Man Of Steel (Blu-Ray) Review (Major Spoilers)
Also reviews for An Adventure In Space And Time, and the latest episodes of Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles, Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mickey Mouse, Almost Human, Sleepy Hollow, MAD, Dads, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Upcoming reviews include Under The Dome: Season 1, The Critic: The Complete Series, Monsters University (Blu-Ray), Planes (Blu-Ray), Much Ado About Nothing, The Wolverine: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, and Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters: Season 3.
An Adventure In Space And Time
This movie based on the later career of William Hartnell, and the creation of Doctor Who, was wonderful. It gave me SO much information that I didn't know. Like that the first episode was rerun the next week due to the Kennedy assassination. Or that the creator of the show strongly objected to the Daleks. Or the huge role Verity Lambert took in shaping the show.
David Bradley isn't the first actor I'd think of to play Hartnell (his voice is WAAAYYY raspier) but danged if he doesn't LOOK like him.
I think the actor they got to play Patrick Troughton was too young. Unless I'm misremembering things Troughton was a pretty old Doctor too. The guy they got to play him looked to be in his thirties.
I loved Matt Smith's cameo at the end. It was SUCH a sad story that that added a bit of hopefulness (even if it was clearly nonsense).
A wonderful tribute to Hartnell and the creation of Doctor Who. A gem. *****.
Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles "Episode III: Attack Of The Jedi"
This wasn't as funny as some of the other specials and it was kind of slow in the middle, but danged if the heart-warming ending didn't put a smile on my face. The climax was also more exciting than any of the other Lego Star Wars specials.
Quick question: if C-3PO met the Ewoks here, why do they mistake him for a god in Return Of The Jedi? That is probably the biggest plot hole I have ever seen in these Lego Star Wars things, which usually exist to POINT OUT the plot holes from the live-action franchise.
I REALLY enjoyed this special. My favorite of The Yoda Chronicles. ****1/2.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Repairs"
This show keeps getting better and better. True, I guessed that ghost was actually trying to HELP the victim way before any character on the show did but that's probably just because I've seen every episode of X-Files. It was still a really well-done episode.
I love all of the little touches the show always does about Coulson being a collector. They could have simply stuck to trading cards and it would have still been funny but I like that Coulson's tastes run the gamut.
I've loving this show. ****1/2.
Mickey Mouse "Potatoland"
I liked this extended episode. It was pretty funny and cute. ****1/2.
Almost Human "Are You Receiving?"
Best line goes to Kennix: "No, you have bubblegum in your head."
This episode was REALLY fun and cool and showed this series's potential which only SORT of hinted at a bit last week and was completely absent in the Pilot. If they can give us more episodes like this, with more character moments for John and Dorian I will definitely become a fan. I won't lie. This had a rockier debut than Sleepy Hollow, Once Upon A Time, or Revolution. But so did Fringe and that turned into a much-loved cult show. Let's hope the same thing happens here, only with a bigger audience. ****1/2.
Sleepy Hollow "Sanctuary"
That tree monster was totally something out of Doctor Who. It even chased the heroes around a poorly lit manor. Nice.
I don't ship Abbie's sister and Irving at all. Why they are even TEASING pairing them up is beyond me.
Ichabod having had a son sounds like it could be significant especially since it clarifies yet another tie he has to Abbie. I look forward to see where this is going.
Not as great as last week but I had a good time. ****.
MAD "Still Hungry Games / Agents Of S.M.U.R.F."
That Dads parody was almost as stupid and unfunny as Dads itself. Considering the universally terrible reviews the show has gotten from critics and viewers, and the hatred the show has generated, you'd figure it would have at least been mentioned. You'd have figured wrong.
Arrowbics were super lame too and one of those pun sketches that makes you cringe in embarrassment rather than laugh.
