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December 6, 2015 By iluvcinema 7 Comments

Trailer Trash (Talking) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

So yeah I watched this trailer. My initial thoughts?

  1. Well, I did not laugh this time – that is definitely a plus. When I saw the teaser that was released earlier this year before a film I do not even recall now (maybe Age of Ultron?), was left in tears. The trailer was dark, the voices were mumbled and I had not a clue what was going on.
  2. At least I know what the story is about vaguely. Yeah I know teasers are just that – their objective is to tantalize you enough that you want to know more. But as I stated in item #1 the teaser did not do anything for me.  In fact it initially left me confused. I was like, Where is Lex Luthor? Thankfully this fuller trailer answered that for me.
  3. Why so dark? Again, fully aware that DC’s comic universe is definitely a little bleaker than Marvel-land. Seems like that trend of contrasting styles is continuing in each respective cinematic universe. Side note: kind of funny these dissimilar styles especially when one considers that on television/Netflix the reverse is true with Marvel seemingly going shades darker with programming such as Jessica Jones and Daredevil while DC has gone the CW route with family-friendly Arrow and The Flash.
  4. Wonder … Wonder Woman. Have not been following this production schedule so don’t really know how big a role Wonder Woman actually has in film. There seems to be a lot of ground that needs to be covered in the whole Superman v Batman squaring off, and that says nothing about the insertion of Mr LOOTOUR into the fray.
  5. What is Batman thinking? I get it. You are mad at the damage caused by Superman vs General Zod. But really? Squaring off against an alien? Am curious to see how that works out for him. But it does seem like, according to the trailer, Alfred (Jeremy Irons) is telling him he needs to stop and think for a precious moment.

Ultimately still up in the air about whether or not I am going to see it in the theater …

BMvSM

Who am I fooling? Sure I am gonna catch this, even if I am bracing for disappointment.

So what are your thoughts?

Filed Under: Coming Soon, Trailer Tagged With: batman v superman dawn of justice, batman vs superman, zack snyder

June 18, 2013 By iluvcinema 3 Comments

My Thoughts on “Man of Steel”

So, I am not a master of properly putting my ‘reviews’ (I use the term advisedly) into prose form; the write ups usually turn into a muddle of random thoughts and ramblings about a given cinematic experience. I say this as a means of forewarning you that this post, my ‘review’ of Man of Steel will probably meet this threshold.

Immediately after the screening I attended yesterday and going into today, there are an overabundance of thoughts, feelings and words, plenty of words circling my brain as I search for a way to coherently describe all that I feel about Man of Steel. Without further ado, I am going to jump right into it. Again bear with me as this is not going to have the most logical of flows.

MAN OF STEEL

So Much Story, So Little Time

There were a lot of things going on in this film and maybe they could have pared it down a bit, but who I am to judge? It feels like a case of one (or many) set pieces too many. I particularly felt that the “battle royale” between Superman and his nemeses dragged on a bit.

But it is likely that I am over critiquing this aspect because as we all know Nolan and Goyer are masters at creating cinematic puzzles. We are barely at the assembly stage – with Man of Steel the puzzle box has been opened and all the pieces dumped on the table. How it all comes together is something that we will have the pleasure of watching over the next several years.

 

Symbolism Everywhere

Tying into what I mentioned above, between the allusions to immigration, Jesus Christ, eugenics and fate/destiny (to name a few), my senses were on symbolism overload. Just wanted to put that out there.

 

The Darkness and the Light

From the outset, the lasting impression from Man of Steel was the weightiness of the material. This most certainly was not the Superman tale of my youth.  At times I was worried that the gravity with which the material was presented would was going to really drag the movie down. One especially dark turn took place during a shocking, unexpected denouement, at least by Superman standards. Yet in the end I felt there were enough moments of levity to balance this out.

