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Man Of Steel Leaps Over Record With $125.1 Million To Mixed Reviews

The Superman reboot Man of Steel broke the record for the biggest June opening weekend ever with a whopping $125.1 million. Reviews have been mixed so far, ranging from: "DC and Warner Brothers have opted to produce a movie that foregoes a character-driven story. Instead, we're left with a trite blockbuster that holds beautiful special effects, an inspiring music score, a story that panders to the movie-goer who refrains from looking deep into the story, and neglects to define Superman as character, leaving him only as a hollow symbol and stock character, which ultimately leaves the movie about the events that transpire rather than the characters involved in them," to " What this version of the iconic DC Comics superhero does is emote convincingly. Thanks to director Zack Snyder and a serious-minded script by David S. Goyer (who shares story credit with his The Dark Knight collaborator, Christopher Nolan), Man of Steel gives the last son of Krypton an action-packed origin story with a minimum of camp and an intense emotional authenticity. Not bad for somebody who spends half the movie wearing blue tights." Personally, I found it to be the best 2-hour action sequence with 30 minutes of stock romance involving Superman that I am likely to see this summer. What did you think?

364 comments

  1. Piracy much eh? by Pieroxy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    OMG, those pirates will steal from us and are the reason the whole movie industry is going bankrupt.

    Bankrupt my ass, if those suckers are able to make $1000000+ on one weekend with a bullshit movie, I don't want them complaining anymore about the death of their business.

    1. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's just ticket sales. That I know of, this Superman movie has an 'official' candy, razor, phone, fast food, and reserve branch of the US military.

      Yeah, it's pretty clear that between the reviews and previews that this movie is pretty awful.

    2. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Yes. Because this is the one film they'll make this year and flops like The Interns aren't at all a problem for the industry.

      Don't get me wrong, Hollywood talks a tough game but this is also a record setting film. At this rate it'll likely be the top grossing film this year for whatever studio put it out there so the movie certainly isn't 'bullshit' from the consumer standpoint. You're acting like this is a typical result and thus missing most of the point as to why this is on the front page of Slashdot at all.

      Is Hollywood floundering? Not at all. Is piracy part of a larger issue. It is. Both "sides" to this are making things out to be better/worse than what they are.

      And if you don't want to hear them complain then stop following their news and stop using Slashdot. It's not going away anytime soon. You're certainly not going to bother to look at it objectively.

    3. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... forgot official truck.

    4. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      OMG, those pirates will steal from us and are the reason the whole movie industry is going bankrupt.

      Um... duh? If it weren't for all those pirates, they clearly would've made upwards of $953.9 billion, just like they deserve. Why do you hate America so much?

    5. Re:Piracy much eh? by realityimpaired · · Score: 1

      Yes. Because this is the one film they'll make this year and flops like The Interns aren't at all a problem for the industry.

      The Interns wasn't that *bad* a movie, really... I saw it yesterday with a friend. If you're expecting high brow intellectual humour, you're going to find it sorely lacking, and it's slow to start, but if you can sit through the whole thing it's entertaining. I'd wait for it on Netflix, though. With the amount of product placement in the film, I'm a bit surprised they had the gall to charge a ticket price in the first place.

      I had a few good laughs at parts of the movie that weren't even supposed to be funny though, like one scene where they were having a discussion about whether vi or emacs would be a better code editing environment, and they had a bar graph showing usage statistics up on the wall, which showed vi and emacs about even, and nano a distant third....

    6. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OMG, those pirates will steal from us and are the reason the whole movie industry is going bankrupt.

      Bankrupt my ass, if those suckers are able to make $1000000+ on one weekend with a bullshit movie, I don't want them complaining anymore about the death of their business.

      I don't give a shit about this remake, like I didn't give a shit about the last remake.
      Superman on the silver screen will always be Christopher Reeve.

    7. Re:Piracy much eh? by rockout · · Score: 1

      He was talking about it being a box office flop ($31 million in 10 days - not good), and how that relates to studios making big money on some films while losing millions on others. He wasn't commenting on the content of the film at all. But thanks for thinking that the rest of us cared about your off-topic review of some movie unrelated to the one being discussed.

      --
      I've learned that they're worthless, so I don't read AC comments anymore.
    8. Re:Piracy much eh? by LordLimecat · · Score: 0

      There is very little difference between the NSA's argument
      The spying is OK because it stops terrorist plots
      and the typical P2P apologist argument that
      piracy is OK because it doesnt drive publishers out of business

      They both suck, and theyre both wrong.

    9. Re:Piracy much eh? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Stock market up!

      Movies bring in more money!

      Has anyone considered counting out the patronage of movies instead of the box office revenue? $2 tickets in 1980 become $20 tickets in 2008. Do you fucking monkeys know what inflation is?

    10. Re:Piracy much eh? by sjames · · Score: 4, Informative

      Hollywood makes more money every year. They are one of the few industries that didn't see a big downturn in the crash.

      They are renowned for the 'creative' accounting they use to avoid paying out money they owe, so much so that it's now known as 'Hollywood Accounting". Finally, Hollywood only exists because they moved from the East Coast so they could pirate Edison's patents freely for a few years.

      It is AWFULLY hard to have any sympathy for them.

    11. Re:Piracy much eh? by Pieroxy · · Score: 2

      Ok, in order: Yes, No, No.

    12. Re: Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I read all the terrible reviews, but the movie wasn't that bad. Superman Returns was almost shot-for-shot homage to Donner's Superman. And everybody panned it.

      This movie is basically Superman 2, but makes a lot more sense. I think pa Kent got shafted as a character, but they did a lot better job of Jo-El and Zod being real characters with motives that were good. That there wasn't a clear "bad guy" fits our time now versus a comic book version that makes charactitures of important conflicts.

      I think it's realistic.. Clark is out there trying to save people in little ways until his cover is totally blown and he moves on.

    13. Re:Piracy much eh? by Pieroxy · · Score: 2

      Oh I'm looking at it objectively. In all objectivity, the only prediction one can make is that piracy is here to stay and NOTHING will ever deter it. It's the nature of data to flow freely.

      So instead of fighting the (IMO) inevitable they should embrace it and make the best of it. But no, they'll spend down to their last penny to lobby against wet water and then go bankrupt (remember, they lobbied down to their last penny)

      Note that I don't advocate piracy. I'm just stating what I think is unavoidable.

    14. Re:Piracy much eh? by jittles · · Score: 2

      You realize that successful blockbusters aren't the norm right? But, I guess that doesn't matter since you're trying to rationalize your pirated DVD collection. I bet you're sitting at home right now complaining about how much the free version you torrented "sucks".

      I think that movies aren't making the money they used to because they don't tell a good story any more. They just try to come up with ludicrous ways to add as much special effects to a movie as possible. I'd rather watch a foreign film with a good story any day of the week over 99% of what Hollywood puts out these days. If I want to watch a special effects laden movie, I'll pay $1 to rent it, or watch it through a streaming service. But they are cutting their deals with Netflix, Amazon Instant, etc. You put out a good movie with a good story and I'll probably see it in the theater. I'll probably buy the DVD. And I'll probably think fondly of it for the rest of my life. You put out garbage, and you'll be lucky if I watch it from Redbox.

    15. Re:Piracy much eh? by Pieroxy · · Score: 2

      And they're both unavoidable. When the car got out 100 years ago, the horse carriage industry tried to fight it. Yet, some things are unavoidable. Do anyone regret those times?

      You can't forbid people to share information with other people (well, you can but that'll look worse than soviet russia). Why are they trying so hard?

    16. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, there is a huge difference.

      The first one is a positive statement (stops terrorists plots) which you can falsify (just need one example of a terrorist plot succeeding), the second one is negative and is practically impossible to falsify (i.e you'd have to iterate through every instance of a publisher going out of business and disprove each time that it wasn't due to piracy)

      The appropriate analogy to the NSA's argument is not the argument by pirates, but by the industry:
      DRM, always online, you-don't-own-what-you-buy, and anti-consumer practices are OK because it stops piracy

    17. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When the car got out 100 years ago, the horse carriage industry tried to fight it.

      WTF? Are you suggesting that piracy is the technological equivalent of the automobile?

      Horse carriages and cars are mostly-interchangeable products. Hollywood and piracy do not provide equivalent services and are in no way interchangeable. Piracy is not a product, and piracy will not magically make new shows appear if Hollywood stops making them. Piracy is closer to a tax on media creation than it is to a replacement.

    18. Re:Piracy much eh? by jedidiah · · Score: 2

      > You realize that successful blockbusters aren't the norm right?

      Are you kidding? They have been the norm probably longer than you've been alive.

      Every single gamble doesn't necessarily payoff. However, that's how it is in ALL businesses. Unless you have a gold mine, you don't have a magic money making machine.

      Although on average it works out.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    19. Re:Piracy much eh? by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      Certainly on the demand side there's a lot to devalue a cinematic release. This doesn't just include alternate ways in which you can get Hollywood content for cheap. This also includes nonsense like LOLcats and Zynga games.

      It's not just about pirates and the $5 BluRay bin at Walmart.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    20. Re:Piracy much eh? by g0bshiTe · · Score: 1

      Why, when the torrent of the DVD copy comes out they'll just download that too and have first run copy and DVD copy and then when they release the Directors Cut copy with 14 extras seconds of footage that didn't make the final film, then there's the extended version with another 12 seconds of unseen footage and commentary by the 4th assistant caterer and the make up artists hair dresser.

      --
      I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
    21. Re:Piracy much eh? by g0bshiTe · · Score: 1

      Oh you mean like Hollywoods remake of Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, oh wait that was a rehash, maybe that's Hollywoods whole problem.

      --
      I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
    22. Re:Piracy much eh? by jedidiah · · Score: 2

      ...except stopping piracy is more like creating the kind of police state that the NSA is trying to create.

      It's pretty easy for a single entity to stop breaking the law.

      It's much harder to police 300 MILLION individuals in an open society with readily available technology and a high speed planetary communications medium.

      Telling the NSA no is a lot easier (and far less harmful) than pulling Gestapo tactics on the entire population of a democracy.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    23. Re:Piracy much eh? by LordLimecat · · Score: 0

      The ends do not justify the means.

      Your fantasy futuristic free-content utopian vision does not justify breaking IP laws that society has agreed are valid for 230 years (and longer). We have a system for changing laws if the majority of society agreed with you. It doesnt, which is why those laws arent changed.

    24. Re:Piracy much eh? by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

      You can't forbid people to share information with other people

      Except it's not sharing, is it? Sharing implies that one party is giving something they have to another person for a period of time at which point that something is returned.

      No such process exists when people torrent movies or songs. The person who initiates the process by first making the item available does not have the right to give it away in the first place, and the people who then get their copy have on intention of every returning the product once they are done with it, let alone pay for it.

      You can use all the semantics you want, trot out how piracy doesn't hurt sales and every other excuse imaginable, but the plain, unequivocal fact is you are not paying for a product that someone else produced, you have no intention of paying for the product and you think it is perfectly acceptable to not pay for something that someone else produced because somehow, magically, people don't need to get paid for what they produce.

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    25. Re:Piracy much eh? by morgauxo · · Score: 1

      Hah, And then he asked why Ubuntu doesn't make Emacs it's default. Duh! Everybody knows that is because Ubuntu sucks!

    26. Re:Piracy much eh? by Aryden · · Score: 1

      I honestly didn't mind the hollywood remake of Girl with a dragon tattoo. It wasn't that far off the story, very close to what they original Swedish version was and had good casting. I would like to see them make Girl who played with fire and Girl who kicked the hornet's nest though.

    27. Re: Piracy much eh? by sarysa · · Score: 1

      Not sure why your post got mod hate, it was a decent post. And I agree with you about it being believable. It's by far the most believable Superman film/TV show ever. Its believability is one of two things I'll mention to people who haven't seen the movie yet. (aside from the major WTF being "Kryptonians widely colonized the galaxy and all those colonies failed?!")

      The other being the unignorable and obvious Jesus references...

      p.s. Pa Kent didn't really get shafted. I thought he was reasonably cautious, and he never wavered from his convictions.

      --
      Charisma is the measure of someone's ability to lie with a straight face.
    28. Re:Piracy much eh? by Aryden · · Score: 2

      That's complete bullshit. There are too many instances here where laws do not get changed even though millions desire it.

    29. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sharing implies that one party is giving something they have to another person for a period of time at which point that something is returned.

      If I share food with someone, I certainly don't want it back after a period of time

    30. Re:Piracy much eh? by Yakasha · · Score: 1

      The ends do not justify the means.

      Your fantasy futuristic free-content utopian vision does not justify breaking IP laws that society has agreed are valid for 230 years (and longer). We have a system for changing laws if the majority of society agreed with you. It doesnt, which is why those laws arent changed.

      Its not that simple. Otherwise gays would be getting married and MJ would be legal. :/
      Government is always slow to react.

    31. Re:Piracy much eh? by Aryden · · Score: 1
    32. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Wrong, one is about a fundamental right, that our ethical and moral standards tell us is the birthright of every human. The other is a contrived right, one bestowed because it was thought it would be beneficial to our society. If copyright was not abused the way it is by the IP industry, and the law supported a healthy public domain, piracy would be a far less damaging issue. The point of copyright was to make sure we had a public domain, that knowledge would not be lost; It is not a license to print money forever.

    33. Re:Piracy much eh? by Aryden · · Score: 1

      They do know and they don't care. Ignoring inflation gets them new "records" and thus more press and free publicity.

    34. Re:Piracy much eh? by Myopic · · Score: 1

      I don't really get how those two things are related. Can you expound a little more?

    35. Re:Piracy much eh? by Yakasha · · Score: 1

      You can't forbid people to share information with other people Except it's not sharing, is it? Sharing implies that one party is giving something they have to another person for a period of time at which point that something is returned.

      That sounds like what banks do. But they call it "lending", not "sharing".

    36. Re:Piracy much eh? by nedlohs · · Score: 1

      That's a mighty weird definition of sharing you have there. Maybe you mean lending?

      Because when I share my lunch with you I don't want your half back later. When I share my wifi connection with you I don't want you to return the bits and bandwidth somehow. When I share my opinions with you I don't want you to parrot them back to me next week.

    37. Re:Piracy much eh? by lgw · · Score: 1

      Until quite recently most people opposed gay marriage (but most supported civil unions). Until recently most people opposed legalizing pot. Now those laws are changing.

      Laws don't change because "me and all my friends want them to change", unless you and all your friends are an oligarchy.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    38. Re:Piracy much eh? by lgw · · Score: 1

      Surely is should be the creator's choice to make how best to earn a living at it (within the "limited time" assured by the constitution).

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    39. Re:Piracy much eh? by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 1

      The person who initiates the process by first making the item available does not have the right to give it away in the first place

      Sharing information is a basic human right, and no one has any right to use force to prevent a person from sharing information that they have.

      you think it is perfectly acceptable to not pay for something that someone else produced because somehow, magically, people don't need to get paid for what they produce.

      I failed to pay for access to things other people produced for a long time before the net came around. We called it a "library".

      One can believe that it's good for authors and musicians and the like to get paid, without believing that a state-backed artificial monopoly on the making of copies is a useful or even acceptable means to that end.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    40. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They both suck, and theyre both wrong.

      Define "suck" and define why they are wrong. You are just stating them as a given. It is not.

      If we define evil has "hurting people" the view that "it doesn't drive publishers out of business" has some moral sense. Counter aguments tend to be about policy "you don't get to define how much hurt is hurting" and malum prohibitum or "it's wrong because its ilegal, period."

      NSA's "spying is OK because it stops terrorist plots" isn't controvertial. I don't think anyone is against stopping terrorist plots. The argument has always being "power corrupts, so there's a limit to how much power we trust to the NSA and the NSA broke it".

      Without advocating for any particular position, your conclusion is just braindead. You are either a troll or a chill or dumb or some combination of those.

    41. Re:Piracy much eh? by Aryden · · Score: 1

      Not really, that's not how a free market works. The creator get's to decide how they want to try to put their product out to consumers but ultimately, it is the consumers that decide how to consume the product. Certainly, anyone creating something deserves compensation for their work, that is a given, but in this instance, we're talking about how something they are fighting tooth and nail against is actually HELPING them make more money than they would have without it. Until they start delivering content to us in ways that we want to consume, they will be fighting a battle like this. I can't help but think that a movie like this would have made a hell of a lot more if they had released it through a service like netflix or a custom content delivery system, charging $4 or $5 for a viewing opening weekend. I think about places like where I am currently and it was storming pretty much most of the weekend. So many people wanted to go see it, but didn't want to go out in the storms. They could have made $5 for each of us, but instead made nothing from us. Again, the secret they have not learned yet is, cater to your audience/consumer base, not your draconian ways.