The SHIELD parody was all right though, even though it missed the boat on why people watch the show. No-one expects the Avengers to ever show up. Even getting ONE of them on the series would be a stretch. We watch it for three reasons: 1) It's the first major live-action Marvel show since The Incredible Hulk. 2) It's Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy's long awaited return to television. And 3) It connects to the Cinematic Universe even without having the Avengers in it. So, no, deluding yourself into thinking the Avengers might show up is NOT the major selling point of the show. I'd argue it's not even an issue.
The episode had ONE interesting obsevation though: that Josh Hutcherson hasn't had any other significant or memorable roles besides The Hunger Games. That's kind of worrying to be honest. Jennifer Lawrence has already won an Oscar and is a major player in the X-Men franchise and he is still basically only known for one thing. Poor Peeta. *.
Dads "Dad Abuse"
I am SICK of liberals giving Seth MacFarlane a pass for his racist jokes. They have gotten even worse in recent years, and ALMOST as bad as Family Guy's first season. But since Seth's toons and shows have "progressive" messages and morals people excuse him for stuff that would infuriate us if Rush Limbaugh said it verbatim. Maybe that's why Seth sometimes hires Rush to do voices. They are equally racist but play to different audiences. Still, kindred spirits.
To be fair, for some bizarre reason it is MUCH easier to excuse a racist cartoon than a racist sitcom. I don't know why that is but it's a fact. But I'm heartened that minority advocacy groups have pegged Dads as the racist piece of drivel it is. Seth shouldn't get a pass just because he is able to recognize the fact that George W. Bush was disaster. It doesn't take a genius to point that out. As my friend Stinking Bishop has pointed out, it's pretty low-hanging fruit. 0.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Thanksgiving"
A 10,000 calorie diet?! Terry Crews scares the poop outta me! Yikes!
Heh. This was a really fun episode. I love the Boyles Bingo and Terry going insane with hunger. I also thought Holt had some nice scenes with both Santiago and Peralta. And Gina had a nice scene with Santiago too.
I'm really starting to dig this show. ****1/2.
Man Of Steel
Man of Steel was a little bit better than I expected and yet not as great as it COULD have been. Better than The Dark Knight Rises by far but not quite as addictive as the Marvel Cinematic Universe is. That's okay. This is the first movie in a potential DC Cinematic Universe so I can give it a lot of slack. I didn't love the first Iron Man movie either (I will not admit this most places because I'm a little bit embarrassed by that fact) but it DID lay the groundwork for better stuff down the road. I fully expect Man Of Steel will do this in the way The Dark Knight Trilogy most certainly did not.
Dark Knight Trilogy was SO standalone it was almost annoying. You couldn't build a DC Universe with it. Not even if you tried. But Man Of Steel? They laid some VERY nice pieces that can be touched and expanded upon in future outings. The upcoming Batman vs. Superman sounds interesting, and even if Ben Affleck isn't my first choice for Batman, I'm betting he'll do a better job than Christian Bale, whose Batman was absolutely horrid. It galls me that Bale's cartoonish Batman voice is now considered standard for the character. I REALLY hope the new movie gets rid of the cartoony voice. Even Kevin Conroy has made fun of it.
I'm not as attached to the character of Superman as many fans are. To be frank, I'm not as attached to ANY DC Comics character as most fans are. I'm not even really a fan of them when it comes right down to it. My basic DC fandom is the cartoons Bruce Timm produced and the movies and spin-off series related to them. Any movie or new cartoon I judge will be by those cartoons' standards.
How does the movie stack up to Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited? This was probably the freshest take we've gotten on Krypton since the first episode of the Superman cartoon. Every other single Superman project basically posits Krypton as some sort of boring, majestic ice world to make the Fortress of Solitude tie into it better. Am I misremembering that? Here, Krypton is COOL with alien dragons and bizarre technology and stuff that blowed up good. Not really a fan of the Peacekeeper rules of breeding but you pick your battles.
I also appreciate that the movie didn't do a FULL origin story. After the rocket leaves Krypton we flashforward immediately to present day and only get glimpses of Clark's youth and trials through flashbacks. TV shows like Lost have conditioned audiences to accept and understand this type of storytelling so I was able to get through it with little problem. We had just done ten years of origins on Smallville so I REALLY didn't need to tread that territory again. We got Supes in a suit earlier than we got Iron Man in his armor so I was happy about that especially after what Smallville cheated us out of in the finale.
