Joshua P. Simon - The Accidental Author

So, Man of Steel came out on DVD recently which meant that I finally was able to watch it on Amazon Prime. Though I didn’t dislike the movie, it definitely was a disappointment from what I wanted it to be.

I give it a 6.5/10.

WARNING: Spoilers Below.

Pros:

• Visuals of Krypton
• The fact that Zod was trying to do his job by protecting Krytpton when staging a coup, rather than just trying to seize power. It gives his motives more depth than just making it a power grab.
• Fight Scenes are pretty much perfect.
• Special effects are dead on.
• Casting across the board was great.
• I like that Lois figured out his identity. It validated her more as a reporter.
• I like the idea of a more paranoid Jonathon Kent doing whatever he could to protect his son. More realistic.
• The destruction of Metropolis. This was FAR more realistic considering the parties involved then what happened in the Avengers. I like both movies but when heavy hitters are slugging it out, this is what would really happen.
• Killing Zod both made sense from a practical standpoint (no prison could hold him) and a Superman mythos standpoint. Superman has killed Zod in the comics (as well as others way back in the day) and in Superman II with Christopher Reeve (Zod died by falling to his icy death).
• As long as they use this death to drive character development in future films, I’m good.
• I find it strange that everyone made a big deal about him killing only Zod and not the fact that he damned all the other Kryptonians to the Phantom Zone where it was said they would starve to death. Plus, he heat blasted all those babies in the Genesis chamber…….

Cons:

• Most of my issues stem from the actual script itself and the editing.
• Too many short and choppy scenes left everything feeling like it lacked emotion.
• Dialogue was sometimes too on point.
• Humor was severely lacking. It came in spots at the end but by that point it felt out of place considering the tone. I’m all for a darker tone to Superman, but even Batman (in Nolan’s films) had levity from time to time (which makes the darker moments more effective).
• Despite the great casting, several people were grossly underutilized.
• Diane Lane and Kevin Costner had some solid moments with a young and even older Clark. The problem is that they were all just a bit too quick (a problem with the flashback method). Therefore, some of the tender moments didn’t fully work.
• In the case of Jonathon Kent, the paranoia went a bit too far. How does Clark ever develop any sense of morality when his dad tells him not to help people so he can stay a secret. Very inconsistent. Plus, this paranoia didn’t allow for some of the more grounded childhood friendships Clark is known to have with Pete Ross and Lana Lang.
• Awful decision for Jonathon to die in a tornado and totally unbelievable. No son would allow his dad to die like that, regardless of the consequences. It was much more poetic for Jonathon to die via a heart attack since Superman with all his powers was helpless to save him.
• Really inconsistent power levels between Superman and the other Kryptonians. There is no reason why Zod and the others could all do the same things as Superman with a similar power level. The whole throwaway line that Zod was military trained so he could adapt quicker was weak. Plus, it matters little since his cells hadn’t absorbed yellow sunlight for 30+ years.
• Of all the changes in the Superman mythos, this lack of consistency was what I had the biggest issues with.
• Too many things happened out of convenience such as
• The kryptonians going to the Phantom Zone in a spaceship so they could easily escape.
• Jor-El (a scientist) being able to easily defeat trained military personnel (including Zod). Plus, the fact that he can magically appear and do amazing things to help both Superman and Lois Lane when they need it most.
• Though they did show Superman save a few people in the fighting (Lois and a random soldier), this wasn’t shown enough. It would have made far more sense if part of why he was getting his butt kicked early on was because he was busy trying to protect people.
• The whole choosing Earth over Krypton scene really didn’t hold any weight for me. This is because the entire movie up to that point showed a Clark Kent who did not feel accepted by anyone other than his parents. He was alone and an outcast who never belonged. Why would he give everything up so easily? It didn’t ring true to me.
• The Lois Lane and Superman dynamic wasn’t developed enough.

So, the new Man of Steel trailer just came out and it’s awesome. I’ve watched it several times and each viewing makes me more excited than the last for the movie. The action looks like everything that fans have wanted for years. The casting/acting all look great from the few glimpses we get and most importantly, I can believe that Cavill is Superman just as I could believe that Reeves was Superman. From the clips, he seems to have a really strong presence.

I like the tone and depth they are trying to give the character a lot. Although some people are whining and complaining because it isn’t the Superman they want/remember (the Donner films), I think this will be a pretty true representation of the character based on what he’s like in the comics now as well as the last 20 years or so.



What do you think?

Today’s list is subject to change and will likely change as new superhero movies come out. In fact, some of the movies on this list my shuffle in sequence if I made the same list tomorrow. Regardless, here are my top ten superhero movies today.

10. Iron Man

Great take on a character who wasn’t as well known as others in the Marvel universe. One of the better origin stories as well. Awesome script. Downey’s performance is what makes this movie memorable.