    42. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, you do give a shit about the last remake. Because the last remake WAS the one with Christopher Reeve. What, you thought he was the first guy to play Superman in a film?

    43. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The ends do not justify the means.

      Now I'm inclined to think you are just a moron. Anyone who uses that phrase has very little conscience of its meaning. Actions are justified by it's consequences. Always have, always will. It's impossible to conceive of two different actions that lead to the exact same outcome. It's easy to think of two actions that produce two outcomes so similar that they are considered equivalent but they are still different.

      For any objection presented for some course of action it is demonstrable that it is the outcome and not the action itself which presents a moral problem. So if the outcome is good, the action is good.

    44. Re:Piracy much eh? by headcase88-2 · · Score: 1

      I think GP meant digital downloading in general. The big four just aren't giving us very good options for it; old movies especially cost much much more digitally than from a bargain bin. Yeah sure, the bargain bin doesn't help the industry. Well, give me a reason to help the industry and have affordable digital downloads.

      Just a few weeks ago, I searched for Mystery Men on Youtube. To my great surprise, a legal version was available for $10 - the $10 allows you to watch it on YouTube as many times as you want. Well, I bought it just to support legal digital downloads, but for hell's sake, how many people are going to pay $10 for Mystery Men in 2013? Newer movies close the price gap a little better, but I never see them being advertised for digital download.

    45. Re:Piracy much eh? by Steve_Ussler · · Score: 1

      Their standard reply is that they could have made xx% more had the pirates not stolen from them.

    46. Re:Piracy much eh? by lgw · · Score: 1

      But creators should not be restricted to some model that someone else decides is optimal, was my point. I'm sure there are better ways for a movie to make money in this digital age, but it's not my call, nor should it be.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    47. Re:Piracy much eh? by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

      I'm guessing that almost all the viewers for this film are in the 18-30 male demographic. Prime audience for piracy. The same is true of Avatar, and the Iron Man series, and the Avengers movie. If piracy could ruin the profits on any movie, it would be these.

      Yet they all made gigantic piles of money.

    48. Re:Piracy much eh? by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      Accounting anything in hollywood is hard enough that the numbers may as well be made up.

      Have you noticed that the figures for movies are always gross, not net? You may sometimes see a film cited as 'grossed $x on a budget of $y,' but never an actual net profit. That is because no hollywood movie makes a profit on paper. The industry is infamous for their use of dodgy accounting to make their profits disappear, as a way to dodge taxes and reduce royalty payments to anyone new enough to accept points on net.

      The main method is by internal billing. Another branch of the studio will massively overbill for promotion costs, another one for distribution, another for effects consulting, and so on. So the profit is made in lots of smaller far-flung places, often incorporated in tax havens.

    49. Re:Piracy much eh? by EvanED · · Score: 1

      I'm not your parent, but:

      Because the last remake WAS the one with Christopher Reeve.

      No, the last film remake was Superman Returns, staring Brandon Routh.

    50. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We have a system for changing laws if the majority of society agreed with you. It doesnt, which is why those laws arent changed.

      Yes we have a system for changing laws, but we elect monkeys in fancy suits to operate it. It is not for lack of the people's will that our laws go unchanged, but rather because corporate lobbyists give large piles of bananas to law makers that vote the way they're instructed.

    51. Re:Piracy much eh? by LordLimecat · · Score: 0

      Actions are justified by it's consequences.

      Then lets start a campaign to sterilize all "unfit" individuals, and bring mandatory state-run eugenics programs up to full steam. Who cares how we do it, we're creating a utopia.

    52. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope, that was a sequel. It was part of the same continuity as the Reeves films (with 3 and 4 being tossed in the "eh, that didn't happen" bucket).

    53. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except it's not sharing, is it? Sharing implies that one party is giving something they have to another person for a period of time at which point that something is returned.

      Call me a hoity-toity-whitey, but to me that sounds like *lending*.

    54. Re:Piracy much eh? by metrix007 · · Score: 1

      It's not a remake ffs, it's a different adaptation of the book. The Swedish film is irrelevant.

      --
      If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
    55. Re:Piracy much eh? by metrix007 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Eh. Given the majority of people who download, literally millions upon millions, most people don't seem to have a problem with it.

      Most societies through history didn't have a concept of IP or a problem with copying for millenia, far longer than those 230 years you mention.

      Now that we have a way to make flawless copies with technology with no cost, thoughts, ethics and laws are going to have to change to reflect that. As they should.

      --
      If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
    56. Re:Piracy much eh? by kaatochacha · · Score: 1

      Nope. Brandon Routh.

    57. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope, not Brandon Routh. See above.

    58. Re:Piracy much eh? by Aryden · · Score: 1

      you, as the consumer, should be and are. If you choose not to buy because of their methods of dissemination, then you are dictating to them how to sell their product.

    59. Re:Piracy much eh? by lgw · · Score: 1

      No, no you're not. That's not how it works. You're just "not buying", but the seller is still (ideally) free to "sell poorly". It's the difference between a market incentive and a dictatorship. Freedom includes the freedom to do stupid, self-harmful things.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    60. Re:Piracy much eh? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Technically, I think you're wrong: Superman Returns wasn't really a remake, it was a sequel: it was a sequel to Donner's movies. Remember, one huge plot point was that Superman had gone away for many years, and was now back, and Lois in that time had had his kid. It had different actors than Donner's movies (Routh and Spacey instead of Reeve and Hackman), but that's not usual: Star Trek III stuck a totally different-looking actress in Kirstie Alley's place for Saavik, and no one would say that wasn't a sequel. SR was even extremely vague on when it happened, and looked like it could have taken place in the late 80s or so (there was no one running around with iPhones and bluetooth headsets and the like).

    61. Re:Piracy much eh? by Aryden · · Score: 1

      Here's an example, you decline to buy item X from company Y, instead you buy it from company Z because they offer it in a format/ on a device/in a manner you prefer. This is how you are dictating to company Y that you want their product in a different manner. With regards to movies and the like, the only way to make that happen is to wait for it to hit iTunes, netflix, hulu or on demand (if you want to wait 6+ months to see something) otherwise, you download that shit.

    62. Re:Piracy much eh? by Darby · · Score: 1

      Laws don't change because "me and all my friends want them to change", unless you and all your friends are an oligarchy.

      Just dead fucking opposite.

      There is no excuse in America to outlaw gay marriage. There is no justification for it.

      It's exactly the same situation with pot. The constitution is written on hemp, and prohibition requires a constitutional amendment. They just decided not to bother when they switched the target.

      It doesn't matter what most people want because the people who wrote the Constitution went out of their way to make sure that this is not a Democracy, it's a Constitutional Republic.

      Just because we have a long history of not being as good as our ideals doesn't mean we aren't expected to live up to them.

      \

    63. Re:Piracy much eh? by Darby · · Score: 1

      For any objection presented for some course of action it is demonstrable that it is the outcome and not the action itself which presents a moral problem. So if the outcome is good, the action is good.

      You failed to account for unintended consequences among other things.
      1/10. Third grade level work.

    64. Re:Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now that we have a way to make flawless copies with technology with no cost, thoughts, ethics and laws are going to have to change to reflect that. As they should.

      Granted that making a digital copy is substantially cheaper then making a film copy of a movie, but the quality of the movies and investment in the creation of the movies is continually increasing. So sure, the big budget marketed films are making more now then they ever have, but they're also costing an insane amount of money to create the product and market the product. No regular "Joe" has $200 million to invest into a movie or creative works that "might" make the money back.... and "might" make 2x or 3x or 10x the returns over 3 to 10 years depending. The only reason these "amazing movies" are being made is because there is a lot of money to be made. As soon as the investments don't return the adequate returns necessary, these millions of dollars will start shifting to other investments and not in entertainment. So you will be no need for piracy concerns. No good movies, no huge studios worrying about what you do with the content created with several thousand dollars of investment.

      Be careful what you ask for.... Individuals and studios are risking "everything" to make huge movies for our entertainment, and for them to hopefully make huge returns on the investment to pay all the salaries and hopefully make another huge movie for your entertainment.

    65. Re:Piracy much eh? by Sabriel · · Score: 2

      I think I agree with all but one of the statements in your post:

      "Your fantasy futuristic free-content utopian vision does not justify breaking IP laws that society has agreed are valid for 230 years (and longer)."

      How is that different (by more than severity) to:

      "Your fantasy futuristic free-person utopian vision does not justify breaking slavery laws that society has agreed are valid for 230 years (and longer)."

      I'll also state that while I agree with "the ends do not justify the means" in general, that with respect to IP laws both means and ends have been of dubious character from the very beginning (Stationers Company, etc). IP laws are economic duct tape, a "necessary evil" that only exists because we've so far failed to properly address the structural flaws. Instead? Bono, CTEA, DMCA, etcetera. More and more duct tape.

    66. Re:Piracy much eh? by hajus · · Score: 1

      I paid 7 bucks for a movie in '89. If there has been inflation since $2 prices, it was in the 80s. The prices have stayed about the same since then.

    67. Re:Piracy much eh? by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      I'm not your parent, but:

      Because the last remake WAS the one with Christopher Reeve.

      No, the last film remake was Superman Returns, staring Brandon Routh.

      Played in a triple billing with the fabled Matrix sequels that never got made.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    68. Re:Piracy much eh? by Hognoxious · · Score: 0

      Sharing information is a basic human right, and no one has any right to use force to prevent a person from sharing information that they have.

      Wrong. Trade secrets, medical records, conversations with your lawyer.

      One can believe that it's good for authors and musicians and the like to get paid, without believing that a state-backed artificial monopoly on the making of copies is a useful or even acceptable means to that end.

      One can believe in unicorns, but then the onus is on the believer to provide proof. Do you have a better method for rewarding creators?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    69. Re:Piracy much eh? by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it's pretty clear that between the reviews and previews that this movie is pretty awful.

      Did you watch it?

      Granted, it's not instant classic, but it's "pretty good."

    70. Re:Piracy much eh? by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      You may sometimes see a film cited as 'grossed $x on a budget of $y,'

      And that $y is almost always a guess. Most movies don't have their actual expenses published, and the numbers you'll see on boxofficemojo.com and such are the results of wild guessing.

    71. Re: Piracy much eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except for the kid taking pictures on his cell phone. But overall I agree.

    72. Re: Piracy much eh? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      I must have forgotten or missed that part. But it's been years since I saw that movie.

    73. Re:Piracy much eh? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      Really? Because AMC and Regal are both charging $12-$18 per ticket, plus outrageous prices for popcorn and soda. Matinee child tickets are even almost 170% of the quoted standard price you gave, never mind adult ticket prices for evening fare being over 250%.

    74. Re:Piracy much eh? by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      The point is: some things are inevitable. Digital information has the property to be transferred instantly across the world at (close to) no cost, to anyone. That's a fact, and that fact is not about to change anytime soon. So their fight against piracy is about making THEIR digital bits hard to get. It's 1000 times easier for me to pirate a movie than it is to buy it. In other words, THEY ARE INDUCING THE PIRACY THEY CLAIM TO BE FIGHTING.

      Because one thing is certain: people will exchange information freely.

      For the record, I stopped pirating music when Amazon sold un-DRMed MP3s you could download in a few clicks. This was actually a better experience than piracy because you have a kind-of-guarantee on the quality and that you're downloading the thing you think you're downloading. They can do it with movies too, and I'm sure piracy will decrease - which is a moot point since noone can measure piracy since a portion of it is encrypted.

    75. Re:Piracy much eh? by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      So if the US were to pass a law forbidding you to breathe oxygen from the atmosphere but to buy it from bottles from Coca Cola you will obey blindly?

      There are some things you cannot go against, even with a pile of law. The majority be damned, there are things that CANNOT be stopped.

      Your fantasy futuristic free-content utopian vision

      It is merely what I think will happen, not something I fantasize on or even hope. The law is powerless against personal communication and you bloody know it. I can bring an USB key to my neighbor in the pricavy of my home. Those laws have become UNENFORCEABLE. Too bad for the people relying on it, but that's a fact, not an opinion or a fantasy.

    76. Re:Piracy much eh? by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      You make a few assumptions that are completely ass-backward over here:

      1. Are you talking about quality in technical terms or artistic terms? Because in artistic terms I prefer 1000 times the movies from the 50s (with a tiny budget) to OMG! SUPERMAN RETURNS AGAIN (2). This is utter crap in all sense of the word. But true, it is graphically stunning.
      2. Where did you get the assumption that they would make no money? Why would the investments stop returning "the adequate returns necessary"? Typical modern-world denial position. The music industry is making shitloads of money through iTunes and other channels, enough to prove that their business model is completely sustainable without bullshit DRM. Actually, if anything, it proves their business model is sustainable because of the lack of DRM.

      Be careful what you ask for

      We don't ask for anything. We merely predict something that is inevitable. If i tell you "it's going to rain", I don't ask for rain. I don't hope for rain. I merely state the fact that I think it's going to rain.

      Individuals and studios are risking "everything" to make huge movies for our entertainment

      Bullshit. Movies studios have never had more guarantees on a ROI than today. Because, precisely, no artists are involved in a movie anymore. It's all about special effects, business models and marketing.

    77. Re:Piracy much eh? by Yakasha · · Score: 1

      Until quite recently most people opposed gay marriage (but most supported civil unions). Until recently most people opposed legalizing pot. Now those laws are changing.

      Laws don't change because "me and all my friends want them to change", unless you and all your friends are an oligarchy.

      I'm sorry, are you trying to disagree with me? Are you calling the LA Times and Huffington Post "my friends"? Or just their millions of readers?

      Cause last I checked "me and all my friends want them to change" has worked quite well. I recall that being what got gay marriage banned in California by a voter referendum and a LOT of campaigning by a few select hate-filled organizations like the LDS.

      Unfortunately something that is also needed is for some of those friends to either have the ear of the right government officials, or enough money to educate people. Also unfortunate is the fact that most big businesses that support extending copyright law have both the money and the ears, while the people do not.

      Simply claiming that "The law is the way it is because The People want it that way" is either naive, disingenuous, or flat out stupid. There are countless current and past government actions that show such a claim to be absolutely false... You can start with Congress' single digit approval rating and then move into more detail on specific issues. Claiming that "we've all agreed on IP laws for 230 years" is even worse. The IP laws we have today are NOTHING like the IP laws of 1776. LIFE+70 years isn't even remotely comparable to a flat 7 years.

      One humorous side-note though... I'll go back and actually agree with you on the oligarchy claim... as long as you admit the US is an oligarchy.

  2. Bleh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Personally, I found it to be the best 2-hour action sequence with 30 minutes of stock romance involving Superman that I am likely to see this summer. What did you think?

    Since there is not likely to be another Superman movie this summer that's not saying much.

    1. Re:Bleh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      thatwasthejoke.jpg

    2. Re:Bleh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      That is the best clueless "whoosh!" comment by an anonymous coward within the first five posts on a slashdot thread about a 2-hour action sequence with 30 minutes of stock romance involving Superman that I am likely to read all morning!

    3. Re:Bleh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since there is not likely to be another Superman movie this summer

      Would you bet on that? I sure wouldn't... It seems Batman and Superman is all DC has.

    4. Re:Bleh... by crakbone · · Score: 1

      But I heard the Aquaman reboot was going to top this.

    5. Re:Bleh... by will_die · · Score: 1

      To have a reboot you have to have an original that had some success.

    6. Re:Bleh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nah, it'll have a watered down plot and shallow, salty characters. Hollywood's not deep enough for the true Aquaman.

    7. Re:Bleh... by crakbone · · Score: 1

      Sooo much better than my post.

    8. Re:Bleh... by GoogleShill · · Score: 1

      I also like how they qualified the "June" opening record.

      It reminds me of all of the crazy sports stats.... This is only the 3rd time a player has hit 2 home runs in the second game of a double-header, while away, on a Thursday, when the temperature was 75* and Marlon Brando was watching from home.

  3. Haven't even seen it... by MikeRT · · Score: 0

    But if given the choice of watching 15 minutes of the other movies and watching the main trailers on repeat for 15 minutes, I'd choose the new trailers...

  4. +1, Flamebait by girlintraining · · Score: 5, Insightful

    and neglects to define Superman as character, leaving him only as a hollow symbol and stock character,

    (dons asbestoes flame suit) Superman's character definition is as a hollow symbol and stock character. I mean seriously, he's supposed to be perfect. No major character flaws. Unerringly good. Massively overpowered... and only weakness is a special mineral that fell to Earth and can only be found in small amounts, glows to alert you of its presence, and can be detected by the hero when brought nearby. In other words, the only weapon that can defeat him he's given ample warning is in play.

