MAN OF STEEL Storyboard Artist Says THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS Was Key Inspiration For Final Metropolis Battle

MAN OF STEEL Storyboard Artist Says THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS Was Key Inspiration For Final Metropolis Battle

Man of Steel's Metropolis battle was extremely divisive, but storyboard artist Jay Oliva has now explained how The Matrix Revolutions was key for dreaming up the movie's otherwise epic fight sequence...

By JoshWilding - Aug 30, 2022 05:08 AM EST
Filed Under: Man of Steel
Source: SFFGazette.com

Superman Returns relied too heavily on nostalgia, casting Brandon Routh as the Christopher Reeve version of the iconic DC Comics character. The movie was incredibly light on action, so 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder being chosen to take the helm of Man of Steel was welcomed by fans.

That 2013 movie was definitely action-packed and featured a thrilling final battle that saw Superman fight General Zod above Metropolis. However, it also proved to be surprisingly controversial as much of the city was destroyed, leaving fans aghast at Superman being inadvertently responsible for the death of thousands of innocents while squaring off with his fellow Kryptonian.

Now, frequent Snyder collaborator Jay Oliva has revealed the inspiration behind that controversial fight. 

The storyboard artist confirms that The Matrix Revolution's battle between Neo and Agent Smith factored heavily into how this sequence was dreamed up. That sci-fi movie's unexpected influence on Man of Steel is definitely telling, and Oliva is right that it was one of the only movies to have successfully pulled off an aerial fight scene like this. 

Say what you will about the ramifications of Man of Steel's final battle, but it was epic. In hindsight, the city probably should have been evacuated, but Snyder did address what happened head-on in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That did little to placate some fans, but as damage control goes, it worked well enough. 

Check out Oliva's Tweets below and let us know your thoughts on his comments in the usual place.
 

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bobevanz
bobevanz - 8/30/2022, 5:15 AM
The worst fight in the worst Matrix movie lol
Conquistador
Conquistador - 8/30/2022, 6:33 AM
@bobevanz - I dunno, I found it to be the only part that made the movie worth a watch. Its definitely quite convoluted overall though.

I remember watching it thinking this is what a Dragon Ball Z live action fight should look like.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 8/30/2022, 6:33 AM
Not very surprised
Kumkani
Kumkani - 8/30/2022, 7:04 AM
That much was obvious
Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 8/30/2022, 7:26 AM
The only decent looking flying fight scene that came out before MoS was influential to the flying fight scene in MoS? Well I’m shocked
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 8/30/2022, 7:32 AM
IcePyke
IcePyke - 8/30/2022, 7:38 AM
"Controversial fight"?

HAILHYDRA
HAILHYDRA - 8/30/2022, 7:45 AM
I guess that explains why it felt like pointless filler. Both of these fights featured two super powerful individuals who had an all out brawl that last several minutes without doing any apparent damage to each other. At least with the Matrix Revolution, Neo’s ultimate plan was to lose so Smith would assimilate him thus purging from the Matrix. The ending of MoS made no sense. How are these two guys going to have a punch up for 20 minutes with no damage to one another and then one just breaks the other’s neck. If that was possible how were they not hurting each other earlier in the fight?
VileBlood
VileBlood - 8/30/2022, 11:46 AM
@HAILHYDRA - This always bugged me to. Watching 2 equal strength fighters battling it out and neither of them barely get a scratch during the entire sequence. Half of the city gets wiped out but both Supes and Zod barely break a sweat.
SpaceParanoids
SpaceParanoids - 8/30/2022, 8:26 AM
So that horrible fight in Revolutions was the inspiration? No wonder the third act of Man of Steel sucked.

When you have people fighting and there is no risk of them punching each other then there is no tension.
PartyKiller
PartyKiller - 8/30/2022, 8:40 AM
WB needs to cut ties with Jay Olivia.
Dotanuki
Dotanuki - 8/30/2022, 8:49 AM
And we are all worse off because of it.
Spoken
Spoken - 8/30/2022, 9:12 AM
Def saw the inspiration. My brother is a big Superman fan and I remember watching that movie and we were hoping to see a fight like that in a Superman movie.

Low and behold 10 years later it was achieved. Great action sequence.....other MIXED opinions about the movie but I did enjoy that fight sequence.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 8/30/2022, 9:14 AM
Well its Matrix Revolution and a bunch of Japanese Anime like Dragon Ball Z or Birdy. In the BTS of MoS and several other interviews by storyboard artists they all said that most of MoS is anime inspired.
TheLobster
TheLobster - 8/30/2022, 10:12 AM
Y’all are haters - that fight sequence is awesome.
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 8/30/2022, 10:54 AM
fans aghast at Superman being inadvertently responsible for the death of thousands of innocents while squaring off with his fellow Kryptonian.

Fans were annoyed at the collateral damage. Fans were aghast that he and Lois stood in the middle of all that debris and shoved their tongues down each other's throats.
VileBlood
VileBlood - 8/30/2022, 11:27 AM
I always assumed both this scene and the BvS alley fight were just a copy of the Matrix Revolutions. That's probably why these sequences have always felt so flat to me. Uninspiring and brought nothing new to the table.
TheJester187
TheJester187 - 8/30/2022, 9:52 PM
Can’t wait til Henry & DJ clash and f$ck Metropolis up again.
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