Guest piece: Why we need Man of Steel

Here is Dr Batman again to kick some Superman knowledge for you guys. What is interesting about this piece is that he gave it to me months ago - way before Man of Steel was released. I would be interested to read about how his expectations married with reality. I've spoken to many Superman comic and Donner fans who were really not happy about this film - more so than Superman Returns. It is almost like Man of Steel was a personal affront to them.

Anyway, enjoy.

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When I was growing up I always preferred Marvel characters because they felt more real to me. Peter Parker felt more like my imaginary best friend: a geeky kid who I could relate to. They all had troubles that many believe make them more human and realistic than their DC counterparts. As I grew older though I noticed something that these heroes tend not to have that DC’s do: they lack a strong moral compass. Few characters (I would argue in any fiction) have as strong moral compass as the two heroes that make up World’s Finest: Superman and Batman. For newer fans just look at the film The Dark Knight to see how strong a moral compass Batman has. But the modern audience gives a lot of slack to the one that started it all, that big, blue boy scout himself Superman, for being too powerful and old hat. Well I believe we need some of his values, some of that truth and justice today making him even more relevant than ever.

Superman never truly goes away but it seems that he always appears or returns to prominence when the world really needs him. When Superman was first created in the 1930s we were going through a worldwide depression. The world was on the brink of World War and economic meltdown. Two Jewish New Yorkers, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel created The Man of Steel: a man that was for the every American. Superman always fought for the people and showed us what we could do. Clark Kent had a good job that the people could relate to. He wasn’t a rich billionaire like Bruce Wayne. He, like the rest of the people, had to work. As Superman, he showed the world what they could do with their full potential, embodying the American Dream. Superman was a character that personified hope. As Batman struggled through the gritty Gotham city, embodying everything bad about the world after the Wall-Street crash, with The Dark Knight being the only shining light in the city; Superman was different. Metropolis and The Man of Steel showed what we could do if we all worked together and fought to the best we could, understanding that yes we were going through a difficult time but things could be better. He symbolised hope.

When Superman made his first major appearance on the big screen in Richard Donner’s 1978 seminal work the world was again in a mess. Once again the worldwide economy was suffering and Britain was struggling through The Winter of Discontent. We needed that spark of hope that everything could be ok. Yes Superman The Movie was just a film but at the forefront had a character who never judged or blamed his common man. He believed in working hard and fighting for what he believed in. he believed in making sure that he was the best person he could be.

In this post 9/11world where we seem to constantly be on the brink of terror, where we are suffering through recession after recession, where we could be about to face Nuclear War is it not fitting that The Man of Steel returns once more to give us that fable that everything will be alright. That we need to start trying to help each other rather than blame each other. The Man of Steel makes me believe again, it makes me feel like we can do everything that we need to do. The Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan seems to have hit the nail on the head from the trailer. Superman has a strong moral stance that he believes in, that he will fight for, that he would die for (Bear Edit: That he would kill for?). He is here to give the people of earth something to strive towards. One day we could all be supermen.     

I have heard people argue that he is too powerful, leading to Superman hardly even throwing a punch in Superman Returns. But again this just illustrates his strong moral stance. I see Superman as a god. He is a modernised version of the bible. Jor-El (God) sends his only son Kal-El aka Superman (Jesus) to earth where he is adopted by Jonathan (Joseph) and Martha (Mary) Kent who bring him up to the best humanity can offer. They could have taught little Kal-El, or Clark as they name him, to use his power for himself and to put people down but instead he is taught that he must constantly think that he has this great power and should only use it when he has to. Superman at the end of the day has unbelievable power. Can you imagine the strain he goes under to control himself? To make sure that one punch doesn’t kill Lex Luthor, to make sure that when he puts his fist to the ground to fly he doesn’t cause an earthquake.   

In this ever smaller world we live in, we don’t need finger pointing and a blame culture. We should look to better ourselves. We should look to accomplish wonders. We need that big red S: we need hope.   

