10 Movies That Could Have Been Truly Awesome (With A Single Change)

3. Man Of Steel

It's easy to label the divide over Man of Steel as generational. Younger moviegoers (fair weather flyers?) found a hip take on a timeless origin story. Older fans (Kryptonian cranks?) found the antithesis of the icon they grew up loving. Still, plenty of Reeve-loving die-hards found something to love about this movie. It's nice to know that Hollywood is still interested in Superman, considering the botched treatments we've been put through for our love of the character.

Superman films have always been divisive, usually in retrospect. The beloved Richard Donner films have their critics, many from the generation that grew up loving them. Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, currently reviled as a bad cover version of the Donner originals, was initially supported by critics. Hell, even iFanboy liked it.

The split decision over Man of Steel was more immediate, much of it centering on a key missing element: humour. It was a decent tribute in many respects, but far too bleak to be a proper Superman film. A common defence is that this was a Superman for a new generation, presumably one raised on moody, lifeless images of men in tights setting their logos on fire. To eschew the Fleischer Brothers' knowing wink or Christopher Reeves's Cary Grant charm is to forget what made us love Superman in the first place. He's a flying guy in pyjamas, a concept that is, by nature, as silly as it is fascinating. Previous filmmakers knew this, and gave us much-needed moments of levity in between the action and danger. Zack Snyder and company gave us action and danger, then more action and danger, then Russell Crowe hitting dudes with his holographic hands. It's a silly movie, but for all the wrong reasons.