Nice use of both Black Sabbath and AC/DC.

9. Batman

I think sometimes people forget just how good the Burton Batman movies are. Who would have thought that Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Michael Keaton as Batman would work so well? Yet they did. Jack’s Joker is perfect for what Burton was going for. People like to think he was a little too silly when you compare him to Ledger’s performance. However, he had some pretty stand out sadistic moments (like the joybuzzer scene).

Keaton in my mind is the best Batman with the cowl. Bale is the best Bruce Wayne and looks the most physically like Batman. However, once the mask is on Keaton had the voice and attitude down in a way I don’t think Bale ever fully got. Bale had a tendency to get lost in the costume while Keaton embraced it.

I also want to give a nod to Kim Basinger as Vickie Vale who was probably the best of all the love interests in the films. And although Harvey Dent played a minor role in the film, how cool was it that Burton cast Billy Dee Williams in the role?

Really enjoyed the noir feel to this movie.

Lots of memorable quotes as well “Gentlemen, let’s broaden our minds.” “You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”

Awesome soundtrack. I actually listen to it quite a bit on Pandora. And let’s not forget the album Prince did inspired by the movie. I wore that cassette out as a kid.

8. Captain America

In my mind this movie does not get anywhere near the credit it deserves. Chris Evans was made for this role. The first part of the film which most people think is slow was actually my favorite stuff (lots of nice character moments). Tommy Lee Jones did a good job of providing the levity and laughs the film needed. Strong female lead (Hayley Atwell) and some memorable minor characters also add to the flavor. And let’s not forget that Hugo Weaving was perfect as the Red Skull.

With a lesser script or director, this movie could have been awful and seemed dated.

7. Superman the Movie/Superman II

Great tag line. The BEST superhero movie soundtrack ever. And no other actor was made to play the superhero they were cast for like Christopher Reeves was for Clark Kent/Superman.

Yes, both movies suffer a bit from minor script issues (like inventing yet more powers for Superman to have), but I can overlook that. I would have loved to see these movies made with today’s technology because the special effects are the ONLY thing that doesn’t hold up.

6. The Avengers

I’m sure I’ll get a lot of flak for this one since most people automatically place this movie as a top 3. Honestly, I debate on where to put it on the list myself. In some ways, I wonder it should be at No. 8 behind Captain America and Superman.

Anyway, this movie has a lot of upsides….good action scenes, a great rendition of the Hulk, making Black Widow cool, etc. However, there are a lot more negatives than people are willing to attribute to the movie,in my opinion. I’m not going to rehash those reasons here. If you want to read my full review, just go here.

5. Hellboy

This one might come as a surprise for some…unless you’ve actually seen the movie. Hellboy as a character might be the most “human” out of any of the others on this list which is ironic since he is essentially a demon. He’s flawed, funny, sensitive, and just someone you don’t mess with. Ron Perlman is the man.

4. The Incredibles

Where is the sequel to this movie? They’ve been talking about it for years and yet, I’m still waiting. This was such a cool and original idea. It could have been cheesy or uninteresting, yet it worked on every level. This was one of those VERY rare movies where everyone could see themselves in one of the main characters. In many cases, more than one.

3. The Dark Knight

Gasp! Number 3? Yes, number 3. I loved this movie, but ultimately this was more about Harvey Dent and even the Joker than it was about Bruce Wayne and Batman. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since both were awesome and helped redefine what people think about when they imagine about those characters. However, with Batman taking a backseat (until the closing scene), I bumped it down a couple of notches.

2. Batman Begins

The best and worst thing about the Nolan movies is that he borrowed from all over the comics rather than doing a true interpretation of any one story. With that in mind, I really thought his version of a Batman origin was ideal for what he was trying to create.

Bale may have his faults as Batman (mostly with the voice), but he is a perfect Bruce Wayne.

And of course Caine was made for Alfred.

1. The Dark Knight Rises

Yes, I know this movie has a lot of flaws. However, this movie is so focused on characterization (Bruce Wayne) in particular that as it stands now, it is my favorite superhero movie of all time. I won’t rehash all my reasons for liking or disliking it. I already gave my thoughts here.

Honorable Mentions: The Amazing Spiderman, X-Men First Class, Batman Returns

So, there’s my top ten weighted with four Batman movies, unsurprising since he is my favorite superhero. I’d like to think that Man of Steel will bump something off this list later this year, but you never know.

So, what movies are in your top ten?

Monday I got back from a family-visiting vacation (will post more about it next week). The trip was tiring, but had a lot of positives. I even made it to The Dark Knight Rises on opening day. To me, the film was the best of the three. Yes, it had its faults (plot-wise) which I’ll go into below. However, the strengths far outweighed the weaknesses in my opinion.