                          @LJHalsall

Guest Post: Man of Steel by @DCPlod

This guest piece is by DCPlod aka Danielle. I've been a huge fan of her Twitter account for some time. She is ruthlessly funny, intelligent and hard-as-nails tough. This is actually a repost from her blog which can be found here. This is what she made of Man of Steel.

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First off, let me state I’ve never read a comic book, so I have no idea how Man of Steel fits into or compares to the wider Superman universe. That said, I love the superhero genre, and we’re currently living in a golden age of superhero films (with some, or should I say Four, notable exceptions). I’ll be comparing Man of Steel to Superman 1 & 2 which I consider to be the only films worth watching (yes, not even Kevin Spacey could salvage the mess that was Superman Returns).

Man of Steel is a very worthy addition to the recent canon of serious superhero films – it has the grittiness and brutal realism of the Dark Knight (Nolan’s influence is clear), the spectacular clashes of the Avengers, and the emotion of Iron Man, but yet still retains the core of what makes Superman Superman. It ‘s a great re-interpretation of the character, played to perfection by Henry Cavill - and his history. He captures Clark Kent’s inner turmoil and sense of not belonging, without turning him into a walking pile of angst like Batman; he also puts the steel in his incarnation as the Man of Steel.  I will say this, however: Cavill has a lot of work to do on Clark Kent’s ‘hiding in plain sight’ act at the Daily Planet, which Christopher Reeve nailed. It’s ridiculously obvious he’s Superman.

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Amy Adams is a Lois Lane for the 21st century. Gone is the woman who throws herself off waterfalls to provoke Clark into proving she’s right about him being Superman; she figures out who he is very quickly and is considerably wiser in how she acts on this knowledge. She’s almost a sidekick as well as a love interest, proving to be far more of a help than a hindrance. Kevin Costner also revealed hitherto unsuspected acting skills as Pa Kent. Costner is an actor I have been singularly unimpressed by in every movie I’ve seen him in – notably Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, where the only thing he managed to outact was Sherwood Forest and that was by being more wooden – but here he brings the right emotional depth as Superman’s adoptive father, and you can see and believe the deep influence he’s had on Clark’s moral and emotional development.

Superman’s true father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) plays a far more active role here than he does in the previous films, while not altering the key means by which he communicates with his son. Crowe turns in a performance vastly superior to Marlon Brando’s phoned in effort. Of course, Brando making no effort is still better than many an actor giving it their all, but the Jor-El of Superman 1/2 still serves purely as an expositionary figure rather than a fleshed out figure connecting us (and Superman) emotionally to Krypton.  A far greater level of importance is attached to Superman’s origin story this time around: Jor-El’s status as a heretic and his reasoning behind sending young Kal-El to Earth are what set up the key conflict between Superman and General Zod.

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Right, on to said villain of the piece. While Superman calls General Zod a monster. He does indeed do monstrous things, but just how much choice does he have in the matter? Zod is the literal creation of a society where your sole purpose in life is determined by geneticists, and you are basically stored in a test tube until Krypton needs you. Zod was made to be a soldier, so while what he does is heinous, you can see why he does it. To him, Jor-El and Superman are taking his raison d’etre away from him, therefore he must stop them by all means necessary. It makes him a serious villain with understandable motives, a far cry from the General Zod of Superman 2 who took over Earth for kicks and was soon bored to tears by how easy mankind was to subjugate.

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With regards to the film as a whole: the fight scenes were great; my only complaint would be they went on a little too long, and I found myself thinking “when the hell is Superman going to defeat these guys?” They don’t go lightly on the destruction either – the joint really gets wrecked here. On a meta level it was hilarious watching a virtual parade of characters from my favourite TV shows appear one by one – why hello West Wing’s Toby Ziegler, Elliot Stabler of SVU, Boardwalk Empire’s Nelson van Alden, Hannibal’s Jack Crawford and Doug Stamper from US House of Cards!

