The Man of Steel.
- Thread starter Espy
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I have to say that now that Nick's signed off, I actually feel like I need to find a way to see this in the theater now.
Also - and having not seen it, it's obviously hard to judge - from what I've heard, his dad acts like a father who understands reality. People discover a kid with superpowers, that kid will be taken away for observation and testing. Might seem silly, but until he was old enough to understand how to safely apply superpowers, I'd tell him the same thing if the other option was losing my son.
Also - and having not seen it, it's obviously hard to judge - from what I've heard, his dad acts like a father who understands reality. People discover a kid with superpowers, that kid will be taken away for observation and testing. Might seem silly, but until he was old enough to understand how to safely apply superpowers, I'd tell him the same thing if the other option was losing my son.
Like the darker-grittier-edgier of this and other titles, this is just a show of the times. We're culturally turning inwards and being darker etc etc. It's a sad state of affairs, and we can only hope for a gradual return to more light hearted comedy and more honest optimism. I'm afraid we'll see nihilistic faux optimism come into vogue much sooner, though. I blame the media and modern communications for making us constantly aare of all possible dangers and disasters all over the world, and reminding us constantly - see also: politics of fear. It's in most corporations' interests to keep us afraid and gloomy - we spend more, we vote more for the right (which is economically interesting), we watch more news/tv, we take more drugs and we save less.
The "hide from government" thing is, in a way, hope-inducing. Perhaps we'll see a return to more rooting for the underdog and support for rebels/citizens fighting oppressive government/dictatorship/censorship. Most entertainment lately has been much more in favor of the State, Government, Society and Stability, rather than Freedom, Individualism, Entrepreneurship, and Standing up for Principles.
Dave
Staff member
A situation arises where a bunch of kids are in immediate and mortal danger. Young Clark saves them all. His dad is mad at him for using his powers. Clark asks, "Should I have just let them all die?" Dad responds, "Maybe."
That's not an ideal that I want someone teaching an overpowered man-child. In fact, dad lets himself die rather than let Clark use his powers. "With great power comes great fear." is apparently the takeaway.
Your son has the power to save countless people, assuming you raise him correctly, or you let him use his powers now but promptly get taken by the government, who would undoubtedly fuck him up and use him for whatever damned thing they want. If he was being honest, "maybe" would be something I could believe a father saying.
If a father's main concern is with his child, and he has feared the government taking Clark away since he was a baby, he isn't going to be rationally weighing the lives of others against his son's life. He will always choose what he feels is best for his son.
It may not be what people want pa kent to be, but this is hardly unusual in the realm of parenting styles.
It can be extraordinarily hard to reevaluate your child every year and discard worries and fears that no longer apply. Most parents simply add new worries and fears, without really getting rid of the old worries and fears.
In this specific case the worry isn't against Clark physically, it's mentally. Even if Clark could have escaped at any time, if the government took him as a youth or even teenager, they could have trained and taught him in ways that you limit his ability to escape, much like the huge elephants that can be held by a simple small rope and stake.
What if Clark matured enough to the point where that was no longer a concern, where he would be able to think for himself, and know enough about the world that it would be difficult for someone in authority to cloud his eyes? Would Pa realize that, and give Clark more latitude, or would he retain that terrifying fear he held since Clark was a baby and continue to act on that fear?
At any rate, it may not make sense according to one's desired version of the superman universe, but it could make sense for the universe they created and portrayed for this movie.[DOUBLEPOST=1373466893][/DOUBLEPOST]
It may not be what people want pa kent to be, but this is hardly unusual in the realm of parenting styles.
It can be extraordinarily hard to reevaluate your child every year and discard worries and fears that no longer apply. Most parents simply add new worries and fears, without really getting rid of the old worries and fears.
In this specific case the worry isn't against Clark physically, it's mentally. Even if Clark could have escaped at any time, if the government took him as a youth or even teenager, they could have trained and taught him in ways that you limit his ability to escape, much like the huge elephants that can be held by a simple small rope and stake.
