Man of Steel (SPOILERS)

[SnakeDoctor]

Re: The Man of Steel

Yupp and that's what the whole frozen in time theme in Rises is about. Bruce Wayne froze the moment his parents died.

They even symbolize this via the choir boy voice, the voice gets stuck on that final note for a good few minutes when they show the parents' murder scene.

Rises is about Bruce finally moving on from that tragedy and carrying on with his life.

Anyway that's the Nolan interpretation of Batman. The comic Batman - there is no Bruce Wayne - Wayne is a fascade. There is only Batman.

And the opposite with Superman. Superman is a tool for Clark Kent to do the good that he yearns to do.

I actually think Nolan's interpretation is a little different from the "Bruce died with his parents" version. I think that may be part of the reason some didn't like TDKR, because it revealed that difference ... though I think it was hinted at in BB and TDK, particularly in Bruce's interaction with Rachel.

My interpretation of Batman would be, Bruce died with his parents, and all that's left is the rage that is Batman.

Nolan's is a bit different. After TDK, I would've said there were three separate characters ... public Bruce, private Bruce, and Batman. I would've said private Bruce was the real deal -- Batman was more of a false rage meant to scare criminals. But, TDKR revealed private Bruce to be a shell-of-a-man without Batman. TDKR revealed Batman as an essential part of Bruce ... but, in Batman's death, the original Bruce was reborn. Interesting distinction, but I wouldn't consider that wholly consistent with Batman from the comics or other movies.

I'll be interested to see how they handle the identity question in Man of Steel. I really didn't like how Donner did it.

SnakeDoc

 

[ProgMatinee]

Re: The Man of Steel

Actually, I think Nolan's version of Pa Kent would approve of this one. Sometimes, you have to kill people/let them die to prove a point.

Sounds like the pro choicers.

 

[wofford29]

Re: The Man of Steel

Hopefully they won't water that down like Nolan did for Batman, making him only care about organized crime vs. crime in general. Superman still needs to struggle with the fact that he can't be everywhere at once saving everybody. That's what makes Superman who he is.

I think Costner answers that fear in the trailer...

"What was I supposed to do, just let them die?"

"Maybe."

 

[karamazov80]

Re: The Man of Steel

Sounds like the pro choicers.

This thread needed some OT political BS, so thanks for that.

 

[Voorhees27]

Re: The Man of Steel

Holy **** did I see Christopher Meloni in the preview?

Preview gave me goosebumps. No lie. Can't wait!!!

 

[brucecamblzchin]

Re: The Man of Steel

Chris Meloni? Now we need some Munch in there;

 

[Shai]

Re: The Man of Steel

Superman Prime > Superman

 

[Kal-El]

Re: The Man of Steel

The trailer was ok...it was playing it way too safe. As long as they don't play it safe in the movie....

If they expect the audience to give a ****, unlike the last Sups movie, they need 'balls to the wall' at every step

Color me 'meh' so far

I feel like you. This trailer left me . I was hoping to see something new not the comic con teaser extened version.

 

[snoop101]

Re: The Man of Steel

Im glad they didn't give too much away. I might not watch the next trailer in fear that they do. I do wish they wouldve used the thin red line music from the comic-con trailer instead.

 

[ExMem-LarjaThwei]

Re: The Man of Steel

Im glad they didn't give too much away. I might not watch the next trailer in fear that they do. I do wish they wouldve used the thin red line music from the comic-con trailer instead.

I agree. I wish they had just gone with the CC trailer music.

This trailer was a bit underwhelming imo, but the movie still looks fantastic.

 

[steveo]

Re: The Man of Steel

had high hopes for this, but really tired of the "look" of superhero movies these days. Nothing is adventurous and fun, it's all too dark and gritty. We see this stuff everyday in real life. How about making movies about getting away from this stuff!

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

Clark can't be the disguise. He lived his entire life as Clark ... saving people, flying, running, doing whatever it is he does. Superman is the costume so the public doesn't know he's Clark Kent...
SnakeDoc

Yep, agree 100%. Clark is who he is, Superman is what he can do.

Not quite. Kal-El is who he is. Clark Kent is who he wants to be. Superman is who he needs to be.

Kal-El at his base is of two minds of his existence always.

What he yourns for is to be Clark Kent, a regular human who can fall in love and have a family, live a standard mundane existence, part of the reason why many writers always have him "escape" to something more pedestrian.

What drives him is the fact that he feels he needs to protect his adoptive home, the people he loves and cares about. He has these powers and knows that he can't turn his back on the Earth. Whether you use Jor-El as a driving point or his own sensibilities, Superman is who he has to be to make peace within himself, to know that he is doing what he can to help, to be the "Big Blue Boy Scout" that helps whenever he is called.

This character really is more complex than just a disguise. Its about a unique individual who is constantly at odds within himself on what he "should" do versus what he wants to do or even could do.

Back to the film itself, the film looks decent from what I've seen but trailers aren't difficult to make look better than the film that proceeds it. I got a strange Ang Lee Hulk vibe to it but I'm cautiously optimistic.

 

[snoop101]

Re: The Man of Steel

I agree. I wish they had just gone with the CC trailer music.

This trailer was a bit underwhelming imo, but the movie still looks fantastic.

Agreed. But im sure it's because they don't want to give too much away, it still a solid Six months until the release date.