 

Getting to Know You

This is a theme that you will notice I stick with throughout this post but I think that it is worth mentioning that Man of Steel, if nothing else focused heavily on character development. Of course at the center of it is Clark Kent/ Kal El/ Superman and his struggle for identity, understanding who he is and his purpose. The search easily parallels that struggle we all face in our own lives, but it clearly takes on a different tone in a universe where Krypton and Metropolis exist. One aspect of the character and relationship development that did not work for me as well was the relationship between Clark and Lois Lane. After some long thought on this subject I have come up with the following theory – that story-wise, the relationship is such because the filmmakers were attempting to solve the age-old “inside joke” concerning people’s knowledge/ignorance of our superhero’s true identity.

MOS-08233C

 

Which Leads Me to the Acting …

In particular, I think that Cavill did a very good job in his portrayal; he was able to convey someone who was both foreign and still in touch with an earthly humanity (a stranger in a strange land).

Bye, bye camp villain – Michael Shannon is so menacing as a screen presence; I found myself equally exhilarated and frightened his portrayal as General Zod.

I do not know what it is about the Lois Lane character, but it seems as equally difficult to cast as Superman himself. You need someone who can hold their own with the Man of Steel as a believably spunky, rebel of a reporter. Amy Adams does not knock it out of the park but hers is such an affable screen presence that I can go with it.

Equal props to Russell Crowe and a sagacious Kevin Costner as Clark’s / Kal’s two dads – very good performances, gentlemen. Heck, solid performances all around. I suspect that in future installments a couple of characters (looking to you Perry White) will be a little more fleshed out.

MAN OF STEEL

 

But I Feel for Those Folks Who Were Less Than Enthusiastic About MoS, Too

I can totally empathize with the detractors and those who were a bit disappointed by the film. I do not think there is any denying that this is a very well made film. But what it boils down to in my opinion, is expectation. As I have chronicled on this blog since the first teasers for this film were released, my anticipation for the film has gone from zero to a moderate level of excitement. Even with that growing eagerness to see the film, my expectations were still managed so that in the end, I think I could be no less that satisfied with what I would eventually see. I know that for many fans of Superman and the overall comic genre, a lot was riding on this film to deliver in a way that some other superhero predecessors have done. As I have learned, the game of expectation comes is high stakes for the moviegoer. Go back almost 12 months to the day to see what I mean.

Another mark against the film that I have heard or read about is that many people were looking for a little more balance in the portrayal of Clark and his alter ego. My response to that is:  Man of Steel is CLEARLY the opening act in a three part story, so there is no need to introduce all aspects of the character(s) just yet. Think of this first installment as Superman 101. In other words, do not fret dear viewer, let’s just wait and see what is to come. On a side note: one does not have to be a complete dork to be a mild-mannered reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper; trust me, it can work.

 

In the End …

I could go on, but I won’t. Let me finish by saying the more I think about Man of Steel, the more I like it and what its creators were setting out to accomplish. It was an ambitious exercise to set about doing – taking a well loved set of characters and altering their universe in a way that may not be to everyone’s liking. Yes, there are pieces of the story and its delivery that work better than others, but in the end I can do nothing but recommend you see this film and judge for yourself.

 

 

Have you seen it? What do you think? Hit the comments section below.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: amy adams, christopher nolan, henry cavill, man of steel, michael shannon, russell crowe, superman, zack snyder

December 12, 2012 By iluvcinema 6 Comments

What Do You Think? (Man of Steel Trailer)

Echoing the words at the end of this trailer for the Christopher Nolan – produced / Zack Snyder directed Man of Steel – what do YOU think?

ILC’s take: Every effort is to make the viewer feel like this is going to be EPIC. My question is does it really have to be so epic? I fully appreciate an earnest treatment of the DC Comic, but the overall sense I get from this (well-made) trailer is that it borders on being too earnest. Of course we do not need to wait too much longer to see the end product – the film is scheduled for released on June 14, 2013.
(On a side note, Cavill does make quite a fetching Kal-El/Superman/Clark Kent).
Share your sentiments about the trailer below.

Filed Under: Coming Soon, Trailer Tagged With: christopher nolan, man of steel, superman, zack snyder

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