All in all: Man of Steel is both a fantastic movie and a really great reboot which should do for Superman what Batman Begins did for Batman.

                       @DCPlod

My Superman: Man of Steel

I will not let this film Inception me. I won’t be taken in by the big-booming score and the incredible special-effects. It is not happening.

Everything in my bones is telling me that Man of Steel is a special film, but I’m not ready to whole-heartedly scream it out from the highest mountain. Not yet anyway.

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Truth be told, I am not Superman’s biggest fan. Yes, I admire the Donner films but they have always left me numb. I couldn’t and still can’t relate to them whatsoever. That Superman was far too reactive, far too mild-mannered, passive, cheery, bright and bloody hopeful.

Christopher Reeve’s Superman never felt like an alien with immense power, he felt like a human being that has just come across these gifts. I sensed little conflict in that Superman and the little there was felt forced.

I just didn’t get that Superman.

Thankfully since watching the Donner films I have come across more relatable and interesting interpretations. Yes, I am a fan of the Smallville version of Sups and Red Son is one of my favourite comics of all time. Both these versions taught me that Superman can be a deeper more thoughtful character than I thought he could be.

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Back to Smallville; say what you will about the show but it got across the idea that Clark Kent was not human, he was different and all throughout that show he was struggling with this fact. There were moments when he was even struggling to figure-out whether his allegiances were with the human race – whether he was bad or good. Again, I found that Sups more relatable than Reeve’s.

I think Cavill's Clark Kent comes from the same lineage as Tom Welling's. The brooding dark nature of Cavill's Clark makes absolute sense to me. If you lived your life not knowing, not only who you are, but what you are then you are not going to be a cheery hopeful person. This film is about Clark's journey of discovering himself and that journey isn't going to be all bright colours. Imagine how emotional the TV show 'Who do you think you are?' is and add an Alien episode. This film goes a long way to explaining why Clark is so hopeful. That hope has to come from somewhere. 

I've hated the way previous Superman films have tried to make Clark Kent appear Jesus like. I've hated the way the public have always accepted him - it never has rung true. In Man of Steel, Clark and the world he inhabits, is a world I recognise. We (human beings) would never accept him as a saviour and protector, we'd try to nuke him.

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I’ve read a lot of reviews which mark down Man of Steel for being too dark and joyless. Watching the opening sequence in Krypton was one of the most joyful blockbuster cinema experiences I have ever had. I had my mouth open throughout the Krypton scenes trying to comprehend what I was seeing.

What the film did from the beginning was set up the idea that although Clark may look human, he really isn’t. He comes from this beautiful, vast and plush world; where they ride dragon like creatures, use PinPoint screens when they are delivering their children and they genetically modify their population depending on need.

Also, watching the flashback when Clark was struggling to focus his powers further highlights the fact that HE IS AN ALIEN. This disassociation from the human race is why I truly think some have had a problem with this Superman. Although Henry Cavill’s Superman insists that he is as American as the soldiers in the film, Man of Steel systematically points out that he really isn’t and that is one of the things I found most fascinating about the whole film.

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And the action. I found the action overwhelming. I actually agree with most negative critics of the film who say that there was too much action and Snyder didn’t know when to stop – but I don’t think that this was necessarily thing. The action, again, makes it clear that Superman and the Kryptonians ARE NOT HUMAN – THEY ARE ALIENS. The destruction caused in the action scenes make it clear that this isn’t the Donner Superman. Also, the special-effects are bloody spectacular and helps to sell this world to the audience.

I also found the fight scenes believable. This was Clark's first time out as Superman, there is no way he could have limited the damage - especially against multiple super enemies.

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Michael Shannon. He is nothing short of just brilliant in this film. I can’t help but comparing him to Heath Ledger’s Joker and thinking that he comes out of that comparison very well.

Shannon plays Zod as a genocidal maniac with incredible depth. I found myself sympathising with Zod in parts of the film and that left me truly troubled. He wasn’t just blindingly crazy; he had a reason for his craziness – to stop Kryptonians from being extinct. When you frame his actions under this reason, he becomes difficult to disregard and he left a lasting impression on me.

