What are your complaints? What would you do differently? *SPOILERS*

[Manowar]

How did Clark Kent know about the scout ship in the Arctic? What lead him there??

 

[Rock Sexton]

How did Clark Kent know about the scout ship in the Arctic? What lead him there??

David Goyer no care.

 

[nocomics]

How did Clark Kent know about the scout ship in the Arctic? What lead him there??

Didn't Clark over hear a conversation between Lois and some guy about some object in the Artic? So, he got on as a extra helper on the expedition.

 

[nocomics]

Yet the doom of the mentality of comic book heroes who have some "no kill policy" is that the persons writing this scenario constantly need to create fiction that allows them to have this luxury...IE there is always a Dues Ex Machina that prevents killing blows.

The reality of the situation is that men and women who take up force against violent criminals may need to kill the criminals to stop them.

..and this is not some shattering of "reality" or of the fantasy of the "no kill" ethos..in fact it is uplifting to the real heroes who go out to stop violence and have had to kill to stop a threat.

To kill under these conditions doesnt make you a monster..and it is NOT your choice. You did your job to stop the threat, and you did so only after exhausting your other means. This plays out brilliantly on the film.

Well said. I just don't get the hate for the 'O, Snap' sequence with Zod, that's how the writers chose to do the story, so be it. I had no problem with Superman killing at all and all these hypothetical counter arguments of what should of been done or written are mute. The story is what it is, can't change it now because a few fan boys are unhappy about the 'No Kill Policy' not being followed. This isn't your Dads Superman
If they did a news report on the destruction of Metropolis and the ppl speaking out against or for Superman, it would of been a rip-off of The Avengers and ppl would of complained about that!
The only few complaints I had were the pacing of the film, especially the second act; all the flash backs were good and all, but felt slow. Again, Not enough Faora, they just needed to do more sequences of just her looking damn fine and sexy in that armor

 

[RedIsNotBlue]

Just got back from seeing it....and...I really liked it. I did have problems with the movie but they are minor and I would say most of the problems involved the writing. I would say the dialogue suffered the most. Everything exchanged between Zod and Superman seemed very cliche, wooden, or bland...and it was certainly no fault of the actors. I definitely think Goyer needs help next time...someone to come in and polish up his work. Some of the editing was a little off as well. As far as how dark and destructive this films gets I had ZERO problem with that. Love that I got to watch a Superman film that didn't wimp out.

 

[Tony Stark]

Didn't Clark over hear a conversation between Lois and some guy about some object in the Artic? So, he got on as a extra helper on the expedition.

Yeah, it reminded me of Thor hearing about Mjolnir from the guys in the coffee shop, only in this it made less sense because Thor knew what he was looking for. How the heck would Clark have known the strange object had to do with him?

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Some complaints I'm going to try to appease. (Mostly for my own benefit).

Someone had an issue with the ship found in the arctic having a suit with the symbol of El on it. My best assumption is that in addition to the reasons mentioned in the film, They also chose to send Kal to Earth because the ship sent to Earth was commissioned by ancestors of the House of El.

The "millions" killed in the city. I'm not sure if that number is accurate. It was a pretty localized city block that was destroyed (and I will admit utterly destroyed) but I'd stick to the (tens of) thousands. People knew there were aliens attacking. I like to assume common sense prevailed. And I realize it's not how it happens in the comics, but when a powerhouse comes to Metropolis to fight Superman, this is how it would go in real life... Better than Zod annihilating billions.

Tornado death. This one bothered me slightly too. But his father wanted to prove that his secret was more important than one man's life. Also, obvious lessons about self-sacrifice. It does state this pretty clearly in the movie. "My father died believing the world wasn't ready."

Why didn't Zod terraform Mars? Truly great question. I wouldn't be surprised if we see this on "How it should have ended." But if Zod terraformed and populated Mars, effectively turning it into Krypton, do you honestly think he would have let Earth be? Do you think mankind would have been cool with superpowered aliens living next door? Besides, his goal didn't seem to be exclusively salvation for his race (despite him saying so) he came to Earth to find the son of Jor-El. I assume he wanted some revenge.

