The Big Picture: The Big Letdown
- Thread starter MovieBob
- Start date
I can agree that I don't like the dark, tragic heroes all the much. I doubt that the sequel will fix that or any of the other problems Bob finds because they'd rather believe that Batman will make it better.
Oh good ... more of Bob whining about Man of Steel just what I was hoping for ...
No wait, the other thing ... just what I'm utterly sick of.
No wait, the other thing ... just what I'm utterly sick of.
I had moderate, but somewhat muted expectations for Man of Steel. I like Zack Snyder. I've enjoyed most of his movies (that weren't about owls). But as much as I like Nolan as a film maker, I was never excited at his involvement. I don't really think he "got" Batman, I know he didn't "get" Gotham City, and the way they kept splashing his name across the trailers I didn't think it would bode well. Not that Begins and Dark Knight weren't good mind you, they were fine. Good and great respectively. And I certainly wouldn't put the weight of MoS's bleakness solely on Nolan either. Just saying, it got me worrying early on and I adjusted my expectation.
But with Man of Steel, I didn't expect much and I got what I expected.
PS. Thanks for getting rid of the "BUY MY BOOK!" Jay Sherman gag at the end of the videos. That is a funny joke in small doses, but gets grating very quickly (which was kind of the point all along)
But with Man of Steel, I didn't expect much and I got what I expected.
PS. Thanks for getting rid of the "BUY MY BOOK!" Jay Sherman gag at the end of the videos. That is a funny joke in small doses, but gets grating very quickly (which was kind of the point all along)
I will give Man of Steel one thing in how it changed the (cinematic) version of the character: it decoupled Superman from America (albeit in very blunt matter).
As I noted long ago on this site [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.178046-More-Dark-Knight-Talent-Arrives-to-Save-Superman#5148153], the image of Superman as the embodiment of America's moral and strengths means that a movie in the vein of the original comic or prior movies just wouldn't work in a world where people look at the US as coming down from decades of partying and arrogance. The earnestness that Bob wants to see doesn't represent the US today, now suspicious of its own power and what it has become.
Do I think they could have done it in a better manner than having him literally chuck a drone at a general in an obviously tacked-on scene? Of course, but they at least tried.
As I noted long ago on this site [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.178046-More-Dark-Knight-Talent-Arrives-to-Save-Superman#5148153], the image of Superman as the embodiment of America's moral and strengths means that a movie in the vein of the original comic or prior movies just wouldn't work in a world where people look at the US as coming down from decades of partying and arrogance. The earnestness that Bob wants to see doesn't represent the US today, now suspicious of its own power and what it has become.
Do I think they could have done it in a better manner than having him literally chuck a drone at a general in an obviously tacked-on scene? Of course, but they at least tried.
Or the new Spider-Man, or Star Trek, or....Cranyx said:
I have trouble taking these criticism seriously, given he just praised Snyder. But whatever. He likes different stuff than me. Not the end of the world.
Still, the harping on the same movies over and over again is sort of making him harder and harder to watch.
I'm with Bob on this one. The more I thought about what happened in Man of Steel, the more blatant its problems and failures stuck out like a sore thumb. At this point, I'm at the conclusion that nobody at DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers truly understand Superman or the characters withing the DC Universe. These days, they're only interested in showcasing a product rather then telling a fantastic story of this world and all those involved. And that is not just looking at how they handle their movies. This stems from how they're handling their entire comic book company. Ask anyone who has been following the ongoing fiasco made up of editorial staff abusing their powers, a company that shows zero respect to the creators involved, its piss-poor PR, and the utter lack of sympathy for their fanbase. These are not signs of a healthy company, these are warnings that its suffering from a slow, painful death.
If you like to see a further breakdown of the movie and its shortcomings, look up Linkara's belated review of Man of Steel on his blog.
http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2013/08/vlog-8-5-13-belated-man-of-steel-vlog.html
It is truly heartbreaking to hear him recap this stinker. There are moments where he's screaming his frustration at the camera (and not in a funny way like his reviews) and, to be honest, I don't blame him one bit.
DC Entertainment needs to get their shit together like yesterday. Otherwise, this company will suffer the same fate Marvel did in the 90s if not end up in a far worse situation. Which is odd since Bob Harris, the same man who ran Marvel when it went bankrupt, is now running DC. -_-
If you like to see a further breakdown of the movie and its shortcomings, look up Linkara's belated review of Man of Steel on his blog.
http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2013/08/vlog-8-5-13-belated-man-of-steel-vlog.html
It is truly heartbreaking to hear him recap this stinker. There are moments where he's screaming his frustration at the camera (and not in a funny way like his reviews) and, to be honest, I don't blame him one bit.
DC Entertainment needs to get their shit together like yesterday. Otherwise, this company will suffer the same fate Marvel did in the 90s if not end up in a far worse situation. Which is odd since Bob Harris, the same man who ran Marvel when it went bankrupt, is now running DC. -_-
I really didn't expect much of MoS and didn't like it. It was one of those "Ok, I guess I have to watch this".
