Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel will probably be one of the most divisive geek movies in a long time. We got excited about it from the trailer, and we honestly have no problem with the costume; as that’s basically what it’s looked like in the comics for over a year and a half now. But the one thing that has us worried is Nolan and Goyer being involved, as Superman was never supposed to be dark and gritty like Batman. So far it feels like they’re approaching Man of Steel like a version of Batman Begins for Superman, and that’s not how Superman should be handled.
Compounding these worries is an interview with David Goyer that’s in the latest issue of Empire (the one with the Man of Steel cover). Comic Book Movie got their hands on the issue and pulled some quotes:
“We’re approaching Superman as if it weren’t a comic book movie, as if it were real,”
This is the same thing they did with Batman, and it worked because anyone could be Batman. But Superman is from an alien planet that exploded and he has super powers on Earth. You can’t exactly ground that in reality.
“I adore the Donner films. Absolutely adore them. It just struck me that there was an idealist quality to them that may or may not work with today’s audience. It just struck me that if Superman really existed in the world, first of all this story would be a story about first contact.”
You stupid fraking idiot. People wonder why Blade Trinity sucked, it’s because you wrote and directed it.
The reason why Superman is still a popular character 75 years after his creation is because of his idealist quality. He’s NOT Batman. Batman mopes around crying that his parents died and punches evil in the face. Superman flies around and sees that there is good in people, and punches evil in the face to protect that. Superman’s idealist quality is what makes him Superman.
Goyer went on with his stupidity:
“It falls into that idea of trying to humanise the inhuman. He’s made out of steel, he’s not made out of flesh, metaphorically speaking. We are portraying him as a man, yet he’s not a man.”
You don’t “humanize” Kal-El, because he isn’t human. Superman stands apart from the rest of humanity and his idealist quality is what makes him the hero to the entire world.
“It is obviously a much longer process with a character like Superman. It is much easier to do a realistic take on Batman. You know nothing can hurt Superman, presumably other than Kryptonite. The challenge was simply: can we figure out a way to make those elements work, quote unquote, in the real world? It’s very much a story of a man with two fathers.”
That’s the problem with trying to ground Superman in reality; it doesn’t work! You can’t ground him in reality because he’s a comic book character. Look at The Avengers. They didn’t try to ground that in reality, and the results were spectacular. I want to see indestructible Superman getting into fights that level buildings. I want to see him get seriously pissed off at whoever he’s fighting and his eyes glowing red with heat vision.
Superman isn’t based in reality, and no movie about Superman should ever be.
