Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Growl and grumble

Kneel before Zod

Man of Steel: General Zod gets a look at some of Zack Snyder’s earlier directing work.
Man of Steel: General Zod gets a look at some of Zack Snyder’s earlier directing work.
Movie

Man of Steel *

thumbnail

Director Zack Snyder sucker-punches Richard Lester’s <em>Superman II</em>, to date Hollywood’s final say on how to film a comic book. Credit the man of steal and screenwriters David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan with adding a couple of new wrinkles to the designedly faded red cape of Krypton’s favorite son. Turns out it’s not that easy being invincible; for once, we have a Superman whose greatest enemies are boredom and his own indestructibility. But in place of hanging a left down this avenue of pursuit, Snyder hit a brick wall by staging an endless (and paradoxical) third act battle to the death between CG immortals. As this year’s Zod, Michael Shannon comes off looking uncomfortable beneath his Penn Jillette chin-bristles. With Snyder to guide him, Shannon pitches his performance at two levels: growl and grumble. With Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, and Laurence Fishburne as the first black Perry White.

Find showtimes

Look! Up on the screen! It’s absurd! It’s inane! It’s Snyder’s Man!

Zack Snyder sucker-punches Richard Lester’s Superman II to date Hollywood’s final say on how to film a comic book. Credit the man of steal and screenwriters David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan with adding a couple of new wrinkles to the designedly faded red cape of Krypton’s favorite son.

Sponsored
Sponsored

By now, the tale of an otherworldly father fighting to spare his super-tot from cataclysmic uncertainty — all the while scratching an itch to propagate his race — has been sown deep in the furrows of America’s collective consciousness. Rather than commencing an adventure — preferably ones not involving a school bus in peril or bad-mannered oafs getting their long-awaited comeuppance — we open on Krypton with Jor-El (Russell Crowe) once again preparing to act as his son’s prerecorded “How To” manual from beyond.

Henry Cavill is the first Superman to have a membership at Krypton’s 24 Hour Fitness and Amy Adams is Lois, the latest in a long line of Lanes. As evidenced in their Dark Knight trilogy, the team of Goyer and Nolan never were big on romance. Lois is wise to Clark’s secret ID almost from the get-go. The dynamic screenwriting duo effectively kneecap the mystery and romance in favor of a Lois who acts more like Superman’s agent than his love interest.

Snyder tries to keep it fresh by juggling the chronology of the familiar opening passages. Never before have we experienced what it must be like for young Kent to come to grips with new-found powers of super-hearing and x-ray vision. In this director’s universe, that translates into doubling the imagery and rattling the camera.

General Zod failed to connect with fanboys when first he graced the pages of Adventure Comics back in 1961. It wasn’t until 1978, when Warner Bros. introduced the character to movie audiences, that his reputation began to rise. As one of the last surviving Kryptonians, Terence Stamp endowed the good General with haughty elegance; his purring arrogance suggesting a blueblood living every day of his indomitable life as if it were his first.

As this year’s Zod, Michael Shannon comes off looking uncomfortable beneath the Marc Antony shingling and u-shaped Penn Jillette chin-bristles. With Snyder to guide him, Shannon pitches his performance at two levels: growl and grumble. Zod’s underlings, Ursa and Non, consummately realized in the Lester version by Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran, are reduced to background ornamentation.

The achromatic design is a calculated ploy on the part of the writers to re-create the recipe for success found in their blackened servings of Caped Crusader. Turns out it’s not that easy being invincible; for once, we have a Superman whose greatest enemies are boredom and his own indestructibility. In place of hanging a left down this avenue of pursuit, Snyder hit a brick wall by staging an endless (and paradoxical) third act battle to the death between CG immortals.

With Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, a ubiquitous Christopher Meloni, and Laurence Fishburne as the first black Perry White. Can I get a “Great Caesar’s ghost”?

