Man Of Steel (2013 Superman reboot directed by Zack Snyder)

[Ollie 1,059]

I'm an American, and I don't care where the actor is from as long as he looks, acts, and sounds the part.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

Personally, I'd be on to the Beeb before you could say TARDIS, if anyone but a true Brit was chosen to play The Doctor!!!!!

Actually, I wouldn't mind a Frenchman paying him: "Docteur Qui", anyone?

[John Crichton 4]

I thought for at least a couple of years that James Marsters and Alexis Denisof (Spike and Wesley on Buffy/Angel) were Brits, until I heard them in a DVD feature. Great accents. Almost got me wondering if Anthony Stewart Head was British too.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

I thought for at least a couple of years that James Marsters and Alexis Denisof (Spike and Wesley on Buffy/Angel) were Brits, until I heard them in a DVD feature. Great accents. Almost got me wondering if Anthony Stewart Head was British too.

Anthony Head is very definitely English. FYI, his younger brother is Murray Head (Judas in the original "Jesus Christ, Superstar" album, and the moderator in "Chess" - "One Night In Bangkok").

[Datameister 2,044]

Christian Bale sounds pretty convincing as an American...I wouldn't really suspect at thing if I didn't know he was British. It's not quite the same American accent I have, though.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

I thought for at least a couple of years that James Marsters and Alexis Denisof (Spike and Wesley on Buffy/Angel) were Brits, until I heard them in a DVD feature. Great accents. Almost got me wondering if Anthony Stewart Head was British too.

Alexis' normal voice sounds like a fake accent to me.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I'm an American, and I don't care where the actor is from as long as he looks, acts, and sounds the part.

I agree, I'm more bothered by locations pretending to be American and not even looking the part. Cold Mountain prime example.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

yes we have that problem too, between southamerica and spain in your movies...

[John Crichton 4]

I thought for at least a couple of years that James Marsters and Alexis Denisof (Spike and Wesley on Buffy/Angel) were Brits, until I heard them in a DVD feature. Great accents. Almost got me wondering if Anthony Stewart Head was British too.

Alexis' normal voice sounds like a fake accent to me.

When I see him in Dollhouse I have to remind myself he's not putting on an accent in that.

[Red 75]

Christian Bale sounds pretty convincing as an American...I wouldn't really suspect at thing if I didn't know he was British. It's not quite the same American accent I have, though.

Well, there are many different kinds of American accents. I had no idea for a while that Bale was Welsh.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

Christian Bale sounds pretty convincing as an American...I wouldn't really suspect at thing if I didn't know he was British. It's not quite the same American accent I have, though.

Well, there are many different kinds of American accents. I had no idea for a while that Bale was Welsh.

Of course he's Welsh. How do you expect him to sing "Suo Gan", if he isn't Welsh!

[Datameister 2,044]

Well, there are many different kinds of American accents.

Definitely.

[Red 75]

Christian Bale sounds pretty convincing as an American...I wouldn't really suspect at thing if I didn't know he was British. It's not quite the same American accent I have, though.

Well, there are many different kinds of American accents. I had no idea for a while that Bale was Welsh.

Of course he's Welsh. How do you expect him to sing "Suo Gan", if he isn't Welsh!

Given time, I could probably sing "Suo Gan". And I ain't no Welshman.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

He didn't sing Suo Gan! Thank heavens.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

He didn't sing Suo Gan! Thank heavens.

I KNOW he didn't (it was James Rainbird)!

English humour, eh? It is a difficult concept.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

I wanna hear him sing it in his Batman voice.

[Quintus 5,399]

Ha ha ha!

[crocodile 8,017]

Christian Bale sounds pretty convincing as an American...I wouldn't really suspect at thing if I didn't know he was British. It's not quite the same American accent I have, though.

Well, there are many different kinds of American accents. I had no idea for a while that Bale was Welsh.

I didn't know this until The Prestige.

Karol

[Ollie 1,059]

Ehh, if Connery can get away with his Russian/Scottish hybrid accent then who cares.

