Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Superman Related Post-Viewing Discussion: Man of Steel movie (SPOILERS)

I went over to the WB site to see more about their WB Archive Instant Viewing channel (hoping it might have Smallville, it doesn't, but does have Superboy... sorry, that's not worth an extra monthly fee), but I digress. The MoS movie is being released on DVD on Nov. 12th in case anyone is wondering.

Thanks for the info!

I've been listening to the 3-hr podcast from the Thrilling Adventures of Superman, where a bunch of hard-core Superman fans* and bloggers (from Superman homepage, movies.com, GoldenAgeSuperman, New52Superman, SupermanForever.com, GreatKrypton.com, SupermanPodcastNetwork.com) and other websites / podcasts discuss Man of Steel from June 14th 2013, right after they all watch the Man of Steel for the first time. It's an interesting listen because they explain and discuss a bunch of things that happen in the film through the lens of someone who KNOWS basically everything from Superman TV shows, movies, and comics. Characters and plot devices we totally panned are explained as coming from this comic, the silver era, the golden era, or a reference to that, etc. It really makes me want to see the film again to see if having heard this discussion changes how I feel about some of the things that really bothered when I watched it originally. It's fun to hear hard-core Superman fans gush about how excited they were to see the film and their favorite bits.

They also discuss their ideas for what would be a good sequel. (Hey, look, Batman isn't even mentioned in this context. Hee-hee.) From Lex Luthor becoming president from his rebuilding of Metropolis after the invasion, to Lex Luthor going after Superman after he lost everything due to the invasion, to Lex Luthor going bald because of the invasion and blaming Superman.

While they aren't a big fan of Dean Cain's portrayal of Superman (they didn't knock his Clark, though), they do state (and I don't think it's sarcastic or tongue-in-cheek) that their favorite of all time Perry White is Lane Smith.

WARNING: They are big fans of Smallville, so they often make references to that show. On a positive note, they all hate Superman Returns as much as I do, so that gives them a little more credence than if they had loved it.

They mentioned that there was a 3-hour director's cut of the film that the theatrical version was carved out of, which would be interesting to see. Has anyone see or heard about that version? Or seen it available? (Although, this type of thing usually isn't available so soon after the theatrical version is available and probably won't be released until MoS's 10th anniversary). It isn't the version on my "special edition" Man of Steel DVD, I know that much.

I know this discussion is longer than the actual film itself, but I broke up listening to it over several days, while making dinner, eating lunch, balancing the checkbook, etc. instead of listening to music.

Has time and distance changed your opinion of the film any? Have you been following the coverage of what's going on with the sequel or are you trying to avoid it (as I have)?

*The panel: Michael Bailey, Michael Bradley, Jeffrey Taylor, J. David Weter, and Jon M. Wilson

I recall hearing requests for the cut scenes to be included in the DVD, but Snyder made it clear he wasn't interested in Showing it/releasing it. I do recall an interview with the guy that wrote the novelization, and he had a number of the cut scenes in it, so that's about as close as you're going to get to seeing it.

There are definitely things they love about Lois and Clark, but at the end of the day, many of the current set of fans are more interested in superheroic elements than the day-to-day (hence, why they appreciate his Clark, especially in comparison to the previous "milquetoast Clark" that Reeve showcased so flawlessly, but if they were to be asked for their favorite overall, it's often Reeve).

The disdain for Superman Returns is almost universally panned, even among fans of the Reeve universe. The idea that he'd leave the world after a pledge like he made at the end of Suoerman II, it was uncharacteristic of him.

I listened to that podcast, too. I enjoy a lot of the Superman podcasts, even if I disagreed with many of their assessment of Dean Cain's Superman. (L&C was my gateway drug to all thing Superman.)

They definitely help make the commute to work more enjoyable. I've also found an iOS program ("Capti") that easily lets me import fanfic and then read will read it aloud to me. I've been enjoying some of the old classics on the archive that I hadn't found time to sit down and read. I'm currently listening to Yvonne Connell's excellent "Fear of Discovery" series.

Joy,
Lynn

Joy,
Lynn

I wouldn't say that Dean Cain's Superman is the best, but his Clark definitely is.

Ken has mentioned doing something like that, too. I think that's above my tech skills at the moment. I'm amazed I figured out how to do podcasts. I stumbled across this podcast when looking for the radio show podcast you mentioned on an earlier post. I'm currently listening to him describe and read the Golden Age Superman comics in podcast, which I'm hoping will increase my Superman knowledge. Although, at 45 minutes a comic, it might be slow going.

I'm in complete agreement. I love the sense of alienness that only Christopher Reeves has given to Superman, but Dean Cain's Clark is second to none. Still, I don't think Dean's Superman was as bad as the podcasters make him out. Well, not after the pilot, anyway. I must admit that his Superman left a lot to be desired there -- but it could be argued that that was deliberate; that is, one could say that Dean was doing a good job of portraying Clark making his first tentative, fumbling steps at establishing his new persona.

The Golden Age Superman is very different from the L&C one, that's for sure. He's actually much closer to the New 52 version. I like the Golden Age Superman for what he is -- a character of his period, not to mention the first Superman. But I must admit that if he were the only version of Superman I had ever encountered, and if he were presented as a modern day character, I would not like him at all. He's entirely too violent for my tastes. He doesn't seem to care at all if the bad guys die; after all, they're villains, so they are just getting what they deserve. A far cry from the versions Superman I genuinely enjoy.

Enjoy exploring other areas of the greater Superverse.

Joy,
Lynn

I don't know if this was mentioned before (because I'm too tired to go back and re-read all 7 pages of this thread), but I just received the comic Superman: Earth One (vol. 1) for Christmas (and the Death of Superman, but that topic is for another thread). I noticed many of the same themes (plot lines) from this comic were in MoS (and presumably come up in BMvsSM). I wish if MoS was based on this comic they had based it even more so and kept the same villain.* As many of you who know me from my rants, I'm a big hater of Zod. Having him be the big baddie in this film (as in SM:2) seemed repetitive and a lot of been there, done that. Anyway, if anyone else has read this comic, I'd love to know your thoughts on this.

* SPOILER from Superman:Earth One Comic Reading this comic gave me more insight into the MoS movie than I ever expected. It was really good. I'll have to look and see what/if any sequels are available. I do have a birthday coming up.