EPISODE #1 I’m a previous member who hasn’t been on for a while. I’m back though with a new series called Superhero Showdown where we compare and contrast films to one another. For our first episode I’m tackling the most famous superhero of all. SUPERMAN. He has had many adaptations but today we’ll be looking at SUPERMAN- THE MOVE and the recently released MAN OF STEEL
Each category a movie wins, they are awarded a point. Winner of the STORY category is awarded three points. The overall winner is the one with the most points at the end. Pretty simple, right? Let’s begin.
THE TRAILER: I consider making a trailer an art form of sorts. With so many movies coming out it these days, it takes some encouragement to get us to see the movie in question. So what the hell, I’ll give a point for that.
Superman: The Movie had a great trailer. Accompanied by Brando’s haunting dialogue, sharp narration, and John Williams’ iconic score, it’s not hard to imagine how easily superhero fans got excited for this first super blockbuster film. The only real downside is that this qualifies as more of a teaser by today's standards. It only really showed you the first act of the film with no footage from any other segment. Then again....with how much trailers spoil these days, that could be seen as a positive.
Zac Snyder on the other hand has made a couple stinker films but he has NEVER made a bad trailer. In fact, he’s got the art down to perfection. Man of Steel is no different. The trailer made the film look epic and accompanied by strong narration and Zimmer’s beating score, I’d put this up as one of the top trailers of last year.
Winner-
Man of Steel THE ACTOR: We go to see these films to witness our heroes brought to life and to see them on screen in-motion. It’s the actor who must take on the hefty challenge of appeasing the longtime fans.
This one isn’t that hard for me. Christopher Reeve has become the gold plate standard that all other Supermen are now held to. He set the bar, not with his physique but with his charm. He earns bonus points for portraying two characters in one film, as his Clark Kent and Superman are such different performances. Much of the 1978 Superman’s success is due to this actor’s charisma in the duel role.
Yet, I wouldn’t put Henry Cavill out in the pasture. He definitely looks the part more and is well build for the role. He also brings a Superman to the screen that edges closer to the mannerisms of the one from the comics. Yet his Clark Kent and Superman are pretty much the same person in this film (though we might see that change some in a sequel) and that takes out a bit of the fun. Henry Cavill might be the second best person to play the role, but Christopher Reeve is still to Superman what Sean Connery is to James Bond.
Winner-
Superman: The Movie THE COSTUME: One thing we comic book fanatics LOVE to do is nit pick every tiny detail on an adapted character, and who am I to refuse this tradition.
Though Reeve’s costume may be closer to the one from the comics, Man of Steel takes this one. Sure they forego the outwards underwear but the costume is well modernized for today’s audiences. It has good colors that work in both moody and bright settings; it has lot of texture, and my “Oh My” that long glamorous cape! Most of all though it is the large “S” symbol on the chest. That’s the standout feature. It’s well conceived to cover most of the chest, which draws the eye and makes it imposing. On the downside the lack of the underwear means there is no color to break up the blue. They try to add some silver in to compensate but many times that silver almost blends in and makes the blue look like a leotard.
Reeve’s suit has certainly become dated over the years. It’s bad enough that it looks like something bought out of a Halloween store but the bland color and lack of dimension is what really kills it. Points are given for being an almost direct translation from the comics, but in the end the steady progression of time has made it look less badass and more corny.
Winner-
Man of Steel THE VISUALS/EFFECTS: This is tougher than you think. Sure by today’s standards Man of Steel easily wins, but when you consider that Superman: The Movie’s effects were breakthrough for its time; it makes it harder to choose.
Zac Snyder’s superman might be filmed with a bland dull grey color pallet, but it makes up for it with the stunning effects. The look of Krypton is fantastic and the computer made world and technology all look staggeringly real. In parts it’s too real for some—especially when you get into the 9/11 inspired imagery. Yet one thing you can always count on Zac Snyder for is making a beautiful film and that’s just what he did here.