[Quintus 5,399]

Not to mention that he also played the only Scottish Spaniard ever to exist.

[Ollie 1,059]

Oh lord, please no....

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/usmovies.accesshollywood.com/roll-call-lindsay-lohan-talks-superman-reboot

[Faleel 5,350]

I could deal with (barely) a non-williams score, but that!?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Are you surprised? It's Zack fucking Snyder. He probably saw Machete and said "I want those boobies in slow-mo in my kick-ass Superman remake."

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Well, she has a good rack! I say, why not?

[Ollie 1,059]

Are you surprised? It's Zack fucking Snyder. He probably saw Machete and said "I want those boobies in slow-mo in my kick-ass Superman remake."

Any hope for this film slowly dies a painful death......

[John Crichton 4]

It's time to stop holding out hope for a good Superman movie, and just sit back and enjoy the train wreck.

[Quintus 5,399]

Lohan is a bint but even she has to be better than the complete non-entity that played Lois Lane in the last movie.

Troubled though she is, Lohan is a feisty character (and slut) who may take to the role like a duck to water.

[Ollie 1,059]

Or maybe she wont.

http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/9000/34386569/Lohan_to_be_charged_with_grand_theft

[Richard Penna 3,692]

After hearing Sanctum and Australia, please let Hirschfelder score this so there's at least one redeeming feature. He's already plagiarised *ahem* adapted Williams' Amazing Stories theme so Superman should be a doddle

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Or maybe she wont.

http://www.rr.com/ne...ith_grand_theft

Not a problem, he'll just reuse Vanessa Hudgens from Sucker Punch.

[Krang 1]

I wanna hear him sing it in his Batman voice.

I once sang Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Bear in Bale's Batman voice during a birthday party of mine and my friends will never let it be forgotten.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Who's fault was that?

[ZackR 95]

I just hope they don't turn him into some dark, brooding, conflicted, reluctant hero. I don't want him to be the reluctant hero filled with regrets and questioning his decision to be a hero.

Superman is the one character I almost don't want to relate to. I want him to be the boy scout. I want him to be better. I want him to the right thing. I want him to wear a bright costume. I want the world to be black and white to him.

I think it's be amazing if they set it in the 1940's or something like that.

I want Superman to be the superhero I loved as a kid. I want to leave the theater with a smile, a silly, escapist smile on my face. I don't want to leave wondering how I would feel if I knew my home planet was destroyed and my parents died, sent me off and now I'm an orphan struggling to find my way in the world, regretting the I let Lois slip away, etc.

I want Superman...the optimistic, borderline naive boy scout.

Anyways, just my silly wish.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

I just hope they don't turn him into some dark, brooding, conflicted, reluctant hero. I don't want him to be the reluctant hero filled with regrets and questioning his decision to be a hero.

Superman is the one character I almost don't want to relate to. I want him to be the boy scout. I want him to be better. I want him to the right thing. I want him to wear a bright costume. I want the world to be black and white to him.

I think it's be amazing if they set it in the 1940's or something like that.

I want Superman to be the superhero I loved as a kid. I want to leave the theater with a smile, a silly, escapist smile on my face. I don't want to leave wondering how I would feel if I knew my home planet was destroyed and my parents died, sent me off and now I'm an orphan struggling to find my way in the world, regretting the I let Lois slip away, etc.

I want Superman...the optimistic, borderline naive boy scout.

Anyways, just my silly wish.

There's some astute comments, there. Honestly, what has happened to good old-fashioned entertainment? I can't remember the last time that I left the cinema with a smile on my face (actually, it happened the last time I went with my GF, but that is a whole other story ). I have been amazed ("TRON:Legacy") preached to ("Avatar") patronized ("Inception") and moved ("Toy Story 3"), but I can't remember when I last left the cinema punching the air. Everything seems to be so HEAVY nowadays. I would love to see the new Superman reboot bring back the vibrancy, the humour, the excitement, and the sense of awe that accompanied RD's original, but I feel that it will simply be yet another slice of dark, brooding self-loathing; a cynical miasma of identity crisis, low self-worth, and very gratuitous violence, that will, no doubt, make a large pot of money. Oh, dear.

