Friday, June 14, 2013

Man of Steel: Review (Spoiler-Free)

I didn't go into this movie with very high expectations. The last Superman movie just kind of left me feeling meh. This one was better - one of my favorite movies featuring DC characters - but compared to "Smallville," "Lois & Clark," or any of the recent Marvel movies, it didn't really stack up.

What I liked:

  • Minus the shaky cam, I liked the cinematography - camera angles, intentional focus/unfocus, quickly changing point of view to indicate confusion during action sequence.
  • The roles were all well-cast.
  • The actors performed well and the chemistry between Clark and Lois was believable.
  • The background about the characters - also believable.
  • Russell Crowe as Jor-El was fantastic and expressive.
  • Clark's human parents and some of the scenes in Kansas felt right out of "Smallville."
  • The new Superman costume. I thought it was going to look silly or maybe be a bit too tight, but it didn't.
  • I felt like it had definite elements of "Serenity," "Thor," and "The Matrix" in there, but it was different enough to be its own movie.
  • Chemistry between Superman and Lois.


What I didn't like:

  • As the movie went on, Lois and the importance of her character faded into the background significantly.
  • It didn't pass the Bechdel Test.
  • The only physically powerful woman in the movie was a villain, which sends the message of 'strong woman = bad.'
  • Shaky camera overdose. I get that it's supposed to be documentary style or that things shake when you enter the atmosphere, but it was overkill.
  • I wanted to see more of Clark at the Daily Planet.
  • Penis pods. Yeah, there are space dildos. And they're awful.
Other observations:
  • When the movie was over, no one got up. Clearly Marvel has taken over the world, and I'm ok with this. However, people were disappointed when there was no extra scene. Yeah, that's a Marvel thing, and this is DC...
  • About 80% of the audience was male. DC is losing out on a female audience. With a couple of minor alterations, they could reach more audience members.
What did you like or dislike about this movie?

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