allyn from the late 40s. The one where he turned into a cartoon for the leaping/flying scenes.

And I watched every season of Smallville! Though I tend to keep that guilty pleasure under wraps.

I am not going to lie though, discussing this has me totally geeked out. I love all things Superman (and comic books in general), I even own the 2 serials starring Kirk Allyn from the late 40s. The one where he turned into a cartoon for the leaping/flying scenes.

And I watched every season of Smallville! Though I tend to keep that guilty pleasure under wraps.

And we all know your love of Supergirl knows no bounds

Saw Man of Steel last night. Sorry to say that I came away disappointed. The pacing was way off, the characterisation was one dimensional, and the action scenes lacked any heart. I just didn't care enough for the characters to enjoy the spectacle.

I liked this version of Lois, Amy Adams was a good choice, and Cavill was good as Superman, but where was the twinkle in the eye? It says something when the only laugh from the audience I saw it with came in the last five minutes from a background character who hadn't had a line before. Not every film needs jokes, but they go a long way to help you like the characters on screen.

The Batman Begins connection is more and more evident as I think about it, but even Batman had more warmth and humour in it, and that just ain't right.

I agree with all the issues people have against the movie. I felt a disconnect with all the characters due to serious lack of development. However er, we had 75 years of history to get to know them so we can fill in some of the blanks.

There will be more heart and humor in the already greenlit and fast tracked sequel, we just had to get through the grim origins redux.

Any chance the Mole Men are in the next movie?

I loved Superman vs. The Mole Men. The 50s Superman was so freaking awesome. George was so squeaky clean as Superman.