One more point: sorry, guys, but is Lindsay Lohan? I'm so sorry, but I have no idea who everyone's talking about. Perhaps ignorance is bliss...

[Charlie Brigden 7]

You can still have escapist action and thoughtful characterisation. Funnily enough, Singer was able to do it in the 'X-Men' films (the second particularly), just not in 'Superman Returns'. But his life as an alien and the burden he must carry are as much of his character and heritage as the red, blue and yellow. Donner realised that, which is why it had the best of both worlds in the original film and his - far superior - cut of 'Superman II'.

My point is, (and I think this was Zack's too) Superman can have a soul without needing to be Batman. But you can't do Superman and ignore his past, because it's utterly relevant to who he is. You can take the boy out of Krypton, but you can't take Krypton out of the boy.

[A24 4,337]

There's some astute comments, there. Honestly, what has happened to good old-fashioned entertainment? I can't remember the last time that I left the cinema with a smile on my face (actually, it happened the last time I went with my GF, but that is a whole other story ). I have been amazed ("TRON:Legacy") preached to ("Avatar") patronized ("Inception") and moved ("Toy Story 3"), but I can't remember when I last left the cinema punching the air. Everything seems to be so HEAVY nowadays. I would love to see the new Superman reboot bring back the vibrancy, the humour, the excitement, and the sense of awe that accompanied RD's original, but I feel that it will simply be yet another slice of dark, brooding self-loathing; a cynical miasma of identity crisis, low self-worth, and very gratuitous violence, that will, no doubt, make a large pot of money. Oh, dear.

The thing is, we already have a RD version. The new generation(s) thinks it's silly. With Supes Returns, Singer wanted to respect that version (by paying homage to it) and got burned in the process.

[Quintus 5,399]

I just hope they don't turn him into some dark, brooding, conflicted, reluctant hero. I don't want him to be the reluctant hero filled with regrets and questioning his decision to be a hero.

Superman is the one character I almost don't want to relate to. I want him to be the boy scout. I want him to be better. I want him to the right thing. I want him to wear a bright costume. I want the world to be black and white to him.

I think it's be amazing if they set it in the 1940's or something like that.

I want Superman to be the superhero I loved as a kid. I want to leave the theater with a smile, a silly, escapist smile on my face. I don't want to leave wondering how I would feel if I knew my home planet was destroyed and my parents died, sent me off and now I'm an orphan struggling to find my way in the world, regretting the I let Lois slip away, etc.

I want Superman...the optimistic, borderline naive boy scout.

Anyways, just my silly wish.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

There's some astute comments, there. Honestly, what has happened to good old-fashioned entertainment? I can't remember the last time that I left the cinema with a smile on my face (actually, it happened the last time I went with my GF, but that is a whole other story ). I have been amazed ("TRON:Legacy") preached to ("Avatar") patronized ("Inception") and moved ("Toy Story 3"), but I can't remember when I last left the cinema punching the air. Everything seems to be so HEAVY nowadays. I would love to see the new Superman reboot bring back the vibrancy, the humour, the excitement, and the sense of awe that accompanied RD's original, but I feel that it will simply be yet another slice of dark, brooding self-loathing; a cynical miasma of identity crisis, low self-worth, and very gratuitous violence, that will, no doubt, make a large pot of money. Oh, dear.

The thing is, we already have a RD version. The new generation(s) thinks it's silly. With Supes Returns, Singer wanted to respect that version (by paying homage to it) and got burned in the process.

So, where does Superman go from here?

[crocodile 8,017]

Unless they figure out how to make a contemporary version out of it - it won't matter. Then the myth is dead.

Karol

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Unless they figure out how to make a contemporary version out of it - it won't matter. Then the myth is dead.

Karol

That's a challenge I want to see met - how does someone like Superman work in a world like today?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Didn't they try to do that with Superman Returns?

