So What Makes for a Good Drama?

(Alternate post title: Do Video Games Need More Drama?)

(Alternate [alternate] post title: Calm Like a [Drama] Bomb)

(Alternate [alternate {alternate}] post title: HNGHFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF)

…Okay.  Let’s get serious now.

Man of Steel: Kneel Before Clods (Finale)

You know what?  I actually have something positive to say about this movie.  But first…

Spoilers!  But also, positive thinking.  But also spoilers.

Man of Steel: Kneel Before Clods (Part 2)

I don’t want to write this post anymore.  I don’t.

I don’t like this movie.  And the more I think about it, the lower my opinion of it goes.  I have to wonder what the mindset behind its masterminds entailed -- you know, what they were saying to each other in roundtable discussions or pitch meetings, or whatever.  I don’t have a problem with them saying things like “Let’s make a new Superman movie”; in fact, I would love to see a new movie, one that earns and deserves universal praise.  But the more they add to that statement, the more problems start to pop up. 

“Let’s make a new Superman movie,” they might say.  And then someone will pipe in and go, “Let’s make it a reboot.”  Okay, that I can deal with, because as much of a stigma that word has, sometimes it’s necessary and even beneficial.  But it just gets worse from there.  “Let’s make it a reboot for the modern generation.”  And “Let’s make it a reboot for the modern generation, because the old Superman movies just wouldn’t cut it in today’s world.”  And “Let’s make a darker, more realistic reboot for the modern generation, because the old Superman just won’t cut it for today’s world and audiences.”  It’s one hell of a slippery slope.

That’s not exactly a fair, one-to-one representation of what goes on in the minds of executives and creative-types, I know.  But I hope you’ll forgive my cynicism when Man of Steel, at its basest, is exactly what I described…and comes out of the gate with one leg in a bear trap and the other on fire.  All they had to do was make a movie with good characters, good action, and a good story.  That’s all they had to do.  But they didn’t.  And that really puts me in a bad mood.

And my mood’s about to get a whole lot worse.

WARNING: More spoilers, I guess.  But whatever.  I’m gonna go to bed for a few thousand hours to sleep off this headache.  You guys probably should, too…whether you’ve seen the movie or not.

Man of Steel: Kneel Before Clods (Part 1)

I don’t know a thing about Superman.

I know his origin story, sure, but if you asked me about his particulars, and his defining moments in the DC Comics canon, I’d turn into a stuttering mess.  I can guess what he stands for, but there’s still a lot I’m missing.  A whole lot.  What I know about Superman comes from the myriad cartoons that have aired.  I think that my earliest exposure to Superman came from a VHS I watched at my grandma’s house when I was a kid, which happened to have a minutes-long slice of one of the really old Superman cartoons (which apparently came from 1941.  Damn, that’s old.)  And there’s the other stuff that aired, up to and including Justice League Unlimited…if only because of that badass theme song.  Even beyond that, I have a newfound appreciation for Superman thanks to Injustice: Gods Among Us.

My understanding of Superman was that he was the hero of heroes.  His power was only a fraction of his character.  He was -- he is -- goodness and justice incarnate.  He’s a stand-up guy that (unless pushed) will always do the right thing, regardless of the sacrifices he has to make.  He’s something worth aspiring towards, even if mere mortals can never reach that plateau.  He can come off as boring, but I would think that those internal struggles and societal interactions make for dozens, if not hundreds, of interesting stories.  If handled properly, Superman could dominate anything he appears in, infusing stories with a spirit even mightier than the last son of Krypton.  Also, this happened.

I don’t know a thing about Superman.  But then again, I don’t need to.  I have my own ideas of what he stands for.  I know the intent behind both the characters and the writers.  I know that no matter how many people say “Batman’s the best!” I’ll gladly jump into the Superman camp -- because I know that’s the hero who’s more likely to capture my heart and mind.

And that just makes Man of Steel even more disappointing.

WARNING: You’d best prepare yourself for some spoilers as big as Darkseid’s wading boots, so if you haven’t seen the movie -- and still intend to do so -- come back once you have.  Otherwise, go spend some time in the Phantom Zone.  Or Bismarck, North Dakota. 

RE: Man of Steel

Well.  Let’s see if I can be succinct for once.