How was Henry Cavill? I haven't seen every single Superman actor before (I am unfamiliar with both Dean Cain and Christopher Reeve) but from the ones I HAVE seen a lot of he's the best, live-action OR animated. He LOOKS like Superman is supposed to look. He's SUPER cut and bulky and SO muscled up that he looks slightly inhuman (but not gross, like Arnold Schwarzenagger). Hugh Jackman pulls this off with Wolverine in the X-Men movies too. He also has a very open and trustworthy face. I can't really judge his Clark Kent Reporter persona yet because it was only seen in literally the last minute of the film but it looks like he'll fit that too. He's really great. Tom Welling LOOKED like Superman too (and was a terrific actor) but his Clark Kent reporter "disguise" persona in the last season was a total misfire, and he frankly has the physique of a male model rather than a superhero. Welling used to be a male-model in real life but you have big problems when the Aquaman and Green Arrow on your show have bigger guns and pecs than Kal-El.
Amy Adams? Not my favorite Lois. Both Dana Delaney and Erica Durance are miles better than her. But I love Amy Adams, the actress, so I can forgive a lot.
Micheal Shannon as Zod? Not as good as Callum Blue although I've never really seen Terrence Stamp so I can't fully judge the character (he never showed up in Timm's DC Animated Universe).
I didn't like Pa Kent. I'd like to blame Kevin Costner (loathe that actor) but I think I'd hate him no matter WHO played him. His lessons to Clark about protecting his secret even if it meant other people died when he could have saved them is antithetical to the Jonathan Kent I've seen in the DCAU and on Smallville. It's actually kind of amoral when you get right down to it. And not even trying to save himself in that twister to "teach Clark a lesson" was a total garbage move. He traumatizes his son for no real reason and robs him of his father "just because"? He should have starred on Superman covers in the 1950's. And it was stupid too. He supposedly did it because he didn't want Clark saving him to raise suspicions. But wouldn't the people who witnessed him standing there silently nodding to his son NOT to save his life and not even TRYING to run away from danger have their suspicions raised anyways? Frankly, I'd have a LOT more questions as a bystander of the second scenario than the first.
Supes killing Zod: out of character. Again, I am not a real big Superman fan so it doesn't bother me as much as I'm sure it will some people but the Phantom Zone was the way to go. They put him in a situation where he HAD to kill Zod and I don't think they should have gone there. But I don't REALLY care either way.
I was frankly more bothered by the destruction of Metropolis. Superman personally destroyed more buildings than could have fallen in TEN 9/11's and yet he's still considered the hero of the piece. So much devastation under his watch is NOT what I call saving the day. Even in The Avengers the ones destroying the buildings were the aliens. The heroes went out of their way to limit their own damage. When the Hulk is more careful than Superman, there is something wrong.
I'm very happy that DC has apparently relaxed the rule of "Lois can't know right from the start". Thank Smallville for that. True, she was in the dark through most of Smallville's run but she was in on it well before he actually became Superman. I like that it isn't even a huge deal. Lois not knowing is the most unbelievable thing about the entire franchise and this movie sidestepped the problem completely. Now, how they'll explain how anyone ELSE who has seen Superman up close (like the general played by Harry Lennix) can't see through his b.s. glasses is anybody's guess, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I noticed three or four Smallville actors in the movie. Amy Adams of course, played a "Freak Of The Week" in season one, while Allessandro Julianni played Emil Hamilton in the last few seasons. Battlestar Galactica's Tahmoh Penikett had a guest part on one of Smallville's earlier seasons too. I also believe one of the Kryptonians was played by the actor who played Lex Luthor's clone at the beginning of season ten but I don't know his name (or what the Kryptonian he played was called) so I couldn't check for sure in the credits. Their make-up was a little bit different too so I could be wrong anyways.