[crocodile 8,017]

The only thing suggesting this kind of approach was the original synopsis:

"Following a mysterious absence of several years, Superman comes back to Earth -- but things have changed. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, The Man of Steel faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space."

Which has very little to do with the actual movie... There is nothing redemptive, heartbreaking or epic about it. And the world seems exactly the same as it was before. And there is nothing mysterious about his absence. Everybody knows where he went!

But hey, if they can do it with Bond, why not with Superman? Not matter what they say Daniel Craig's Bond is not as complex as he seems.

Karol

[ZackR 95]

There's some astute comments, there. Honestly, what has happened to good old-fashioned entertainment? I can't remember the last time that I left the cinema with a smile on my face (actually, it happened the last time I went with my GF, but that is a whole other story ). I have been amazed ("TRON:Legacy") preached to ("Avatar") patronized ("Inception") and moved ("Toy Story 3"), but I can't remember when I last left the cinema punching the air. Everything seems to be so HEAVY nowadays. I would love to see the new Superman reboot bring back the vibrancy, the humour, the excitement, and the sense of awe that accompanied RD's original, but I feel that it will simply be yet another slice of dark, brooding self-loathing; a cynical miasma of identity crisis, low self-worth, and very gratuitous violence, that will, no doubt, make a large pot of money. Oh, dear.

The thing is, we already have a RD version. The new generation(s) thinks it's silly. With Supes Returns, Singer wanted to respect that version (by paying homage to it) and got burned in the process.

I am unabashedly a biased Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve Superman fan. It wasn't done better before and hasn't been since. I still maintain that Superman: The Movie is the greatest comic book film ever made - by lightyears. I grew up on Superman and Batman. I have every Superman comic since 1985. I love Superman. No other piece of entertainment has brought me more joy over the course of my life. I credit the character of Superman (along with a childhood obsession with the space program) as the reason I love film and as the reason I love reading. I'm only 30 but I am nostalgic I guess.

I think Singer's real problem was that he didn't sell out one way or another. Personally, I think people would have eaten up an old, classically nostalgic Superman (like Superman:TM/Superman II Donner). I also think that a "Superman as channeled by Christopher Nolan's Batman who questions whether he even should be Superman, wears a darker costume, etc" would have done better.

Singer was torn between two worlds. Superman was optimistic, moral, etc yet also torn, conflicted and full of regret. He lost Lois, he apparently had a son he never knew about, etc.

Singer should have gone one way or another. For me? Give me a throwback film. Don't do what all the others have done. Everybody else is doing. Every hero is conflicted and full of angst and dount. Go hardcore for fun, positive, borderline serialized. Don't make him Batman. Don't make him Spider-man pining for Mary Jane as she loves another. Don't make his costume darker. Make him bright. Make him fight for truth, justice and the American way. Let him run faster than a speeding bullet and smile a little. Shoot, yet Brad Bird direct it. He's made one of the "funnest" superhero films in YEARS (The Incredibles).

Make him the IDEAL. Make him the embodiment of the BEST of what humanity should aspire to be. Yes, I know it's cheesy, but Superman is unique. He's not every other hero.

Sorry for the long post. There are very few things in entertainment about which I feel passionate - Superman is one of them.

[TownerFan 4,983]

There's some astute comments, there. Honestly, what has happened to good old-fashioned entertainment? I can't remember the last time that I left the cinema with a smile on my face (actually, it happened the last time I went with my GF, but that is a whole other story ). I have been amazed ("TRON:Legacy") preached to ("Avatar") patronized ("Inception") and moved ("Toy Story 3"), but I can't remember when I last left the cinema punching the air. Everything seems to be so HEAVY nowadays. I would love to see the new Superman reboot bring back the vibrancy, the humour, the excitement, and the sense of awe that accompanied RD's original, but I feel that it will simply be yet another slice of dark, brooding self-loathing; a cynical miasma of identity crisis, low self-worth, and very gratuitous violence, that will, no doubt, make a large pot of money. Oh, dear.

The thing is, we already have a RD version. The new generation(s) thinks it's silly. With Supes Returns, Singer wanted to respect that version (by paying homage to it) and got burned in the process.

