# Man of Steel Reviews--Mediocre **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946 "2013-06-14T00:10:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/1 "2013-06-14T00:10:44Z")
The average review appears to say the film is [mediocre](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman-man-of-steel/)… 57% at Rotten Tomatoes. Too bad! I had high hopes for this one. But from reading a few of the reviews, it appears the trailers really punched up the angst, but there’s not that much in the film–and meanwhile the more traditional superhero-y bits are by-the-numbers and lackluster. I has a sad. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/2 "2013-06-14T00:46:20Z")
The Onion’s AV Club, who are usually in tune with me, gave it a [C+](http://www.avclub.com/articles/man-of-steel,98939/): > [@](#): > > Cavill—whose performance involves more posing than acting—is alternately presented as an alien messiah, a superweapon, and an American flag flapping in the wind; the one thing he never gets to be is a character. As a result, Man Of Steel sometimes feels like arty advertising—the tentpole movie equivalent of a car ad that invokes images of freedom or luxury without ever mentioning the price or specifications. Hmm. This, however is interesting: > [@](#): > > Man Of Steel eschews the usual trappings of Superman stories—right down to the word “Superman,” which is uttered only once. There’s no Lex Luthor, no Kryptonite, no glasses, no mild-mannered reporter, very little Daily Planet, and even less Metropolis. That actually wouldn’t bother me at all. Kinda torn here. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/3 "2013-06-14T00:48:31Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > The average review appears to say the film is [mediocre](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman-man-of-steel/)… 57% at Rotten Tomatoes. > > Too bad! Uh-huh. This would be the same Rotten Tomatoes that ranks the latest Fast & Furious at 71%? Yeah, their scores are factoids - mildly interesting but not relevant to any sensible decision making process. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/4 "2013-06-14T02:58:44Z")
Funnily enough, the trailer actually made me want to see it, because the part about Superman I’ve never liked is that cheesy, All-American purity and humanity. Superman having to deal with his roots and an alien general villain? Awww yeah. Cheesy worked okay when I was a 10 year old watching Lois and Clark on TV, but now I want a more adult Superman story. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/5 "2013-06-14T03:08:45Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Uh-huh. This would be the same Rotten Tomatoes that ranks the latest Fast & Furious at 71%? Yeah, their scores are factoids - mildly interesting but not relevant to any sensible decision making process. …I’m not sure you understand how Rotten Tomatoes works. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/6 "2013-06-14T03:09:26Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Uh-huh. This would be the same Rotten Tomatoes that ranks the latest Fast & Furious at 71%? Yeah, their scores are factoids - mildly interesting but not relevant to any sensible decision making process. You just convinced me F&F6 is probably a decent movie. (Probably not my type of movie though.) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/7 "2013-06-14T03:11:06Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > …I’m not sure you understand how Rotten Tomatoes works. Wait… what makes you think that? I didn’t see anything in their post to indicate how they think it works. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/8 "2013-06-14T03:14:48Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > The Onion’s AV Club, who are usually in tune with me, gave it a [C+](http://www.avclub.com/articles/man-of-steel,98939/): > > Hmm. This, however is interesting: > > That actually wouldn’t bother me at all. Kinda torn here. The AV Club review made me want to see it more. For some reason it looks to be a cult classic kind of movie… ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/9 "2013-06-14T10:03:48Z")
I saw it and I’m amazed that the reviews are so poor. It’s definitely a mature Superman movie, very much like Batman Begins in terms of how it takes the main character very seriously, but it’s not a dark or a brooding movie. I think maybe critics have a hard time placing a movie like this, and aren’t sure what to compare it to. OTOH, critics mostly loved Nolan’s Batman movies, so I’m not sure what to think. Man of Steel definitely does more than any other movie to convey both the alien-ness and the power of Superman. The fight scenes are absolutely incredible and really show what it means to have beings this powerful battling with each other. The fight choreography is amazing and shows Superman and the Kryptonians using their speed as well as their strength very consistently and believably. My only complaint is that they can be a bit confusing in terms of who is fighting whom. The editing overall is a bit weak; the pacing feels off in several places, including the opening scene on Krypton and the climax. It’s like they just didn’t want to leave anything out from these huge action sequences. That’s really the only problem the movie has, though, IMO. As I said, this movie really shows Superman’s power, but it also grounds it in reality. It feels like Superman and Zod are fighting in _our_ world, not some imaginary cardboard city, and the reactions other characters have to Superman feel very believable to me. At the same time, it hits the _hope_ and _inspiration_ themes hard. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane give outstanding performances as Clark’s human parents, especially Diane; she steals every scene she’s in. Ayelet Zurer doesn’t get nearly enough screen time as Kal-El’s Kryptonian mother, especially compared to Russel Crowe as Jor-El. All in all, they do a great job of showing the moral basis of Superman that makes his relationship with Lois more believable, where otherwise it might seem a little threadbare and underdeveloped. Nevertheless, I really like this version of Lois, and I think there’s a lot of potential for developing her character in future installments. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/10 "2013-06-14T10:15:13Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > I saw it and I’m amazed that the reviews are so poor. But it’s still not one to which you’d put your name? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/11 "2013-06-14T11:17:37Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > But it’s still not one to which you’d put your name? 😃 Are you kidding me? Have you seen some of the films that were released under Alan Smithee’s name? ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/12 "2013-06-14T12:52:46Z")
