From
the Pages to the Big Screen.the
Differences That Should be Embraced and not Lauded.
A
look at why source material should be tinkered with for the better.
By: J.David Staniusz
WARNING:
This WILL DICUSS THE EVENTS OF “Man of Steel” so ****SPOILERS****
You
have been warned
As most
people know this weekend is the release of Zack Snyder’s film “Man of Steel”,
featuring the American icon known as
Superman. This film is highly anticipated as a pivotal moment for the
character, and any potential DC shared movie universe. The success or failure
of this movie will set the tone for this potential shared universe, which makes
it crucial for all the hard-core comics’ fans. Unlike Iron Man 3, which was a continuation of a successfully established
universe, Man of Steel's impact will be more defining. In addition beyond the
universe implications, and more importantly in my opinion, is to re-establish
Superman himself in the general pop culture lexicon. Superman at one point had
a mania which was ever reaching, and continued with the success of the Richard
Donner Superman film in 1978. However with critical failures in Hollywood such
as Superman 3, 4 and most recently Superman Returns, it seems Superman has lost
touch with most of North America. Batman is easily way more popular and it
really is not close. Superman being down ,feels like when the Yankees miss the playoffs, regardless of whether you like them or not, you like seeing them competitive for nostalgia or to create a bench mark.
The Man Of Steel |
After watching Man of Steel I believe the movie has
done all the important groundwork in making Superman popular again. I also
believe it NECESSARILY strays from the continuity of the comics in order to
achieve the most relatable character possible. I will not share a detailed review ( though I will say it was very good with amazing action
sequences, and well worth the price of admission), however I want to address
what I see as a potential problem with the fans, and it is the aforementioned
changes in continuity.
The two big differences
with the continuity aside from aesthetics (Jenny Olsen, or a African American
Perry white for instance)(again SPOILERS) are that Superman
a) Kills General Zod ( a huge no-no for him and something
I believe he has never resorted in mainstream continuity (don’t jump on me if there’s
some exception I missed))
b) Is immediately found out by Lois Lane to be Clark
Kent (thus ruining the entire romance dynamic between the two which is an
ingrained classic to many people) I speculate many hard-core fans will be resistant
to these changes as they are sticklers for continuity and the sense of the
character. However I believe each is done for a necessary purpose, to make the
character more relatable and “believable” (as much as an alien could possibly
be). Here is why I think each decision is justified.
Killing: While watching I was wondering in my head; “how
is he going to defeat Zod?” and when the solution came about ( in hindsight as
the only logical option), I was stunned
purely on the fact it is a truly out of character moment. However aside
from the logistics in the plot making it necessary, I find it was needed for
one more reason. Superman should not be “perfect”. I find in discussions this
is a trait which off puts many people from the character, he can do everything,
he never screws up, he is too much of a goodie two shoes. Etc. Now however we
have the ultimate flaw which is he with intent took a life. It gives the
character a hint ambiguity which was
needed, as well another flaw. In my opinion his future actions and what he does
after this (in presumed sequels) will be truly defining as we can finally see
Superman with deserved guilt.
Superman with the gravity of his decison |
Lois
Knows off The Bat: “Realism”
in a movie like this is kind of silly, however an ace reporter not being able
to piece together Clark being Superman, especially (in other films) after
working with him for so long, seems kind of silly. This not only ties that bow up, it intensifies
Lois’s credibility with the audience, and creates more respect for her. Also in
future movies the audience will not have to see a bunch of redundant scenes of
Clark feeling like he has to lie to Lois all the time. Their relationship from
this point on will be more genuine, and in my opinion create a better story as
a result. Additionally I’m glad it seems Clark won’t act like a bumbling idiot
all the time, which can get super annoying to watch at times.
Do we really need scenes like this in future Superman movies |
Finally for the hard-core fans, understand Comics
are niche industry by themselves. They do not reach a very wide audience compared
to movies. What has worked in the past for them in terms of continuity will
continue to work, but if the movie wants to grow the audience, there have the
be changes to widen his appeal. While a Superman comic selling 100,000 issues
will be a success in that industry, the movie has to sell MILLIONS upon
MILLIONS of tickets to be deemed a success. Thus it suggests that following the
tried and true comics stories may not be the best approach. Also it offers hard-core
fans a unique experience from the stories they read. Why would you want to read
say “Superman Birthright”, and hope they adapted it perfectly? The goal should
be to produce something unique, instead of watching the story you have already experienced.
So when you see comics movies make changes, do not
immediately jump on them as negatives. Embrace the differences, and hope they
allow the medium to reach a wider audience.
They are different for a reason. |
I really enjoyed this review, though it does need some formatting and proofreading.
ReplyDeleteVery positive, and overall well-structured. Good analysis with a very cordial tone.
Well done!
Thanks alot for reading. I am working out the kinks in my format structure, hopefully it will be fine tuned in a couple of posts.
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