Advice From a Fanboy: Superman Edition

[Whispering Death]

This has failure written all over it. It's like they're trying to re-create Batman Begins and just insert another main character which is not what the Superman character is.

Superman doesn't work in the modern day because he's an anachronism. He is one of the most simple super-hero characters by virtue of the fact he was one of the first. There's little depth or interest to his story. Everyone knows it: the damsel gets in distress, superman is powerful and almost saves her, then Kryptonite shows up in one form or another, but not-so-shockingly the Kyrptonite is removed by help from an unlikely ally, and Superman wins the day.

He existed in a time where spandex was a really modern invention and having a cape was new and novel. Where journalists were thought of as "cool". And when phone booths actually existed.

It's a simple story and an anachronism that doesn't translate into modern cinema. They keep trying to make it work because Superman is such a well-known brand. And maybe if they add enough explosions and monster robots they can get people to see it. But it will never be good.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

You can't alienate the Smallville fanbase. Yes, they watch Smallville. However, because of them watching Smallville they will be more likely to see the Superman movie. More people seeing the movie means more chances that more superhero movies will come into play. They have Batman, Green Lantern, Superman is coming out, Wonder Woman TV show. Now to get Green Arrow.

The point isn't to alienate them, the point is to simply not care about what transpires on Smallville, a show that barely anyone watches, which is thus entirely irrelevant to the overwhelming majority of folks likely to go watch a new Superman movie. It's Dawson's Creek with superheroes - the dedicated fans of that show are the folks who would be happy just watching Dawson's Creek.

Those people are not really the audience for a new Superman movie, and designing the film to appeal to them is going to alienate all the people who don't watch Smallville now (which is almost everyone, because very few people actually watch Smallville). Ergo, do what you like, and if the Smallville viewership doesn't like the results than that's their tough luck.

 

[Endocrom]

Advice From a Fanboy: Superman Edition

Do Not Listen To Fans

-

The following sentence is false.

The previous sentence is true.

(hope you have paradox-absorbing crumple zones)

 

[Doclector]

I like smallville. I hate(!) superman movies. I've never read the comics though...

The superman movies were all complete cheesefests which I found myself not being able to get through. Except for returns. Which wasn't so cheesy, it just...kinda...sucked. That, and due to the superman curse, I still blame superman 3 for the death of Richard Pryor. On top of a load of other things you could blame superman 3 for...

In my view, Nolan's gotta hit the middle ground here. Superman's gotta be superman, obviously, he's gotta be completely spectacular, but it's gotta come without the cheese IMO. And of course, a gritty "dark knight" approach isn't going to work on superman, they're too wildly different.

As for smallville, what the hell, I ain't gonna go mad over some probabally small error. I like smallville because it's enjoyable nonsence, the kind that seems devoid (mostly) of the cheese that put me off the movies. I really don't care if the appearance of Quan Zee doesntexist in series 50 billion negates the events of the movie, honestly, I'm a fan of smallville, and I wouldn't even notice.

 

[Plurralbles]

The, "Go nuts" thing is spot on. This has to be a high budget blockbuster movie. Avatar budget. It'd be fun.

Take a few pages from Hancock maybe.

 

[Vault Citizen]

You can't alienate the Smallville fanbase. Yes, they watch Smallville. However, because of them watching Smallville they will be more likely to see the Superman movie. More people seeing the movie means more chances that more superhero movies will come into play. They have Batman, Green Lantern, Superman is coming out, Wonder Woman TV show. Now to get Green Arrow.

The point isn't to alienate them, the point is to simply not care about what transpires on Smallville, a show that barely anyone watches, which is thus entirely irrelevant to the overwhelming majority of folks likely to go watch a new Superman movie. It's Dawson's Creek with superheroes - the dedicated fans of that show are the folks who would be happy just watching Dawson's Creek.

I only speak for myself but while I'm a Smallville fan I don't want to watch Dawson's creek.

 

[Schlorgan]

I would pay to see 2012 with Superman in it

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

I only speak for myself but while I'm a Smallville fan I don't want to watch Dawson's creek.

Kind of hard to find anyone who does these days actually, what with it ending 7 years ago. My point was that Smallville and 90% of the rest of the CW's programming is just picking up where Dawson's Creek left off (there's literally only one good show on that entire network).

 

[Covarr]

Traditionally, in the previous movies Lex Luthor has had a bizarre obsession with real estate. This never showed up in any other media. The question is, will Nolan continue this tradition?

P.S. Thanks

 

[stickmangrit]

This has failure written all over it. It's like they're trying to re-create Batman Begins and just insert another main character which is not what the Superman character is.

Superman doesn't work in the modern day because he's an anachronism. He is one of the most simple super-hero characters by virtue of the fact he was one of the first. There's little depth or interest to his story. Everyone knows it: the damsel gets in distress, superman is powerful and almost saves her, then Kryptonite shows up in one form or another, but not-so-shockingly the Kyrptonite is removed by help from an unlikely ally, and Superman wins the day.

He existed in a time where spandex was a really modern invention and having a cape was new and novel. Where journalists were thought of as "cool". And when phone booths actually existed.