    There's not a lot of character development to do there; How exactly do you improve on a guy that's the very personification of "good"? All you can do with a character like that is create dramatic tension and a sense of moral conflict. Superman's only plot device is thus conflict. There will never be any real character change per-se.

    Let the nerd rage boileth over now... for I have smote a loved hero upon the mountainside. (pulls down face mask)

    --
    #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
    1. Re:+1, Flamebait by FunkeyMonk · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I agree completely. When my wife and I were leave the drive-in Saturday night, I said "The problem is that when anything is possible, nothing is impressive."

    2. Re:+1, Flamebait by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 3, Insightful

      One of the great things about Christoper Reeve's version is that Superman had subtle "flaws". He did have a bit of arrogance to him; e.g. when as a teen he raced his friends (and the locomotive) home.

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    3. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree with GIT. If you want to see a super with issues, watch Hancock (ugh... the first half of the movie is fine). Compare and Contrast these two characters. Now, I know SM has had downs, but his overall character is quite pristine.

      Of course, Superman does get angry... when he gets angry, the world spins backwards, reversing time. >_>

    4. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      While what you say is true, the interesting thing about Superman is (would have been) to see him remain all perfect and good around people that aren't, people that can't or don't want to as perfect/good as he is, and their reactions upon seeing him be what he is seemingly without effort.

      If Nolan & Co. had made the movie about that, and then added the whole eyecandy, awesome fights and whatnot, it would have been a much better movie.

      As it stands now, it's not "bad", it's not "perfect", but it is "somewhat watchable"...which, sadly, is more than I can say for most summer blockbusters of recent history.

    5. Re:+1, Flamebait by Isca · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Mod this parent up, he's explained Superman and his character very well. I thought given the restrictions to the character they did exceedingly well. They handled his upbringing and explained his motivations to be such an "undynamic superhero". And I suspect that in future installments the introduction of alien technology will be a potential vulnerabilities that will differ from the more traditional storylines (i.e. lex luthor with new toys)

      The scenes with Lois as a romance were cheesy but this is a summer movie. I liked how they even changed that dynamic up from the traditional storyline and enhanced the fact that she is a smart, successful resourceful reporter even without having superman around. (I don't want to say much because I don't want to spoil things).

    6. Re:+1, Flamebait by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      I was thinking that too, but plenty of past series have managed to make Superman into an interesting character. So I would say the flaw is not in the character, but in how the writers try to write about him.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    7. Re:+1, Flamebait by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      Shrug. Even nerds call him "the big blue boy scout".

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    8. Re:+1, Flamebait by alexander_686 · · Score: 1

      I am going to have to disagree with you. I have not seen the movie but I have read quite a few comics.

      Grant Morrison’s All-Star superman comes to mind. Stuff by Frank Miller and Matt Wagner comes to mind as well.

      Is Superman a challenge to write? Yes. Is he a Boy Scout? Yes – but that is not who he inherently is. Most of the Supermen comics that I have liked contains that struggle or illustrates that choice, that he could be something very different.

      I also think the point about character development is a bit off. How much character development can one do with a 75 year icon who is still in his 30s. Batman, Captain America, etc. just don’t do character development. Not to say that you can’t have complex characters but there is some limit to the superhero genre.

    9. Re:+1, Flamebait by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      Yeah I can't get behind the whole superheroes thing in general. Look, it's an unkillable one dimensional godling dressed in spandex, swanning around far above the common herd. I'm not going to say wish fulfilment here but...

      Obviously some incarnations of batman and wolverine are exempt from this criticism.

    10. Re:+1, Flamebait by spottedkangaroo · · Score: 1

      I've never read it so succictly put before. This is the problem with superman in general and why I think this movie looked good in the previews -- ie, it seems to be about him adapting to us, which is interesting. 'course, I haven't seen it, so who knows.

      --
      Imagine if you weren't allowed to use roads because a bus company complained about your driving 3 times. --skunkpussy
    11. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Well, being perfect is in itself a character flaw.

      It's a huge psychological burden being effectively a god, and the expectation put on him because of that. The world is lucky that the strain doesn't turn him in to a complete monster.

      Much of the more recent Superman material explores a lot of that, and exposes in many ways that he's emotionally immature. Small town farmboy Clark Kent was not prepared well for much of the existential cosmic horrors he deals with on daily basis. Modern Superman is a bitter character.

    12. Re:+1, Flamebait by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      People want JLU Superman, not DC Comics 1st Edition Superman.

    13. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let the nerd rage boileth over now... for I have smote a loved hero upon the mountainside. (pulls down face mask)

      nice finishing reference.

    14. Re:+1, Flamebait by interkin3tic · · Score: 1

      He's not perfect in "The Dark Knight Returns" comic books if I remember correctly. He's a stupid tool for a tyrannical government who gets beat up by batman with kryptonite gloves and then comes around. Or something, it's been about a decade since I read it. At any rate, he can be a more interesting character, and "should" be for it to be an interesting movie. Jerry Siegel might say he's all around perfect, I don't know, but I do know that rules of interesting characters don't make an exception just because someone said that superman was "supposed" to be perfect."

    15. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was quite impressed with the character. Superman as a character has always been some what boring. In that universe, I'd pick pretty much any other hero to cheer for before him, such as The Flash.

      Nolan makes great films about the source character. For Batman, he made Bruce Wayne movies, but for Superman he made a Kal El movie. This was the most interesting Superman movie or even arc I've ever seen, so I'm quite happy with the result. The movie shows how he grows into becoming a symbol. I don't think it will be possible to ever create a better creation story for Superman, at least not with current aesthetics. The era of campy blockbusters is over. If they made such a movie in an effort to relive the glory days, it will fail to be successful. Reeves may have been a fun Superman, but his character was not the best Superman. This movie takes it closer to an ideal form. I would consider the Reeve's Superman comparable to The Expendables. People enjoy those movies because they expect them to be campy or bad-in-a-good-way by modern standards. If they made one of these movies as a serious attempt, it would be laughed out of the theaters.

      The camera work in this movie was perfect as well. Ignoring the odd romance aspect which I think they cut scenes out of based on information known which wasn't stated, the ending was great. The final show down between gods. Unable to kill each other, but keeps trying. A shield fighting a shield. What feels like wasted effort makes the ending to the fight have that much more impact, aside from the emotional aspects.

      This Superman is not a dick.

    16. Re:+1, Flamebait by prelelat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's hard but it's not impossible. There is a lot more to Superman than just being good, doing good and being super strong. He's lonely, fear full and caring. Yes he had a large amount of affection from Martha and Johnathan but he has no one who completely understands him in the whole Universe. His parents aren't just dead his whole species is dead. While he isn't hesitant to be a hero he sure is scared about people knowing who he really is. He might be indestructible but his friends and adopted family are not. There are a ton of instances where he fears for the safety of those that are close to him.

      The man would die for Earth, to him they have given so much without knowing what he could have given them in return. Superman isn't just the man of steel he's smart. In some cannons of the story he's working on diseases in his fortress. A fortress of solitude. While he might be lonely he still needs a fortress, some connection to home to make him feel whole. His fortress, is pretty much the only thing he has left to remind him of home. It's his one place where he can feel whole. Superman at one point had to send Zod back to the Phantom Zone. I wonder how that must have felt to him. Sitting there fighting against someone who was his only other link to a life he will never know outside of his fortresses computers.

      Then there is the time that he died. Doomsday came and decimated the justice league I believe he still had a hand tied behind his back. Superman comes in and holds his own against someone who took out the justice league in short order. Not only that he takes him out while at the same time supposivly dying. Everything turns to shit, the world needs him back. But Superman can't die, he awakens after considerable time under intense sunlight. He doesn't have all his powers, he's not the man of steel. He suits up iron-man style, doesn't bother to chop off his mullet and heads out to fight. He shows he's not just a man who fights because there's no fear for him he fights because he loves everything about humanity.

      You can draw a complex feeling god from another world. He's not an emotionless lump. His convictions might be strong but he's second guessed things and made mistakes. He's learned from them and had his mistakes haunt him. He's might be a man of steel but there's so much to Superman that people just don't see because it's so easy to make him fall in love with Louis Lane and beat the crap out of everyone. Everyone knows he's going to win, superman isn't about that. It's about him doing what's right no matter the conflict that's in his head tells him. He can't kill Lex Luthor in cold blood even if he's destroyed millions of peoples lives. He's just a man, an Superman at some level kind of envies that. It might not be easy to make superman a complex character but it's been done a number of times, and when it's done right it can be amazing.

    17. Re:+1, Flamebait by rwise2112 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I mean seriously, he's supposed to be perfect. No major character flaws. Unerringly good. Massively overpowered

      For this reason I've never really been a Superman fan, but the Kill Bill quote made me rethink that a little:

      Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak, he's unsure of himself, he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race.

      --

      "For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert"
    18. Re:+1, Flamebait by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      Well, yes. I'd like to add that while some measure of character development for comic book heroes is nice in movies like these, I hated the recent "super deep and profound and dark" reboots of other formerly beloved cardboard cutout heroes, most notably Batman and James Bond. These rebooted movies made decent movies, but the protagonists weren't "our" Batman or Bond. This Superman at least stays closer to the original.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    19. Re:+1, Flamebait by ThePyro · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Despite his nigh-infinite power and goodness, there are a number of themes that can make a good Superman story interesting:

      1) Superman can't save everyone. His character can be forced to make difficult decisions about how and where to apply his efforts, knowing that he can't be everywhere at once. I don't recall this plot device being used much in the movie. Yeah, there are lots of civilians getting killed, but that doesn't even seem to phase our hero. I don't recall any critical decision moments.

      2) Superman can't save everyone, again. Despite his powers, there are some things he just can't fix. As the recent Wired review mentioned, this is why Jonathan Kent usually dies from a heart attack - that's something that Superman's powers cannot help. The movie doesn't pick up on this theme at all.

      3) Superman may be _good_, but he doesn't have to be omniscient. Well-meaning application of his powers can result in unintended consequences, and his character can be forced to play clean up and also show a does of humility.

      There are plenty of others. The character has spawned multiple television and comic book series, after all.

      I didn't really enjoy this latest portrayal of Superman; it feels like the writers didn't understand his "good" nature and how to properly create _interesting_ conflict. An hour of Superman employing brute force (the one thing that he has no problem with) is just not compelling.

    20. Re:+1, Flamebait by nine-times · · Score: 2

      I would disagree. Many of the large superheros are more "mythological figures" than "characters", and as such they sometimes don't have realistic character development, but that doesn't mean they have no character. The characters traits that they have tend to shift a bit with the person telling the story, because we keep retelling the same stories over and over again. That's the nature of the thing. However, they have important symbolic/metaphoric meaning which is revealed by the depictions of their character.

      Depictions of Batman, for example, tend to be about striving for control of the world around you. It's important that his origin story begins as a damaged child. It's symbolically important that Batman has no superpowers. It's relevant that his arch-nemesis is a clown, a figure linked with childhood, and that he plays the part of the embodiment of chaos. Batman is about a man who is essentially powerless in a world of chaos, and he's trying to take control and make sense of his own life.

      Superman is kind of in the opposite situation, which is part of the reason why his nemesis resembles Batman so closely. Superman is about a man who has power and control, and he's struggling with the attempt to be perfect. He is not perfect. He's a normal human being who is put in the position where his decisions have massive consequences, and the stories tend to be (and should be) about the attempt to make good decisions while under the responsibility and pressure of having almost god-like powers, which gives him almost god-like responsibilities.

    21. Re:+1, Flamebait by Frobnicator · · Score: 2

      The interesting thing about Superman is (would have been) to see him remain all perfect ... If Nolan & Co. had made the movie about that, and then added the whole eyecandy, awesome fights and whatnot, it would have been a much better movie.

      The comic book Superman goes to a trainyard to save lives, not to get ammunition.
      The comic book Superman saves the buildings from destruction, he doesn't destroy them.
      The comic book Superman prevents the bad guy from knocking over skyscrapers 9/11 style, he doesn't join in.

      If you treat it as a movie about a random superhero it was passable. But it absolutely was not classic Superman from the late '40s to the present in terms of the comic book.

      The early 1940's Superman was an apathetic murderer who didn't care about who died or what was destroyed as long as he stopped (and usually killed) the bad guy. When Ellsworth took over he banned the character from ever killing again. This movie Superman took no notice of those who died, didn't care about the buildings or lives lost. Seems like Nolan took his cues from the wrong era of Superman.

      --
      //TODO: Think of witty sig statement
    22. Re:+1, Flamebait by Jartan · · Score: 1

      Let the nerd rage boileth over now... for I have smote a loved hero upon the mountainside.

      By saying he's a really great guy? I'm not sure what you look for in art but it's truly twisted you around.

    23. Re:+1, Flamebait by phorm · · Score: 1

      I mean seriously, he's supposed to be perfect

      Physically yes, emotionally less so. Part of the big issue with Superman is that - while he's physically near perfect - this means he won't fit in with normal society. As you said, the conflict is a moral one, which could be pulled off fairly well.

      He's too strong for the government to trust, and even in some ways too strong for himself.
      The early part of the movie actually outlined that pretty well. Imagine having to suffer being bullied because fighting back would likely mean killing somebody. Imagine having to hide who you were because people would be afraid of you.
      It's not that you're too weak, it's that your strength is perceived as weakness because you always have to hold it back. It holds much in common with other Super-hero groups (say X-men, who are feared by non-mutants for what they *could* do), but is even more-so.

      That's also what makes the latter part of the movie so lacking. It's all physical conflict. Yes, it's with somebody who is about on-par with Superman, but that just meant a lot of punching and crashing through CG buildings. It's boring. A better conclusion would be if some of the moral and intellectual lessons learned in youth had helped Clark come out ahead.

    24. Re:+1, Flamebait by Aryden · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'll say this, you are correct that they aren't "our Batman and James Bond" but the younger generations aren't our generation either. They have different views of what is good and what isn't. Honestly, I would rather have new movies that cater more towards them to keep the story and characters alive and kicking for the next few generations than to lose them to obscurity.

    25. Re:+1, Flamebait by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1

      But...BUT...they did show him *spoilers* drinking! *spoilers*

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    26. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is a Tarantinoism.

      It's generally the longheld belief of readers/writers of Superman that "Clark Kent" is the "real" version of "Kal-el" and "Superman" is the act. Basically, he was born and raised to be Clark. He lives his life as Clark. Superman is the costume that he puts on to give the people of the world a symbol. Similar to Spider-Man.

      The "he's an alien and acting human is strange to him" is typically the minority belief (generally by people who don't follow the character).

      It's generally considered the reverse with Batman (and was shown pretty well in the Dark Knight Trilogy) that "Batman" is the real person and "Bruce Wayne" is the symbol that people look to (in this case as what people need to see so he can continue his fight).

    27. Re:+1, Flamebait by tyrione · · Score: 1

      The interesting thing about Superman is (would have been) to see him remain all perfect ... If Nolan & Co. had made the movie about that, and then added the whole eyecandy, awesome fights and whatnot, it would have been a much better movie.

      The comic book Superman goes to a trainyard to save lives, not to get ammunition. The comic book Superman saves the buildings from destruction, he doesn't destroy them. The comic book Superman prevents the bad guy from knocking over skyscrapers 9/11 style, he doesn't join in.

      If you treat it as a movie about a random superhero it was passable. But it absolutely was not classic Superman from the late '40s to the present in terms of the comic book.

      The early 1940's Superman was an apathetic murderer who didn't care about who died or what was destroyed as long as he stopped (and usually killed) the bad guy. When Ellsworth took over he banned the character from ever killing again. This movie Superman took no notice of those who died, didn't care about the buildings or lives lost. Seems like Nolan took his cues from the wrong era of Superman.

      Seems like Nolan wanted to make a major motion picture smack dab in reality as much as possible with the source material given. Any idiot can write ignorance like spinning the Earth backwards to save a girl. That satisfies morons ignorant of science. Any idiot can fantasize that a highly advanced race of beings destroying even a blade of grass on the Earth can be stopped, but that's not reality. Grow up.

    28. Re:+1, Flamebait by tyrione · · Score: 0

      He grew up in a Human World. By definition, he is flawed and this term, ``good'' is a myth. It's a compromise of trade-offs, both of which never have perfect outcomes.

    29. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There are two major comments I have on any such discussion about Superman.