I saw it last night, and I liked most of it. From the trailers, I was not convinced that I would like Cavill as Superman, but by the end of the movie, I was convinced he was a fantastic choice for the part. I enjoyed most of the movie thoroughly, but there were some aspects (no spoilers) that just didn’t feel Superman to me. That said, I really appreciated the fact that there was no kryptonite, no Lex Luthor, and as mentioned above, that Kryptonians used their speed and strength in very believable ways. I’ll start an open spoilers thread to discuss it more. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/13 "2013-06-14T12:53:48Z")
I’m taking my sons to see this on Sunday. Can’t wait! Anyone seen it in 3D? Is the 3D rendering good? Bad? ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/14 "2013-06-14T12:57:32Z")
I’ve also seen this and… I can understand exactly why the reviews are where they are. It’s not a _bad_ movie, per se, but there’s a lot going wrong with it: the script, the pacing, and really everything outside the action sequences are all below average compared to even other big summer movies. I wanted to love the action sequences, but the CGI is at the point where the scenes don’t always have the weight to them that they should. They’re still good, but we’ve seen better, and it’s not the kind of thing where you just HAVE to see them if you’re an action fan. I didn’t know anything about Henry Cavill going in and I still don’t know anything about him now; he’s not really asked to _do_ that much, acting-wise. I did like the way that the script, as mentioned, sort of veers away from some of the normal Superman stuff. Costner & Lane were great, Adams is good but doesn’t really have too much to do, and Shannon does well with what he’s got, but I’m not sure it’s a great part for him. The stuff he does so well in something like **Take Shelter** has no use for this Zod. In the end, I can see where a lot of people will like this, particularly as a Summer Action Movie - this is at least safely above the league of, say, Transformers - but it’s not up to the standard of the Nolan Batman movies, most of the recent Marvel canon, or most of the other “better” stuff we’ve been able to see over the summer in the last half dozen years. > [@epbrown01](#): > > Uh-huh. This would be the same Rotten Tomatoes that ranks the latest Fast & Furious at 71%? Yeah, their scores are factoids - mildly interesting but not relevant to any sensible decision making process. … including, say, **Fast and Furious 6** , which also has a sort of weak script but does so many more things right with the pacing and action scenes that it’s pretty solidly a better movie and a more enjoyable summer ride, even though the vast majority of the cast is barely fit to act in the same industry as most of the people in **Man of Steel**. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/15 "2013-06-14T13:58:30Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > The fight scenes are absolutely incredible and really show what it means to have beings this powerful battling with each other. Does it have Zod tossing Supes into the side of a Marlboro truck? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/16 "2013-06-14T18:17:22Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Wait… what makes you think that? I didn’t see anything in their post to indicate how they think it works. The impression I got from the comment was that the poster believed Rotten Tomatoes was a review site like say- aintitcoolnews. It’s not like they are reviewing the movie and applying a “freshness” rating in a void. Their system is based on looking at reviews from all over and figuring out a rating based on that. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/17 "2013-06-14T18:24:06Z")
And here’s Matt Seitz’s [review](http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/man-of-steel-2013) on Ebert’s website. 3.5 stars, although he had some issues with it, mostly about how the women were portrayed. Off-topic: He’s the new [Editor](http://www.rogerebert.com/chazs-blog/meet-the-new-editor-of-rogerebertcom-matt-zoller-seitz) of [rogerebert.com](http://rogerebert.com), and he’s taking a beating for liking After Earth, but I kinda like him. Full discolsure: I went to college with him - he wrote articles for the Daily Campus. Kinda nice to see him doing well. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/18 "2013-06-14T18:26:56Z")
I thought \*300 \*was decent, \*Watchmen \*was underwhelming and _Sucker Punch_ was one of the worst major-release movies I’ve ever seen, so considering the steep downward trajectory of Zach Snyder movies I’m not all that enthusiastic about this one. Definitely a “wait for the DVD” film, at best. And am I the only one who’s nearly completely worn out on superhero movies in general? ---
**Author:** ![Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky_the_Wonder_Spirit)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/19 "2013-06-14T18:38:10Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > … he had some issues with it, mostly about how the women were portrayed. In a Zack Snyder/Chris Nolan movie? Shocker. > [@VinylTurnip](#): > > And am I the only one who’s nearly completely worn out on superhero movies in general? I’m definitely sick of origin stories and “gritty, realistic” reboots. I’m looking forward to the next Captain America, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946/20 "2013-06-14T18:40:10Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > And am I the only one who’s nearly completely worn out on superhero movies in general? I’m right there with you. I could also do without the assholes who post racist comments, rape wishes, and death threats on the websites and reviews of anyone who doesn’t care for a particular superhero movie (particularly one that said assholes haven’t even seen yet). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-of-steel-reviews-mediocre/660946.md?page=2)