But when it comes to Superman films, the reception is somewhat mixed. Superman and Superman 2 will forever be some of my all time favorite films, for they had several iconic elements and scenes still portrayed in Superman adaptations today, and I'm surprised when I sometimes find myself quoting General Zod or Marlon Brando's Jor-El. But Superman 3 and 4 are considered to many to be some of the worst super hero films ever produced, filled with cheesy acting, special effects that look on par with the effects on Babylon 5, and stock footage that is used again and again and again and again and again. I mean, come on, how many times do we need to see the same darn shot of Superman flying into the camera. It made better sense when they used the same Japanese stock footage for the Megazord battles in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. And, seriously, Richard Pryor in Superman 3. He should be doing comedy films and stand-up, not a cutting edge, action packed super hero film that was intended to be taken seriously. They might as well give Superman a rabbit sidekick named Chuckles who speaks in a high pitched voice and shoots magical chocolate balls at enemies. Overall, Superman 3 and 4 are so bad, they are good. I mean, they have a charm to them that is somewhat bittersweet, but overall bare out as erratically outlandish films that stained Superman's glory.
With that said, you probably think I am going to bash Superman Returns. Well, no. I will say though that Superman Returns is no masterpiece by any means, and is part of the reason why X-Men: The Last Stand failed dismally with critics, for Bryan Singer went off to work on this film and left Brett Ratner to direct the film. As a somewhat reboot in the Superman film series, I had a lot of things that I really enjoyed such as the action sequences. The scene where a soldier is firing a machine gun at Superman was just extraordinarily epic! That alone should get it's own Oscar. I also enjoyed the tiny references to Richard Donner's Superman films, such as the digital recreation of Brando's Jor-El using unused audio from the 1978 film, as well as the end scene with Superman flying above Earth, clearly a reenactment of Christopher's Reeve iconic closure in Richard Donner's films. But with good eggs, there are also bad eggs. There were some scenes in this film that were just plain out boring, and these really slowed the film down terribly.I didn't really care for Lex Luthor's cliched plan of world desecration, and wasn't really concerned the side story of Lois Lane and her family, for in the movie, she has moved on with her life after Superman left, married, gave birth to a son, and wrote a book entitled Why The World Doesn't Need Superman which earned her a Pulitzer. I also think it's odd at the end after Superman has returned that she begins work on another book, Why The World Needs Superman. It just seemed a bit out of place. There were also a lot of goofy moments, particularly involving Lex's loud mouthed lover Kitty, and I didn't really care for the somewhat cheesy suspense music that was played ever time there was a twist of irony. Overall, Superman Returns was pretty good, but had somethings that I felt could have been done without.
After Returns, I asked myself what was next for the Last Son of Krypton. Since the release of Returns, there has been an onslaught of Superman cartoon films, comic book reinterpretations, Justice League crossovers, even a re-edit of the second film, Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut, which in my opinion, is better than the original, for it follows Donner's original vision of the motion picture. But it was just recently announced that like the Caped Crusader, Superman would be starting from scratch, getting a new super hero flick directed by Zach Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan. And there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that since Nolan is whipping up the bread and bones for this flick, it will be a darker, more sophisticated version of the epic tale of the Man of Steel. Perhaps they will make it just as character driven and realistic as Nolan's Batman films, making the super hero more of a wailing figure trying to make his way into society and be accepted by it's people. Maybe the planet Krypton will be portrayed as an actual place, and Superman's abilities will be more supernatural if anything. I could just see it now, the people of Metropolis shocked and terrified of Superman's unnatural traits, but overtime, they come to accept him and realize that he is their savior, defender, an appeal similar to the appeal in the comic books and animated films.
Zach Snyder is, as Goldilocks would say, JUST RIGHT for the director of this film, having hit milestones in the comic book film genre with classics like 300 and Watchmen, and even if those films didn't match up with the original groundwork perfectly, they still were good films that didn't stray that far from their original roots. And I can't help but think that, since Snyder's films were filled with lots of bloodshed and gore, as well as some profanity and foul language, this Superman film could be rated R, and maybe display the Man of Steel in a similar way as he did Leonidas or Ozymandias. Yeh, I know, that's probably not a possibility, but I just can't help but think about that sometimes. He has done such a great job allowing each of the characters in his films be fully developed and modified to their fullest as they were in the original graphic novels they got their starts in. But one thing is for sure. There is no way Superman is going to be put up against flesh eating zombies from Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead. That would just be TOO MUCH. It's bad enough Superman had to team up with the Quik Rabbit in an infamous comic from the 80s and fight a goofball of a villain called Mr. Mxyzptlk.
