My biggest gripe about "Man of Steel" is that the cruellest of critics can basically say it's just "Superman punches things until they stop". At some points they are sadly correct. And for this movie to work it needs to have more going for it than "There are bad people, and Superman and Batman have to work together to stop them (with punching)". This seems like an elementary point to bring up when you have the people who made "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", and even "Watchmen" (!), really. But those same people made "Man of Steel". And this concept is problematic because of it. Why? Because there's a lot they need to get right for it to work. Again, it's simple to just make a list. 1. You need to establish new Batman/Bruce Wayne/Gotham. 2. You need to have Superman and Batman have a credible reason to work together that neither could handle on their own. (This is VERY difficult when Superman is as powerful as he is; at least Batman obviously has his limits) 3. You need to not only introduce villains but make them a believable enough threat for these heroes to need to tangle with together. Also, I guess these don't HAVE to be done, but it'd help.... 1. You need to have Superman and Batman come to an understanding, which hopefully means they need to have more than a 5 minute chat about how what they do is kind of different despite it basically being "fight crime". 2. You need all their plot twists and turns in the movie to MAKE SENSE. You're already suspending disbelief that Superman doesn't just pound things into submission (like he did in his last film, so more than ever that's a concern that needs to be addressed). So, whatever's causing trouble needs to REALLY be both a concern for him AND Batman, and not seem convoluted. 3. If someone actually has the crazy idea to introduce further members of the Justice League (Which is REALLY stacking the deck high for this film) then you need them to be there for a reason; at this point fan service is just going to be fanwank. You've got Batman and Superman in a film, and villains that they need to sort out together or separately. ONLY Superman is completely established going in. That's..... a lot for any film to do already. Moreso for one that's hopefully smarter than "Man of Steel". An additional concern I have that's more personal than perceived: I don't think it's the best idea to have a villain on a massive scale, like Darkseid or Doomsday. It's just going to lessen the need for Batman or have him keeping up with what is basically Superman's conflict. Plus it goes without saying: If we're really going to get a Justice League movie, that's the kind of conflict you need for a team of heroes. This pairing needs to play to both its leads' strengths and keep them on a level playing field in terms of their challenge. That's already hard enough with Superman, but the minute you introduce someone Batman could NEVER challenge (or would naturally defer to Superman) you've made a lopsided movie that's going to sacrifice what should be centerstage: Its two heroes, and their conflicts with each other. Why bring that up? Because that's the route "Man of Steel" took, by cutting straight to a maximum spectacle for Superman with Zod. Proving he's humanity's great hero by basically defeating the villain he led there, with problems that didn't even involve humanity doesn't really indicate selfless giving and sacrifice. Humanity pretty much HAD to accept Superman, rather than realize the good he could do for them on their own. By not thinking through the movie's chief conflict, MANY plot holes opened up with "Man of Steel". (And really, that the same guy who made "Watchmen" would miss his movie's obvious issue that humanity could BLAME Superman for all their troubles with Zod is remarkable oversight, to say the least.) More thought needs to be put into "World's Finest"; At the least any big, showy villain and conflict needs to make more sense than not. So....yes. This movie is happening. But is it going to be good? It's got a long way to go. There are some great things in its favour, and mark my words: This is a smart step to Justice League, the best way to reintroduce Batman to the big screen, and a great way to do a sequel to "Man of Steel" that will probably bring back any who were turned off by it. But is it a sure thing? Only for opening weekend. I'll give you that much. And even that's gonna be affected by who's wearing the cowl and utility belt......
In a parallel universe where game shows' final jackpots and consequent fortunes depend on knowledge of obscure music trivia and Jon Pertwee/Tom Baker Doctor Who episodes, I've probably gone rich, insane, and am now a powermad despot. But happily we're not there, so I'm actually rather pleasant. Really.