Richard Donner on the other hand crafted an equally beautiful film for its time. In contrast it uses bright colors to bring out a sense of fantasy and a more lighthearted tone. His had a unique interpretation of Krypton, highlighting the use of crystals as an almost mythological form of technology. The destruction scene for the planet still looks great today. However a lot of the effects don’t stand up and even though I appreciate the simpler and pretty cinematography from Donner, this one has to go to Snyder if only for having the technology to really fully capture his vision.
Winner-
Man of Steel ACTION: Is this even a contest? Man of Steel by a landslide. Snyder’s film was packed full of action to a fault. On one hand he managed to capture the awesome powers of the Kryptonians. Super speed, strength, invulnerability, heat vision,…you got it all. And it looked great. Unfortunately it also had the downside of running too long with a lack of development. It started to feel like 40 minutes of people punching and tackling each other. To make matters worse, Superman never really needs to think to defeat his more skilled opponents, he just roars like a lion and PUNCHES HARDER. It’s a issue that comes from having a character with no power cap and can be as strong as the writers need him to be, whenever they want him to be.
Still there are some fantastic action moments such as the brawl at Smallville and the opening on Krypton. It’s in Metropolis where things get messy.
Richard Donner was far more restricted by the technology at the time. That might have factored into his decision to go for a more romantic storyline for Superman. There isn’t much crime fighting in his movie, mostly preventing disasters and saving people (something Man of Steel could have used more of). Some of these scenes still look great and others falter. In the end this still easily goes to Man of Steel for successfully portraying Superman’s powers and giving us some spectacular fight scenes.
Winner-
Man of Steel THE LOVE INTEREST/ FEMALE LEAD: Let me start by saying I LOVE Amy Adams. She is a versatile actor that can play many different rolls convincingly, from a Disney princess in Enchanted to a foul-mouthed hardass in the Fighter. That’s why it grief’s me to say that I feel she was both miscast, underused, and poorly written for Man of Steel. Lois Lane should be the likable asshole. She is quick witted, smart and sexy. Adams got the sexy and asshole down, but we missed any sharp snarky comments from her or likability, really.
Worst yet, the scrip had no idea what to do with her and tried to hard to make her not just a damsel in distress. I loved the idea of her trying to track down a mystery hero, but as soon as she finds him it is all-downhill. She is tossed on a Krypton ship for a throwaway reason, goes commando with some help from Jor-El, and is put on a military airplane so she can…..push a button.
She lacks any real chemistry with Cavill and when you get to the kiss it feels false. Like it was an obligation, not really natural. I got flashbacks to the end kiss in Batman Begins. Adams Lois is dry and boring.
Margot Kidder isn’t a whole lot better. She get irritating at times but is saved by the chemistry that she shares with Reeve. When in scenes together they play off one another well and are enjoyable to watch. The fact that the film pushes a romantic storyline helps us to like her and forgive a lot of Kidder’s shortcomings. Kidder also has more success with Lois’ snarky attitude, even if she goes overboard at times. Neither is really the definitive Lois, but Kidder skims this one by Adams on account of her chemistry with Reeve.
Winner-
Superman: The Movie SUPPORTING CAST: When you’ve got an acting legend like Marlon Brando on your cast call sheet, you’ve already won this. Bando is fantastic in the film and gives it some much-needed dramatic weight. Not only that but the Daily Planet really did have a fun community feel to it with Jackie Cooper as the cigar chewing Perry and the enthusiastic young photographer Jimmy Olsen standing by. Glenn Ford‘s role as the adoptive father, Jonathan, may have been brief but was memorable for his words of wisdom and a death even Superman couldn’t stop.
Man of Steel really lacked a strong supporting cast. Russell Crow played a strong Jor-El but doesn’t hold a candle to the gravitas Brando brought with him. Kevin Costner as Jonathan gave some great emotional moments, but his motivation didn’t always make sense and his death scene drew some laughs in my theater. As for the Daily Planet……The daily who? Laurence Fishburne is forgettable, most people still don’t know who that woman was supposed to be, and then there’s some asshole who hits on Lois but is never mentioned by name (except in credits). Besides that I don’t know who they are and I never really cared much about them in the climax. The actors were good and I can only hope they flush out these characters better in the sequel.
