The 1st half, or the 2nd half. Which did you enjoy more?

[Meus]

1st half = everything up until the Smallville fight scene

I want to try this social experiment. Straight off the bat: I'm not a great fan of the film, specifically the second half where coincidentally the action begins. I am, however, a fan of Superman Returns and whilst a straight comparison between the two will not be favourable, I want to instead see if fans favoured the slower, more emotive and dialogue driven first half of this film as opposed to the action driven latter half; something Singer failed to do.

 

[jthom19802]

I personally enjoyed it all immensely. However I will say this. When I go again with a few friends Tuesday, I will pick points in the first half to inform them they better go pee, because they won't want to get up once Smallville starts.

I know that doesn't really answer your question but take that for what you will.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

I absolutely freaking loved the film as a whole. However, my thoughts on the first half are kind of a mixed bag. It had some truly amazing moments, it's just that it moved way too damn fast lol. Honestly, that would be my only complaint about the film. So, I guess I liked the 2nd half? Sorry if that doesn't answer your question.

 

[jthom19802]

I think it might be a case where Snyder - as we have seen him talk about - knew he wanted to put Supes back on the map and everybody's radar. King of Kings, if you will, and in doing so he knew he needed that last hour to leave minds blown in the way he envisioned it. Considering that, I thought he did exceptionally well with the first 90 minutes.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

I think it might be a case where Snyder - as we have seen him talk about - knew he wanted to put Supes back on the map and everybody's radar. King of Kings, if you will, and in doing so he knew he needed that last hour to leave minds blown in the way he envisioned it. Considering that, I thought he did exceptionally well with the first 90 minutes.

I agree. Some really amazing emotional moments that really worked, the only problem was how it was edited. Not the non-linear way of telling the story, just how quick a lot of those scenes lasted.

 

[Sup3rman81]

I loved the entire movie so putting just 1st half and 2nd half isnt quite fair. I feel the action and story in the front with story leading up to the action in the finale was great. You got the smallville fight and then a small break which then lead into the big fight with Zod.

 

[jthom19802]

I agree. Some really amazing emotional moments that really worked, the only problem was how it was edited. Not the non-linear way of telling the story, just how quick a lot of those scenes lasted.

That may have been scale. Scale is a word I've used a lot since seeing it. It's a GRAND scale. You have Kyrpton, you have Smallville, you have Metroplis, you have [BLACKOUT]a faux FOS[/BLACKOUT], you have Earth, it's a lot to fit in.

I will wrap this in tags for our Aussie friend who hasn't seen it, but as a prime example:

You need

Spoiler

those two minutes where Perry is just holding Jenny's hand, and as the entire city is getting crushed, you know that they both have succumb to it and even though Perry could leave, he stays, and in that moment you realize that he is a MAN'S MAN and despite realizing his fate, is going to stay there and die with her which was BOSS.

Things like that were

Spoiler

awesome and I'm not sure I'd need an extra two minutes with another scene only to have that cut.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Fair enough. I agree with all your points and IF we do get some sort of Extended/Director's Cut, awesome. If not, oh well I'm wholly satisfied with the final product I got.

 

[jthom19802]

As we all should be. Because, after all, your wife is amazing:

 

[TheNextNolan22]

She's very agile and quick so I have that going for me.

 

[jthom19802]

I don't want to derail the thread, but since you're up anyway, do you think that:

Spoiler

It's quite possible she stole the show. Holy cow she was amazing.

 

[BlueLantern]

Russell Crowe did that. God damn, he was so good.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

I don't want to derail the thread, but since you're up anyway, do you think that:

Spoiler

It's quite possible she stole the show. Holy cow she was amazing.

I thought she was far more menacing than Zod. Definitely a scene stealer. All three showings I've been to so far, I've heard people coming out and saying how awesome she was and how her fight scene was so much similar to DBZ. Like a DBZ fight come to life. And I did feel for her when

Spoiler

Krypton got destroyed

.

 

[jthom19802]

This was something that

Spoiler

I very much loved about it. I caught one of the ladies I was with crying within the first six minutes with Jor-El and Lara, and then to see everyone watch their planet get destroyed; it certainly planted a seed about why they were who they were and I agree with you completely.

I felt for ALL of the kyrptonians watching it or experiencing it die.

Obviously I wanted the big blue boy scout to win in the end, but I understood where they were coming from.

 

[TAK The Voyager]

Both?

 

[Rock Sexton]

The 1st half worked better for me. It lost my interest after that.

 

[~.:/|T-MaN|\:.~]

First half actually had some sort of character development and story. From the moment He finds the suits and decides "well I guess I'll just wear this and be a superhero now", I felt the story dropped off and the sense of discovery could have been more developed. I LOVED the insane action and effects of the second half, just didn't feel an emotional connection during any of the scenes.

 

[Indy Flash]

The second half.

 

[gdw]

I have to say, and I was surprised by this given the reviews commenting that it was lacking the emotional element, but I LOVED everything between Krypton and when he finally dons the suit.

I NEVER get really "emotional" watching movies, any movie, but my eyes actually watered up a bit during several moments.

My favorite part of the movie was that whole section, from Krypton's explosion to when he first appears in costume. That, and the end; Not the 45 min climax of action, but the final scene with Zod, and the Drone moment with the general: A similar moment to the "We're all in this together" moment in S:TM, but a different, more modern, less cheesy, take on it.

 

[Tzigone]

The first half, absolutely. I really enjoyed Jor-El and Lara (and they bored me in the '78 movie). I liked someone else trying to save Clark from getting splattered and I enjoyed the oil rig rescue. I really liked the meeting on the spaceship and loved Lois tracking him down and I liked Perry knowing she was lying. I enjoyed seeing Clark with his mother for the little bit we got. And I really loved the handcuff-talking scenes with Lois and the followup where he breaks the handcuffs. Not sure on when in the movie the flashbacks occurred, but I really like the bus one and the one where Pete helps him up (was underwhelmed by Jonathan's death and the "make the world small" ones). I liked all the scenes on the spaceship, except the ocean of skulls. Holo-Jor-El was fun.

I love character stuff. It's just my thing. I like the Smallville battle well enough, and the tentacle one. But by time Superman got to Metropolis, it was getting old. Not enough meatiness to keep me really interested, and the fights weren't visually interesting to me: guy gets thrown through building and building falls down over and over again. I don't hate the second half or anything, but I did get bored. I was more than ready for the fight to be over.

 

[Ubba Dubba]

I liked both halves the same. I loved the story they were telling about Clarks journey to become Superman. Personally I do agree that these scenes could have been longer and maybe even 1 or two in the second half. I also loved all the action of the second half and never once thought it was going on to long. I look at it as a whole though and it was a great movie.

 

[Rock Sexton]

But by time Superman got to Metropolis, it was getting old. Not enough meatiness to keep me really interested, and the fights weren't visually interesting to me: guy gets thrown through building and building falls down over and over again. I don't hate the second half or anything, but I did get bored. I was more than ready for the fight to be over.

This.

 

[Hyde]

The first half would be my favourite if it was edited better, but the editing was crap and poorly written so I go with the second half

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

2nd half. I too feel that the first half had some editing problems.

I sincerely hope/believe the directors cut can remedy much of this. *fingers crossed*

 

[Senator Pleasury]

All that was Clark's pre-Superman life. When the invasion began the movie had me wondering if it was a Superman movie what I was seeing.