The problem with Superman as a character is that, from a strictly narrative point, has many limits, much more than, say, Spider-Man, Batman, the X-Men or the Hulk. He's been painted alternatively as the ultimate immigrant; the surrogate of a messianic figure; a modern-day version of the myth of Hercules; the idealization of the dreams of immortality of the human being; and many other things, actually. In his comic-book life the character was reinvented more than a few times, sometimes with success (i.e. the John Byrne years), sometimes without. But in the end Superman will always be the portrayal of the aspirations of the human kind of being above its own very limits.

From a strictly cinematic point of view, there aren't too many ways of portraying Superman without taking the risks of being repetetive. I honestly think that the two Donner films did the best job at giving the character a full narrative/emotional spectrum, using love (i.e. the relationship with Lois Lane) as the key of the plot. Singer tried to expand on the same ideas, but ultimately he didn't add too much to what was already done (better) by Donner and Mankiewicz.

You can do a full-out adventure film with Superman as the main character without worrying about his own legacy and his place in the modern mythology pantheon, but I think it's very difficult to take such a god-like chatracter and build a story that doesn't deal with Superman's god-like aspects.

I hope Nolan and Snyder found something that will add some new edge or twist to the character (at least from a purely cinematic side), but more than that I hope they have a strong and coherent script that will produce a fun movie without being pretentious.

Look wha I've just found on YouTube:

Now, I'd LOVE to see a Superman film like this one, with giant robots and all!

[Ollie 1,059]

I think in order to make a good Superman, you need to go back and have the story take place in the 70's or earlier.

Superman isn't like Batman, his turmoil/status doesn't translate well into today's society. "We" like the anti hero or someone who broods, the vigilante style.

Superman's character is too good for that and also has no real weakness, outside of Kryptonite.

[steb74 53]

I disagree, his ability and willingness to turn back the world when he felt (or feels) emotionally wronged, I find potentially terrifying.

I've always felt there was a huge dark side to Superman (the Donner version) which seems generally overlooked.

[A24 4,337]

Unless they figure out how to make a contemporary version out of it - it won't matter. Then the myth is dead.

Nobody is waiting for a new Tarzan either. Some stories and characters go out of style because they can't adapt to the spirit of a different age. My only worry is that Snyder (who expressed his love for the RD version) will get buried along with the very last attempt to make him fashionable again. Fortunately, Zack will also be making Xerxes.

Alex

[Quintus 5,399]

Give me a throwback film. Don't do what all the others have done. Everybody else is doing. Every hero is conflicted and full of angst and dount. Go hardcore for fun, positive, borderline serialized. Don't make him Batman. Don't make him Spider-man pining for Mary Jane as she loves another. Don't make his costume darker. Make him bright. Make him fight for truth, justice and the American way. Let him run faster than a speeding bullet and smile a little. Shoot, yet Brad Bird direct it. He's made one of the "funnest" superhero films in YEARS (The Incredibles).

Make him the IDEAL. Make him the embodiment of the BEST of what humanity should aspire to be. Yes, I know it's cheesy, but Superman is unique. He's not every other hero.

A man after my own heart...

None of this [David Brent]Ooo ooo, I'm conflicted[/David Brent] modern man rubbish.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I don't see that it's an issue if it's done well and it's balanced out with action and humour.

Superman II (especially the RD cut) is widely regarded as one of the best superhero films around and he's hella conflicted in that. Like Mark said, Superman himself has little weakness, so you have to play up the other issues around him (his loneliness, Krypton going boom, etc) to to give it some dramatic weight, which is exactly what Donner realised. The Fleischer cartoons are amazing, but they're five minutes long. Do that for two hours and you have a Michael Bay/Zack Snyder movie.

Oh, wait...

(For a better example, watch the 90s Superman animated series made by the same folks who did the Batman show).

[Quintus 5,399]

I know, I know Charlie, I was being a bit facetious I admit it.

All that stuff is fine and welcome, so long as the tone and aesthetic isn't ruled by it.