Henry Cavill, in my opinion, will make a great Superman. His skills as an actor are beyond superb, having appeared in such films as The Count of Monte Cristo and Stardust. And even if Cavill is a bit older than what Christopher Reeve was when he first played Superman, he will still do a fine job of portraying the Red Caped Hero from Krypton, for the original creators of the hero, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, never really set in stone what age the Man of Tomorrow was when he first invoked the persona of Superman. It was always interesting to see the different re-tellings of Superman throughout the years, some portraying him as arrogant and pompous towards society and the villains who attempt to shatter the very grounds he stands on. The most recent take on the classic hero, Superman: Earth One, shows Superman as a rebellious young man who must develop and mature into the sophisticated Superman we all know and love him as. And I hope that whatever way the distribute Superman's epic tale which everyone has heard at least once in their lives, they make it as dramatic as possible, making us relate to the character of Jor-El, Clark Kent, as he finds out who he really as, and what he was destined to do. It will be a take on Superman for a new generation, just as the Richard Donner films were a retelling of Superman's tale for the generation of the late 70s, many children and adults alike will be able to see the chapter of the Man of Steel as they have never seen him before. And with the new barriers and risk being taking in the comic book world of today, I assure you, it will be, in one way or another, dark, edgy, and contemporary, not only showing what is going on with Superman on the outside, but the inside as well. He could be just as menacing as Batman, just think about how weird and different that would be!
But will all super-hero reboots that are announced, the first thing that pops into our minds is what will the suit for this interpretation look like. I would imagine that, since Nolan is helping in the development of this film, it will be a darker, looking armor like bodysuit like Christian Bale's Batman, but since Superman is of course nearly invincible, and it would not make much sense for Superman to wear such a protective suit, I would imagine it would be a spandex like material, perhaps textured and engraved like Spider-Man's movie suits. Of course he will have his trademark cape, without that, Superman would be just an average ordinary hero with an s on his chest, the cape garnishing him respect and glorification by all people. I highly doubt they will have the glowing red eyes like he had in Earth One, but if they are willing to pull it off in the right manner, I say give it a shot, it would surely be fascinating. Superman without his eye laser shooting abilities is like Spider-Man without his webs, or Godzilla without his fire breathing abilities. Oh dear God, don't remind me of that despicable 1998 film with Matthew Broderick. Godzilla would have been better off as an extra in a Jurassic Park sequel! Getting back to Superman, I think everyone will agree with me when I say that Superman will be flying in this film. Of course he will be flying in this film. It has become a distinct trademark of the character, and it just wouldn't seem right if they went without giving Superman his uncanny ability to fly. If they made it more realistic by giving Superman a more mechanized manner of flying, it would kill off the character's Krypton heritage and make the character more of an average everyday human if anything. Let's not turn him into Batman!
But it's interesting to think, that Superman could have both the ability to fly and his ability to jump over buildings in a single leap, reminiscent of the early comics and cartoons by Fleischer Studios. I think it would be a great idea if they would allow Superman to learn his ability to fly over the course of the film, starting out by jumping over buildings, but when he finally dubs the Superman suit for the first time, he can finally defy the Earth's gravity and fly in the sky, stopping all enemies that get in his path. It would play a key role in the character's coming of age, setting him up for the sequel films and the rumor Justice League film, in which he will gallantly lead DC's most prized heroes into the never ending war against chaos. How awesome would it be to see all our favorites come together on the big screen in a film like that! Henry Cavill as Superman, Christian Bale as Batman, Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern,, Adrienne Palicki as Wonder Woman, it would surely be sensational to see all those classic heroes come full circle on the big screen in one epic battle against some of the world's most powerful enemies. If they could do it with The Avengers, they could surely do it with the Justice League. On the topic of villains, looks like Michael Shannon of Boardwalk Empire fame will be playing the role of General Dru-Zod. And if he says epic quotes like KNEAL BEFORE ZOD or YOU WILL BOW DOWN BEFORE ME JOR-EL, I will surely consider this one of my all time favorite movies. Superman 2 was iconic in it's own right, and part of it's acclaimed fame was because of the cultural impact of Zod. He was displayed in the movies and comics as a figure of dominance, a creature who believes that he and his forces have superiority like no other creatures in the universe, and he will do anything in his power to dominate all surroundings and have everyone KNEAL before him. It's the peas and carrots of a good supervillain, a character who is out to conquer and rid of all who get in his way. They could even put him, as well as Ursa and Non within the Phantom Zone. That would seriously be the coolest thing in the history of coolest things!
