Man of Steel (SPOILERS)

[TheObsoleteMan]

Re: The Man of Steel

Still think a blend of the Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow film techniques and Superman would be an awesome tribute to early Superman and an awesome movie. Just imagine Superman fighting flying robots or something in that 40s noir film style with the cool lighting and shading techniques from those days.

Go to the 8min mark and imagine this in live action.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/luDRa7jBL74&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/luDRa7jBL74&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I agree. I'd love to see a retro, Fleischer style live action movie. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think Superman works as a 21st century character. I want to see "Truth, justice and the American way" again. I want to see the Superman I grew up with, and I don't think you can get away with that now. People don't want to see a flawless hero anymore.

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

Thats the thing. Superman isn't flawless. He is the ultimate orphan driven by a need to belong, by an overwhelming desire to fit in and be human that in his solitary moments, his time alone it could be amazing to see that struggle on screen. He wants desperately to be Clark Kent while everyone loves him as Superman. In the beginning portions, even his own co-workers loved Superman and tolerated Clark. He is the perfect juxaposition to Batman and for every moment in Nolan's Batmans that we saw the darkness, the sorrow, the angst arise that is all there for Superman but very much internal. While Batman channels his darkness in fear, Superman channels it in hope.

A 21st Century Superman could be barnone one of the best franchises and films every done if they had a director who wanted to show the emotional conflicts the character had. Singer attempted to do that but had to add a child as a strange plot device and it watered down the character of both Superman and Lois. It wasn't handled correctly. If you get a writer who really wanted to show the complexity of a man without a home trying to save his adopted one and remain hopeful despite the flaws of humanity and a director who really wanted to tell a story and not get blogged down or muddled in trying to be controversal you'd have something that would rival Donner's interpretations.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Re: The Man of Steel

I think people like the Superman character, but I don't think producers think Supeman necessarily works in the current comicbook genre benchmark set by Batman Begins...(aka setting it in the "real world").

They should just go for unadulterated fantasy and if that involves Bizarro or Mr. Mxyzptlk or whoever as unlikely as it seems in real life...make it so! And I don't need some emotional drama...even if its well written. You know what I want to see in the next Superman? How about Supes kicking some alien or robot ass?

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

That is one thing that has been missing from the Superman films, a larger than life villain. The closest we got was Nuclear Man in Superman IV and that was uber-retarded.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Re: The Man of Steel

lex luther, unless he's in control of some giant robots or something isn't really a physical threat and as much as it pains to admit it, I'm a sucker for just some dumb brute fight scenes in these movies. Superman movies try to be all gracefull. What makes Spiderman action fun is the kinetic and physical energy between Spidey and the Goblin for example. As great as Superman and Superman II were, they weren't exactly full to the brim with anything requiring stunt work.

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

What I liked was in the Animated Series where Lex seemed to be pulling the strings everywhere just not enough to land him in any trouble with the authorities even though Superman knew it. That would be my ideal is to have Lex become a background character, the villain that Supes could never get and have him control the bigger villains, Metallo, Parasite, Bizarro, etc. They even had a nice tie-in to how Lex brought over Brainiac and was fooled by him.

 

[karamazov80]

Re: The Man of Steel

That is one thing that has been missing from the Superman films, a larger than life villain. The closest we got was Nuclear Man in Superman IV and that was uber-retarded.

Zod and his crew don't count?

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

The Zod character isn't larger than life. What made the character memorable and worthy of the film is Terrence Stamp's performance. Terence Stamp's portrayal has led to Zod becoming one of Superman's best-known villains not the actual character himself. The Silver Age Dru-Zod line would work better in the modern times especially since modern Zod has been taken from this and Jax-Ur's characters mashed together. The Zod in Superman II wasn't either of those things.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Re: The Man of Steel

Zod and his crew don't count?

I don't think they offered much of a physical threat. The fight in the street scene is just soo tame by todays standards. If 2 supermen were punching each other the brawl wouldn't be 1 punch from Zod, Supes goes flying, one punch from Supes Zod goes flying etc. Because they weigh each other out just like 2 humans more or less do.

It should have looked like a street brawl between 2 MMA fighters just wailing on each other.

I want to see Superman just throw combinations on a robot or alien's face. I want to see something like Superman catching up to Migs in formation, ripping off their engines as he tries to catch up to Lex Luther's jet. There needs to be kinetic intensity.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

Re: The Man of Steel

I think there is enough trouble in the world right now to keep Supes busy without having to deal with a "super" villain. Part of what is making all these new breed of comic book movies so appealing is that they are so grounded in reality. Take the scene in Iron Man in Gulmira. That was very satisfying scene because it's exactly what we want SOMEONE to do out there in the Middle East. It really makes you feel like a super hero COULD exist in our world because they're dealing with a very real threat. If you threw in another big super-being, I think it would take away from that.

And the Mike was on to something about Supes being conflicted internally. He does have some pain inside from having lost his real home, family and heritage. But he also does love his adopted family and home. And he is more like an opposite of Bruce in that Supes deals with his pain (and any other conflict) with hope and goodness because of his wholesome small town upbringing, as opposed to Bruce who confronts his demons and evil with great vengeance and furious anger.

