69 replies to this topic

[Mark Millar]

henry-cavill-superman-man-of-steel-2.jpg

 

It's hard to put a finger on it, but sometimes it just feels right. Curt Swan and Alex Ross have captured Superman better than any other artist. Cary Bates, Elliot Maggin, Mark Waid, Gerry Conway and Alan Moore have nailed it more than any other writer. There have been some brilliant creators on Superman over the years telling wonderful stories, but my radar is attuned and I can spot an impersonation. Jose Luis Garcia Lopez draws a guy I believe is Superman just like Alex Ross can. But others can't regardless of how brilliant they may be. It's just an X-factor or an understanding of the character.

 

Anyway, it's the same with casting. So many people been pored over all the years and so many of them close, but wrong. Brandon Routh is actually brilliant and you only have to see Scott Pilgrim to see how impeccable his timing is. But he looked more like Christopher Reeve than Superman. Dean Cain, Tom Welling and all the others were completely wrong for the part and the big names mooted were never right either. But I completely buy Cavill in this role. That instinctive gut feeling that I'm looking at a pic of Superman.

 

I don't even mind the costume. Losing the trunks was pointless, throws the balance of the design off and looks truly, truly HORRIBLE in the comics. But the muted colours work really well, those dark blues and reds really making the pics look very rich and regal. I love how this is looking. Cavill was a great choice, but then Snyder has a great eye. Cracking team behind this so I have high hopes.

 

MM

[AGlass]

I couldn't agree more. Can't wait to see the finished film.

[Will]

I'm not completely sold on the movie yet but I agree with you on Cavill. He looks like how Superman should look; I can buy him as easily as I can Reeve.

[stephanie familiar]

i prefer the chris reeve-as-superman look, which routh had down pat. 

[Ron Mays Jr]

 

I agree, Chief.  I can't wait to see Man of Steel.

[jamon g]

yeah but i nearly fell asleep during the trailer. another origin story with evil bad guy take over the world jammed into the last half hour

[Miqque Loveland]

Again, look at those PAWS on Cavill. I have a friend, Rudi, who is a guitar teacher. Hands like that run in the family, and they are pretty amazing. Lots of people can buff up and still not get the look. Note here Cavill's belt is yellow/gold and has specific curves built in. First thing I said about the new suit was that the belt needed to be yellow. Don't like the quilting much, but I think the rest looks right; and the cape is long enough!

I liked the early pic smashing out of the vault or whatever. I did NOT like either of the trailers thus far. Richard Donner could keep us waiting an hour, but nowadays I think audiences need some major action in about 20 minutes. Would make sense, flashing back to infantile memory on Krypton and with Zoddie and such (son of at least one genius, no one ever said Superman was forgetful - and by rights should have a "super-memory").

Forget which issue of Action/Superman Nicola Scott drew, but she, too, brought it home perfectly, and her job was hard. "Superman" had to be just a little "off" most of the issue, being a chameleonic alien, but when the real Superman appeared there was no doubt he was The Man Himself.

Mark - What do you think of the "Jenny Olsen" business? The rumour Jimmy will be Jenny in the film?

[Richard W. Smith]

yeah but i nearly fell asleep during the trailer. another origin story with evil bad guy take over the world jammed into the last half hour

That was my feeling exactly. So tired of seeing superhero origins retold over and over and over again. The Amazing Spider-man fell into this trap and spent way too much time re-telling Spidey's origin, which everyone already knows. Bit by an irradiated or genetically altered spider. Done. Why spend most of the movie on it? Same with Superman. The origin should take ten minutes tops. Dying planet, parents put son on rocket, he crashes to Earth. Done.

If FOX decides to use Days of Future Past to reboot the X-franchise, I really hope they just hit the ground running in the reboot and don't feel the need to do another origin story for the X-men.

[Chris D]

Cavill looks the part just fine (although I still don't much care for the suit redesign).  He's the least of my worries when it comes to Man of Steel.  Fingers crossed, though.

 

 

That was my feeling exactly. So tired of seeing superhero origins retold over and over and over again. The Amazing Spider-man fell into this trap and spent way too much time re-telling Spidey's origin, which everyone already knows. Bit by an irradiated or genetically altered spider. Done. Why spend most of the movie on it? Same with Superman. The origin should take ten minutes tops. Dying planet, parents put son on rocket, he crashes to Earth. Done.

If FOX decides to use Days of Future Past to reboot the X-franchise, I really hope they just hit the ground running in the reboot and don't feel the need to do another origin story for the X-men.

 

Again, this is mostly a comic fan complaint.  Superman's origin has been told a grand total of one time in the movies.  And that was 35 years ago.  Batman's origin has really only been explored once.  The X-Men only once.  Spider-Man is the only one that's done the full origin treatment twice.  And yeah, that was overkill only because it hadn't been that long since the first Spider-Man movie.