 

[Daybreak_st]

This isn't your Dads Superman

And that my friend is the only reason it's in the film. To make that exact point. You can argue that he just had to kill him etc and that it was so realistic that Zod was left behind...was it equally realistic that despite them having an ARMY OF KRYPTONIANS Superman still only faced 3 in hand-to-hand combat? Is it equally realistic that despite them coming to with their ships to save Zod and Faora when they were in trouble they never bothered to jump in and help fight THE ONE MAN who stood in their way That was all so realistic....

Again, Not enough Faora, they just needed to do more sequences of just her looking damn fine and sexy in that armor

On this point however we agree completely!t:

 

[RadioSha]

Maybe some one has already mentioned this but

I feel that the scene with Clark and Lois in the cemetery was rushed. The scene before involved Lois and Martha. It would've been nice to see Martha instead of Clark there with Lois. I think it would be interesting to see the conversation between the two of them.

I actually think the scene works better with Martha instead of Clark.

 

[InJustice]

About Zod terraforming Mars...let's not forget, they may want to conserve Mars to explain J'onn J'onzz's origins (and that's if the Martian Manhunter is part of the JL roster). And plus the answer is really simple, Mars has barren resources compared to Earth. Why terraform something that's incomplete as opposed to one that's complete? (especially since planetary engineering is not certain if adding CO2 is going to help a planet terraform).

 

[gdw]

Well, now that the film has premiered it's time to get into the dirty little details. While many people love Man of Steel (especially on this board), there are many others whose expectations were not met, who have things they would change, or outright hate the film. This is not a place for a "You're wrong, I'm right!" argument to break out, rather, it's for those who feel unfulfilled by what they saw and and would ultimately change things given the chance.

Personally, I would give Man of Steel a 7/10 upon my first viewing. It's not a horrible film, but it definitely did not live up the advertising which had been created for it, nor did it live up to my hope of having a legitimately inventive and exciting beginning of a DC Shared Universe, unlike Iron Man. Here are some nits, picks, and complaints to get us started off.

-The opening shot of Kal El being born is gorgeous, and a genuinely fantastic way to begin this saga, especially since so much of it hinges on the idea of natural, not genetically manipulated birth. However, the Krypton scenes that follow border on nonsensical and way too rushed. If we had just had maybe one or two scenes prior to the council scene, establishing Jor El and General Zod as genuine allies with one tragic difference in world views, it would have given so much more weight to the Jor El's death, Zod's incarceration, and the destruction of Krypton. Ultimately it just feels like one rushed action setpiece to the next, setting up the very plotty MacGuffin in the Codex. Say what you want about the original Superman's version of Krypton, the silly outfits and fake looking sets, Donner gives it mournful pace and a wonderful, wise Jor El in Marlon Brando who really sells the importance of the moment. TELLING rather than SHOWING is generally a big complaint I have about David Goyer's script.

-Our first time spent with Clark. Again, the entire sequence on the boat is so, so rushed and could have been used to show us who Clark is at the beginning of the story, rather than an excuse for a setpiece. What if we had a couple scenes on the boat with Clark interacting with the crew, sharing stories, making jokes, just having a simple conversation? The human element felt very lost in Man of Steel, and scenes where we get a clearer sense of the man Clark has become would have been great peppered throughout his beginning journey. Also, the actual oil rig destruction itself was a let down as a setpiece. It was basically 30 seconds of Clark holding up something heavy. I'm not asking for a MASSIVE action scene here, but every bit of action should progress as a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. This was one long note without any variance.