      First, the fact that he is even an okay guy with godlike powers is impressive. Most stories of power (whether fantasy super-powers or just regular influence) are about people abusing it. Sometimes, we agree with the character and don't even admit to ourselves that it's an abuse. (For example, we may openly cheer for anti-heroes like the Punisher, Charles Bronson's Paul Kersey in Deathwish, "Dirty Harry" Callahan, or even more shallow characters like Kick Ass). Sometimes the whole story is about characters coming to grips with the fact that power has made them horrible people. Sometimes the story is just about the powerless guy succeeding against all odds (read: against the powerful people who are inherently evil). But fundamentally a story about power that doesn't demand the empowered be corrupt is a lot more novel than those that do. You can call such heroics childish, but after a while you're happy there are at least a few stories that don't openly embrace cynicism.

      Second, you have to look at how all of Superman's abilities (generally, being the best guy around) tie together. He doesn't get injured... he doesn't hunger... he doesn't want. And he also doesn't retreat into himself, or waste his life away in lazy hedonism, or try to dominate everything around him. The message of Superman is a message that people are fundamentally good. Stripped away of their wants, their vulnerabilities, and their anxieties, people are at their most free, and still will tend towards good. The message of Superman is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for people if they can get their shit together. That problems, once solved, actually can stay solved. It won't be nearly as easy for us, but he is the "proof" that what's being presented to us as the end state isn't an impossibility. It's the same optimism of the early twentieth century that (for example) made people believe science and engineering were delivering an unambiguously better world as we built bridges, quashed diseases, and connected the globe.

      Real life is ambiguous, of course. Nothing is perfect; everything is a mixed bag. A lot of the point of more cynical stories is to drive that point through. If you get stuck at that point, though, you haven't done yourself any favors. You're still not accepting the world as it is: no good without some bad, but usually a lot more good than bad. That's the time to circle back to the "childish" stories. The stories that remind you that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. The stories that remind you -- just as they taught you as a child -- that we're actually going somewhere. That's what Superman does.

      This of course is to say nothing about the most recent film. I haven't seen it, though I've managed to pick up that there's an origin story (again... really, who DOESN'T know the origin of Superman at this point?) and the usual action.

    30. Re:+1, Flamebait by Zeromous · · Score: 1

      Only I've always felt this is a shallow interpretation masquerading as deep thought. How human to suppose that it is his critique, (as if he'd care to)! Clark Kent is not a critique but purposely unassuming and all the characteristics of Superman run amok, normally veiled by his tremendous power. Clark is what Superman is when you strip away his powers. He has to be told constantly he is "not one of them", that he should not forget his responsibility to them or his powers. Clark Kent is Superman without the weight of the entire earth on his shoulders. It's what's left.

      This is why Lois loves both Kent and Superman. If Clark were just some alien construct, a species in review, this would not be the case.

      --
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    31. Re:+1, Flamebait by turp182 · · Score: 1

      Makes me want to watch Kill Bill again...

      --
      BlameBillCosby.com
    32. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What was your Batman then? Since the 80s he's been a rich guy with a lot of emotional problems. That's why I like him. He's as nuts as the villians he fights.

    33. Re:+1, Flamebait by rkhalloran · · Score: 1

      For the Golden Age Superman, and for most of the Silver Age, the Clark-is-the-disguise attitude held; he became a reporter so he'd be aware of events happening that needed Superman's attention. John Byrne's Man of Steel mini-series after Crisis flipped that to the Clark-is-the-real-person,Superman-the-alter-ego we see now. For Batman, Bruce has been the public persona, Batman the reality for years; the hardcore fan will say "Bruce Wayne" died with his parents and Batman was born in Crime Alley that night.

    34. Re:+1, Flamebait by lgw · · Score: 1

      Superman has certainly knocked enemies through skyscrapers before. I don't recall him being shy about collateral property damage when needed to end some serious threat to the planet. Of course, the notion that maybe those buildings weren't empty before they developed a villain-shaped hole is handwaved away - how much do you want to sidetrack to explore that in the middle of some epic combat?

      --
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    35. Re:+1, Flamebait by lgw · · Score: 2

      Is Superman a challenge to write? Yes. Is he a Boy Scout? Yes â" but that is not who he inherently is. Most of the Supermen comics that I have liked contains that struggle or illustrates that choice, that he could be something very different.

      Yep - the character development, such as it is, is that he chooses to remain on the path he's chosen despite significant temptation to leave it. That can make for satisfying stories.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    36. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is not true. There is no Bruce Wayne, at least not in the Batman's mind. To him, that child's life ended the night his parents were gunned down, even if he did not also take a bullet. He became tha Batman that night, but it took him another decade to discover that was his name. He carries the facade of Bruce Wayne forward and wears it as a mask for several reasons, not the least of which is to retain some sanity and not slip completely in to psychosis as the Batman.

    37. Re:+1, Flamebait by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

      Superman has to be crippled with an unbreakable moral code just to stop him breaking the entire DC universe. Several stories have dealt with what happens when Superman gets fed up of holding back and just declares himself ruler of the world - because if those petty nationalistic factions can't be trusted not to wage war, he'll just have run things himself.

      That, and if Superman didn't have a 'no killing, ever' policy, the universe would run out of villains in short order.

      Batman has routinely pointed out, with some annoyance, that it is easy for Superman to be good: He can walk into a firefight of a warzone and calmly incapacitate everyone present at no risk to himself, while Batman places himself in great danger on a weekly basis by trying to use non-lethal means to take down villains that would shrug off a tank shell to the face.

    38. Re:+1, Flamebait by mark-t · · Score: 1

      No nerd rage here. Your perception of Superman as so overpowered as to be uninteresting is simply far too common today amongst young people to incite any particular feelings of vengeance against you specifically.

      The point of a Superman story isn't to improve the protagonist. The point of a Superman story is to make the kid in all of us think, "wow, it'd be so neat to be able to do that". The point of a Superman story is to see the wrongs get made right. It's to see the bad guy get his comeuppance, and cheer for the hero who saves so many, asking for nothing in return but to be allowed to live in peace, faced with a world that by all rights could easily reject him, wanting him to leave humanity alone. Some might feel people would be better off failing on their own than be rescued when the going gets really tough? After all, without him, humans would still get by. But look at it this way... when he *does* save people, isn't that still a good thing? The point is not for humanity to always depend on Superman to always save the day, but to simply be glad that he somehow always does.

      The notion that he is somehow the very "personification of good", as you call it, is not inherently part of what Superman is, it comes forward because he was raised by down-to-earth human beings with good character who were also willing to instill good values into their adopted son. Somehow, some way that is never really explained, nor can I expect it ever be, young Clark resisted the temptation that almost certainly would certainly take any one of us, and never became absolutely corrupted with the possessing of such power. Maybe because as an alien he also possessed a greater amount of restraint than what humans necessarily have, I dunno. And I'll admit that's probably the hardest thing about the character to ever relate to. Regardless, I don't think explaining it would make a good Superman story.

      But Superman still loves, laughs, grieves, and can experience pain, even if not necessarily physical. And that, I think, makes him just as human as anyone.

    39. Re:+1, Flamebait by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      That would be the JL animated series, Superman pwns Darkseid by hammering him through multible buildings. Briefly, anyway, before Darkseid turns the fight around: Superman may be physically stronger, but he didn't prepare for the fight in advance. Darkseid came equipped for a one-on-one with Superman.

    40. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I too watched the movie at a drive-in, with the wife and child however. I liked the movie, though I think most people don't get that superman is a desperately alone character and always has been. He's had a literal "fortress of solitude" in almost every incarnation ffs. In this movie he is just as desperately lonely, which made the movie resonate really well with me. If you've never known true loneliness then you probably won't really get this movie.

    41. Re:+1, Flamebait by SpectreBlofeld · · Score: 2

      Regarding James Bond: The 2006 Casino Royale reboot brought the character MUCH closer to the character from the original 1950's Ian Fleming novels that many of us cherish, and have wanted to see on the big screen for decades.

    42. Re:+1, Flamebait by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

      2) "Heart attack? Ah... give me thirty seconds. I'm on first-name terms with about six magic users with healing powers, have access to a space station with teleporter system and the most advanced hospital in the solar system, and half my friends could read the book on heart transplants in under a minute and perform the procedure in less. Oh, and my co-worker has a ring that can trap people in stasis. If all else fails, I'll grab the phantom zone machine from my fortress - we can worry about getting you back later, it'll keep you alive for now."

    43. Re:+1, Flamebait by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      I agree completely. When my wife and I were leave the drive-in Saturday night, I said "The problem is that when anything is possible, nothing is impressive."

      Which is why, I think, that Superman, Supergirl, et al were depowered in the comics in recent times. Omnipotence is boring. You have to depend on gimmicks to keep the plot going. And eventually the gimmicks all start to look the same.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    44. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's might be a man of steel but there's so much to Superman that people just don't see because it's so easy to make him fall in love with Louis Lane and beat the crap out of everyone.

      Now THAT'S what I call a reboot.

    45. Re:+1, Flamebait by steelfood · · Score: 1

      Just a nitpick, but there are other survivors of Krypton out there, mainly the ones who weren't on the planet at the time of its destruction.

      --
      "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
    46. Re:+1, Flamebait by Tyler+Durden · · Score: 1
      That's a great quote from a good movie. But there are other great takes on the Superman mythos in movies as well:

      Grandpa: Superman isn't brave.

      Angus: Did you take your pills this morning?

      Grandpa: [chuckles] You don't understand. He's smart, handsome, even decent. But he's not brave. No, listen to me. Superman is indestructible, and you can't be brave if you're indestructible. It's people like you and your mother. People who are different, and can be crushed and know it. Yet they keep on going out there every time.

      -Angus

      --
      Happy people make bad consumers.
    47. Re:+1, Flamebait by H0p313ss · · Score: 2

      Regarding James Bond: The 2006 Casino Royale reboot brought the character MUCH closer to the character from the original 1950's Ian Fleming novels that many of us cherish, and have wanted to see on the big screen for decades.

      Oh hell yes. As much as I like Roger Moore, he turned James Bond into a clown.

      --
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    48. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Smallville did a decent job at playing with the issues around being morally perfect.

    49. Re:+1, Flamebait by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

      Any idiot can write ignorance like spinning the Earth backwards to save a girl.

      Uh, he didn't spin the earth backwards. He exceeded the speed of light to go back in time - the mythical reference frame of the camera on Superman saw the earth "spin backwards" as the direction of time reversed.

      --
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    50. Re:+1, Flamebait by prelelat · · Score: 1

      Depends on when you read the comic books I think it's golden age silver age where there is a whole city of kryptonians in a tiny bottle, he had a dog and a cousin. After the Crisis on infinite earths there was to be no others(DC's policy at the time) until Infinite Crisis brought some back in or at least around that time. Of course that rule was to be broken on occasion but the rule was typically he was the last son. That's probably the time frame where I read superman the most so it sits sturdy in my memory.

      So while you are right, there are still instances where he is Superman and is alone in the sense that I described.

    51. Re:+1, Flamebait by prelelat · · Score: 1

      Haha oops. Louis Lane would be an awesome alternative story. It could bring a lot of good social commentary, but I doubt we'll see that happen. I think it would work better for an older Billy Batson as I could see DC potentially running it, where as they never would with Superman.

    52. Re:+1, Flamebait by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      Arrogant teenager? What a concept.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    53. Re:+1, Flamebait by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Literally. >_>

      But most of the Moore Bond movies are terrible -- except for the Spy Who Loved Me. Somehow, everything worked in that feature.

    54. Re:+1, Flamebait by delt0r · · Score: 1
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    55. Re:+1, Flamebait by delt0r · · Score: 1

      What i find funny is that people went to a superman movie after probably seeing the trailer, and expected shawshank redemption.

      Action movies, like zombies movies are a genre. Don't expect it not to be an action movie.

      --
      If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
    56. Re:+1, Flamebait by H0p313ss · · Score: 1

      Literally. >_>

      But most of the Moore Bond movies are terrible -- except for the Spy Who Loved Me. Somehow, everything worked in that feature.

      A lotus that turned into a Submarine! Honestly they could have got away with no plot or actors and just done a documentary about the car. (With a Top Gear voice over of course...)

      --
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    57. Re:+1, Flamebait by cavebison · · Score: 1

      coming to grips with the fact that power has made them horrible people

      Power doesn't necessarily make you behave horribly. I think rather it's the *obsession* with power, the paranoia about losing it, etc. Superman grew up being invincible - he grew up with no fear of any person or thing *ever* taking away what he has.

      Now, that's some *fertile ground* for really exploring what it is to be a human being, because he is nothing like anything a human could even comprehend. This is the basis of most of the best real Sci-Fi - examining what it is to be human by taking you out into the impossible and dumbfounding.

      But unfortunately, I think that sort of thing is too risky for mainstream Hollywood these days, which is why Bladerunner 2 will be hollow as well.

      TL;DR I don't agree lack of character development has anything to with what Superman is. It's just lack of imagination by writers.

    58. Re:+1, Flamebait by cavebison · · Score: 1

      I agree with all that, and I think Watchmen did a much better job with Doctor Manhattan, who really started to inhabit his own "little" world, as he gradually came to feel that nobody else could relate to him. I guess he also became emotionally distanced, preoccupied as he was with the larger universe. It was a great treatise on superhero-ism. IMO, so was Unbreakable and even Hancock.

      In the Marvel universe, however, there's the Super Hero Club where they can all chew the fat and talk shop, so Superman isn't necessarily lonely, and there are female Heroes too. Not sure why they don't bonk more often. Would have thought being invincible means you're never not horny. Go figure.

    59. Re:+1, Flamebait by Culture20 · · Score: 1

      the world spins backwards, reversing time

      No, he slingshots himself around the Earth, breaking the light barrier, traveling back in time, and as a result, the world "spins backward" from the audience's perspective. It's amazing how many nerds get the cause and effect wrong there.

    60. Re:+1, Flamebait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One of the great things about Christoper Reeve's version is that Superman had subtle "flaws". He did have a bit of arrogance to him; e.g. when as a teen he raced his friends (and the locomotive) home.

      As opposed to skewering a truck with trees in an act of petty revenge?

    61. Re:+1, Flamebait by overmod · · Score: 1

      I think this is a bit too much deconstruction for something that Occam's Razor gives us a better explanation for...

      Clark Kent is an intentional stereotype whose characteristics distract nearly everyone from recognizing his 'true identity'. He needs glasses to see, he makes out like he has no courage -- who would ever suspect someone like THAT of being the Man of Steel.

      This is a fairly common trope in literature, including, offhand, examples from the Scarlet Pimpernel to Perry the Platypus. (There is a famous one in Golden Age science fiction, who pretends to be drunk and feeble-minded, but I do not remember either the title or the author -- rats! Hive mind, help me out...)

      I don't think I would read more than this into that character... but wouldn't DC have fun with that general theme?

  5. that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    that money comes for 50% suckers that don't know about piracy and the other 50% is all the actors musicians and friends of there's and familly in the industry just shoveling cash into it to try and make it sound good

    A) this is not the same super man we all know and love
    B) its dark like all hollywood movies since 2001
    C) there is no distinction as you might think between good and evil anymore .....why cause hollywood itself is evil and hte movies are showing it.

    2.6 billion people on the net.....and all they can get is 125 million?
    yup the net voted this movie as IT SUCKS right there....

    1. Re:that money by gl4ss · · Score: 3, Informative

      that money comes for 50% suckers that don't know about piracy and the other 50% is all the actors musicians and friends of there's and familly in the industry just shoveling cash into it to try and make it sound good

      A) this is not the same super man we all know and love
      B) its dark like all hollywood movies since 2001
      C) there is no distinction as you might think between good and evil anymore .....why cause hollywood itself is evil and hte movies are showing it.

      2.6 billion people on the net.....and all they can get is 125 million?
      yup the net voted this movie as IT SUCKS right there....

      eh.. it's opening weekend. piracy has nothing to do with it or people not knowing about piracy. I doubt they could have made much more in the opening weekend even in theory short of raising ticket prices.

      but after seeing the latest star trek.. omfg don't do reboots goddamn!!

      though how spaced out you need to be to think that actors are putting money _into_ opening weekend sales? you would think that people would notice those empty seats... like what the fuck, you think clooney is buying sympathy tickets for other peoples movies?!?#?!#

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:that money by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      2.6 billion people on the net.....and all they can get is 125 million?

      Yep, that's because of piracy. Otherwise the film would have made close to half a billion. It's time to arrest everybody who is running a torrent client. Give 'em all the gas chamber!

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    3. Re:that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and the other 50% is all the actors musicians and friends of there's and familly in the industry just shoveling cash into it to try and make it sound good

      Congratulations. You have successfully said the dumbest thing ever.

    4. Re:that money by alen · · Score: 3, Insightful

      the 80's Superman wasn't all that good, i remember it very well. the USA was still in the idiotic Good guy vs bad guy phase

      and there is no way a crappy pirated copy is in any way equivalent to seeing the movie in a decent theater.

