We've got 5 Superman movies to watch on DVD (6 if you count the Donner cut of Superman II, 3 if you don't count III and IV), and while the first 2 are definitely great classics, many agree that anything from Superman III to Superman Returns was less than perfect to say the least, but with a new Superman film on the horizon, the fans get their hopes up yet again. Here's what that movie needs to have so that our dreams aren't crushed as in the days of yore. Now I'm not discussing villains or anything else that's already been announced. This is strictly a list of things that are still uncertain or at least unconfirmed as of the writing of this article.
1. Style: I don't think we have much to worry about as far as style goes. Snyder definitely knows how to make a good looking movie, but it is especially important this time, because having a dated looking Superman movie could kill the franchise forever. Maybe that's why we've got Snyder in the director's chair to begin with. After all, he did great work (visually and stylistically) with 300, Watchmen and Legend of the Guardians. But what I am worried about is the costume. Superman needs his classic threads. No CGi suit, no updated trunks-free costume. The mainstream audience recognizes Superman as having the trunks. It's well established as part of his costume. He needs the long red cape, and the S curl in his hair.
2. Substance: We need a Superman with a real message. Something that will make us think. We got that in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but not in Green Lantern. Supes can't phone this one in. WB needs to treat fans like we can think a bit deeper than the "With great power comes great responsibility" stuff that Sony Pictures gave us with Spider-Man. Give us something that will make us walk out of the theatre scratching our heads and talking and thinking about it for weeks. We need mind bending story telling.
3. Violence: Superman the Movie saw Superman rescue Lois, fly around the world and stop some missiles, but there was no real fighting. Superman II showcased some fighting, but by today's standards, the sequences are dated and cheesy. We'll try to forget Superman III and Superman IV: Quest for Peace, and we'll move onto the latest installment in the Superman movie mythos: Superman Returns. Returns saw Supes lift an island, a boat, a plane, a car, a globe, another plane, a person, another person etc. And it showcased a few other powers such as flight, photosynthetic regeneration, super speed, heat vision, super breath and x-ray vision among others. Wanna know what's missing? He didn't beat the crap out of anyone. We have never seen a live action Superman truly let loose on someone. While it's true that Smallville had Clark fight Zod, Doomsday and even Oliver Queen, the violence and the fighting was still only TV level and he wasn't Superman yet. When he finally became Superman, we saw him lift a plane and then a planet. Seems there's a pattern here. Let's see him break somebody's jaw or punch someone so hard that the windows for burst out of the nearby buildings.
4. Run time: The last thing this movie needs is a rushed plot. If this movie is going to reestablish the franchise, then we need AT LEAST 2 hours. I'd personally prefer a runtime near 150 minutes. That way we have time to care about characters as the story progresses.
5. Tone: With Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, we got a very dark tone with a dark hero. In the Green Lantern, we got a light hearted adventure with a light hearted hero. For Superman, we need a dark tone with a light hero. Superman needs to bring hope to the world. Let everything around him be dark and covered in shadow, let it be a hopeless world, and out of the darkness, a single ray of light shall shine; the Man of Steel, SUPERMAN!
That's my list of the five things the new "Man of Steel" film needs to be awesome. Of course there are other things like a decent budget (at least $150,000,000) and a good advertising campaign that should be put into place to ensure success, but whether the movie is a critical success or not is seconded to me by the hope of a truly SUPER "Man of Steel."