When DC expands the universe this movie created, I will be happy. I already like the movie but I'll probably grow to love it when I see it attached to a larger whole. I didn't become such a huge fan of the DCAU until Justice League when they tied Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series together even more than they already were. The same thing might happen here. It already happened with my love of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so it is totally not unprecedented. We'll see. ****.
Superman 75th Anniversary Animated Short:
Brilliant. Bruce Timm nailed it. Every important era seems to have been covered (except maybe Tom Welling) and the animation is fantastic. And of course the DC Animated Universe version of Superman (and his supporting cast) make an appearance. This short is beyond excellent. It is mindblowing. *****.
Behind the Scenes: Strong Characters, Legendary Roles:
I love the idea of Clark being Superman being an open secret in Smallville. Stuff like that can really happen in a small town (the townspeople where J.D. Salinger lived always protected his privacy) so it is totally believable. ****.
Behind the Scenes: All-Out Action:
I cannot image the amount of training that would be involved to be in that cartoonishly good shape. Even weirder is the fact that the actor's physiques look beautiful rather than repulsive like most body-builders. They look like Roman statues rather than something that will make you sick. ****.
Behind the Scenes: Krypton Decoded:
This Dylan Sprayberry hosted featurette is strictly kids stuff. **1/2.
Behind the Scenes: Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel:
That was... thorough. I'm a bit exhausted after watching it, to be honest. 3 hours. Wow. ****.
Featurette: Planet Krypton:
This is a fake news broadcast / mockumentay detailing all of the stuff about Krypton people have pieced together based on Zod's transmission. It's certainly excellent and give me details about Krypton I didn't know (such as the language and caste system and information about the "11 Virtues"). ) but I have to question if people could get all that from one transmission why they can't actually identify Superman's secret identity. Frankly, in the age of facial recognition software it's hard for an audience member to believe that Superman can stay hidden without wearing a mask. Great extra though. I especially appreciated the Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne shout-outs. *****.
Blu-Ray Menu Disc 1 / DVD Menu: Fully animated. ****1/2.
Blu-Ray Menu Disc 2: Still, but with music. ***1/2.
Upcoming reviews include Under The Dome: Season 1, The Critic: The Complete Series, Monsters University (Blu-Ray), Planes (Blu-Ray), Much Ado About Nothing, The Wolverine: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, and Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters: Season 3.
An Adventure In Space And Time
This movie based on the later career of William Hartnell, and the creation of Doctor Who, was wonderful. It gave me SO much information that I didn't know. Like that the first episode was rerun the next week due to the Kennedy assassination. Or that the creator of the show strongly objected to the Daleks. Or the huge role Verity Lambert took in shaping the show.
David Bradley isn't the first actor I'd think of to play Hartnell (his voice is WAAAYYY raspier) but danged if he doesn't LOOK like him.
I think the actor they got to play Patrick Troughton was too young. Unless I'm misremembering things Troughton was a pretty old Doctor too. The guy they got to play him looked to be in his thirties.
I loved Matt Smith's cameo at the end. It was SUCH a sad story that that added a bit of hopefulness (even if it was clearly nonsense).
A wonderful tribute to Hartnell and the creation of Doctor Who. A gem. *****.
Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles "Episode III: Attack Of The Jedi"
This wasn't as funny as some of the other specials and it was kind of slow in the middle, but danged if the heart-warming ending didn't put a smile on my face. The climax was also more exciting than any of the other Lego Star Wars specials.
Quick question: if C-3PO met the Ewoks here, why do they mistake him for a god in Return Of The Jedi? That is probably the biggest plot hole I have ever seen in these Lego Star Wars things, which usually exist to POINT OUT the plot holes from the live-action franchise.
I REALLY enjoyed this special. My favorite of The Yoda Chronicles. ****1/2.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Repairs"
This show keeps getting better and better. True, I guessed that ghost was actually trying to HELP the victim way before any character on the show did but that's probably just because I've seen every episode of X-Files. It was still a really well-done episode.