    5. Re:that money by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 1

      and there is no way a crappy pirated copy is in any way equivalent to seeing the movie in a decent theater.

      There aren't many decent theaters around here. I don't plan to pirate, but I'd rather watch my movies in my house sitting in a nice chair with quiet surroundings than in a smelly theater with hard seats and people flashing their phones and munching loud chips all around.

      --
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    6. Re:that money by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > and there is no way a crappy pirated copy is in any way equivalent to seeing the movie in a decent theater.

      Unless you want to go through the trouble of seeing something on the best screen in town on opening weekend, what you will end up with will probably be little better than what you can manage at home with a relatively meager investment in equipment.

      In that regard, there might be something to these "opening weekend" numbers.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    7. Re:that money by dywolf · · Score: 2

      thou shalt not speak ill of Donner's Superman 1 and 2.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    8. Re:that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's why you go to the Sunday matinee 2-3 weeks later instead of Saturday night opening weekend. (Or midweek if you can manage it.) Having to get up reasonably early and dressed and out the door on a Sunday tends to reduce the asshole factor. (And you usually save money ta boot.)

      .

    9. Re:that money by lgw · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There's nothing wrong with a simple "Good Guy vs Bad Guy" presentation in a 2-hour format. If it's an action movie and not a drama, why would you expect any depth of character? Your ability to explore anything in 2 hours of screen time is limited, and different genres spend that time in different areas.

      Also, Superman is the canonical "Good Guy" - that's his whole shtick. He's the one true White Hat, and his stories (in longer formats) explore the difficulties in being that.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    10. Re:that money by Krojack · · Score: 1

      This is exactly what I do now. I use to go to opening night, midnight showings or all that jazz. Not anymore. I'll go on the 3rd weekend, Sunday at or before noon. Must be my old age showing but I don't care.

    11. Re:that money by markhb · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Since almost all movies ship as hard drives now rather than film prints, I don't think that opening weekend means as much for picture quality as it once did. Unless, of course, you think the studios are using such cheap hard drives that they start losing sectors after 2 weeks.

      Myself, I've got a pretty decent HD/5.1 setup at home, and this is still one I'm planning to go see at the IMAX.

      --
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    12. Re:that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean a copy of a gas chamber?

    13. Re:that money by Pfhorrest · · Score: 1

      You mean give them a lifetime (i.e. short-term) license to use a copy of a gas chamber for limited purposes.

      --
      -Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
      "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
    14. Re:that money by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      You are out of date. True, if you have to rush to see the film as soon as possible pirates can offer only crappy cams. But they also move fast: As soon as the blu-ray is out, rips will be in production and circulating the net within a day or two. Pirates today work in 1080p. The quality is indistinguishable from a store-bought blu-ray, and better than most streaming services.

    15. Re:that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should try watching more movies and TV shows before passing judgment wholesale on them.

    16. Re:that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I think that The Lone Ranger was the one true White Hat. It shows up quite nicely in the old black & white movies.

      I don't remember Superman ever wearing a hat. Clark Kent had one, but it wasn't white.

    17. Re:that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So? You can do that without pirating the film, either purchase or rent it when it comes out on DVD.

    18. Re:that money by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      Well.... 2 anyway.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    19. Re:that money by metrix007 · · Score: 2

      Good guy vs Bad guy isn't idiotic, or specific to the USA. It's timeless, because it works.

      --
      If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
    20. Re:that money by citylivin · · Score: 1

      "There's nothing wrong with a simple "Good Guy vs Bad Guy" presentation"

      Well you can't say that there is _nothing_ wrong with it. It re-enforces a simplistic zoroastrianistic worldview that there is such a thing as "good" and "evil". This is arguably detrimental to the species and society in general.

      Most superheroes are just a stand in for religious supernatural figures, and I am sure plenty of people can take issue with aspects of that.

      --
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    21. Re:that money by LDAPMAN · · Score: 1

      Evil is very real. I hope you never have to face it up close and personal. If you ever do, moral relativism will lose it's attraction.

    22. Re:that money by lgw · · Score: 1

      Plenty of people who have no moral compass are offended by the very idea of a moral compass, but their discomfort doesn't change the fact that society is demonstrably better with some clear ideas about "good" and "evil".

      The right course of action is often clear, and it's our own human failings that cause us to stray off that course. An inhuman hero who always sticks to what's Right is interesting to contemplate, if only to see that there's still trouble in your life if you somehow manage it.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    23. Re:that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      You got married too?

    24. Re:that money by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Since almost all movies ship as hard drives now rather than film prints, I don't think that opening weekend means as much for picture quality as it once did

      That's certainly true, but I think what he meant to imply is that the longer the movie has been out, the better the quality of the online copies get.

    25. Re:that money by SenseiLeNoir · · Score: 1

      Remembering the 80's Superman, especially the aweful Superman 4, I think the reboot was a good thing.

      (the First was not too bad, and nor was the second, the third was getting a little silly at times, but all of them had a strong stereotypical american view which may have worked then, but is kinda tiring now.)

      --
      Have a nice day!
    26. Re:that money by Narrowband · · Score: 1

      That's too much like saying it re-enforces a simplistic worldview that there is such a thing as reality, whereas nothing is actually "real." After all, isn't "reality" just a stand-in for perception?

      In an even more complex construct, it is equally simplistic to assume good and evil are not real as it is to assume they are. It all depends on how many levels of non-reality you want to contemplate, and how superior you want to consider yourself to those who adhere to "simplistic" world views.

    27. Re: that money by Optali · · Score: 1

      Now you know what PRISM was created for. Oh noes, there's a platoon of marines on my front door.... Fuck! B52 bombing my backyard!

      --
      -- 29A the number of the Beast
  6. the children liked it by turkeydance · · Score: 5, Funny

    took 4 11-y-o boys, and they said it was the best movie they had ever seen in their whole lives!

    1. Re:the children liked it by Thud457 · · Score: 1

      so, they haven't seen "Lord of the Rings : the Two Towers", "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", "28 Days Later" or "Catch Me If You Can"?

      --

      the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    2. Re:the children liked it by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 5, Funny

      Nope, just Gigli and Ishtar.

    3. Re:the children liked it by roc97007 · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's child abuse.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    4. Re:the children liked it by mmcxii · · Score: 2

      Disclaimer: I have not seen the film and probably won't see it anytime this decade.

      I hate to tell you but maybe the 11 year old demographic is the target audience at this point.

      I know that us middle aged geeks have become accustom to Hollywood trying to string us along but maybe they're finding the gulf between the camps of the younger consumers and the disgruntled middle age so-and-sos a bit wide so they're finally giving up. After all, your parents went to films they had no interest in but you did. I can hardly imagine the thrill my parents felt by me dragging them to great spectacles of cinema like The Dark Crystal and The NeverEnding Story (and these were the good ones!). Now it's your turn to ante up for all kinds of inane crap drummed up by some ex-advertising executive who's decided to try his hand at film making.

      The sooner that people start to realize that Hollywood (and pretty much all major entertainment industries) sees the aging consumer as a second class market the sooner the aging consumers will let go of pop culture. And it's a good thing too. It's not like there isn't a market for the adult consumer, it's just not the same market as what you embraced 20 or even 10 years ago. Comic book/fantasy-adventure movies just aren't going to target the adult market, at least on any great scale.

    5. Re:the children liked it by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 2

      You people are retarded.

      *Money* is the demographic, you idiots! MONEY! Don't you understand the meaning of the word RICH?!

    6. Re:the children liked it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My complaint is that it isn't age-appropriate for my 7 year old son. Superman was my first movie, and I'd hoped to make MoS my son's first.

      Is it really asking so much for a Superman movie be watchable for younger kids? CGI is an over-used tool that is ruining movies, making them so much more violent that the audience must remove itself from emotional investment.

    7. Re:the children liked it by DogDude · · Score: 1

      I haven't laughed harder during a movie than I did when watching Ishtar. I'm still waiting for it to come out on DVD.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    8. Re:the children liked it by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      At least they didn't have to deal with Kazaam.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    9. Re:the children liked it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      those are 'back in the day' (anything on DVD, etc.) movies to them, and therefore, suck.

    10. Re:the children liked it by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      I think that's the movie they play in hell. A double feature with Leonard Part 6.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    11. Re:the children liked it by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      You have some good movies, but I'd definitely rate Superman higher than Chamber of Secrets. No wonder Columbus was replaced for the third movie. Either the studio really didn't like what he'd done with the second or he was really tired of it by then.

  7. "symbol and stock character" by saturnianjourneyman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Pretty much describes Superman from his first appearance. Not a whole lot of character complexity there to dig out.

    1. Re:"symbol and stock character" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To add to this, why must a character be the center of the universe? Why can't a movie, story, or book be about the events that transpire and be entertaining or even thought provoking? Are some people too shallow to see the big picture?

    2. Re:"symbol and stock character" by alexander_686 · · Score: 1

      Well, how would a movie like this work? First A happens, then B. Just sterile facts? Why would I want to see it? One of strengths of movies is the conveyance of emotion.

      Take a look at Ken Burn’s The Civil War (o.k., not a movie per say, but one can think of it as a very long one. ) or any other disaster / based on true life events film you like. Lots of facts and you can see what is happening. But the reason why these films work is that you engage with the characters.

    3. Re:"symbol and stock character" by stymy · · Score: 1

      Film makers don't have to be slaves to the comics. Just look at Tim Burton's Batman films, for example. An easy solution would be to just make the real main character a complex, interesting villain, like Lex Luthor.

    4. Re:"symbol and stock character" by Dr_Barnowl · · Score: 1

      Luthor was telegraphed as the next Big Bad the whole way through the film, with numerous LexCorp trucks and billboards throughout.

    5. Re:"symbol and stock character" by jitterman · · Score: 1

      I would venture that in this case, they're not shallow enough to be okay with the director avoiding the big picture.

      --
      For conscience is the wound, and there's naught to staunch it
    6. Re:"symbol and stock character" by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      Easily. You just make the character into an observer.

      War of the Worlds is a good example - the book, and all of the movies. The story isn't about the character - he is just the narrator, a viewpoint by which we can witness great events unfold. He doesn't save the world, or be a hero, or a villain. He is just another face in the crowd of refugees. Events unfold around him, he watches. We watch with him.

    7. Re:"symbol and stock character" by alexander_686 · · Score: 1

      That is an excellent counter example. I was thinking about using World War Z (the book) instead of Civil War. WWZ does use characters to draw on into the book. While I still think I am right, now I need to sit down a pick apart why I think War of the Worlds is better than World War Z. Is this the exception that proves the rule? Is it a culturally specific thing for the 19th century?

    8. Re:"symbol and stock character" by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      He doesn't have to be the next Big Bad, Lexcorp products certain add a lot of flavor and references for the fans.

      But really they'd be stupid not to, Luther is such a fun character, and I think actors love him. Just look at what a fun time Hackman and Spacey had playing him.

  8. This story brought to you by... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Buy! Buy! Buy more shit! And here's some action sequences to numb the pain of a two hour commercial.

  9. I didn't hate it ... by mbaGeek · · Score: 1

    ... My 14 year old nephew loved it. I was looking at my watch a lot - the best thing I can say is that it is definitely a "reboot" of the franchise - Superman as Greek hero ...

    --
    It ain't what they call you. It's what you answer to. http://mylyceum.us/
  10. Tired of reboots by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 2

    So many reboots lately.

    Thought Superman was a very good $5 movie with poor character development and lots of fast blurry special effects. Unfortunately tickets were $10.

    I will never watch this film again in my life. I didn't hate it. It's just not worth a second viewing.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    1. Re:Tired of reboots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have to agree about reboots.

      If you don't know about Superman going into the film there is a good chance the moving pictures will beguile and bedazzle a fellow much more than a back story.

    2. Re:Tired of reboots by PRMan · · Score: 1

      I saw it at a matinee for $5. Sounds like I made the right decision.

      Actually, my brother and I (long time comic fans) were expecting worse. I could have written a couple scenes better, but overall I liked the movie. It had a lot of character development for a Superman story. And for seemingly the first time, you got put in his shoes of trying not to be misunderstood and feared by everyone, which I thought was pretty cool.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
  11. Wasn't interested before, but... by Bieeanda · · Score: 4, Informative

    I read this 'stream of consciousness review' by Tom Scioli, and I'm intrigued enough to watch it on a cheap day now. To his mind at least, it's loaded with unspoken references to the weirder elements of Superman's canon and earlier films, and visual homages to Heavy Metal magazine and artists like MÅ"bius.

  12. Movie Critics & Hollywood Accounting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1. I find movie critics to be a mixed bag with varying tastes, its almost as if they were human or something. What they normally have in common is a job that requires them to go to a lot of movies and try and say something about them. I think they become jaded and evaluate more and more on "artistic merit" instead of "good entertainment" .I have a hunch that most are "into film" and therefore lose touch with why most people read reviews, to decide whether to go see a movie and be entertained ( for various values of "entertain" ;-). I remember a guy named Clyde Gilmour who panned just about every movie he saw until he came across a little known film called "Star Wars", he said it was all right and that it would probably do well.

    2. Talking about how much a movie grossed in box office sales without discussing how much it cost to make doesn't make sense. Of course Hollywood is known for its highly accurate, fair and transparent accounting practises so the data is always easily accessible and totally accurate ;-) ;-) ... .

  13. Hulk Like Explosions! by TWiTfan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hulk tired of scripts, talk. Hulk want MORE ACTION, LOUD NOISES!!!! Hulk like new Superman movie!

    --
    The cow says "Moo." The dog says "Woof." The Timothy says "Thanks, valued customer. We appreciate your input."
    1. Re:Hulk Like Explosions! by Remus+Shepherd · · Score: 2

      It's funny, because Hulk/Banner is one of the deepest, most complex characters in all of comic books.

      --
      Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.
    2. Re:Hulk Like Explosions! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That would be funny, if it weren't so sad.

    3. Re:Hulk Like Explosions! by H0p313ss · · Score: 2

      It's funny, because Hulk/Banner is one of the deepest, most complex characters in all of comic books.

      And that's why I spent my early teens reading Heinlein, Asimov and Tolkien (.. among others too numerous to mention) and trying to figure out what was wrong with my classmates who thought that comic books were the bomb.

      I respect the medium, but guys... they're comic books...

      --
      XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
  14. my meta-review/review by elblanco · · Score: 2

    http://elblancoswhitespace.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-man-of-steel-meta-reviewreview.html

    Short answer, there's a massive disconnect between the critics and the audience on this one.

    1. Re:my meta-review/review by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

      Short answer, there's a massive disconnect between the critics and the audience on this one.

      8.2 on IMDB right now.

      I've never had any use for critics, but OTOH I still haven't heard anything from non-critics that makes me want to go see it.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    2. Re:my meta-review/review by PRMan · · Score: 1

      Is it the best superhero movie ever? No. I would take any installment of the Avengers series over this (OK, not counting the Hulk movies). I would take Spider-Man 1 & 2 (not the new one, that sucked), Fantastic Four 1 and X-Men 1, 2 & First Class over this as well.

      But Marvel has raised the bar so much. I would take this over any DC live-action movie besides Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It was that good. It's EASILY the best Superman movie of all time (as if that were hard). And it was WAY better than Green Lantern or any other DC movie beside those 2.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    3. Re:my meta-review/review by SteveFoerster · · Score: 1

      Thank you for this. Given all the haterade flowing around here, I was starting to think I was the only person who thought this was a great movie.

      --
      Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org
    4. Re:my meta-review/review by dywolf · · Score: 1

      when i saw wired's review i chalked it up to their typical clickbait review process.

      ie, "if we, a nerd mag, say we like it, no one is surprised. but if we say it sucks, everyone will want to know why, and we'll get X times the normal amount of click revenue"

      then in a few months the tone will start changing and some of their writers will start saying how "they liked it even though critics didnt".

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    5. Re:my meta-review/review by metrix007 · · Score: 1

      X-men is Fox and Spidey is Sony....interesting to hear someone say all the Marvel character films have raised the bar though....

      --
      If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
    6. Re:my meta-review/review by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      X-men is Fox and Spidey is Sony....interesting to hear someone say all the Marvel character films have raised the bar though....

      Different studios, but they all had Avi Arad as producer though (the X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man, etc movies). And Stan Lee...

  15. I hated it by nurhussein · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Spoilers abound, so stop reading if you haven't seen it yet.