 

And First Class is an origin story, so if Days of Future Past is a "reboot", they've already gotten the basic origin out of the way.  Though it's not like we've ever had a X-Men origin movie with the proper First Class.

 

I know we as comic fans are sick to death of origins, especially Superman's, but this isn't a movie for us.  It's a movie the millions of younger viewers who didn't grow up with Superman: The Movie.  And I don't want to hear anything about Smallville.  Firstly, because it's an awful origin for the character, and secondly because even that show only drew a fraction of the audience Man of Steel will need to reach in order to be successful.

Edited by Chris D, 29 January 2013 - 06:17 PM.

[Mike]

There's no rational basis for this, but Cavill just looks too, I dunno, regal? aristocratic? in that picture. He looks like a Superman who'd be staring down his nose at you.

 

Supercilious. That's the word. 

[Jim Ohara]

Christopher Reeve will always be Superman for me. Thought it might be interesting to put the two side by side. Very telling to see how different the publicity stills are when 40 years apart.

 

[Robert B]

Christopher Reeve will always be Superman for me. Thought it might be interesting to put the two side by side. Very telling to see how different the publicity stills are when 40 years apart.

 

 

 

I don't know who the guy on the right is but I bet his band's awesome.

[Chris D]

I miss the yellow in the new costume.

[Stephen G]

i prefer the chris reeve-as-superman look, which routh had down pat. 

 

I agree. I'm a big Routh fan, as the Man of Steel. 

 

I am not sold on this, at all. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie almost entirely, at this point, to see if I'll be surprised. My expectations are pretty low, though. 

[Jim Ohara]

I agree. I'm a big Routh fan, as the Man of Steel. 

 

I am not sold on this, at all. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie almost entirely, at this point, to see if I'll be surprised. My expectations are pretty low, though. 

 

I'm the opposite of you. I thought Routh looked like a teenager pretending to be Superman, whereas Cavill at least looks like a man. And I think the new movie is going to be fantastic. I think it'll elevate above the normal Superman concept in the same way Nolan's Batman did. It's about a prince destined to become God/King some day, just like Batman is really about a boy dealing with the grief of the loss of his father (the underlying theme of "Why do we fall Bruce?").

[Dave Wallace]

I know we as comic fans are sick to death of origins, especially Superman's, but this isn't a movie for us.  It's a movie the millions of younger viewers who didn't grow up with Superman: The Movie. 

I agree. I always thought it was odd that Singer's movie didn't retell the origin and start from scratch.

[Sean Robinson]

He does have a good look for Superman, and I'm genuinely excited for this movie. Sure hope Snyder pulls this off, and I expect he will.

[jamon g]

I agree. I always thought it was odd that Singer's movie didn't retell the origin and start from scratch.

probably because its boooooooring. everyone knows the origin. every cartoon, tv series, movie, movie sequel, comic book, radio serial etc etc. either flashes back to the origin, or is about the origin, or discusses the origin.

superman can't take a dump without some random flashback to ma and pa kent and his origin. it's totally lazy writing because it's like 'oh man, it's so hard to come up with a good story with him, i know just spend half the episode flashing back to his origin'.

seriously it is so lame, and can be done in a montage of about 5 minutes. If you can't think of a new treatment, give it to someone who can. don't just change his suit and call it a new movie

[Arjan Dirkse]

Superman's origin is the opposite of lame. It's an archetypical story, the orphan who gets adopted in a new home and has to get to grips with being in a new home that will never be his home. No matter how many times it is told, it stays fresh.

 

Lazy writing can still be a problem of course. 

[Christian U]

probably because its boooooooring. everyone knows the origin. every cartoon, tv series, movie, movie sequel, comic book, radio serial etc etc. either flashes back to the origin, or is about the origin, or discusses the origin.

superman can't take a dump without some random flashback to ma and pa kent and his origin. it's totally lazy writing because it's like 'oh man, it's so hard to come up with a good story with him, i know just spend half the episode flashing back to his origin'.

seriously it is so lame, and can be done in a montage of about 5 minutes. If you can't think of a new treatment, give it to someone who can. don't just change his suit and call it a new movie

 

 

I don't think the reason is lazy writing at all - anyone who gets a job like writing a Superman movie is not yawning and thinking, how can I fill up a lot of time without having to do any actual work for it - it's a wrong understanding of what the audience wants and needs.

 

Other than that, I completely agree. I wish they'd just get on with it and cut out the big origin stories.

 

 

On the other hand, I thought the Superman trailer was nothing short of brilliant. Which doesn't say much about the movie yet, as Snyder has a way better track record wit brilliant trailers than with brilliant movies, but my hopes are still up.