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Maybe they should call it Brains of Steel
Ten questions about 'Man of Steel'
Alaina Johns
Ten quibbles about Man of Steel:
1) When a government scientist at an Arctic research base orders Lois Lane to sleep in a closet with a cot, she demands, "What if I have to tinkle?" Presumably, locating the restroom facilities aboard an alien craft might pose even more of an issue. But when she's ordered onto an enemy spaceship later in the film, Lois says nothing about it.
2) When the scientist warns Lois not to go out after dark because the temperature drops to 40 below, why does she look perfectly comfortable in her cute crocheted hat while she sneaks into the Kryptonian ship? I mean, really, not even a shiver.
3) Given General Zod's passion for the unformed yet genetically and socially predestined babies of Krypton, should the good general have remained on Earth to become the best anti-abortion "personhood" lobbyist ever?
Bidding war
4) How much did U-Haul, Sears, 7-11 and IHOP pay to have their logos prominently featured in the small American town where Superman battles Kryptonian soldiers? How much did the losers (JC Penney? Bob Evans?) bid?
5) Speaking of IHOP— the International House of Pancakes? Really? I thought Superman (played here by British actor Henry Cavill) was an American icon. When are we going to stop pandering to foreign markets?
6) In Man of Steel, Superman claims that, having been raised in Kansas, he's "as American as it gets." Yet his Kryptonian father is played by Russell Crowe, an Australian actor born in New Zealand. And Superman's childhood pet is an Australian cattle dog. Again, how much multiculturalism can one movie foist upon American moviegoers?
Hijacking screens
7) Speaking of Russell Crowe, why does he get away with affecting a vague British accent for every character he plays, from a Roman gladiator to Inspector Javert to Jor-El?
8) As Man of Steel unfolds, the first person to learn about Clark Kent's origins (other than his human parents) immediately and unconditionally trusts and esteems him. So why did Clark's adoptive father insist that "the world is not ready" for Superman, going to his own death rather than risking public exposure of his son's powers?
9) What does it say about modern humans that the evil General Zod assumes he can communicate with the entire world by hijacking screens? (Even an apparent desert nomad family is shown watching a TV in their tent.) Is Zod convinced that tribal groups in New Guinea or the Amazon rain forest can't help him? Or does he just assume that by now some anthropologist has introduced them to the iPad?
10) The Daily Planet building seems to have been obliterated, or at least badly damaged, in an intergalactic war that centers on Metropolis. Yet at the end of the film, a posh, perfectly equipped office is bustling away, and the paper is hiring new journalists with zero reporting experience. Does the Planet have any tips for the Inquirer?
1) When a government scientist at an Arctic research base orders Lois Lane to sleep in a closet with a cot, she demands, "What if I have to tinkle?" Presumably, locating the restroom facilities aboard an alien craft might pose even more of an issue. But when she's ordered onto an enemy spaceship later in the film, Lois says nothing about it.
2) When the scientist warns Lois not to go out after dark because the temperature drops to 40 below, why does she look perfectly comfortable in her cute crocheted hat while she sneaks into the Kryptonian ship? I mean, really, not even a shiver.
3) Given General Zod's passion for the unformed yet genetically and socially predestined babies of Krypton, should the good general have remained on Earth to become the best anti-abortion "personhood" lobbyist ever?
Bidding war
4) How much did U-Haul, Sears, 7-11 and IHOP pay to have their logos prominently featured in the small American town where Superman battles Kryptonian soldiers? How much did the losers (JC Penney? Bob Evans?) bid?
5) Speaking of IHOP— the International House of Pancakes? Really? I thought Superman (played here by British actor Henry Cavill) was an American icon. When are we going to stop pandering to foreign markets?
6) In Man of Steel, Superman claims that, having been raised in Kansas, he's "as American as it gets." Yet his Kryptonian father is played by Russell Crowe, an Australian actor born in New Zealand. And Superman's childhood pet is an Australian cattle dog. Again, how much multiculturalism can one movie foist upon American moviegoers?
Hijacking screens
7) Speaking of Russell Crowe, why does he get away with affecting a vague British accent for every character he plays, from a Roman gladiator to Inspector Javert to Jor-El?
8) As Man of Steel unfolds, the first person to learn about Clark Kent's origins (other than his human parents) immediately and unconditionally trusts and esteems him. So why did Clark's adoptive father insist that "the world is not ready" for Superman, going to his own death rather than risking public exposure of his son's powers?
9) What does it say about modern humans that the evil General Zod assumes he can communicate with the entire world by hijacking screens? (Even an apparent desert nomad family is shown watching a TV in their tent.) Is Zod convinced that tribal groups in New Guinea or the Amazon rain forest can't help him? Or does he just assume that by now some anthropologist has introduced them to the iPad?
10) The Daily Planet building seems to have been obliterated, or at least badly damaged, in an intergalactic war that centers on Metropolis. Yet at the end of the film, a posh, perfectly equipped office is bustling away, and the paper is hiring new journalists with zero reporting experience. Does the Planet have any tips for the Inquirer?
What, When, Where
Man of Steel. A film directed by Zack Snyder. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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