Then there is supporting characters. I am still debating on who will be playing the roles of Perry White (RIP Jackie Cooper) and Jimmy Olsen. I wouldn't be surprised if Justin Bieber was picked to play Jimmy in this reboot, that would surely send the ticket sales through the roof. But it has been confirmed that Kevin Costner will be playing the role of Clark Kent's father, Johnathan Kent, who, as we all know, teaches the coming of age Clark many lessons in life, how to control himself and make something of himself in life, much like Uncle Ben in Spider-Man and Splinter in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He's the iconic mentor like figure that helps the hero feels his importance, and in many versions of Superman's story, he has an unfortunate fate, prominently displayed in Richard Donner's first film as well as the Smallville TV series. And even if he doesn't die in this film, there is no doubt that he will still play a key role in Superman's character building, as he matures and rises to prudence in the city of Metropolis, taking his father's important advice with him through life. For the role of Lois Lane, Amy Adams of Enchanted and Doubt will take on the lucky lady who often finds herself in distress. Margot Kidder did a fantastic job as Lois in Donner's films, giving the woman a little more zing and maturity, in contrast to earlier takes on her character that displayed her as the dim witted damsel in distress that couldn't even fight a fly, constantly relying on Superman to save her from her doom. Well, what if Superman wasn't around, what if he went to get a pizza? What would you do then woman?! But Amy Adams is a good actor, so there is no doubt in my mind that she will make Lois Lane just as heroic as, say Rachel Dawes in Christopher Nolan's Batman films, a character who at first is against Superman and all his motives, but after he saves her life, she comes to realization of the hero's intentions, and comes to accept him as her defender. It makes the female character more likable to the audience and makes them out to be courageous woman out for the order and maintenance of authority and nature. All and all, the supporting cast members are very well casted, and they will surely make the film a lot more interesting and powerful towards the people who will see this film Christmas 2012.
Other than that, I really have nothing more to say about the upcoming Man of Steel film. I'm very excited for it and interested on what Snyder and Nolan will do to make this telling of the Last Son of Krypton's story unique and exhilarating , on par with the realism and astute landscape of Nolan's Batman trilogy. It will be a good film, for both of them will come up with something fresh and new, outside of the box, distinguishing it from other future superhero flicks like Marc Webb's Spider-Man reboot and The Dark Knight Rises. This film will surely satisfy all who love the hero, for he is undeniable the most iconic super hero ever to be drawn on paper, even if he was originally bald and villainous in Siegel and Shuster's original comic book sketch from 1933. And I can surely say that the character has grown on me profoundly, and I will be looking forward to this film, as well as the possible sequels that follow. Maybe classic Superman characters like Supergirl, The Man of Steel, the Eradicator and Superboy will be making appearances, or maybe villains like Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Cyborg Superman, Bizarro (my personal favorite), or even Doomsday, bringing the tragedy of the Doomsday saga to the live action format. It would surely be incredible to see this incendiary comic book world unfold upon the big screen, for Superman's universe is so vivid and vibrant, full of exotic and interesting occurences, it would surely make for one of the most epic motion picture franchises of all time. ALL HAIL THE MAN OF STEEL! HE WOULD SURELY BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF ALL PEOPLE WHO TRY TO BRING HIM DOWN! He is surely the best and will never be forgotten, even if he is killed off a second time!
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