And what I truly found inspiring about John Byrne's take on Supes was his take on Lex. Pairing the most physically powerful person on the planet (Supes) with the most mentally/influencially powerful person on the planet (Lex). Really they can just take Byrne's run of Superman as the blueprint for a new set of movies and they're done!

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

I'm not a huge Waid fan but his Superman: Birthright would be a nice blueprint for a new set of films. I like how Clark goes off the grid into Africa to do humanitarian work and there tests his powers and sees how they work before returning to Smallville and having to figure out how to hide himself in plain sight.

He saves people because he knows its right, to use his powers for good but you can't deny the complexity given the character even in modern times. Remember all of those "She loves Superman but can she love plain ol' Clark Kent?" styled lines over the past few decade? Even internally we wants people to lose his disguise not who he actually is! Superman is far more complicated than people give the character credit for.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Re: The Man of Steel

It really makes you feel like a super hero COULD exist in our world because they're dealing with a very real threat. If you threw in another big super-being, I think it would take away from that.

To me the fact IM and Batman are doing the real world stuff successfully is a good reason for Superman not to do it. Its cliche. Whatever happened to good ol fantasy take me away from it all films? Nobody thinks The Hobbit should be a gritty drama set in the real world. All of a sudden everyone thinks you can't introduce the more fantasy or alien characters into films anymore because it can't happen in real life...

 

[OSCORP]

Re: The Man of Steel

Everyone here makes some good points. Fact is though, this NEEDS to happen. But it's all about the $. And since returns while still making some good decent cash just wasn't quite enough to them. Superman is awesome and badass rolled into one, I don't care about a reboot or a sequel to returns, i just want a new Superman movie, either or would be fine with me. But as of right now it looks whenever one does get made it will go the way of a reboot. To me, Superman trumps Batman in terms of coolness and popularity. (and just plain being more interesting) Not everyone will agree with that but so be it. DC don't have that many popular characters like Marvel, and Supes is top dog. They need to get something going. (or were going to see The Flash before we see a new supes movie).....And a new supes movie should be top priority IMO.

Sad news.

 

[DinoLast]

Re: The Man of Steel

In the ruling, the Court stated that if Warner Bros doesn’t start production on a Superman film by 2011, the Siegels will be able to sue for damages.

Joanne Siegel and Laura Siegel Larson will just get cash not character rights.

I still expect to see a Superman movie to go into production next year
I'm sure it does not even have to be live action, or does it?

 

[karamazov80]

Re: The Man of Steel

Well, we got a Superman animated movie last year or year before, in that Doomsday story. Is it not considered a "movie" if it isn't released in theaters?

 

[The Mike]

Re: The Man of Steel

Joanne Siegel and Laura Siegel Larson will just get cash not character rights.

You are being shortsighted. In 2013, the estates will get full character rights. DC and the Estates already went toe to toe in court to break apart the character. The estates get the origins (original), names, character designs, most of the silver age characters while DC retains a lot of the bronze age characters, all of the modern age introductions, the "S" shield and a few more things. If it doesn't go into production by 2011 and they sue, what makes you think they won't pull Superman from DC altogether in 2013? According to the ruling of the courts if DC wants to continue using Superman after that point they must come to an agreement to pay licensing fees to the estates for the usage of the character. This isn't about 2011, its about DC Entertainment ignoring the character which will fuel the fires of the estate to tell them to shove it and move the character to another publisher. There are already artist interpretations of what the S could look like using just what the estate has claim over circulating online.

Well, we got a Superman animated movie last year or year before, in that Doomsday story. Is it not considered a "movie" if it isn't released in theaters?

Its specifically live-actions. The cartoons like Public Enemies which is due this month don't count.

 

[Memnoch]

Re: The Man of Steel

Oh how I'd love a series of live action movies of the Trinity in a 40's setting. Sadly, I doubt it will ever happen. Much like how I doubt we will see another Tracy movie again.

 

[DinoLast]

Re: The Man of Steel

You are being shortsighted. In 2013, the estates will get full character rights. DC and the Estates already went toe to toe in court to break apart the character. The estates get the origins (original), names, character designs, most of the silver age characters while DC retains a lot of the bronze age characters, all of the modern age introductions, the "S" shield and a few more things. If it doesn't go into production by 2011 and they sue, what makes you think they won't pull Superman from DC altogether in 2013? According to the ruling of the courts if DC wants to continue using Superman after that point they must come to an agreement to pay licensing fees to the estates for the usage of the character. This isn't about 2011, its about DC Entertainment ignoring the character which will fuel the fires of the estate to tell them to shove it and move the character to another publisher. There are already artist interpretations of what the S could look like using just what the estate has claim over circulating online.



Its specifically live-actions. The cartoons like Public Enemies which is due this month don't count.

Going to Marvel might not be such a bad thing.
I'm sure Disney would love to make a Superman Movie

 

[King Darkness]

Re: The Man of Steel

No more realistic caca for a Superman movie. I want to see a huge overblown action special effects laden epic!!! I want to see Superman and (insert villian) lay waste to city blocks in a battle so over the top it will make my eyes bleed.

Thats what I want.

 

[Andr3w]

Re: The Man of Steel

No more realistic caca for a Superman movie. I want to see a huge overblown action special effects laden epic!!! I want to see Superman and (insert villian) lay waste to city blocks in a battle so over the top it will make my eyes bleed.

Thats what I want.

ha-ha I'm with you :maul