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

More on San Diego inventions – Spike Bite and disappearing ink

The scandal of county supervisors at the library
Man of Steel: General Zod gets a look at some of Zack Snyder’s earlier directing work.
Man of Steel: General Zod gets a look at some of Zack Snyder’s earlier directing work.
Movie

Man of Steel *

thumbnail

Director Zack Snyder sucker-punches Richard Lester’s <em>Superman II</em>, to date Hollywood’s final say on how to film a comic book. Credit the man of steal and screenwriters David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan with adding a couple of new wrinkles to the designedly faded red cape of Krypton’s favorite son. Turns out it’s not that easy being invincible; for once, we have a Superman whose greatest enemies are boredom and his own indestructibility. But in place of hanging a left down this avenue of pursuit, Snyder hit a brick wall by staging an endless (and paradoxical) third act battle to the death between CG immortals. As this year’s Zod, Michael Shannon comes off looking uncomfortable beneath his Penn Jillette chin-bristles. With Snyder to guide him, Shannon pitches his performance at two levels: growl and grumble. With Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, and Laurence Fishburne as the first black Perry White.

Find showtimes

Look! Up on the screen! It’s absurd! It’s inane! It’s Snyder’s Man!

Zack Snyder sucker-punches Richard Lester’s Superman II to date Hollywood’s final say on how to film a comic book. Credit the man of steal and screenwriters David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan with adding a couple of new wrinkles to the designedly faded red cape of Krypton’s favorite son.

Sponsored
Sponsored

By now, the tale of an otherworldly father fighting to spare his super-tot from cataclysmic uncertainty — all the while scratching an itch to propagate his race — has been sown deep in the furrows of America’s collective consciousness. Rather than commencing an adventure — preferably ones not involving a school bus in peril or bad-mannered oafs getting their long-awaited comeuppance — we open on Krypton with Jor-El (Russell Crowe) once again preparing to act as his son’s prerecorded “How To” manual from beyond.

Henry Cavill is the first Superman to have a membership at Krypton’s 24 Hour Fitness and Amy Adams is Lois, the latest in a long line of Lanes. As evidenced in their Dark Knight trilogy, the team of Goyer and Nolan never were big on romance. Lois is wise to Clark’s secret ID almost from the get-go. The dynamic screenwriting duo effectively kneecap the mystery and romance in favor of a Lois who acts more like Superman’s agent than his love interest.

Snyder tries to keep it fresh by juggling the chronology of the familiar opening passages. Never before have we experienced what it must be like for young Kent to come to grips with new-found powers of super-hearing and x-ray vision. In this director’s universe, that translates into doubling the imagery and rattling the camera.

General Zod failed to connect with fanboys when first he graced the pages of Adventure Comics back in 1961. It wasn’t until 1978, when Warner Bros. introduced the character to movie audiences, that his reputation began to rise. As one of the last surviving Kryptonians, Terence Stamp endowed the good General with haughty elegance; his purring arrogance suggesting a blueblood living every day of his indomitable life as if it were his first.

As this year’s Zod, Michael Shannon comes off looking uncomfortable beneath the Marc Antony shingling and u-shaped Penn Jillette chin-bristles. With Snyder to guide him, Shannon pitches his performance at two levels: growl and grumble. Zod’s underlings, Ursa and Non, consummately realized in the Lester version by Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran, are reduced to background ornamentation.

The achromatic design is a calculated ploy on the part of the writers to re-create the recipe for success found in their blackened servings of Caped Crusader. Turns out it’s not that easy being invincible; for once, we have a Superman whose greatest enemies are boredom and his own indestructibility. In place of hanging a left down this avenue of pursuit, Snyder hit a brick wall by staging an endless (and paradoxical) third act battle to the death between CG immortals.

With Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, a ubiquitous Christopher Meloni, and Laurence Fishburne as the first black Perry White. Can I get a “Great Caesar’s ghost”?

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Clikatat Ikatowi returns to the Casbah for October 8 show

Venue saw the band’s last performance over a quarter century ago
Next Article

Could this be Queen Bee’s last North Park fab fair?

Developers eye site, but historical designation may stop them
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader