From the Pages to the Big Screen. the Differences That Should be Embraced and not Lauded.

From the Pages to the Big Screen.the Differences That Should be Embraced and not Lauded.

A look at why source material should be tinkered with for the better.

By: J.David Staniusz

WARNING: This WILL DICUSS THE EVENTS OF “Man of Steel” so  ****SPOILERS****

You have been warned

 As most people know this weekend is the release of Zack Snyder’s film “Man of Steel”, featuring  the American icon known as Superman. This film is highly anticipated as a pivotal moment for the character, and any potential DC shared movie universe. The success or failure of this movie will set the tone for this potential shared universe, which makes it crucial for all the hard-core comics’ fans. Unlike Iron Man 3, which was a continuation of  a successfully established universe, Man of Steel's impact will be more defining. In addition beyond the universe implications, and more importantly in my opinion, is to re-establish Superman himself in the general pop culture lexicon. Superman at one point had a mania which was ever reaching, and continued with the success of the Richard Donner Superman film in 1978. However with critical failures in Hollywood such as Superman 3, 4 and most recently Superman Returns, it seems Superman has lost touch with most of North America. Batman is easily way more popular and it really is not close. Superman being down ,feels like when the Yankees miss the playoffs, regardless of whether you like them or not, you like seeing them  competitive for nostalgia or to create a bench mark.

The Man Of Steel

                                                                   

After watching Man of Steel I believe the movie has done all the important groundwork in making Superman popular again. I also believe it NECESSARILY strays from the continuity of the comics in order to achieve the most relatable character possible. I will not share a detailed review ( though I will say it was very good with amazing action sequences, and well worth the price of admission), however I want to address what I see as a potential problem with the fans, and it is the aforementioned changes in continuity.

  

The two big differences with the continuity aside from aesthetics (Jenny Olsen, or a African American Perry white for instance)(again SPOILERS) are that Superman

a) Kills General Zod ( a huge no-no for him and something I believe he has never resorted in mainstream continuity (don’t jump on me if there’s some exception I missed))  

b) Is immediately found out by Lois Lane to be Clark Kent (thus ruining the entire romance dynamic between the two which is an ingrained classic to many people) I speculate many hard-core fans will be resistant to these changes as they are sticklers for continuity and the sense of the character. However I believe each is done for a necessary purpose, to make the character more relatable and “believable” (as much as an alien could possibly be). Here is why I think each decision is justified.

Killing:   While watching I was wondering in my head; “how is he going to defeat Zod?” and when the solution came about ( in hindsight as the only logical option), I was stunned  purely on the fact it is a truly out of character moment. However aside from the logistics in the plot making it necessary, I find it was needed for one more reason. Superman should not be “perfect”. I find in discussions this is a trait which off puts many people from the character, he can do everything, he never screws up, he is too much of a goodie two shoes. Etc. Now however we have the ultimate flaw which is he with intent took a life. It gives the character  a hint ambiguity which was needed, as well another flaw. In my opinion his future actions and what he does after this (in presumed sequels) will be truly defining as we can finally see Superman with deserved guilt.

                                                              

Superman with the gravity of his decison

                                        

                

Lois Knows off The Bat:  “Realism” in a movie like this is kind of silly, however an ace reporter not being able to piece together Clark being Superman, especially (in other films) after working with him for so long, seems kind of silly. This not only ties that bow up, it intensifies Lois’s credibility with the audience, and creates more respect for her. Also in future movies the audience will not have to see a bunch of redundant scenes of Clark feeling like he has to lie to Lois all the time. Their relationship from this point on will be more genuine, and in my opinion create a better story as a result. Additionally I’m glad it seems Clark won’t act like a bumbling idiot all the time, which can get super annoying to watch at times.

Do we really need scenes like this in future Superman movies

                                            

                                                                  

Finally for the hard-core fans, understand Comics are niche industry by themselves. They do not reach a very wide audience compared to movies. What has worked in the past for them in terms of continuity will continue to work, but if the movie wants to grow the audience, there have the be changes to widen his appeal. While a Superman comic selling 100,000 issues will be a success in that industry, the movie has to sell MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of tickets to be deemed a success. Thus it suggests that following the tried and true comics stories may not be the best approach. Also it offers hard-core fans a unique experience from the stories they read. Why would you want to read say “Superman Birthright”, and hope they adapted it perfectly? The goal should be to produce something unique, instead of watching the story you have already experienced.

So when you see comics movies make changes, do not immediately jump on them as negatives. Embrace the differences, and hope they allow the medium to reach a wider audience.

They are different for a reason.