Before you leave due to the author is, here me out. I have seen Man of Steel more times than I had thought I ever would when marketing had went into full steam for the film. Man of Steel is the first film in what could be the, DC Cinematic Universe. But, that's not the focus of this article. I'll be looking at Man of Steel as a superhero movie and where it lands in the history of superhero films.
Everyone here knows I grew up on Marvel and not DC but, also that I've been more fond of DC since coming to this site within the last year and a half. I really liked the original two Superman movies with Christopher Reeve in the titular role. But, no attachment to the movies. I'm going to start off with the negatives of the film. No, none of the negatives are Zack Snyder. But, the biggest issue with the movie is the writing. David Goyer as a sole writer has not done anything good since Blade 2. Man of Steel is weak in the writing despite the basic concept sounding better than it turned out to be. The dialogue being spoken are cringe worthy half the time and the way the story telling is set up, is essentially Batman Begins. Before you jump on my case, many movies have done non-linear story telling before. But, Man of Steel is so similar to Batman Begins that it felt like a copy and took myself and others out of the movie. It shows unoriginality. Another issue is the CGI in the film. A lot of people thought it was the best CGI in years and was in an uproar when it wasn't nominated for the Academy Award for best Visual Effecs in a feature film. Honestly, with the exception of the first twenty Krypton. The CGI was quite frankly bad and it gets worse throughout the film. Also, Amy Adams I felt was just in there for star power because I don't think she added anything to the movie, hated her dialogue and I feel the movie would be almost no different without her Lois in the film. But, that's just me. Her and Laurence Fishburne I felt were weak points in the cast.
Those are my only real complaints for the movie. The positives remain in the rest of the cast and it's villain, General Zod. The story was pretty generic and it felt more style over substance. I mean, you could tell they tried for emotional moments but they felt so forced. I guess, that continues more into the negatives but, I don't want you thinking I hated the movie. These are just my major complaints. So, why do I bring all of these up? These are my impressions of the movie. Man of Steel isn't necessarily a bad movie but, I don't think it's standing ovation worthy either. But, it all depends on who you are as a person and the attachment you have of these characters. I've been thinking about this more and more ever since I watched, Captain America: The Winter Soldier where my friend called me bias because Cap is my favorite Avenger and I claimed The Winter Soldier as being the greatest superhero sequel yet. So, the love and hate for Man of Steel. Is it bias of certain audiences? Depends on who the person is viewing the film.
The Amazing Spider-Man is another example of this. A lot of people are bias as Spider-Man fans and a lot of people hated it because of their love for the original trilogy. It's not always the case. But more often than not. DC fans will bash on Marvel films and Marvel fans will bash on DC films. Sometimes we'll get that person who won't do either and likes both companies films and don't like movies from both of them as well. What does this have to do with, Man of Steel? I was recently having a discussion with a youtube member under the AMC Spoilers video for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and he was talking up Man of Steel and The Dark Knight. Likes both companies and gives praise to the DC films and called Cap 2 good. I'm not bashing on the guy but he brought up the point that, audiences were giving Man of Steel a stand ovation. I am not attached to the character and I don't really care for the movie so, I personally don't see why this is the case for the film. It's all about who the audience is and how they percieve the film.
For many people, Man of Steel is the best superhero movie ever made. For others, it's among the worst. Here's what I think. Man of Steel isn't one of the best superhero movies of all time. It's not an example of why I keep going to the movies and watch this genre of movies. The same friend of mine who called me bias and prefers Marvel over DC, loves Man of Steel but, it's because he is an action junkie. But, it's not a bad example of the potential of this genre. It's a very flawed superhero movie but, not one of the worst. The only reason I am writing this editorial is the preception and my perception of, Man of Steel. To get your guys' thoughts on all of this. I think it's an interesting thing to think about. Everybody is going to think differently but, that's part of the fun of all of this.
Comment below with your thoughts and as always, be respectful but honest at the same time.