Best modern Superman movie?

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

This should be interesting, we have had 3 Superman movies in the modern era, and all of them have garnered mixed receptions. Yet all 3 have their fans and people who are totally against them. So I wonder, which one do people think is the best? I am going to wait until my 2nd viewing of BvS before voting, so everyone else vote away.

And please keep it civil people during discussion.

 

[Flint Marko]

Man of Steel is undoubtedly going to win this poll, but I've always liked Superman Returns. It's a good, not great, film that made a lot of poor creative choices, but has way more heart than either of the other films.
The biggest problem I had with MoS and BvS is that I still feel Superman is a total stranger. They have not humanized him or done enough with the character to show me why I should care about him. He looks great in that suit but he's about as interesting as a cinder block.The ending of BvS is laughable because of how little they've actually done with the character. So while Superman Returns is a flawed movie, it's undoubtedly the best of the three in my eyes.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Man of Steel but mainly because it's the best choice out of severely limited options.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Man of Steel is the best film with a more interesting story and way better action, but I much prefer Routh's portrayal of the character himself to Cavill's.

Batman vs. Superman is a distant, distant third.

 

[titansupes]

This is going to be a hard one for me. I'd rate SR and MoS at about a draw in terms of quality...

On paper, MoS is everything I wanted from a modern Superman origin. Bearded Clark travelling the world, making anonymous saves, Lois tracking him, flashbacks to key moments of his past, finding Kryptonian tech and donning the suit. Even down to a big super fight and ending with his first day at the Daily Planet. It has Cavill, who I still think might become a genuinely great Superman... with a different writer and director. The moments where he's allowed to be warm and confident, he does well.

But the execution of almost all those things I wanted story wise... was just... botched.

SR, while still being too down and dreary for me, was much closer to the warmth, heart and moments of fun I want from Superman. Routh's Superman is underrated, and his DP Clark is just great. The story actually really hit home for me, too, even though it was overlong and and just bloody boring in a lot of places. I also prefer most of the music. EDIT: And the retro Metropolis/costuming, I forgot!

I don't know, man... I might be giving this one to SR.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I am similar to you Titan Supes but for slightly different reasons. I loved SR when it came out, and was really gutted it wasn't continued or loved as it turned me from a casual Superman fan into a major one. It got me reading Superman comics which is a hobby I still keep today, though not as much.

MOS I was sceptical of at first but got a bit excited when Snyder got the gif as I like his movies, and when it came out I loved that as well. I thought it took the best elements from Birthright which was my favourite origin story and was a great modern take on the mythos.

BvS I really enjoyed, more than most, but I can't decide between MOS and SR for best.

 

[doobie]

What surprised me in BVS was how similar it felt to SR in terms of Supes being a solemn religious figure people feel worshipful to. Seemed a change from MOS which built him up as a regular guy.

I think for me the perfect Superman film would have the atmosphere and visual look of SR, with the magical, 1930s romantic looking Metropolis and the focus on character and plot the Snyder films have. I really liked the look of the city in SR and how it felt kind of magical and real/modern at the same time, and Superman flying over the people when they look up and point looked real, like a friends phone video or something.

 

[Batmannerism]

Okay..... I LOVED Man of Steel, hated Superman Returns, and felt deeply disappointed by B v S.

So, it's not even close Man of Steel hands down. Sure it wasn't perfect, but it got a lot more right than wrong, and gave Superman some balls, plus the millenium version of krypton was awesome !

I'm not sure which was worse, watching Batman make Superman his ***** or watching Luthor's thugs curb stomp Supes before Lex shanked him.

Both of those were pretty difficult to watch. Both SR and B v S give Supes a really terrible time (arguably B v S is worse, as his mom and girlfriend get kidnapped, he gets blackmailed, gassed with kryptonite (twice), curb stomped by Batman, nearly stabbed to death with the krypto-spear, then bashed by Doomsday, hit with a nuke, bashed by Doomsday some more before finally being impaled - ALL IN ONE NIGHT. I mean, ****, give the guy a break !

When Bruce Wayne says " I failed him" I was thinking "Damn right you did, you tried to KILL HIM !"

Ugh. At least in Man of Steel Superman gets to be the star of his own film, gets the girl, saves his mom, kicks some ass and saves the ****ing day.

In B v S he's everyone's whipping boy. I can't believe he didn't at least throw Lex around a bit, after he kidnapped Martha !

Yeah, so Man of Steel all the way.

 

[Black Adam]

Superman Returns was garbage, Batman v Superman was disappointingly average, so Man of Steel all the way. Don't get me wrong, Man of Steel's not without its issues, but it's easily better than either of those two.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

man of steel.

really the only issues i have with it other than the fact that it was slow, was that henry cavill isn't that great of an actor. but even that doesn't matter that much coz he's madd handsome.

i think he even admitted that he's not passionate for the role he's only in it for the money but that shouldn't matter that much either

 

[Rowsdower!]