-This is skipping ahead quite a bit, but the outfit reveal. It's presented to Clark without any explanation, and it comes after a massive info dump of exposition by Jor El. And then almost immediately after, he is suddenly in the suit and bouncing around. Clark has no reaction to seeing the suit, wearing it, anything. It's simply something he has to put on now, thanks Dad! It should be treated as mythic, like Jason acquiring the Golden Fleece. Even Green Lantern handled Hal Jordan getting the ring and "becoming" a costumed superhero better. Batman Begins had 20 minutes of buildup, with Bruce slowing building his suit and then the dock fight hidden in shadows, building up to his "I'm Batman" headbutt. The whole transition of Clark Kent to Superman wasn't handled particularly well, but I think missing this moment is endemic of the problems with the whole movie.

I have many more floating around in my head, but I thought I'd start off the conversation and maybe pepper them in as people post. Again, this is not meant as a hatefest, merely a place to vent frustrations. Better luck in 2015, Superman (aka, please give David Goyer something else besides Man of Steel 2 to do).

You know, i pretty much agree with these critiques, however, I would give the film a higher rating.
I think these are valid critiques, but not really that big of faults in the film.

I actually kind of really dug the whole codex thing. It took the Byrne birthing matrix idea, and ran with it, and I REALLY liked the touch of having Kal being "natural" born/conceived or the fun way if you like..

The idea that Jor-El encoded the entire (potential) future race of Kryptonians in his son's cells is interesting. It makes it even more so how Clark IS all that remains of Krypton. He carries it with that much more.


I sort of agree with other's comments on the lack of initial heroic introduction scene. I always loved Superman revealing himself to the world in an heroic moment like that. Loved the plane catch approach.
So, I definitely miss it, though I think it wouldn't quite work with the approach they took here.
In away, the entire FILM (or at least from Zod's appearance on) is that in this world. It's not just the crowd, and cameras that were local to a plane save that fully experience his reveal, but the entire WORLD, as it is the result of a world wide event that brings him out of the wood work if you will.

 

[Daybreak_st]

About Zod terraforming Mars...let's not forget, they may want to conserve Mars to explain J'onn J'onzz's origins (and that's if the Martian Manhunter is part of the JL roster). And plus the answer is really simple, Mars has barren resources compared to Earth. Why terraform something that's incomplete as opposed to one that's complete? (especially since planetary engineering is not certain if adding CO2 is going to help a planet terraform).

Here's the real question. Why did it need to be terraformed in the first place? Other than some brief inconvenience the sensory over load they were much more powerful under earth's natural atmosphere. So why change it? Jor'el implied that his and Laura's fate was tied to Krypton and initially the suits also implied that they couldn't survive in earth's atmosphere, like Kal was special because of being born naturally. By the end of the film we see that's not remotely true. So why terraform it in the first place?

 

[Rock Sexton]

Here's the real question. Why did it need to be terraformed in the first place? Other than some brief inconvenience the sensory over load they were much more powerful under earth's natural atmosphere. So why change it? Jor'el implied that his and Laura's fate was tied to Krypton and initially the suits also implied that they couldn't survive in earth's atmosphere, like Kal was special because of being born naturally. By the end of the film we see that's not remotely true. So why terraform it in the first place?

Because Goyer needed Supes to fight a tentacle monster ..... duhhhhh.

 

[Andreth]

How did Clark Kent know about the scout ship in the Arctic? What lead him there??

He heard the two military guys talking about a strange object and an investigation going at the base when he was working at the bar, it's right before he confronts the truck driver.

 

[Rock Sexton]

He heard the two military guys talking about a strange object and an investigation going at the base when he was working at the bar, it's right before he confronts the truck driver.

What was the whole point of his "drifting" .... I missed it or was it not explained?

 

[Andreth]

Yeah, it reminded me of Thor hearing about Mjolnir from the guys in the coffee shop, only in this it made less sense because Thor knew what he was looking for. How the heck would Clark have known the strange object had to do with him?

because according to the flashbacks, he already knows he's an alien. Any talk about an UFO would interest him.

 

[Shazam]

Some complaints I'm going to try to appease. (Mostly for my own benefit).