***Spoiler alert for all three movies in the trilogy.***

Pros:

• This movie was about Bruce Wayne/Batman. Although I love The Dark Knight, my biggest complaint on the movie was that it really focused on the villains (Two-Face and The Joker especially) rather than Batman. Like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises is all about the hero with the villains playing strong supporting roles.
• Unbelievable characterization across the board. Very few weak spots in any of the major and minor character roles. All did a great a job. Despite any flaws I’ll mention below, the character arcs are what made this film so good to me.
• Michael Caine – What can I say? The perfect Alfred. He immediately steals every scene he’s in. The emotion he brought to the movie was awesome and I found myself a bit misty-eyed in a few spots because of the delivery of his lines.
• Anne Hathaway – Like everyone else, I was very hesitant about her casting. From the very first scene she had me. Best Catwoman yet, and probably the closest to the comics. Absolutely loved her performance and story arc.
• Tom Hardy – The accent/voice was perfect. The swagger awesome. In a lot of ways, he reminded me of the Bane from Batman: The Animated Series, and that’s definitely a good thing. Great casting.
• Christian Bale – His best performance as Batman and Bruce Wayne, and I liked him a lot in the prior two movies. I wanted more scenes with him as the focal point.
• Great fight scenes. My inner fanboy was going absolutely nuts at the Bane/Batman fights above all else. Exactly how I wanted it to be. And on top of everything else, Bane actually said THE LINE. (For those who don’t know what that means, go read KnightFall.)
• Awesome action sequences.
• The Bat was really cool. The fight around the city was killer.
• For being almost three hours long, the movie went by really quickly. I know some complained about the pacing, but I never felt it drag. I wanted more.
• Loved all the nods and tie-ins to the previous films.
• Cool references to all the various storylines within the comics.
• Just enough humor to lighten the dark tone of the movie.
• Another good film score.
• Perfect conclusion for the series. Answered enough questions while still leaving a few out there.
• First teaser trailer for Man of Steel! It looks awesome!

Cons:

• Miranda Tate – She was ok. I knew she was Talia long before the reveal. The references to tie her in to the series was kind of nice. However, I almost wish the reveal didn’t happen as it did since it diminished Bane’s awesomeness in my eyes.
• The plot had several bumps. Characters did a lot of really dumb things in order to push the story along. Some of those instances took me out of the story for few seconds which I found jarring. I never felt that way in the previous two films.
• HUGE info dumps. I cringed at several points in the film when a character went on this big speech to give information to the viewer that Nolan couldn’t figure out a way to work in elsewhere. Some of these instances were really bad as it happened at pretty suspenseful parts of the film (e.g. the very end when time was of the essence). There were moments like this in the first two films too, but nowhere near as bad as here.
• Batman forgot he was the world’s greatest detective and had a brain. Despite being injury-riddled, older, and out of the game, Batman rarely used his brains to solve his problems. Instead, he almost bullied his way through everything. Very out of character for what Nolan established in the first two films and extremely out of character to who he is in the comics.
• Speaking of being injury-riddled…wow, did Nolan drop the ball here. This is my biggest complaint of the whole film. The Dark Knight Rises starts off with Bruce being skinny and a wreck physically. He goes to the doctor and we learn just how much of a mess he is. However, these injuries are never addressed again once he decides he wants back in to being Batman. What a joke. The only injury they addressed was one knee (ignoring his other knee, shoulder, etc.) and that was done badly. Where did the brace go when he was in prison? Bane wouldn’t have left him that, yet he never limps again.
  
  Also, how did he get all these injuries? According to this film, his last appearance as Batman was at the end of The Dark Knight. We were never led to believe Batman was bad off then, and since he stopped wearing the cowl, Bruce Wayne only became a recluse. Basically, Nolan invented injuries out of the blue to show how far Wayne had fallen. Then he dumped them after the first act when they became too hard to address.
• The Joker is still alive at the end of The Dark Knight. What happened to him? Obviously, I didn’t expect him to get actual screen time, but Nolan could have at least said they gave him the death penalty or shipped him off to Arkham or something.

So yes, The Dark Knight Rises had its flaws, but I loved it all the same. As far as I’m concerned, there are no better comic book films than the three Nolan films. Man, I wish I could see more.

Batman Beyond, anyone?

DC’s top ten villains were on Wednesday. Today I’m giving equal time to Marvel.

10. Thanos


9. Kraven


8. Venom


7. Apocalypse


6. Loki


5. Abomination


4. Red Skull


3. Dr. Doom

2. Green Goblin


1. Magneto


Honorable Mentions: The Lizard, Taskmaster, Galactus

Who else would you stick on this list?