    ----

    The beginning of the movie started promisingly enough. Okay, over the top action sequence on Krypton, but I liked Russell Crowe's Badass Jor-El. Moving on to Superman's beginnings on Earth, the introspective moments and the slowing pace helps. Then finally Clark becomes Superman, and then... shit explodes everywhere. Superman seems completely unconcerned about the tens of thousands of people that are dying from his battle with Zod. In the Christopher Reeve movie with Terence Stamp as Zod, Superman had the sense to draw the bad Kryptonians away to the North Pole. Here, pft, he just doesn't care.

    Also, this is the first time the people of earth has seen Superman. They have no reason at all to trust him, especially not the military (since they were playing that angle). There were no character-establishing moments where Superman doesn't just save the president, he also pulls kittens from trees (see Superman: The Movie).

    Finally, didn't Superman practically lead the army to his mom's house where his spaceship was hidden? Didn't they figure out his identity already from there?

    Frankly I'm tired of huge flaming spectacles with no substance to them. ALIENS! BIG BATTLE IN THE CITY! SPACESHIPS! SUPER-POWERED BEINGS! That describes every final act of most major tentpole summer movies I've seen in recent years - Transformers, Avengers, even Star Trek. Now this.

    Sigh.

    1. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Superman seems completely unconcerned about the tens of thousands of people that are dying from his battle with Zod. In the Christopher Reeve movie with Terence Stamp as Zod, Superman had the sense to draw the bad Kryptonians away to the North Pole. Here, pft, he just doesn't care.

      This point is brought up so much in the criticism of the movie and is flat out wrong. Zod had just told Superman that he was going to make the humanity suffer for his actions. If Superman tried to draw Zod to the North Pole or somewhere remote, Zod would just stay in Metropolis massacring all humans he came across until Superman came back and stopped him. Superman had no choice but to take down Zod right then and there.

    2. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, this is the first time the people of earth has seen Superman. They have no reason at all to trust him, especially not the military (since they were playing that angle). There were no character-establishing moments where Superman doesn't just save the president, he also pulls kittens from trees (see Superman: The Movie).

      He went out of his way to save the general who was trying to kill him, and stopped in the middle of the fight in which he was outnumbered and outgunned to take a moment to ask if he was okay.

    3. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Also, this is the first time the people of earth has seen Superman. They have no reason at all to trust him, especially not the military (since they were playing that angle). There were no character-establishing moments where Superman doesn't just save the president, he also pulls kittens from trees (see Superman: The Movie).

      They did not trust him at first. The military was firing on him as well as the other Kryptonians. It was only after he saved multiple service men that he gain their trust. People really need to let go of the 70's movie. This is not the same Superman. Just like the current Batman isn't the Batman from the 70's. Campy superhero movies do not do well anymore.

      Finally, didn't Superman practically lead the army to his mom's house where his spaceship was hidden? Didn't they figure out his identity already from there?

      They scanned both Louis and Superman's memories. Did you even watch the same movie?

      Frankly I'm tired of huge flaming spectacles with no substance to them. ALIENS! BIG BATTLE IN THE CITY! SPACESHIPS! SUPER-POWERED BEINGS! That describes every final act of most major tentpole summer movies I've seen in recent years - Transformers, Avengers, even Star Trek. Now this.

      Sigh.

      Superman is an alien, brought to Earth on a spaceship, and has super powers. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?

      Sigh.

    4. Re:I hated it by unixisc · · Score: 1

      I didn't hate it, but it was nowhere near previous Superman movies or serials I've seen. Conspicuous by its absense was 'Truth, Justice & the American way'. In the movie, Jonathan Kent dies b'cos he prevents Clark from saving him in a tornado so that the secret of his powers doesn't get exposed. And in another scene, he rebukes Clark for saving a bus full of schookids. This is a major distortion of the Kents' character than anything that's been seen before.

    5. Re:I hated it by FellowConspirator · · Score: 1

      To be fair, recent events suggest that perhaps truth and justice are no longer the American way.

    6. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought he did pretty well with truth and justice but I was a little disappointed that the American way was boiled down to his Kryptonian free birth versus the engineered communist Kryptonian state.

    7. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How can Superman survive in space without air? How could he survive under water? How can he fly? How can he course correct while flying? The movie isn't 100% factually and physically accurate, therefore I hated it. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    8. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The military didn't trust him. That's why they were shooting at him and also had the drone at the end trying to find his hideout.

      They established his character by all of the anonymous helping he did, that Lois back tracked.

    9. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I too thought about all the collateral damage caused with the fight sequences, but if you consider the situation, it was unavoidable. Unlike Superman 2, MoS was dealing with many kryptonians and their tech, and their mission was not solely to destroy Kal-El. Any attempt to draw them away from the cities would have failed since they would not stop with terraforming. If Supes did not attack them directly to stop it, a few kryptonians could have kept him busy in nowhere land while the machines modified the Earth and killed all humans.

      Can you please explain how Kal-El could have completely diverted them to somewhere more safe to defeat them? Remember while he was dealing with Feora and pal in Smallville, Zod and Co were happily causing destruction elsewhere.

      Unlike Zod in Superman 2, in the new movie he is much smarter and would not fall for simple diversion tactics. The new Zod and Co knew that if they threaten the humans, Kal-El would always be forced to fight where Zod wanted him to fight.

    10. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I considered the collateral damage also, but it was unavoidable. Unlike in Superman 2, Kal-El was dealing with not just 3 kryptonians, but many, including their advanced technology. If Kal-El tried to divert them, it would not have mattered. Remember when he as dealing with Faora and friend in Smallville, the rest of Zod's crew went off elsewhere causing destruction (the start of terraforming of the Earth that was going to destroy all human life).

      The Zod in MoS was much smarter than the one in Superman 2, and he would not fall for simple diversion tactics. As they explained in the movie, he, and his company, were manufactured to be warriors. Although I like Terrance Stamp's Zod better than Michael Shannon's Zod (Stamp was more charismatic), they have different motives driving the characters. Stamp's was on a personal vendetta against Kal-El, while Shannon's sole purpose was to protect Krypton's civilization, and to recreate it on Earth. What worked against Zod in Superman 2 would not work against the MoS Zod.

      I am not a big follower of all the Superman literature and animation, but I do recall other stories where Superman has to deal with powerful enemies in urban areas, with lots of destruction occurring. Yes, Superman tries to avoid collateral damage, but with powerful enemies, it is sometimes impossible to achieve.

    11. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thus the need to rekindle that particular flame. Give an example to lead us into the light, though we may stumble and fall along the way.

    12. Re:I hated it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair and truthful: justice never really was the American way.

    13. Re:I hated it by hrimhari · · Score: 1

      Thank you for putting into words what I have been feeling since I watched it.

      What I kept from the film was interminable mass-destruction scenes with little care to a believable script. A waste of good character canon. I can't imagine why any significant number of (new) fans would look for any other merchandising or media after that.

      --
      http://dilbert.com/2010-12-13
    14. Re:I hated it by hrimhari · · Score: 1

      Superman is an alien, brought to Earth on a spaceship, and has super powers. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?

      How about playing the evil guy to unite the Earth governments under a single goal and thus avoid the general destruction of humanity? Hmm, that sounds familiar.

      Ok, I got it! Fight AGAINST the destruction of OTHER impressive things like the Great Wall of China, the Everest, Iguassu Falls and such, instead of DESTRUCTING a Manhattan-like city while fighting the enemy.

      --
      http://dilbert.com/2010-12-13
    15. Re:I hated it by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      I didn't hate it, but it was nowhere near previous Superman movies or serials I've seen. Conspicuous by its absense was 'Truth, Justice & the American way'. In the movie, Jonathan Kent dies b'cos he prevents Clark from saving him in a tornado so that the secret of his powers doesn't get exposed. And in another scene, he rebukes Clark for saving a bus full of schookids. This is a major distortion of the Kents' character than anything that's been seen before.

      Lack of that phrase is probably to appeal to European and Chinese movie goers.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  16. Slashdot 101 by Swampash · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the editor appends "what do you think?" on to the end of the article summary, it's just linkwhoring for ad impressions.

    1. Re:Slashdot 101 by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      Plus 1

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    2. Re:Slashdot 101 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So why'd he post on Slashdot, where no one RTFA?

    3. Re:Slashdot 101 by Myopic · · Score: 1

      That doesn't make sense because Slashdot doesn't have ads. I've never seen any, at least.

    4. Re:Slashdot 101 by sootman · · Score: 1

      I was glad he put that on there. I had never noticed that Slashdot was a discussion site before. The mark of a fine editor, if you ask me.

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  17. I liked it a lot by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I liked it. Henry Cavill is from my tiny little island and was awesome enough to bring Russell Crowe and Amy Adams over to our one-and-only 10-screen cinema for a red carpet premiere, which is two more Oscar winners than we'd normally see (although apparently Hans Zimmer likes to take his holidays here).

    Thanks Henry!

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    1. Re:I liked it a lot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Guernsey has Henry Cavill's on every block. ;)

    2. Re:I liked it a lot by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Oh yeah? Wade over here and say that!

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  18. It requires storytelling by sjbe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There's not a lot of character development to do there; How exactly do you improve on a guy that's the very personification of "good"?

    It can be done. What you do is give him challenges that his powers and decency are limited to help. How does he stop us from killing each other for example? How does he protect us from our own bad decisions? How does he protect other species from humans when we are behaving badly?

    Put him in situations where there is no obviously correct moral choice. You humanize him. Heck make him a bad guy for a while.

    You have a guy who is something close to perfect and yet seeks to be "normal" among us imperfect humans. Why? What are the consequences? There has to be some interesting tension and character development somewhere in there.

    1. Re:It requires storytelling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats what happens in Injustice: God Among Us Game, what if Superman decided to stop protecting and start ruling. Pretty cool storyline, you should play it. Also, Kingdom Come, another great example, he abandons humanity, and then comes back trying to fix everything.

    2. Re:It requires storytelling by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      I've heard comic fans complaining that the game greatly increases the abilities of some characters and nerfs others, as otherwise Superman would be essentially invinceable and some other key battles hopelessly unbalanced.

      JLU also explored the idea with a brief visit to an alternate timeline where Lexx had become such a threat to world peace that Superman had felt no option but to kill him, triggering a series of defensive power-grabs that end with the Justice League declaring martial law and ruling the world with an iron fist in order to ensure peace and order. When the conventional JL characters find this, they are most displeased... though even Batman does have to abandon attempts at argument when his alternate points out that in their timeline, with the criminal population terrified of the League, there are no more street muggers shooting parents in front of their children.

  19. Time for a Reboot by Graydyn+Young · · Score: 4, Funny

    This iteration of Superman has been going on for 2.5 hours?! It's definitely getting stale by now. Time for a reboot.

    1. Re:Time for a Reboot by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

      This iteration of Superman has been going on for 2.5 hours?! It's definitely getting stale by now. Time for a reboot.

      Don't worry, there will be a dupe story in a few days. Or maybe tonight.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    2. Re:Time for a Reboot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This iteration of Superman has been going on for 2.5 hours?! It's definitely getting stale by now. Time for a reboot.

      Don't worry, there will be a dupe story in a few days. Or maybe tonight.

      You might want to check to make sure it's actually a dupe and not a movie studio rebooting the series again. "Damnit, it's a COMIC BOOK SUPERHERO MOVIE. What the hell is WRONG with these nerds? Listen, we're going to just keep rebooting this until it works, just like our computers, so you'd better get comfortable..."

    3. Re:Time for a Reboot by PRMan · · Score: 1

      I know, right. What is it with superhero movies that they feel like we need to retell the origin story every 3 movies (5 in this case). James Bond has been going for 50 years but his origin is only told twice in all that time. We all know who Superman and Batman are. Make a movie about something else already.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
  20. Reboots and sequels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I decided this year I was going to try to avoid any movie that was a reboot or a sequel. Which pretty much will keep me out of the theatre this summer. Looking at the list of summer films we see Iron Man III, a new Superman reboot, Hangover III, a new Star Trek film.... Seems just about everything is just a rehash. That's fine, I'll put the money toward something else.

    1. Re:Reboots and sequels by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

      Like a lot of other businesses, the film industry is averse to risk.

      Which, unfortunately, is probably the best business strategy for mass-market products. If you want art you'll have to look for something where big money isn't involved.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  21. I enjoyed it by Jethro · · Score: 2

    I enjoyed it, but I fear I may be getting old - a lot of the time I was thinking "Oh god, sooooooo much property damage...."

    Some of it did seem gratuitous. And there were some "WTH" plot-holes... but it was a fun movie and I think pretty well made.

    --


    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
    1. Re:I enjoyed it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is what I thought about the Iron Man movies. After he reveals that he is Iron Man, its all over. Anyone injured by one of his battles is going to try to sue him into oblivion. The various governments would as well. Plus, with as much as as he is worth, there will be no shortage of lawyers lining up to cover that contingency case. At least with other super heroes, I could see that because you are looking at blood-turnip cases or unknown individuals; Iron Man, not so much.

    2. Re:I enjoyed it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is what I thought about the Iron Man movies. After he reveals that he is Iron Man, its all over. Anyone injured by one of his battles is going to try to sue him into oblivion. The various governments would as well. Plus, with as much as as he is worth, there will be no shortage of lawyers lining up to cover that contingency case. At least with other super heroes, I could see that because you are looking at blood-turnip cases or unknown individuals; Iron Man, not so much.

      That last lines should say "At least with other super heroes, I can see why they don't get sued because you are looking at blood-turnip cases or unknown individuals; Iron Man, not so much."

    3. Re:I enjoyed it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention that, aside from the post's remark, I did think this was the deepest character development among all 6 movies, thanks probably in full to the introspective moments. Really, whoever wrote there's shallowness must have missed the original 4 movies.

    4. Re:I enjoyed it by stymy · · Score: 1

      As an actuary, I couldn't help but think:
      By Jove, the insurance claims! Wait, does "Act of God" cover Superman?

    5. Re:I enjoyed it by Jethro · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure that the insurance companies would say it does, and it'd take an act of government to force them to pay out with the taxpayers footing a lot of the bill. They might mandate Superhero Insurance for people who live in superhero-prone areas, just like they do for floodplains now.

      Then again Superman can probably just crush a bunch of coal into diamonds and pay for it all.

      (yes I know economics don't work that way)

      --


      In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
  22. Unable to get hurt by paulpach · · Score: 4, Insightful

    For the whole second half of the movie, the characters repeatedly pound each other. No matter how hard they hit, no one seems to be able to get hurt at all.
    At some point superman coughs, and the bad guy gets dizzy that is about it.

    You become numb after a while, there is really no excitement in the fights because they have no consequences, absolutely nothing is at stake in the fights. As stunning visually as they are, the fights are nothing but fillers.

    1. Re:Unable to get hurt by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      Nevertheless, the movie is rated 8.2 on IMDB - pretty good. Besides the so-powerful=boring argument, there must be something enjoyable in this movie... (didn't see it yet)

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    2. Re:Unable to get hurt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This annoyed me as well. I found myself sitting there wondering what the point of the battles are if its just going to go back and forth, destroying everything in sight, until someone gives up.

    3. Re:Unable to get hurt by PRMan · · Score: 1

      That's way too high. I'd give it a 6 or 7, but it's worth seeing. It really wasn't as bad as the critics were saying. But they hated Star Wars when it came out, so what do they know?

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    4. Re:Unable to get hurt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it anything like The Matrix?

    5. Re:Unable to get hurt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, or people have been successfully retarded by repeated exposure to muddy crap 'entertainment' to the point where this is considered passable.

      If this is how people now accept their reality served up, then anybody who wants their lives to be lighter and less grim, are basically screwed because the world around them is pulsating with SHITTY IS THE NEW NORMAL.

  23. Man's Man of Steel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I'm just glad they didn't feminize him. I think they did a superb balance of Superman being a man with feelings without going metrosexual. I really liked the touch of Wolverine in his finding himself retcon for this version of Supes. Superman feels like the uncorruptible Patriarch with compassion but will still slap your ass silly if not a good guy.

  24. Re:Good movie by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

    IM3 was very entertaining, and I walked out thinking I'd go see it again. But before I got home I was already in "that was just dumb" mode.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  25. To damn with faint praise. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Personally, I found it to be the best 2-hour action sequence with 30 minutes of stock romance involving Superman that I am likely to see this summer.

    Wow, burn.

  26. Sure. by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

    DC and Warner Brothers have opted to produce a movie that foregoes a character-driven story. Instead, we're left with a trite blockbuster that holds beautiful special effects, an inspiring music score, a story that panders to the movie-goer

    In other words, they made a movie that movie goers want...

    The Hollywood movie with a story is long gone, people that buy tickets don't want to see them. CGI and babes, none of that old shit with human "stunt men" and real explosions. This is what sells tickets.