Winner-
Superman: The Movie The Villains: This is a very difficult one to judge because they are so different. Gene Hackman played a very offbeat Lex Luthor. He wasn’t much like his comic counterpart but every time he was on screen he chewed up the scene. He really was a source of a lot of the fun to Superman: The Movie, even if his nefarious scheme was ludicrous. Yet considering the campy nature of the 1978 film, it worked within the world they built.
Michael Shannon however, is one of my favorite actors working today. The role of Zod was made famous by Terrance Stamp, but Shannon brings enough new material that he equals that performance from 1980. He manages to find a way to make the war monger, violent, genocidal general somehow sympathetic and I loved that aspect with this new Zod. On the downside the character suffered from some poor writing choices that made his dialogue at times unbearable. Also his motivation at points is a little confusing and his arrival on earth comes with plot holes.
This is a tougher decision. Gene Hackman might have a silly scheme and is nothing like Lex Luthor, but he was a whole lot of fun to watch….. but at the same time Shannon brought a real threat with him.
Winner-
Tie MUSIC: Hans Zimmer originally did not want to score Man of Steel, claiming it would be a “thankless task”. Regrettably he was right. John Williams Superman theme is one of the most iconic scores ever written. That’s not to say Zimmer did a poor job. Man of Steel had a solid score that uniquely highlighted the use of percussion. If fit the tone of the film well, even if I can barely remember it or hum it.
Yet the John Williams score brought in that triumphant orchestration that has now become the norm for superhero films. He set the standard for music in the genre and not one kid in America pretends to be Superman without singing that theme. It is iconic to the character so much that people were a little disappointed that it didn’t show up in any form in Man of Steel. Many, such as myself, were hoping they might do what James Bond or the new Star Trek did and feature it credits only.
In the end the makers chose to leave it out, which isn’t a bad choice but it certainly is a theme that will be missed.
Winner-
Superman: The Movie STORY: So why is this worth three points and the other topics only one? Well because story is the most important element in a film. You can have horrible effect and a good story and have a good movie. It doesn’t always work the other way around.
Man of Steel with all its awesome effects and action had trouble with this area. The opening half uses a nonlinear timeline that throws off the pacing and makes it difficult to connect with any of the characters. Especially when some are dead one scene and alive the next. It can be a little jarring at times, even if it's intention was to give the film a more unique origin narrative. The first half was the most interesting as it focused on Kent’s travels, powers and past. It suffered some bad dialogue and pushed the theme of “hope” too hard (it being mentioned every other line) but the ideas were solid. I liked the concept of trying to turn Superman into an enigma again. Then came the second half where all story went out the window for mindless action, which completely throws away the forced theme of hope and any character development. The fights dragged on so long as to become dull. It also suffers from a tone that might be too grim for a Superman film. Not only does it lack comedy but it lacks emotion of any kind (with exception to a few with young Clark). This leads to an empty vapid feeling that leaves the audience without a since of fun, wonderment, or even drama.
Superman: The Movie might fail as an action film, but that is never what the makers were trying to do. They were pushing the romance and comedy far stronger. This might have made for a less dramatic movie but it gave it a lot of heart. Like Man of Steel, the beginning is probably stronger with the third act being the weakest. The beginning origin is very well done and dramatically strong. The middle with Superman finding his place in the world is also fun but then the third act falls into mediocre effects and weak writing. Yes it is insanely corny and dated. Yes there is no real threat in it. Yes there is a lackluster daues ex machina at the end. But it is carried by the charisma of the cast and an attention to what made the character popular in the first place.
Winner-
Superman: The Movie Superman: The Movie- 7.5
Man of Steel- 4.5 WINNER- SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE In the end Superman is a fantastical and romantic figure and when you strip him of that in an attempt to make him mentally traumatized, you lose much of what made that character memorable in the first place. In the end as corny, dated, and silly as Superman: The Move is, it understood that and succeeded in capturing the magic of the character for many generations.
So what do you think? Who wins each category for you and why? Post your answers in the comment section below and thanks for reading. If you liked the article, be sure to hit the thumbs up button.