Film Critic Hulk has a 17000 word review on the problems of Man of Steel:
http://badassdigest.com/2013/07/03/film-crit-hulk-man-of-steel/
Film Critic Hulk has a 17000 word review on the problems of Man of Steel:
http://badassdigest.com/2013/07/03/film-crit-hulk-man-of-steel/
"who wants a superhero who isn't constantly morose and tormented all the time"
Obviously, every top people at DC, considering their excuse about the no marriage allowed for Batwoman.
And before we start a big gay marriage debacle, I haven't read the comic, I don't care she's a lesbian and apparently, their given reason for refusing the marriage has nothing to do with that particular issue but it points out to what I find a much a bigger creative problem nowadays : what they said was that no superhero can be happy for him/her to be engaging to the readers.
Obviously, every top people at DC, considering their excuse about the no marriage allowed for Batwoman.
And before we start a big gay marriage debacle, I haven't read the comic, I don't care she's a lesbian and apparently, their given reason for refusing the marriage has nothing to do with that particular issue but it points out to what I find a much a bigger creative problem nowadays : what they said was that no superhero can be happy for him/her to be engaging to the readers.
My main disappointment was with the huge potential the movie had, which was squandered.
As usually happens, they tried to do too much. The story would've been way more solid if they'd have taken a leaf from Donner's book and left Zod for the sequel. A movie about Clakr Kent / Superman growing up and dealing with his issues of alienation and search for purpose (both literal and metaphorical), with the conflict with the suspicious government thrown in, and the challenge of earning the world's trust... That would've been enough.
But that wasn't spectacular enough, so halfway through the movie you can almost hear the bell ring as the slugfest starts.
It saddens me how negative people are towards the whole Ben Affleck thing, when they should be more worried about how the people in charge can ruin both characters. They might have an idea on how to make decent Batman movies, but I doubt they have the skill to combine Batman and Superman (or any other DC character).
Now, I'll use the following quote, but this goes to all who are sharing this sentiment in the above comments:
These videos are a way for Bob to share his personal opinion, a fact he makes sure to mention often in the videos themselves.
All of you, complaining about his opinions or fixations being grating... Why are you watching his videos then?
As usually happens, they tried to do too much. The story would've been way more solid if they'd have taken a leaf from Donner's book and left Zod for the sequel. A movie about Clakr Kent / Superman growing up and dealing with his issues of alienation and search for purpose (both literal and metaphorical), with the conflict with the suspicious government thrown in, and the challenge of earning the world's trust... That would've been enough.
But that wasn't spectacular enough, so halfway through the movie you can almost hear the bell ring as the slugfest starts.
It saddens me how negative people are towards the whole Ben Affleck thing, when they should be more worried about how the people in charge can ruin both characters. They might have an idea on how to make decent Batman movies, but I doubt they have the skill to combine Batman and Superman (or any other DC character).
Now, I'll use the following quote, but this goes to all who are sharing this sentiment in the above comments:
Then don't.Zachary Amaranth said:
These videos are a way for Bob to share his personal opinion, a fact he makes sure to mention often in the videos themselves.
All of you, complaining about his opinions or fixations being grating... Why are you watching his videos then?
I wasn't nearly as disappointed with Man of Steel as Bob seems to have become. I agree that it could have profited from a greater focus on Superman's protection of humanity, especially in later scenes, but that aspect isn't as absent has some have suggested, and I don't seem to have found the dialogue and characters as clunky as Bob did.
That said- credit where credit is due- I don't think MB's assessment is, overall, inaccurate. Shaded by his own feelings about the genre and the character, sure, but I still think it's a worthwhile take.
That said- credit where credit is due- I don't think MB's assessment is, overall, inaccurate. Shaded by his own feelings about the genre and the character, sure, but I still think it's a worthwhile take.
So hopefully this will be the last time Bob goes on about how he doesn't like Man of Steel. Seriously, I'm getting kind of annoyed by this. Hell, I love how he pointed out how he didn't want to go over again why he thought Star Trek Into Darkness sucked, yet he's been at Man of Steel's case for far more! I think I would have rather preferred him talking about Into Darkness by this point!
While I understand your disappointment and I agree with your distain for the general Nolan super hero theme of everything must be sad and dark I do hope you've finally gotten Man Of Steel out of your system.
I like your shows and it's a shame to keep hearing about one single movie over and over. I started to actively groan when you brought up Superman every other episode.
I like your shows and it's a shame to keep hearing about one single movie over and over. I started to actively groan when you brought up Superman every other episode.
Because we are hoping that it gets better. We hope that it's worth watching, we just end up getting disappointed.Oskuro said:
Don't get me wrong, many of the Big Pictures and movie reviews are great to watch. I follow them because for the most part, I like them. I just don't like all of them, so the ones I don't like offer me disappointment.