I love all of the little touches the show always does about Coulson being a collector. They could have simply stuck to trading cards and it would have still been funny but I like that Coulson's tastes run the gamut.
I've loving this show. ****1/2.
Mickey Mouse "Potatoland"
I liked this extended episode. It was pretty funny and cute. ****1/2.
Almost Human "Are You Receiving?"
Best line goes to Kennix: "No, you have bubblegum in your head."
This episode was REALLY fun and cool and showed this series's potential which only SORT of hinted at a bit last week and was completely absent in the Pilot. If they can give us more episodes like this, with more character moments for John and Dorian I will definitely become a fan. I won't lie. This had a rockier debut than Sleepy Hollow, Once Upon A Time, or Revolution. But so did Fringe and that turned into a much-loved cult show. Let's hope the same thing happens here, only with a bigger audience. ****1/2.
Sleepy Hollow "Sanctuary"
That tree monster was totally something out of Doctor Who. It even chased the heroes around a poorly lit manor. Nice.
I don't ship Abbie's sister and Irving at all. Why they are even TEASING pairing them up is beyond me.
Ichabod having had a son sounds like it could be significant especially since it clarifies yet another tie he has to Abbie. I look forward to see where this is going.
Not as great as last week but I had a good time. ****.
MAD "Still Hungry Games / Agents Of S.M.U.R.F."
That Dads parody was almost as stupid and unfunny as Dads itself. Considering the universally terrible reviews the show has gotten from critics and viewers, and the hatred the show has generated, you'd figure it would have at least been mentioned. You'd have figured wrong.
Arrowbics were super lame too and one of those pun sketches that makes you cringe in embarrassment rather than laugh.
The SHIELD parody was all right though, even though it missed the boat on why people watch the show. No-one expects the Avengers to ever show up. Even getting ONE of them on the series would be a stretch. We watch it for three reasons: 1) It's the first major live-action Marvel show since The Incredible Hulk. 2) It's Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy's long awaited return to television. And 3) It connects to the Cinematic Universe even without having the Avengers in it. So, no, deluding yourself into thinking the Avengers might show up is NOT the major selling point of the show. I'd argue it's not even an issue.
The episode had ONE interesting obsevation though: that Josh Hutcherson hasn't had any other significant or memorable roles besides The Hunger Games. That's kind of worrying to be honest. Jennifer Lawrence has already won an Oscar and is a major player in the X-Men franchise and he is still basically only known for one thing. Poor Peeta. *.
Dads "Dad Abuse"
I am SICK of liberals giving Seth MacFarlane a pass for his racist jokes. They have gotten even worse in recent years, and ALMOST as bad as Family Guy's first season. But since Seth's toons and shows have "progressive" messages and morals people excuse him for stuff that would infuriate us if Rush Limbaugh said it verbatim. Maybe that's why Seth sometimes hires Rush to do voices. They are equally racist but play to different audiences. Still, kindred spirits.
To be fair, for some bizarre reason it is MUCH easier to excuse a racist cartoon than a racist sitcom. I don't know why that is but it's a fact. But I'm heartened that minority advocacy groups have pegged Dads as the racist piece of drivel it is. Seth shouldn't get a pass just because he is able to recognize the fact that George W. Bush was disaster. It doesn't take a genius to point that out. As my friend Stinking Bishop has pointed out, it's pretty low-hanging fruit. 0.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Thanksgiving"
A 10,000 calorie diet?! Terry Crews scares the poop outta me! Yikes!
Heh. This was a really fun episode. I love the Boyles Bingo and Terry going insane with hunger. I also thought Holt had some nice scenes with both Santiago and Peralta. And Gina had a nice scene with Santiago too.
I'm really starting to dig this show. ****1/2.
Man Of Steel
Man of Steel was a little bit better than I expected and yet not as great as it COULD have been. Better than The Dark Knight Rises by far but not quite as addictive as the Marvel Cinematic Universe is. That's okay. This is the first movie in a potential DC Cinematic Universe so I can give it a lot of slack. I didn't love the first Iron Man movie either (I will not admit this most places because I'm a little bit embarrassed by that fact) but it DID lay the groundwork for better stuff down the road. I fully expect Man Of Steel will do this in the way The Dark Knight Trilogy most certainly did not.
