1. Clark! A Rewrite, Pronto!
I'm sure on paper, Man of Steel had all the necessary elements. High stakes, an evil villain who killed the protagonist's father, a love interest with brains, and a journey from zero to hero. Making dots is one thing, but connecting them is another and connect the dots, this did not. Goyer may have received writing credit on Batman Begins, but Nolan was responsible for extensively rewriting it and making it his own. That was exactly what was needed, a rewrite. I could blame Snyder for his lack of involvement with the script as a director as he should've been aware of the story and plot unfolding in front of the camera, but before Man of Steel Snyder had only written 300 and Sucker Punch, the latter being an original, so I can understand. Some of the main issues of the script that I could tell from viewing the final product was the lack of characterization and chemistry between the actors. Lois and Superman making out didn't make sense to me as a payoff or logical conclusion to their budding relationship. There was no scene that established Superman's romantic interest in her and vice versa. Yes, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams are hot and if you put two hot people together chances are they might make out, but it felt random in the context of the film. We also didn't feel for any of the characters, I wanted to, but I couldn't feel Clark's frustrations or Zod's pain or Lois's whatever. When Pa Kent died in that tornado I felt more angry than anything because Clark just stood there like a dummy letting his dad die when he previously he saved a school bus full of children and even after letting his dad die, he still goes and saves a bunch of people from the burning oil rig. It's inconsistent. If Clark wouldn't save his dad in front of a bunch of strangers, why would he save workers who are clearly going to remember the man who walked through fire and ripped open a steel door. Were they ready for it? And completely demolishing Metropolis when the world engine was already doing enough damage was adding insult to injury. Are we to believe that Superman wouldn't do his best to fight conservatively to protect the innocent from getting hurt? Instead, we count IHOP, Sears, and multiple skyscrapers along with other small buildings among the casualties. The action was brute and uncoordinated and more devastating than a terrorist attack. Feel safer with Superman around? And what was up with the codex? Did Jor-El really send Kal to repopulate Earth with Kryptonians to co-exist? And if not, was it necessary for him to fuse the lineages of all Krypton with Kal? Will I ever stop asking questions? Yes, I will. Amongst other issues, Man of Steel desperately needed a rewrite to sharpen the characters and plot; what could've been if Nolan had, but that's another question without an answer. I really hoped this Superman would've been the one for our times, however I found the basic elements of story that made Superman Returns likeable for me was missing in the latest installment. Here's to a better sequel.