Brad: I liked that it made me appreciate Superman Returns more. I might just add it to my Netflix queue now.

Brian: So you like Superman vs. the giant rock in Superman Returns better?

“Jesus, that rock was heavy…”

Brad: I totally forgot about the giant rock part. But yeah I have an urge to see it again soon after seeing Man of Steel.

I’m struggling really hard to think of something I actually liked. I liked the casting of Cavill as Superman and Amy Adams as Lane. Kevin Costner was really great except for his super-lame death scene. I got to admit that I wasn’t too happy about Michael Shannon as Zod. I’ve seen Shannon in about half a dozen films and he’s always such a creepy guy. I’ve never seen him as a nice guy so I thought him as Zod would be good but instead he was way too much Michael Shannon.

The effects were great. And despite it being a huge fright-fest the battles were well done and, I think, realistically portrayed what a fight between Superman and other Kryptonian baddies would really look a sound like. The music was sub-par but I can’t hate on that too much. I love William’s original iconic theme but as the Red Letter guys pointed out it wouldn’t work in a movie like this ever. Otherwise I think this is a one and done film experience for me. I don’t have any desire to see it again but I don’t think I hated it either. Sounds like a cop-out but it’s actually a harsher thing to say because it didn’t excite me or make me want to hate it. I’m numb and indifferent to it.

What did you like?

Brian: I agree with you that the casting was really good but there was something off about Michael Shannon. He was good when he was angry and yelling but other than that I thought he was totally flat.

I actually did like it. we’ve nitpicked it but every single summer blockbuster that comes out can be nitpicked. None of them are flawless. I thought it was 10,000 times better than The Dark Knight Rises, but then again so is an ingrown toenail. I liked that it was different. I think the other, kid-friendly Superman has been done. Those movies still exist if kids want to watch them. He’s a stale character that needed to go in a new direction. It could have done with less plan explanation and “Is the world ready for me?” stuff. I didn’t feel the length of it in the theater but it is too damn long to just pop in and enjoy at home an a whim. I liked that they took the Lois and Clark story in a different direction so she wasn’t a dope who couldn’t tell that Clark was Superman because of his glasses. I thought his costume actually looked awesome. The visuals were pretty damn impressive, even though in today’s movie world you just don’t get credit for that anymore because people expect them, and we’ll never be wowed by anything again. (That could be a whole post in itself).

Brad: I agree with you about the nitpicking. We nitpick and dissect because we’re too smart (or think we are) for our own good but we do love movies and nitpicking doesn’t always equal bad movie. I can nitpick every beloved movie even Star Wars & Jaws has its flaws.

But I don’t agree with the “Those movies still exist if kids want to watch them.” notion. Every generation deserves their own incarnation of a beloved icon or franchise which should be catered to their sensibilities. After all our parents watched the original 1978 Superman and loved it too. And we as adults now still love watching it. I bet you money that today’s young kids would be terrified of this film and the Dark Knight trilogy. The Avengers got it perfectly right and was the perfect summer blockbuster (I can nitpick that movie too). Why can’t they just make a successful summer movie that appeals to all ages? That would be super.

Brian: I really don’t understand your point. Those movies don’t exist? Superman is actually on Cinemax right now and my daughter watched a few minutes and was interested. It has to be remade to be enjoyed?

Brad: No it doesn’t have to remade but when a newer edition or interpretation comes out of something that’s originally made for kids such as Superman and other comic book icons why does it have to be so polarizing and basically shutting out the main demographic? I bet my parents would be terrified and bewildered by Man of Steel too. On the contrary Batman has gotten darker and “more serious” as time has progressed but that has also been accepted & beloved by legions of comic fans. The fans actually got the chance to vote if Robin should be killed and he perished. Superman never got near as dark or gloomy as the bat-books so its odd to see a movie in that vein.

Look, I’m all for updating Superman to the 21st century but making it a hard PG-13 (I even counted 3 cuss words) is not the way to go. This isn’t The Watchmen or The Punisher. This is Superman. Tone down the doom & gloom. Those world engine things were downright terrifying. If they were cut out or didn’t cause that much destruction as we saw I’d say that would be better.

Brian: That’s just the times bro. Even The Incredibles is pretty dark. That scene where he finds Gazerbeam’s body is terrifying.

I can’t say I’ve followed Superman comics, but maybe they have gotten darker and more serious. The whole Death of Superman thing was pretty serious.

Oh plus there was the entire Smallville series that was pretty light. The light Superman thing is just fried.

Now we’re ALWAYS ANGRY!!

Brad: I didn’t mean to discuss the comics too much but you’re right light Superman just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore. But I’m sure it sucks to be a 5-year-old and your dad tells you: “Sorry son, but this new Superman movie is too intense for you. Maybe in a few years. But I gotta go because me and my friend are catching the 7:30 show.”

I don’t think I would be saying all this if this was the sequel and the first one was, well calmer and less intense for children.

I said I felt bad for the kiddies when we started this discussion and it really comes down to them. Superman is a kids’ superhero. Every kid knows Superman and loves Superman. He’s the archetypical superhero for a reason. He flies, runs really fast, has x-ray vision and has super-hearing. He’s also the nicest guy in the world! When I bought my ticket last night it was the first time I noticed that this was rated PG-13. There should never be a PG-13 Superman movie. There really shouldn’t. He’s mostly for kids because he’s simple and wholesome and symbolizes what good morals are. This film shows that an adult-only audience for Superman does not really work. When this film was in the works I always said that “they need to do something different to make a good modern Superman movie.” and boy was I wrong.

Brian: I see your point but on the other hand there are dozens of other forms of milder Superman entertainment out there, including an entire cartoon series. I just don’t think one movie is that big a deal.