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:Sure. by PRMan · · Score: 1

      Which is ironic, because this is pretty character-driven. We get great insight into Jor-El, Clark, Ma & Pa Kent, Lois and Zod in this story. I was worried when I read that review, but it couldn't be further from the truth.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    2. Re:Sure. by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      In other words they made a Superman movie.

      If you want another kind of movie, you can always go to the art house down the street. It's a wide open market out there. If the good stuff isn't getting enough love then it's your own fault really.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    3. Re:Sure. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There was no story. It was extremely bland. It was a lifetime movie slapped together with a M. Bay movie. It was utterly disappointing.

    4. Re:Sure. by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      CGI and babes, none of that old shit with human "stunt men" and real explosions.

      In a "making of" for Fast and Furious 6, the director noted there wasn't a single CGI car crash in the movie. It was real cars, real crashes, real stunt men (and yes, a real tank, and a real flipping car that was scripted for one flip, until they saw it work, and wrote in lots of other flips because it was so cool and worked so well).

  27. The problem with CGI- it's not real by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 2

    Okay- so when you had a film in the 70's and they actually blew up a small city for a scene in the movie- that was impressive in its own right because you *saw* a real city being blown up.

    The first aspect is that- as good as they are- special effects are not real. Something is missing. I'm sure they'll figure it out at some point. Or it may be there are just too many things to keep track of.

    This was part of what made Inception so effective. Most of the "special effects" were not done with CGI. They built and destroyed a real fortress. They built a real elevator on its side and they built an entire bar on tilted it to tilt the water in the glasses. You looked at it and thought "but this is just CGI" but some part of your brain was saying "but it's real".

    The second part is more critical tho. If you can literally portray ANYTHING then the act of portraying it no longer has emotional weight in itself. If you are going to show three cars being thrown around and destroyed because it is stupidly easy with computers- then the three cars should be saying something. Advancing the plot.

    Don't ask me to sit there for 5 minutes looking at CGI and think I'll be impressed. I wasn't for star trek the motion picture, I won't be for your film. You need a story. You need plot. You need ideas. You need character development. You need character conflict. CGI only exists to provide the setting. CGI is not impressive. It should be seamless and allow you to get your point across (like the master in TAI CHI ZERO walking up the side of a wall.)

    Superman's effects seemed to be a lot of "ooh look isn't this COOL!". Like the spacesuit helmet things. They wasted time showing them peel on and off the actors. What did it say to have the helmets do that?

    A useful effect was things flying up and down to communicate the idea that gravity was reversing back and forth (tho how that was terraforming I don't know but I forgive movie makers a lot).

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    1. Re:The problem with CGI- it's not real by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      OH by the way... Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero were quite good.

      A very weird comedy drama steam punk kung fu movie series. The third is still to come out.

      And IDEAS. Wow- it had so many ideas crammed into the film.

      And nice character growth and change (esp on the part of the villain).

      Not "perfect" and soulless but damn good.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    2. Re:The problem with CGI- it's not real by Dr_Barnowl · · Score: 1

      The most impressive sets in the Star Trek reboot were the engineering levels of the Enterprise, which had a real "pipes and metal stuff" vibe going on, rather than the plywood and painted woodblocks feel of TOS, or the plastic Okudagrams of the intervening next-gen spinoffs.

      The silliest bits were the stuff where they passed objects through the brig door to Khan. They have nanotech that cool, and they use it to open holes in brig doors - and very little else? (restraint straps and Sulu's folding sword..)

    3. Re:The problem with CGI- it's not real by Lluc · · Score: 1

      In the 2009 reboot, the "pipes and stuff" vibe is not from a movie set. It's an Anheuser-Busch brewery. According to the following article, the latest edition of the reboot had scenes filmed in the National Ignition Facility. http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/star-trek-boldly-goes-unlikely-real-life-locations-153158175.html

    4. Re:The problem with CGI- it's not real by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      If you are going to show three cars being thrown around and destroyed because it is stupidly easy with computers- then the three cars should be saying something.

      I'm suddenly picturing a Superman/Cars mash-up.

      Superman grabs the tow-truck and slings it at the bad-guy. Mater the Tow Truck starts yelling, "I'm flyin'! I'm flyin'!" before slamming into the wall.

    5. Re:The problem with CGI- it's not real by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      Don't ask me to sit there for 5 minutes looking at CGI and think I'll be impressed. I wasn't for star trek the motion picture, I won't be for your film.

      Was there any CGI in ST:TMP? It was 1979. "CGI" then meant painting phasers on by hand, one frame at a time. Or did you mean a different Star Trek movie of a different name?

  28. It's a bit inflated it really only sold about 111M by medv4380 · · Score: 2

    Walmart bought a bunch for pre-sale. Only a bout 2 million of the presale was actually sold over the weekend, but the entire thing is being reported in the 125 million number.

  29. box office numbers by TitusGroan8856 · · Score: 1

    the reason for the "record breaking" takings is down to increases in ticket prices and nothing more. if you look at a graph of audience numbers you'll see it peak in the mid 1940s, It drops off sharply in the early 60s and continues to fall until the early 80s. If you adjust it for percentage of population then you'll see a slope more suited to a ski-jumper. record breaking sales are not what them appear.

  30. Plots ARE Important by slapout · · Score: 1

    "which ultimately leaves the movie about the events that transpire rather than the characters involved in them"

    I'm sick and tired of movie critics who think a movie should only be about the characters. Any story and two major pieces: the characters AND the plot. Without the plot, the characters don't change. Without facing the crisis (brought to them via the plot) they don't grow and become the interesting characters that they are.

    Without a plot the characters are just sitting around doing nothing.

    --
    Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
    1. Re:Plots ARE Important by PRMan · · Score: 1

      And I HATE those kind of movies.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    2. Re:Plots ARE Important by Myopic · · Score: 1

      Agreed. That's why I hated Napoleon Dynamite. When the credits appeared on screen at the end I got angry: why the fuck didn't the movie ever start, before it finished? Fuck that movie it was stupid.

    3. Re:Plots ARE Important by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perfect example - The Man From Earth (the importance of plot, I mean).

      That was one of the things that I recall hearing why a guy (forget which) was repeatedly hired by The Outer Limits - he could do "two people in a room" and have it be interesting.

    4. Re:Plots ARE Important by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you call an hour long action sequence plot?

  31. Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue... by QuietLagoon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...a whopping $125.1 million....

    With the ever-increasing price of tickets, using revenue as a judge of "record-breaking" is grossly inaccurate, as it erroneously compares unequal ticket prices and ignores the effect of inflation over the years.

    .
    It would be more accurate (though still not completely accurate) to use the number of tickets sold as the basis for judging whether all-time records have been broken.

  32. Interesting guy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Superman can be interesting, in the hands of the right writer. I think it was Superman II in which he gave up his powers to be with Louis. That's an interesting struggle between love and power, or personal happiness vs public good. Stories like that can make Superman an interesting dude. But if it's just him flying fast or being strong, then yeah, nothing too interesting about that.

    1. Re:Interesting guy by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Superman II, particularly the restored Richard Donner cut, is a pretty fine film. The first one was, well, Superman, and like the first Star Wars was big more because it was the first in the series, and a major commercial success. But the second one gives a glimpse of a character that is ultimately pretty conflicted about himself and his role, and really eyes humans with a bit of jealousy.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    2. Re:Interesting guy by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      I think it was Superman II in which he gave up his powers to be with Louis.

      Probably this one. http://www.break.com/video/ugc/gay-superman-403821

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  33. Lex Corp? by RavenousRhesus · · Score: 2

    *Spoiler* (sort of)

    I wonder how many people were numbed by the never-ending action and missed Zod kicking the Lex Corp tanker at Superman.

    As if anyone would make a Superman reboot and leave Lex Luther out of the multi-movie arc.

    *End Spoiler*

    1. Re:Lex Corp? by Dr_Barnowl · · Score: 1

      There were LexCorp billboards, trucks and train cars throughout. They couldn't have telegraphed it any more clearly.

    2. Re:Lex Corp? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      *SPOILER* ...

      There was a Wayne Enterprises satellite in the movie as well.

    3. Re:Lex Corp? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget the Wayne Enterprises satellite: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/superman_movies/news/?a=81706

    4. Re:Lex Corp? by aicrules · · Score: 1

      Well they could have had a stinger at the end of the credit with a bald guy looking on from his fortunately saved...or possibly completely demolished HQ. But no stinger...I was surprised there wasn't....

    5. Re:Lex Corp? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're saving that for the Super Friend's movie.

    6. Re:Lex Corp? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I saw plenty of IHOP in the movie too but I'm not expecting suzie pancake in the sequel.

  34. No character development? by __aagmrb7289 · · Score: 2

    Are these the same critics that praised the shit out of the most recent Star Trek movie? The movie is all about Superman's journey - not just about Superman himself, but the people around him - and while it doesn't SHOVE the development in your face, it's there. Do people REALLY need everything so obvious and overdone in movies these days that they cannot even recognize character development unless they are told "this is how I am changing and becoming a different person through my experiences"? These people must have REALLY been confused by the "short" life story of the old man in "Up". But they probably don't even know what they missed. I am now very sad - yes, I already knew all this, but I am still sad to be reminded of it.

    1. Re:No character development? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn it, just mentioning the movie "Up" makes me tear up.

      Thanks a lot.

      Damn that was a well done introduction to the movie.

  35. I love the 'not another reboot' crowd. by sunking2 · · Score: 2

    They seem to think that only their childhoods deserved to see these characters on the big screen. I took my son and he enjoyed it as much as I remember enjoying the original in 1978. And from the consumers side that is kinda the whole point.

    1. Re:I love the 'not another reboot' crowd. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They also miss the irony of the fact that they themselves are clinging to a reboot.

    2. Re:I love the 'not another reboot' crowd. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm surprised you slash dot heads put up with "another reboot", its plain greedy and feeds the rich. Hollywood, is just plain rich and greedy and out of touch.

      Hell, Superman, were talking about a comic book character right? Time to grow up.

    3. Re:I love the 'not another reboot' crowd. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Clearly you meant 1948.

  36. Incredibly disappointing by SilverSlimer · · Score: 1

    I was surprised to find that Man of Steel is a rather boring movie considering how much I enjoyed what Snyder did with Watchmen. However, I realize now that the reason Watchmen turned out so well is because the comic book is a frame-for-frame carbon copy of what would eventually be filmed. You can't screw something up if you're copying an award-winning comic. To me, Man of Steel is basically 1978's Superman without all of the charm and with a crapload of special effects added. If anything, it's an insult to audiences in that the producers seem to believe that our attention span is so limited that anything other than an onslaught of buildings collapsing and things exploding will confuse us. This despite the fact that Game of Thrones, in all of its complexity, is dominating audience interest.

  37. My take by mrex · · Score: 1

    I thought the role that dogs played in the movie was actually rather interesting. It's subtle, but there's definitely some subtext and allegory here, perhaps even theology. I also enjoyed the "trust versus verification" aspect - can we learn to co-exist with something or someone beyond our power to dominate and control, learning to accept demotion in the universe and a position of weakness?

    The whole origin story was fantastic. This is probably the richest depiction of Krypton ever. Loved the examples of the evolution of Kryptonian technology. The scene where Supes is being given a retrospective on his world's history was simply top notch.

    Most characters were likewise fantastic. Zod was believable, even a bit sympathetic. The pain he felt was palpable, and the conflict Superman felt when dealing with him, likewise. Fiora was superb, fierce and believable without being over the top or "grrrl". I wish she'd have gotten more screen time. Lois was great in the role of the intrepid reporter.

    Cons included the lack of significant chemistry between Supes and Lois, an ending that was just too neatly wrapped up (huge city largely destroyed, tens of thousands presumably dead, but business-as-usual in the next scene? huh?), some cheesy dialog (Lois's first scene with the military made me cringe), and some two-dimensionality on the part of the secondary characters. I was happy to see the exploration of free will versus determinism, authoritarian control versus individuality, and exceeding the limitations imposed by society, but I thought more could have been made of this.

    All in all, I'm hopeful for more Superman movies like this. There are "bugs" to work out, but finally we have a solid foundation upon which to present the original superhero tale to a new generation.

  38. Strong character development. by GodInHell · · Score: 1

    MILD SPOILER WARNING

    I think they did a good job of building the character from someone who is afraid of being hurt (emotionally) to someone who is willing to trust. That's the arc of the character through this origin movie. Superman is physically impervious, but he's still "human" in his emotions -- and they played it up as well -- when he gets in dialogue with the villains and one of them *literally explains* that the difference between them is morality - he has it, they don't. I do believe that this is a movie targeted to the victims of bullying and their desire to be strong, the fantasy that the only reason the other guy survived is because the bullied kid held back. That may be throwing some people who ... let's just say ... never stood on that side of the line.

    I found the symbolism of the movie - particularly the church scene with the image of Christ in Gethsemane in the background, a bit heavy handed. But this is definitely a movie that will yield scene by scene notes from the director - like the lexicorp gas tankers -- there are gems there to notice if you slow down and look at the whole scene.

    1. Re:Strong character development. by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1

      I found the symbolism of the movie - particularly the church scene with the image of Christ in Gethsemane in the background, a bit heavy handed.

      *spoilers*
      I didn't even pick up on that but my step-son did catch the not-so-subtle inference when we learn he is the same age Jesus was when he was crucified.
      And he was sent to earth by his father to "save" the human race.
      *spoilers*

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    2. Re:Strong character development. by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      I've not seen it yet, but the Jesus-symbolism in the first movie was very ham-fisted.

      The 'same age as Jesus' thing sounds dubious: None of the gospels specifies an age, nor do any other books of the bible, and there are no other surviving sources from the time mentioning Jesus at all. Which is hardly surprising - he was preaching in a backwater of the Roman empire, and didn't become the religious super-star until long after his death.

    3. Re:Strong character development. by SpectreBlofeld · · Score: 1

      Comparing Supes to Jesus seems to be the hot thing to do recently (Superman Returns did the same thing), but they never commit to the parallel and have humanity rise up against him and kill him!

    4. Re:Strong character development. by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1

      While his age is never mentioned it is a widely accepted belief he was at least thirty when he began to preach as this was a requirement for a priest of the order of Melchizedek. His ministry spanned three years before he was crucified making him at least thirty-three at his Crucifixion.

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    5. Re:Strong character development. by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      So 33, give or take a year. Not very precise.

    6. Re:Strong character development. by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1

      It's OK that you didn't know. No need to get defensive.

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
  39. Zod was the most compelling character. by FellowConspirator · · Score: 1

    I saw it yesterday and I am ambivalent. I found it entertaining, but wanting for a Superman story.

    There was a slew more action than there was character development. Zod was the most completely developed, then Clark himself. The seemingly haphazard flashback style of Clark's backstory really didn't help. While the film was entertaining, the action was a little repetitive: lots of stuff tearing through buildings and buildings falling over, ... and over ... and over ... and over. The way Zod meets his demise was pretty uninventive and, for Superman, uncharacteristically low-brow. I love Amy Adams, and I appreciate that she's updated and supposed to be a tough-as-nails reporter with war-time cred -- but you just get that from the story or acting (and I'm quite fond of Amy Adams). If it were a little more like the first Superman movie (with Christopher Reeve, as hokey as that sounds) and a little less Fast and Furious, it would have been a stronger movie. If Lois Lane was a little more Kara Thrace than ... well, Mary from the Muppet Movie, all the better.

    1. Re:Zod was the most compelling character. by geoffrobinson · · Score: 1

      Just an observation: most reviews I've read liked the flashbacks as a storytelling device.

      Also, what do mean by low-brow? Was it worse than how Superman dispatched Zod in Superman II?

      --
      Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
  40. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by geoffrobinson · · Score: 1

    If I like a character, all I really want is more movies to be made in the future. And so I don't care how many tickets are sold. I care that the studio thinks it can make a profit.

    --
    Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
  41. Confusing name by ebcdic · · Score: 1

    I had assumed that "Man of Steel" was a film about Stalin.

    1. Re:Confusing name by Holi · · Score: 1

      You and my damn roommate.

      When was the last time you heard Stalin referred to as the Man of Steel? And how long has Superman been nicknamed the Man of Steel?

      Makes you sound a bit out of touch.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  42. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

    and your point is?

  43. 12-year old kids are Hollywood's new target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hollywood always has to be on some simple-minded kick or other. The current Hollywood trend is to DEMAND that producers/writers/directors aim the expensive blockbusters at the idealised 11/12-year-old demographic. This is a direct consequence of the success of Spielberg's Transformers movies. Hollywood needs to belive there is a brain-dead formula that, if followed, will bring automatic success.