It's a simple story and an anachronism that doesn't translate into modern cinema. They keep trying to make it work because Superman is such a well-known brand. And maybe if they add enough explosions and monster robots they can get people to see it. But it will never be good.

Superman v Luthor as an allegory for Altruism v Objectivism, which is culturally relevant now thanks to the growing number of Randroids screaming about taking their gubmint back. give us that dynamic wrapped around punching Zod or Brainiac in the face multiple times and Lois doing suicidally stupid shit that she needs saving from, and you've got a solid story.

 

[rddj623]

I am excited, and your list makes me happy sir. We can definitely use a great throwdown drag out fight, maybe Lobo would be a good villain to throw in there. He's the antithesis to Superman's clean cut appearance by being the dirty rotten scoundrel of the universe. Maybe even having Luthor come up with something bigger then the both of them that they have to briefly team up to defeat?

 

[mattttherman3]

Smallville isn't that bad, this might be because I never read the comics, just looked at the pictures lol, when I was 3, I saw all the Superman movies, and fell in love, when Christopher Reeves was paralized, I was devastated, then when he died, well I was older, but I was sad.

However I realize that Smallville isn't really true to Superman but I still like it. In fact I think the enemy of the final season might be Parallax(I read the Green Lantern wiki and thats who it sounds like, but then again I don't know all of the Villans. OMG a green lantern on Smallville? Hell yeah!)

 

[fulano]

Utterly idiotic. Nobody cares about Smallville? I certainly don't, but a tv show that makes just marginal bussiness does not stay on the air for close to 10 years without a modicum of success.

I mean, how are we qualifying success here? Is the fact that Smallville is a soapy, uneven show to its detriment when it is well known that that is a known genre? Is that what makes it bad? Everything considered, just that it is still on the air is a success in itself. Advertisers are happy and audiences are happy, right?

Maybe MovieBob was expecting The Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, or The Wire. Those are successful meaningful shows. Or maybe just a great show would have sufficed...but like what? How many great shows last ten years?

Or does he mean it doesn't matter in pop culture, or culture in general? And how did he measure it? Or maybe MovieBob is against the whole notion of catering to one's core audience.

MovieBob acts like an internet toughguy.

 

[blackcherry]

Read Action Comics. You want a Superman that is awe inspiring, action packed and completely amazing? Its all in there.

 

[ShadowKirby]

Superman v Luthor as an allegory for Altruism v Objectivism,

Superman vs. Andrew Ryan.

 

[the Dept of Science]

I don't really read that many comics, but am curious to know; have there been any superman comics which focus on the fact that he has got the powers of a minor god, but spends a large amount of his time working in a job for a man that he could kill in a second, should he so please? I mean, I'm not a massive fan of Superman, but I always thought one of the more interesting facts about him would be how in everyday life he is a pretty forgettable man, but in secret, he can basically do whatever he wants.

I was thinking about how people could write Superman in particular, how it would be possible to do anything approaching a "gritty reboot" and the idea just struck me, was wondering if I was original or whether someone had done it before.

 

[tzimize]

woah, i LIKED smallville... I say liked, it should have ended two seasons ago but for a tv superman show i thought it was pretty good.

Ok i'm not the worlds biggest superman fan, personally i was always more into batman, vertigo and marvel when it comes to my comics, but smallville had the best lex luthor on screen (sorry gene hackman and kevin spacey but its true)

maybe its just movie bobs inner troll looking for a flame war?

While I actually agree about the luthors of smallville being somewhat awesome, they are also the only ones. The rest of the characters and plot/dialogue is so horrible awful that...just....BLARG...its unwatchable.

 

[Whispering Death]

This has failure written all over it. It's like they're trying to re-create Batman Begins and just insert another main character which is not what the Superman character is.

Superman doesn't work in the modern day because he's an anachronism. He is one of the most simple super-hero characters by virtue of the fact he was one of the first. There's little depth or interest to his story. Everyone knows it: the damsel gets in distress, superman is powerful and almost saves her, then Kryptonite shows up in one form or another, but not-so-shockingly the Kyrptonite is removed by help from an unlikely ally, and Superman wins the day.

He existed in a time where spandex was a really modern invention and having a cape was new and novel. Where journalists were thought of as "cool". And when phone booths actually existed.

It's a simple story and an anachronism that doesn't translate into modern cinema. They keep trying to make it work because Superman is such a well-known brand. And maybe if they add enough explosions and monster robots they can get people to see it. But it will never be good.

Superman v Luthor as an allegory for Altruism v Objectivism, which is culturally relevant now thanks to the growing number of Randroids screaming about taking their gubmint back. give us that dynamic wrapped around punching Zod or Brainiac in the face multiple times and Lois doing suicidally stupid shit that she needs saving from, and you've got a solid story.

Lex Luthor: rich white businessman that happens to be a bad guy! Like we've never seen that in a movie before.

I have nothing bad to say about the comics, they were revolutionary and amazing in their time.

But that last phrase "in their time" is why the movies won't succeed. Superman doesn't translate to 2010.