What if Clark matured enough to the point where that was no longer a concern, where he would be able to think for himself, and know enough about the world that it would be difficult for someone in authority to cloud his eyes? Would Pa realize that, and give Clark more latitude, or would he retain that terrifying fear he held since Clark was a baby and continue to act on that fear?
At any rate, it may not make sense according to one's desired version of the superman universe, but it could make sense for the universe they created and portrayed for this movie.[DOUBLEPOST=1373466893][/DOUBLEPOST]
ninja!
I can't imagine the restraint it would take as an adolescent Superman. Bullies and authority figures would have been tossed into low orbit if it was my story.
Or all the damage done from so much super-masturbating. That's gotta be like a gun going off.
GasBandit
Staff member
fade
Staff member
I thought his dad was one of the best takes on the character. No more Mr. Perfect here's how you do everything right, but rather a human being, who loved his son and wanted him to be safe. He still taught him to be willing to put yourself in harms way to save others and he taught him to be careful with his power. I think it was one of the better parts of the script.
I love opinions, because I disagree with just about all of them so far. Especially Pa Kent. Especially young Clark. Especially on older Superman's disregard of collateral damage.
I also still stand by the director's complete inability to show how time passes in a way pleasing to the viewer.
I also still stand by the director's complete inability to show how time passes in a way pleasing to the viewer.
GasBandit
Staff member
Yeah, well my opinion is the best because I've based it on other people's opinions, as I haven't yet seen the film!
Woo! Fourth generation opinion, man!
Original material --> screenwriter --> director --> audience --> me
Oh, wait, if I'm discussing the movie it's only a second generation opinion. If I form an opinion about the original superman material based on the reports I've read of others viewing the film then it'll be fourth generation.
Although, technically, there are probably a few more generations in there since the screenplay was written based on more recent superman material, which was created by writers and artists who based it on earlier written works and art, and...
It's elephants all the way down, isn't it?
It wasn't just time passing, it was a very choppy story progression. It felt like a real mash of different movie genres with no adequate blending.
Well, the flashbacks were certainly jarring at times, but most of their segues worked well with the previous scene.
As far as the collateral damage, I actually disagree...for the most part. I went into it with the intention of watching all the times Superman was careless. But 99% of the collateral damage was actually caused by the invading force.
That... that's actually a really good point, and I wonder why I didn't think of that.
Or the military.
Yes, I finally broke down and went to see it tonight. I still agree that Pa Kent's death was pointless. He died saving a fucking dog? If he was going back, there was absolutely zero reason that Clark couldn't have gone and Pa would still be alive.
I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I thought the special effects looked a bit dated.
No, he died saving a loved member of their family. I'd do the same for my cat or if I had a dog again. He didn't let Clark do it because there were dozens of people there that would have seen him and was still scared of what the public would think.
I love my dog, but I would not sacrifice myself to save his life.
Also, notice how Ma has a different dog later in the movie? Do you know why? Because the old one's fucking dead, whereas Pa Kent could still be alive.
Sorry, but human life always trumps animal life.
GasBandit
Staff member
And people call me a monster.
I can understand people disagreeing about the dog thing, I mean, I get where both of you are coming from but this statement just blows my mind. Man of Steel had some truly top notch vfx work. Are you sure you weren't accidentally in Grown Ups 2?
I think they haven't gotten animating humans right yet, the ships and everything looked great, but the direct Kryptonian fights still look fakey.I can understand people disagreeing about the dog thing, I mean, I get where both of you are coming from but this statement just blows my mind. Man of Steel had some truly top notch vfx work. Are you sure you weren't accidentally in Grown Ups 2?
Oh well, sure, animating people is always going to look a little fake, we just can't totally pull that off. I thought most of the actor animation was superb given that limitation. I honestly can't think of a movie that has had better human animation, I think the recent Spiderman was close to as good as MoS but I mean, go rewatch the second and third matrix movie to see how far we've come.
There's still no way to make Keanu Reeves look lifelike.
Just imagine what the future will hold, now that he is in the age bracket that will use Botox and Face Lifts...
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