Man of Steel. Cavill is great in it, the movie looks great overall, and aside from some bad story moments, I still find it to be an awesome film.

The other two are garbage.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I think what SR gets wrong MOS gets right and vice versa, that's why this is such a difficult choice for me. I watched both again recently and found I still loved both even years later. It's a damn toufh choice for me.

I am also seeing BvS again next week and will vote after that.

 

[Cyrogenic]

Superman Returns.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

SR is getting more votes than I thought it would. As a fan of the movie it's nice to see I have to say.

 

[dude stannis]

I certainly enjoy SR and BvS, but Man of Steel for me is brilliant. It's very much a story of a man who wants to do right and find his place in the world. Having read interviews with Zack Snyder from well before he made it and long since, I can tell it's a deeply personal film for him, moreso than his other ones and it really translates to the final product.

 

[Brother Jack]

Returns and MOS are neck and neck for me. They both have interesting elements that suffer under poor execution. They also both depict a Superman lacking in charisma, outside of some choice moments.

But I think I'm gonna have to go with MOS, against my better judgement. Not because it's necessarily a better movie but because it had more potential. Had it been done properly it might've been my favorite version of the character, period.

 

[MrsKent26]

Man of Steel.

Still, it's not that big of a victory. SR and Routh were terrible. BvS made superman a mute with the exception of a few downtrodden, and on occasion, very unsupermanly words before killing him prematurely. Not hard to top this bunch.

Mos, despite having issues of its own, gave us a few moments where I felt superman was really on screen. Cavill did a great job with what he was given there. I had hoped BvS would progress things and expand on these moments, but instead it backtracked superman to the point that he was almost at SR levels of uninspiring.

 

[Zantera]

Which movie am I the most likely to watch again? BvS - when the director's cut comes out.

However, I would mainly re-watch that for the Batman stuff and didn't necessarily care for Superman that much in it. So if I'm going on which Superman-movie is the better with Superman being the main focus... I haven't seen Superman Returns, but it sounds interesting as a character study on an alien who doesn't fit in on earth and can't relate to the woman he loves, it sounds more interesting (and maybe more boring) than the over-the-top videogame action of Man of Steel.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I saw an article today that revealed that Superman only had 43 lines in BvS, and that includes anguished screams. Seriously, what the hell?

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I saw an article today that revealed that Superman only had 43 lines in BvS, and that includes anguished screams. Seriously, what the hell?

Well half the time he is saving people. I don't get this criticism that he was a mute, he spoke when he needed to.

 

[Erzengel]

As I was corrected earlier, it's 42....43 is him going arrrggghhh!

I dunno, SR had the really nice airplane rescue, I did like the scene in MOS when he heat visioned the ship Zod was on as well as the Battle of Kansas and I like the fight scene in BvS before the whole Save Martha part.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

As I was corrected earlier, it's 42....43 is him going arrrggghhh!

I dunno, SR had the really nice airplane rescue, I did like the scene in MOS when he heat visioned the ship Zod was on as well as the Battle of Kansas and I like the fight scene in BvS before the whole Save Martha part.

Tough choice then huh? I am the same but I think I liked all 3 a lot more than yourself. I am seeing BvS again this week then am going to vote.

BTW, your avatar is AWESOME!

 

[DACrowe]

I like Bryan Singer a lot better as a filmmaker than Zack Snyder. I also think Superman Returns has the best action sequence (plane) between the three films and the best character moments... and you know what, the best Lex Luthor too...

Still, Routh and Bosworth were woefully miscast in Superman Returns. And the movie as a whole is turgidly dull. Man of Steel works pretty well for the first hour or so. Not until Zod reaches Ma Kent's farm does it come to a screeching halt for the two exhausting and emotionally deadening action sequences.

Everything before that mostly works, and it is incredibly well cast from Cavill (not much of an actor but he'd be a great Superman if Snyder would get out of his way) to especially Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne, and even Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. 'Tis a shame that Snyder turned the Kents into raging libertarian *******s, but they would have made idyllic Kent parents in a good Superman movie.

So ultimately, they are all flawed. But Man of Steel is the only one that is not boring and brings something new to the table like Hans Zimmer's beautiful music and Snyder's admittedly fun visions of Krypton/Kryptonian technology, as well as a very modern take on Lois Lane. What a waste that he let it all collapse in the sequel and even last third of that first movie.

 

[DACrowe]

I just realized I wrote that all without really mentioning Batman v Superman. That is because there is nothing left to say about that train wreck other than what a shame.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Man of Steel is the best Superman movie to date. It gets better with multiple viewings.