The final scene where Zod is left with nothing and all he wants to do is make Kal pay was, for me, truly emotional. Although the finale of this scene has been very controversial, it makes absolute sense.  

Also, a quick shout out to Antje Traue who damn near steals every scene she’s in.

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The only negative thing I can say about this film is that I didn’t buy how quickly Clark and Lois' relationship developed. It felt false.

But apart from that, I can’t think of anything else I didn’t enjoy and this makes me feel uncomfortable. The last time I felt this way about a movie was Inception and that didn’t end up well for me.

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Man of Steel feels like the start of something special. I can’t shake that feeling. I can’t shake that feeling that Man of Steel is a nigh-perfect blockbuster film. I can’t shake the feeling that Henry Cavill will do to Reeves what Ledger did to Nicholson.

Although I have all of these overwhelming feelings for Man of Steel, I am not ready to accept them. I’m going to wait. I’m going to let my feelings marinate.

I would ask people to ignore the professional reviews and give this film a go. I’ll be shocked if you’re disappointed. And if you are, let me know about it.

                                  @chocoteddyfilms

Man of Steel Week: Fathers

So, season three of this blog starts next week. I’m going to kick things off with a Man of Steel week. I have watched this film three times – that is over £30 damn pounds...gone. But I loved every second of it. After each sitting I felt like I had watched something special – but also the more I watched it, the more emotional I got.

For me, I think the emotional core of Man of Steel rests with the fathers, especially Russell Crowe’s Jor-El. Every time I watched the beginning sequence or when Jor-El’s essence appears in the fortress of solitude, I couldn’t help but think of my own late father and what I would give just to have one last conversation with him.

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My dad died of cancer the week I turned 18. I wasn’t particularly close to him – I was in awe of him and scared of him. Also, in truth, at 18 I wasn’t the most mature of people, I wasn’t interested in anything particularly serious such as school, religion, what my future held or my own heritage. The only thing my father and I ever bonded over was Formula 1, films and, to my every-lasting gratitude, Arsenal Football Club.

And then he got a brain tumour. I can safely say that the next 2 years after my mother told me and my sisters the news about our father were the worst of my life. I closed him and my family out so I wouldn’t have to face up to the truth that he was dying. In fact the only meaningful conversation I had with my Pa after he was diagnosed involved me making him promise that he wouldn’t die. There isn’t a single moment in my life I regret more than that one.

So he died. But at his funeral I remember being captivated by these stories of my father’s life that I had never heard before. Amazing stories. I heard about how at an early age he went to do manual work in Mozambique to help his family out. I heard about how he was even smarter than I realised at school. My mum told me stories about how they got together, how he reacted when all of us kids were born and how he sacrificed his career as an account to work in the NHS so we could stay in the country.

Of course the next couple of years were difficult for the whole family but every problem I had, I couldn’t help but wanting to speak to my father about it. I wanted to ask him about women mostly and was desperate to know more about Malawi and his childhood. I remember coming out of university and being unemployed for a hell of a long time and thinking what I wouldn’t give to have the advice of my dad. But in reality the reason why it took me so long to accept my dad’s death was guilt – mainly guilt about not knowing him well enough and not asking him all these questions I had in mind when he was alive. I had a lot of growing up to do (I still do) and felt like I had no guide.

So the brooding Clark went through absolutely resonated with me. This is why I ignore the criticism of the film being too dark and miserable because to me it makes absolute sense. Parents are bloody important to understanding a lot about yourself when you’re a human being – they must be vital when you are an alien.

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I think Man of Steel is a remarkable film and I am finding it fascinating reading the mixed reviews it is getting. I hope the film makers are just as bold with their vision in the sequel and they don’t compromise.

Anyway, next week we have three great guest posts on the film so make sure you check them all out.

                                @chocoteddyfilms