Why didn't Zod terraform Mars? Truly great question. I wouldn't be surprised if we see this on "How it should have ended." But if Zod terraformed and populated Mars, effectively turning it into Krypton, do you honestly think he would have let Earth be? Do you think mankind would have been cool with superpowered aliens living next door? Besides, his goal didn't seem to be exclusively salvation for his race (despite him saying so) he came to Earth to find the son of Jor-El. I assume he wanted some revenge.

The effects of the sun are lessened, the farther away you are. Earth is truly is in a unique sweet spot in this solar system. It travels in a perfect circular orbit, while the others travel in elliptical orbits.....Thus the suns rays are always constant. Mars makes no sense for Kryptonians.

 

[Andreth]

What was the whole point of his "drifting" .... I missed it or was it not explained?

What do you mean by "drifting"? Sorry , english isn't my first language.

 

[gkokujin]

What was the whole point of his "drifting" .... I missed it or was it not explained?

What do you mean by "drifting"? Sorry , english isn't my first language.

drifting as in "wandering" place to place. He was trying to find his place and purpose. He would have continued to drift had he not heard about the ship in the ice.

 

[Nicko-Ray]

After seeing it twice, I think my only complaints are that certain things happen too fast. But they don't really bother me or irritate me.

I'd say I could identify stronger complaints or things that bud me after watching it a third time? But who knows, maybe I'm satisfied with the whole film.

 

[Andreth]

drifting as in "wandering" place to place. He was trying to find his place and purpose. He would have continued to drift had he not heard about the ship in the ice.

oh ok thanks, and yeah , I agree.

When he comes back he tells Martha "I found them, my world, my parents"
Since this is the first thing that he says I'd assume the main goal was trying to find any hint about his origin, his purpose. He already knew he was an alien, but that was it.

 

[Bruce Malone]

As for drifting, in Superman 1978 Clark apparently spends 12 years "drifting". I'm never quite sure what exactly he did during all that time?

 

[The Guard]

He was learning and training with Jor-El, wasn't he?

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

Some complaints I'm going to try to appease. (Mostly for my own benefit).

Someone had an issue with the ship found in the arctic having a suit with the symbol of El on it. My best assumption is that in addition to the reasons mentioned in the film, They also chose to send Kal to Earth because the ship sent to Earth was commissioned by ancestors of the House of El.

The "millions" killed in the city. I'm not sure if that number is accurate. It was a pretty localized city block that was destroyed (and I will admit utterly destroyed) but I'd stick to the (tens of) thousands. People knew there were aliens attacking. I like to assume common sense prevailed. And I realize it's not how it happens in the comics, but when a powerhouse comes to Metropolis to fight Superman, this is how it would go in real life... Better than Zod annihilating billions.

Tornado death. This one bothered me slightly too. But his father wanted to prove that his secret was more important than one man's life. Also, obvious lessons about self-sacrifice. It does state this pretty clearly in the movie. "My father died believing the world wasn't ready."

Why didn't Zod terraform Mars? Truly great question. I wouldn't be surprised if we see this on "How it should have ended." But if Zod terraformed and populated Mars, effectively turning it into Krypton, do you honestly think he would have let Earth be? Do you think mankind would have been cool with superpowered aliens living next door? Besides, his goal didn't seem to be exclusively salvation for his race (despite him saying so) he came to Earth to find the son of Jor-El. I assume he wanted some revenge.

Mars still might not have enough LIFE to it. Also, he wanted to make Kal-El the ruler of the new Krypton, also he found-out that Kal-El has the DNA code rules within his body-or something like that.

Also, he was programmed. Perhaps he was DESTINED to have an obsession with Earth, based on some early Kryptonian scientist who wanted to explore other planets or something.

 

[The Guard]

Zod couldn't have terraformed any old planet for the same reason Jor-El and Lara didn't send Clark to any old planet.

They sent him there because Earth was similar enough to Krypton. Based on Lara and Jor-El and the robots' research, that was the best fit.

That's about the long and the short of it.

As such, the Kryptonians couldn't terraform just any old atmosphere. They needed one that had the raw materials to be able to transform it into a Krypton-like atmosphere. That was Earth.