 

[batfan08]

Re: The Man of Steel

Looks a'aight. But that Pa Kent quote is insanely inappropriate unless it is taken way out of context. ****ing Nolan. . .


I agree with this. That's why Superman isn't an evil dictator type--because of the wholesome Kansas values that his parents gave him. Like you know, sometimes let a school bus full of innocent children. . .die. . .

Why the disgusted Colin Farrel? You hate hope or somethin'?

 

[ExMem-LarjaThwei]

Re: The Man of Steel

had high hopes for this, but really tired of the "look" of superhero movies these days. Nothing is adventurous and fun, it's all too dark and gritty. We see this stuff everyday in real life. How about making movies about getting away from this stuff!

^ I think you missed Thor, Captain America, Ironman, Ironman 2, and The Avengers.

I love this dark, serious and realistic feel. It evokes more emotion, more power. It engages you more in the film. I personally don't like Nolan's specific style, but I absolutely love the darkness and grittiness of his Batman films.

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

Superman can be done gritty as long as Superman himself isn't all "dark and twisty". Superman is a beacon of hope, of light in an otherwise ****ed world, Nolan/Snyder can play to that, having Superman be the bright piece that sways the tides.

He pretty much did that with Batman although understandably Batman had a darker run with it because of the nature of the character. I would look for the darker feel to hang out but with a lot of "Be brings Hope!" "he is our hero!" "I love Superman!" to push things along.

 

[meth head]

Re: The Man of Steel

Superman can be done gritty as long as Superman himself isn't all "dark and twisty". Superman is a beacon of hope, of light in an otherwise ****ed world, Nolan/Snyder can play to that, having Superman be the bright piece that sways the tides.

He pretty much did that with Batman although understandably Batman had a darker run with it because of the nature of the character. I would look for the darker feel to hang out but with a lot of "Be brings Hope!" "he is our hero!" "I love Superman!" to push things along.

That's pretty much what I took from the new trailer

 

[Kamandi]

Re: The Man of Steel

Not quite. Kal-El is who he is. Clark Kent is who he wants to be. Superman is who he needs to be.

Kal-El at his base is of two minds of his existence always.

What he yourns for is to be Clark Kent, a regular human who can fall in love and have a family, live a standard mundane existence, part of the reason why many writers always have him "escape" to something more pedestrian.

What drives him is the fact that he feels he needs to protect his adoptive home, the people he loves and cares about. He has these powers and knows that he can't turn his back on the Earth. Whether you use Jor-El as a driving point or his own sensibilities, Superman is who he has to be to make peace within himself, to know that he is doing what he can to help, to be the "Big Blue Boy Scout" that helps whenever he is called.
...

I like this answer, even if I'm not quite sure he sees himself as Kal-El. In my mind Kal-El was the road not taken, the life not lived on Krypton. It's his sense of loss. It underscores the importance of defending his adopted planet.

But I do like the notion that Clark's life is something he could lose to Superman, it's something he must work to keep. Such a responsibility could take over completely and Clark could be lost.

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

I would argue that he absolutely sees himself as Kal-El. As the outsider, the alien, the outcast. He knows he is Kal-El and he can never be anything but The Kryptonian but what he wants is to desperately be Clark Kent, run of the mill guy from Smallville, Kansas.

Kal-El is the inescapable part of the character while Clark Kent is the road not taken, to ignore himself and continue with life as normal whether in Smallville or Metropolis whereas Superman is the road taken, the mantle lifted to protect the Earth until his last breath. Every now and then when the responsibilities render too high you see him peering at the road not taken, the idea of quitting, of leaving, of being self-serving but in the end he knows that he can't because his own personal drive is keeping him in costume and in action.

To me that's why the Clark Kent persona was so important for him to guard, not because he was protecting the ones he loved or keeping a threat at bay (although it's a nice side effect) but more to protect the Clark Kent persona for himself, to keep it pure, to keep it untarnished.

The whole "I want Lois to love Clark Kent not Superman" plays better into the idea that he wants Lois to be with his ideal person, the perfect life instead of the life chosen.

 

[intothevoid]

Re: The Man of Steel

I suppose you could argue that the real Bruce died with his parents, and was reborn at the end of TDKR.
SnakeDoc

Yupp

Not quite. Kal-El is who he is. Clark Kent is who he wants to be. Superman is who he needs to be.

Kal-El at his base is of two minds of his existence always.

What he yourns for is to be Clark Kent, a regular human who can fall in love and have a family, live a standard mundane existence, part of the reason why many writers always have him "escape" to something more pedestrian.

What drives him is the fact that he feels he needs to protect his adoptive home, the people he loves and cares about. He has these powers and knows that he can't turn his back on the Earth. Whether you use Jor-El as a driving point or his own sensibilities, Superman is who he has to be to make peace within himself, to know that he is doing what he can to help, to be the "Big Blue Boy Scout" that helps whenever he is called.

This character really is more complex than just a disguise. Its about a unique individual who is constantly at odds within himself on what he "should" do versus what he wants to do or even could do.

Back to the film itself, the film looks decent from what I've seen but trailers aren't difficult to make look better than the film that proceeds it. I got a strange Ang Lee Hulk vibe to it but I'm cautiously optimistic.

Ah yes I was wondering when you would make an appearance

Well said