Dark Knight Trilogy was SO standalone it was almost annoying. You couldn't build a DC Universe with it. Not even if you tried. But Man Of Steel? They laid some VERY nice pieces that can be touched and expanded upon in future outings. The upcoming Batman vs. Superman sounds interesting, and even if Ben Affleck isn't my first choice for Batman, I'm betting he'll do a better job than Christian Bale, whose Batman was absolutely horrid. It galls me that Bale's cartoonish Batman voice is now considered standard for the character. I REALLY hope the new movie gets rid of the cartoony voice. Even Kevin Conroy has made fun of it.
I'm not as attached to the character of Superman as many fans are. To be frank, I'm not as attached to ANY DC Comics character as most fans are. I'm not even really a fan of them when it comes right down to it. My basic DC fandom is the cartoons Bruce Timm produced and the movies and spin-off series related to them. Any movie or new cartoon I judge will be by those cartoons' standards.
How does the movie stack up to Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited? This was probably the freshest take we've gotten on Krypton since the first episode of the Superman cartoon. Every other single Superman project basically posits Krypton as some sort of boring, majestic ice world to make the Fortress of Solitude tie into it better. Am I misremembering that? Here, Krypton is COOL with alien dragons and bizarre technology and stuff that blowed up good. Not really a fan of the Peacekeeper rules of breeding but you pick your battles.
I also appreciate that the movie didn't do a FULL origin story. After the rocket leaves Krypton we flashforward immediately to present day and only get glimpses of Clark's youth and trials through flashbacks. TV shows like Lost have conditioned audiences to accept and understand this type of storytelling so I was able to get through it with little problem. We had just done ten years of origins on Smallville so I REALLY didn't need to tread that territory again. We got Supes in a suit earlier than we got Iron Man in his armor so I was happy about that especially after what Smallville cheated us out of in the finale.
How was Henry Cavill? I haven't seen every single Superman actor before (I am unfamiliar with both Dean Cain and Christopher Reeve) but from the ones I HAVE seen a lot of he's the best, live-action OR animated. He LOOKS like Superman is supposed to look. He's SUPER cut and bulky and SO muscled up that he looks slightly inhuman (but not gross, like Arnold Schwarzenagger). Hugh Jackman pulls this off with Wolverine in the X-Men movies too. He also has a very open and trustworthy face. I can't really judge his Clark Kent Reporter persona yet because it was only seen in literally the last minute of the film but it looks like he'll fit that too. He's really great. Tom Welling LOOKED like Superman too (and was a terrific actor) but his Clark Kent reporter "disguise" persona in the last season was a total misfire, and he frankly has the physique of a male model rather than a superhero. Welling used to be a male-model in real life but you have big problems when the Aquaman and Green Arrow on your show have bigger guns and pecs than Kal-El.
Amy Adams? Not my favorite Lois. Both Dana Delaney and Erica Durance are miles better than her. But I love Amy Adams, the actress, so I can forgive a lot.
Micheal Shannon as Zod? Not as good as Callum Blue although I've never really seen Terrence Stamp so I can't fully judge the character (he never showed up in Timm's DC Animated Universe).
I didn't like Pa Kent. I'd like to blame Kevin Costner (loathe that actor) but I think I'd hate him no matter WHO played him. His lessons to Clark about protecting his secret even if it meant other people died when he could have saved them is antithetical to the Jonathan Kent I've seen in the DCAU and on Smallville. It's actually kind of amoral when you get right down to it. And not even trying to save himself in that twister to "teach Clark a lesson" was a total garbage move. He traumatizes his son for no real reason and robs him of his father "just because"? He should have starred on Superman covers in the 1950's. And it was stupid too. He supposedly did it because he didn't want Clark saving him to raise suspicions. But wouldn't the people who witnessed him standing there silently nodding to his son NOT to save his life and not even TRYING to run away from danger have their suspicions raised anyways? Frankly, I'd have a LOT more questions as a bystander of the second scenario than the first.