    Now it is assumed your 12-year-old has no filmic memory, and is thus unencumbered by recollections of the best movies from the 70s and 80s. Thus, reboots become possible, driven entirely by CGI spectacle. It is assumed the 12-year old has a poor grasp of logic, narrative, grammar, and plot, allowing Hollywood to employ the worst possible writers whose only skill is banging out a script in a reliable time-frame, and making simplistic references to previous pop-culture concepts.

    Everything is new to a 12-year-old. That kid doesn't even read (remember, I'm talking about the idealised Hollywood representative of the perfect cinema goer). That kid LOVES useless gimmicks like 3D, and is far too thick to notice when a so-called 3D film is actually badly post-converted. For the 12-year-old, the trip to the cinema is a TREAT regardless of how rotten the blockbuster proves to be.

    In Yank-land, where kids are to be treated like toddlers until they are 21 or older, Hollywood assumes that increasingly the 12-year-old is accompanied by many other members of his family. The kids opinion of the best film to go see thus becomes central to Hollywood's thinking.

    Go watch the promotions for the coming giant robot film "pacific rim". People with a long history of making good movies humiliate themselves by repeatedly stating "we aim our film at 12-year-olds". It is the current Hollywood mantra.

    So the new Superman can be one long (once it gets started) CGI action fest with no attempt to make sophisticated viewers feel the narrative weight of the action. The consequence is a film that stands ZERO chance of reaching the box-office heights of Avatar or The Avengers, but a film that will still make a lot of money for Warner Brothers.

    Hollywood loathes SF. Worse, it loathes the idea that a SF movie should still contain logical rules that define its own world. A SF film to Hollywood is a film in which anything can and should happen. So a rebooted Star Trek has a 'transporter' that beams people across interstellar distances, and no-one is supposed to vomit in outrage at this abuse against Star Trek logic. After all, dribble dribble, it's SF, dribble dribble, and in SF, dribble, anything is possible at any time.

    Internal logic allows for successful suspension of disbelief, and an audience that can invest in the lives of the characters onsceen or on the page. No internal logic (cos the script is a pile of puke from Nolan's people or JJ Abrams' people), and the audience feels distant and uninvolved. These films become like a roller-coaster ride, where you TRY to get off on the CGI spectacle, but largely fail to do so.

    PS did you not notice how much Iron Man 3 pandered to 12-year-old kids? That film was written and directed by the person responsible for the best of the hard-R action movies of the 80s, and yet the producers of Iron Man 3 forced Shane Black to utterly humiliate himself by making an Iron Man film that actually steals the climax from Disney's BedKnobs and Broomsticks, and uses it as the basis for the major battle at the end of IM3. Animated suits of armour that can break apart and re-assemble become Stark's animated IM suits that can break apart and reassemble, so that they can (in both cases) fight a bunch of bad guys threatening our heroes.

    PPS the real market Hollywood needs to reach are the ladies. It is the female demographic that was responsible for the success of such diverse movies as Robocop, Reanimator, Avatar, Titanic, and Die-hard. Most women don't like being patronised by 'girly' stuff (although they will flock to watch the best of this sub-genre). Women do like films they can emo

    1. Re:12-year old kids are Hollywood's new target by Holi · · Score: 1

      New target???
      This is summer, it's always about the 12-17 boys in movies during the summer.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
    2. Re:12-year old kids are Hollywood's new target by kaatochacha · · Score: 1

      Hmmm... a reboot of "Bednobs N' Broomsticks"....
      yes, go for it.
      include robots.

  44. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "use the number of tickets sold as the basis for judging whether all-time records have been broken"

    Over the years, what about:

    • increase in population?
    • Increase in # of movie theaters/screens?
    • Or the fact that how many theaters get a film is arbitrary per movie?

    Without taking all that into account, it becomes easier and easier for modern movies to eclipse old movie records.

  45. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by RendonWI · · Score: 1

    But that metric leaves out the un-equal population of people with disposable income enough to go see a movie. So really it would need to be percentage of likely movie goers who saw the movie that weekend.

  46. I won't see it by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Given how much CRAP is put out today, I didn't expect anything different.

    I'm also not sold on dark edgy themed formulas which is what I expected this to be. Plus it seems that many things are intentionally loaded with propaganda for acceptance of the authoritarian world we are heading towards.

    If there is a side agenda to take away the 50s ideal role model, only then would I be interested in seeing it for the culture war.

    I would like to know how these mindless fads happen, where 1 movie tries some new FX like an infinite army running over a hill and then everybody has to do it for years and years as each director/producer catches up with the audiences boredom of it.

  47. Two ways to achieve character growth by Comrade+Ogilvy · · Score: 1

    There are two ways to go:

    (1) Shades of Gray: What a does a Good Guy do when confronted between conflicts involved good people doing bad things and bad people doing good things?

    (2) Traveling Angel: The character growth happens to those around him. Do they choose to become better people when face-to-face with such an example? Or something else?

    Your basic criticism is why my fondness for the TV show Smallville waned. Since Clark is Clark with nowhere to go, and is unwilling to entrust his secret, he becomes the antagonist -- the guy who is trying to prevent character growth. Lex was (often) the protagonist -- the person who was willing to try and change himself and his relationships for the better (even if the risk of failure was not small).

    1. Re:Two ways to achieve character growth by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      (1) Shades of Gray:

      That's where your quote ended on the one-line preview. My first impression was that you were going to import Superman into 50 Shades of Gray. That would certainly liven things up!

  48. Re:Terrible Storytelling in Man of Steel by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

    Superman II is, to my mind, still the best of all the comic book films, and General Zod, as played by Terence Stamp, is right up there with Khan in the list of the great science fiction villains.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  49. B and C are good... by gentryx · · Score: 2

    ...because a hero that is just and purely good and a villain that is only evil are boring. That's just me generally speaking, I haven't seen the movie. But I like it if characters have flaws and the enemy has good traits. It makes decisions and jugement more difficult. This is no Hollywood invention. Japanese movies have this since... there are Japanese movies.

    --
    Computer simulation made easy -- LibGeoDecomp
  50. Parent nailed it by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Exactly nailed it. These reboots are a combo of appealing to the old end of the ideal target demo enough to get them to take their kids - OR more likely, not drive the parents crazy while the CHILDREN watch it.

    The real target is the KIDS who don't know any better and will attach to the franchise and later repeat the cycle and maybe consume some more stuff even though it is a formula and not as good just because of the connection to the past memories. When a fan makes the movie then it bends a bit more towards the older viewers and maybe appeals slightly outside the normal demo but the producers must be hanging around reminding them of the marketing.

    One wonders how much damage is done to children with all these things targeted towards them but combined with things for the parents that would otherwise never be there. I hear from old elementary teachers that children today have a lot of sarcasm but it is worse than that, they don't really understand the sarcasm or expressions they are using.

  51. ...hollow symbol and stock character? by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 0

    Oh good lord people, Super main is a COMIC BOOK CHARACTER. You want literature? Read Dostoyevsky.

    --
    Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
  52. NO more REBOOTS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm tired of reboots. The only reboot that got it right was Batman Begins.

  53. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by Holi · · Score: 1

    Except the metric for whether a movie is successful has nothing to do with how many people saw it, it has to do with how much it makes in profit.

    Profit is actually all that matters with blockbusters.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  54. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by srmalloy · · Score: 1

    ...a whopping $125.1 million....

    With the ever-increasing price of tickets, using revenue as a judge of "record-breaking" is grossly inaccurate, as it erroneously compares unequal ticket prices and ignores the effect of inflation over the years.

    Also note the hedge "...biggest June opening weekend..." to avoid having to admit that it's only the sixth biggest opening weekend. And I fully expect to see future announcements of this type get down to absurdities like "...biggest first week of June opening weekend..." or "...biggest fourth week of July opening weekend among 17-21 year old males of Italian ancestry..." as the studios start scraping the bottom of the bowl in an attempt to find something, anything, positive that they can use to puff a movie and make it look like more of a blockbuster to attract people who otherwise wouldn't go to see it.

  55. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by milkasing · · Score: 1

    With the ever-increasing number channels of viewing movies, using number of tickets sold is grossly inaccurate, as it as it erroneously omits the effect of higher ticket prices on demand and ignores the home theater, dvd, and online streaming boom.
    If you compare the cost of a 1939 ticket ($0.25) in todays prices, it would be only $4 -- which would make movie going far more affordable than $12-16 that a ticket in a major metro like NY costs these days.
    It would be more accurate (though still not completely accurate -- after all the previous generations hardly had the options of home entertainment from video games to the Internet that we have ) to use the inflation adjusted revenue as the basis for judging whether all time records have been broken.

  56. I enjoyed it for what it is, a Superman story. by relaxinparadise · · Score: 1

    I'm watching a pirated copy on a stream right now, but did see it over the weekend at a 3D theater. My opinion is that it's the most enjoyable summer action movie this year so far, at least in comparison to Star Trek: Into Darkness, which was also very good, Fast Furious 6, which delivered on action even though it made little sense, and much more enjoyable than the Tony Stark movie, Iron Man 3, which I didn't particularly enjoy as a whole, even if it had some entertaining parts. I don't get the general disdain on 'reboots' here, but I think people should be able to retell the stories they want. I'm happy to compare and opine on what I like and don't like afterwards.

  57. I was okay by Kimomaru · · Score: 1

    The movie was a little weird. Didn't expect Superman to be learning how to fly a few days before his epic showdown. The soundtrack, especially the score played when he was learning to fly, was kind of weird. Russell Crowe's screen time felt artificially inflated. But I love Zack Snyder (especially Watchmen), so I will likely be picking this up on BluRay. Man of Steel is an example of a movie that can be a little left of center and still be enjoyable. But I'm still scratching my head over the experience.

  58. Question about ending **SPOILER** by Kimomaru · · Score: 1

    How did Clark Kent end up working at the Daily Planet at the end of the movie? The story makes it look like he became a wanderer after high school or something. When did he get a journalism degree? Confused.

    Oh, and while I'm at it - what was Clark Kend doing in the Arctic (where he met Lois Lane). How did that happen?!

    1. Re:Question about ending **SPOILER** by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Oh, and while I'm at it - what was Clark Kend doing in the Arctic (where he met Lois Lane). How did that happen?!

      Was "Arctic" ever specified? All I got was that they were on Canadian soil. Clark was already in Canada working at the bar where he overheard the two army guys talking about the Americans trying to dig up something from under the ice. That piqued his curiousity - showing his reporterly instincts - so he got a job on the base.

      Lois got him the job. It was previously established that his references were fake, so he could've added a fake journalism degree, or just got the job on the Pulitzer prize winner's recommendation.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    2. Re:Question about ending **SPOILER** by Kimomaru · · Score: 1

      Thanks. Point 2 is a little rough, but it's as good an explanation as I can expect to get.

    3. Re:Question about ending **SPOILER** by Kimomaru · · Score: 1

      Oh, but wait - point 2 doesn't pan out. In that scene, doesn't Perry introduce Clark to Lois? She couldn't have recommended him, they seem to be meeting for the first time. So confused. Point 1 still works, though.

    4. Re:Question about ending **SPOILER** by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Lois got her friend, uh, Steve to recommend Clark to Perry to keep him off the scent. In fact, in the next film, she'll act like she never met him before that point, and that she doesn't know he's Superman, even when they're alone so the pretence becomes natural. Yeah, that'll do.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    5. Re:Question about ending **SPOILER** by Kimomaru · · Score: 1

      In the absense of a clear, official explanation this apears to plug the plot hole sufficiently I think. Worthy of a No Prize.

    6. Re:Question about ending **SPOILER** by Your.Master · · Score: 1

      They fished the ship out from Ellesmere island, which is way in the arctic off the northwest coast of Greenland.

      Non-arctic Canada doesn't look like that or have temperatures like those quoted.

  59. Hollywood idea shortage by Animats · · Score: 1

    Now in theaters:

    • Superman N+1
    • Fast and Furious 6
    • The Hangover, Part 3
    • Start Trek N+1
    • Iron Man 3

    Coming Soon, Monsters N+1 and Despicable Me 2.

    Hollywood has a severe idea shortage.

    1. Re:Hollywood idea shortage by H0p313ss · · Score: 1

      Now in theaters:

      • Superman N+1
      • Fast and Furious 6
      • The Hangover, Part 3
      • Start Trek N+1
      • Iron Man 3

      Coming Soon, Monsters N+1 and Despicable Me 2.

      Hollywood has a severe idea shortage.

      It's the 80's all over again, Jaws, Star Wars, Rocky, Rambo, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

      Give it a few years.

      --
      XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
  60. Fantastic by blue9steel · · Score: 1

    What's wrong with you people? They actually make a reboot that's better than any of the originals and all you can do is complain. Frankly I thought it rocked, we had action, character development, a bit of romance, a bad guy that actually makes sense and although there were plenty of special effects they served the story rather than the other way around. I don't see how you could do any better in a movie format.

  61. What broke my suspension of disbelief the most by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The American government letting Lois Lane go even though she knows who superman is.

    The American government not moving Martha Kent to an "undisclosed location" and telling superman to do what they want or she might get ill.

    The aliens, explosions, and fight scenes didn't bother me. The lack of maliciousness of the American government did.

    1. Re:What broke my suspension of disbelief the most by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You apparently didn't pay attention to the end of the movie. They addressed that.

  62. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by medv4380 · · Score: 1

    That's it keep Gone With The Wind at the top forever.

  63. Great movie! by houbou · · Score: 2

    Not for kids, I don't care if they are selling toys.. But it's an awesome movie, I had a blast.. nothing boring. intense and well done. This isn't your kid's Superman. And whether this is by design or not, you will see a lot of resemblance to Tom Welling's Clark Kent in this movie, in all the characters portraying Clark Kent (young and old). Especially at the end when Cavill's Clark Kent meets the Daily Planet staff. Strong story and great effects. Amazing action scenes. there are some plot holes, but it's not that bad. I was surprised at how solid the writing was. However this is what I found. The Kryptonian suits are supposed to be filtering everything in/out. When their suit broke during battle, because they have no experience with the surges of powers they are getting, their senses become super-charged and makes them confused. It means that while in the suits, there are no Yellow sun radiation, no atmosphere, nothing. So, Kryptonians shouldn't have any powers, while in their suits. I had no problems with the super-surges, but, I had a problem that they shouldn't have been able to fight Superman to a stand still while in the protections of their suits.
    I need to see this movie again, I'm sure there are other things, but seriously, that seems to be the only thing I can think of which I found could be better handled. Not bad at all when all things are considered!

  64. My son and I gave it 8 out of 10 by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Great movie.

    We saw it in 3D IMAX which is a bit intense, but it should be great in 2D as well.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  65. Wake me in a few years ... by Kittenman · · Score: 1

    ... when we're done with these comic-book characters. Spiderman, Superman, Batman, the reboots, the sequels... let's move on.

    I mean it - please, god, make it stop.

    --
    "The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
  66. Favorite quote by invient · · Score: 1

    "as history shows, evolution always wins" - from a being that was essentially cloned over and over again for centuries...effectively stating she was going to lose. Other lines were just as bad, it was a horribly written script that adhered very little to the comic story.

  67. Leftist Hollywood Sewage by JimtownKelly · · Score: 1

    I gave up when "Superman Returns" but not to fight for the American Way.

    --
    -- Jimtown Kelly
  68. Re:Good movie by Rakarra · · Score: 1

    IM3 was very entertaining, and I walked out thinking I'd go see it again. But before I got home I was already in "that was just dumb" mode.

    Iron Man 3 needed more Iron Man being Iron Man and less "30 empty Iron Man suits flying around ever so conveniently" while Tony Stark leaps off of girders.

    Ben Kingsley's character however.. both in performance and what they did with him in the plot, were fantastic.

  69. Re:Metric should be number of tickets, not revenue by geoffrobinson · · Score: 1

    Studios care about money not number of tickets.

    --
    Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
  70. Obligatory Niven quote : by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
    Just to put this "Man of Steel" character into context, from a 1971 essay by "Grand Old Man of SF" Larry Niven entitled "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" :

    Consider the driving urge between a man and a woman, the monomaniacal urge to achieve greater and greater penetration. Remember also that we are dealing with kryptonian muscles.

    Superman would literally crush LL's body in his arms, while simultaneously ripping her open from crotch to sternum, gutting her like a trout.

    IV

    Lastly, he'd blow off the top off of her head.

    I gather (from puff pieces like this submission on Slashdot) that there may be yet another Superman movie in progress. Is it likely to address these important parts of the myth, AND be worth watching?

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  71. Free Movie ad? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This isn't news.
    Move this to the supermarket checkout aisles.

  72. Re:Terrible Storytelling in Man of Steel by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

    But what was with ripping his S off his chest and throwing it?