ToughLoveDeac
Ricky Peral
Saw it at a midnight showing and it was truly awful. Both my roommates agreed.
RT score still above 50% though, so maybe I'm way off.
RT score still above 50% though, so maybe I'm way off.
The fractured narrative structure was very well done, and helped it to avoid the monotony that is usually present in the first half of any origin story, especially one that is so well known, and has been done before.
But, the glimpses we get of Clark's childhood are enough for us to know his struggles, and I completely disagree with the notion that this is an emotionless movie. I thought the scenes with Johnathan and Martha Kent were incredibly stirring, and Kevin Costner was particularly good, that tornado scene was incredibly resonant.
I'll say more about the action as more people see it, but I think Snyder was able to visualize, like nobody ever has, just how powerful Superman is. The battles between him and the Kryptonians were exhilarating. It's a visceral and aural assault for sure, but I don't consider that to be a bad thing.
Worse than the first Christopher Reeve one?
Ph - It's funny you mentioned Smallville. I've actually never seen it, but from what friends have described, it sounds like that show is what I wanted this movie to be. I thought Costner was good (Lane as well, though she wasn't given too much), and I would have liked a movie where it's just Clark being a kid trying to grow up struggling to contain these abilities and relate to his parents, classmates, etc.
And I guess I can sort of give them credit for trying a different narrative structure (jumping around from 5 minute scene to 5 minute scene, back and forth through time), but there's a reason most movies aren't made that way: it's difficult to string along a narrative.
Nah, that was Superman III. The first one was awesome. Best Superman movie ever.The one with Richard Pryor in it. Ugh.
Just got back from seeing it, and I have mixed feelings that sort of mirror this thread so far.
The first act was pretty strong. I love the way Krypton was (albeit briefly) explored with Jor El and Zod...honestly, I thought they could have spent an hour on Krypton and I would have loved it. Crowe did a great job with his character. At this point I'm feeling pretty good about the movie...
...and then we get to the second act. There was a point in the second act where I thought "Oh, no...this movie is terrible." I understand the points ToughLoveDeac makes above...but the plot became disjointed, the character development was nonexistent, and too many things just made no sense at all. The whole endeavor felt rushed, as if they felt they just couldn't put off getting him in a cape any longer. I actually thought this act would have been stronger had the storytelling shifted to Lois Lane. I was far more interested in the concept of Superman as Bigfoot than the half-hearted cut scenes of Clark as a kid or his random acts of heroism that all seemed out of context. Lois tracking his exploits as a reporter would have been a much better narrative (and beats all the origin story cliches). Everything here was just lacking. And why the hell was Zod interested in bringing Lois on the ship, again? Did I miss something?
Then we get to the third act, which isn't bad, but isn't really good either. The cinematography seemed made for IMAX...the action is massive in scale and speed. The power exhibited by God-like characters is always cool no matter how much you see it (although I did find myself saying "Wait...they leveled Metropolis in the first movie?") I didn't finally feel anything towards Superman until the final scene with Zod and the gut-wrenching decision he had to make. That scene resonated, I thought, where much of the film failed to do so. At the very end, though, I had really hoped we would avoid Clark Kent, Daily Planet reporter...the concept seems dated, but I know people were waiting for it.
I though the villains were strong, while every other character went underdeveloped and didn't resonate. Diane Lane did stand out, as did Crowe and Zod (actors name escapes me). Cavill and Adams were good, but weren't really given a chance to stand out due to the weak nature of the plot.
The movie isn't bad...it really isn't. I'd tell friends to see it. Its weaknesses are just glaring.