Supes killing Zod: out of character. Again, I am not a real big Superman fan so it doesn't bother me as much as I'm sure it will some people but the Phantom Zone was the way to go. They put him in a situation where he HAD to kill Zod and I don't think they should have gone there. But I don't REALLY care either way.
I was frankly more bothered by the destruction of Metropolis. Superman personally destroyed more buildings than could have fallen in TEN 9/11's and yet he's still considered the hero of the piece. So much devastation under his watch is NOT what I call saving the day. Even in The Avengers the ones destroying the buildings were the aliens. The heroes went out of their way to limit their own damage. When the Hulk is more careful than Superman, there is something wrong.
I'm very happy that DC has apparently relaxed the rule of "Lois can't know right from the start". Thank Smallville for that. True, she was in the dark through most of Smallville's run but she was in on it well before he actually became Superman. I like that it isn't even a huge deal. Lois not knowing is the most unbelievable thing about the entire franchise and this movie sidestepped the problem completely. Now, how they'll explain how anyone ELSE who has seen Superman up close (like the general played by Harry Lennix) can't see through his b.s. glasses is anybody's guess, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I noticed three or four Smallville actors in the movie. Amy Adams of course, played a "Freak Of The Week" in season one, while Allessandro Julianni played Emil Hamilton in the last few seasons. Battlestar Galactica's Tahmoh Penikett had a guest part on one of Smallville's earlier seasons too. I also believe one of the Kryptonians was played by the actor who played Lex Luthor's clone at the beginning of season ten but I don't know his name (or what the Kryptonian he played was called) so I couldn't check for sure in the credits. Their make-up was a little bit different too so I could be wrong anyways.
When DC expands the universe this movie created, I will be happy. I already like the movie but I'll probably grow to love it when I see it attached to a larger whole. I didn't become such a huge fan of the DCAU until Justice League when they tied Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series together even more than they already were. The same thing might happen here. It already happened with my love of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so it is totally not unprecedented. We'll see. ****.
Superman 75th Anniversary Animated Short:
Brilliant. Bruce Timm nailed it. Every important era seems to have been covered (except maybe Tom Welling) and the animation is fantastic. And of course the DC Animated Universe version of Superman (and his supporting cast) make an appearance. This short is beyond excellent. It is mindblowing. *****.
Behind the Scenes: Strong Characters, Legendary Roles:
I love the idea of Clark being Superman being an open secret in Smallville. Stuff like that can really happen in a small town (the townspeople where J.D. Salinger lived always protected his privacy) so it is totally believable. ****.
Behind the Scenes: All-Out Action:
I cannot image the amount of training that would be involved to be in that cartoonishly good shape. Even weirder is the fact that the actor's physiques look beautiful rather than repulsive like most body-builders. They look like Roman statues rather than something that will make you sick. ****.
Behind the Scenes: Krypton Decoded:
This Dylan Sprayberry hosted featurette is strictly kids stuff. **1/2.
Behind the Scenes: Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel:
That was... thorough. I'm a bit exhausted after watching it, to be honest. 3 hours. Wow. ****.
Featurette: Planet Krypton:
This is a fake news broadcast / mockumentay detailing all of the stuff about Krypton people have pieced together based on Zod's transmission. It's certainly excellent and give me details about Krypton I didn't know (such as the language and caste system and information about the "11 Virtues"). ) but I have to question if people could get all that from one transmission why they can't actually identify Superman's secret identity. Frankly, in the age of facial recognition software it's hard for an audience member to believe that Superman can stay hidden without wearing a mask. Great extra though. I especially appreciated the Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne shout-outs. *****.
Blu-Ray Menu Disc 1 / DVD Menu: Fully animated. ****1/2.
Blu-Ray Menu Disc 2: Still, but with music. ***1/2.