Did you actually meet a hardcore fan who loved Man of Steel? Like any good group of nerds, the Superman nerd contingent rejected Zack Snyder’s vision of the hero with plenty of vitriol – and plenty of their money.
Which is exactly why Snyder is not only directing the upcoming Batman vs. Superman, but Justice League as well. That’s right, a movie about the Justice League is finally happening, and it’s coming from the guy who ruined Superman because what, the character wrecked some buildings in Man of Steel just like he does in the comics?
Nerd rage appears to be subdued for now, as many seem too preoccupied with the excitement of finally seeing Batman and Superman onscreen together. But that rage might just simply be recharging, as nerds everywhere expressed plenty of anger at the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman. It takes a lot out of a nerd to express just how much he/she hates that guy.
But if Batman vs. Superman disappoints, you can bet that nerd anger will reach a nuclear level that we’ve never seen before. They want a good movie about the Justice League, damn it, and they aren’t going to be cheated by some guy who had the audacity to take any liberties with Watchmen.
There are many nerds who believe that all A-list directors should line up to direct superhero movies, especially those with incalculable cultural significance (according to them). This, of course, is not reality, and Snyder will just have to do.
So if we were to measure the current rage on a colored scale, it’s sitting at yellow. Brewing, but not out of control. Give it time. The nerds will rise to the occasion, as they always do.
1 Comment
Hi Steve! If you can look beyond the de-glorified ‘nerd’ nomenclature for a second, you will find that a lot of the vitriol against MoS is not because he destroyed a few buildings – it was because the movie was utter shite. It was ‘loose stoolwater’, ‘arse-gravy of the worst kind’ (many thanks to Stephen Fry for those phrases). Reasons why it was so?
1. The origin story – Supes has one of the most classical and beautiful origin stories ever. But no, that can’t be used! They had to change it – because, otherwise, how can they make it more ‘real’ – a term which is rapidly becoming the reason behind the downfall of superhero movies. They are effin’ superheroes, they are not supposed to be ‘real’. Treat them as such and then you will have wonderful movies. Superman is not Jason Bourne. He doesn’t try out his powers for the first time when he is old enough to be the father of five, he doesn’t need to ‘come to terms’ with his abilities, for crying out loud! To see Supes fly for the first time when he is 30, is frankly horrifying – to anyone, nerd or otherwise. Superman – an itinerant worker! My ass! Thank god they didn’t show him filling out his tax returns. Maybe, they are saving that for Bat vs Supes and Wayne Corp finds out that Clark Kent is evading tax and all hell breaks loose. I will bet my bottom dollar on it.
2. The mood – in order to make it more real and gritty- they made the movie so unnecessarily grim that eventually you start laughing at the sequences. It is somewhat similar (in intent) to Wiseau’s The Room. If Wiseau had his nightmarish dialogues (Hi Mark, tearing me apart Lisa, you’re my favourite customer etc etc – in fact every single dialogue) – over here you have the laughably ridiculous plot, structure and narrative. No one will ever know why Zod asked the Pulitzer-prize winning journo to come aboard with Supes. She went there only to meet the ghost of Crowe – Mr. Papa El – a man so sad after losing his favourite Star Wars pet-ride that he haunts the alleys and by-lanes of a spaceship, and vanishes with a Max Payne-esque swish of his suit/cape/contraption.
Other supremely irritating bits –
a. Spindly legs – watch Supes and Zod again. LOL.
b. Superman’s suit – another ‘real’ change.
c. Hollywood’s favourite go-to plot point – Singularities! Whenever the plot is in doubt, create a singularity and finish the movie.
d. Superman shouting, screaming, exhaling loudly while pushing some stuff. Coughing. COUGHING. SUPERMAN FUCKING COUGHING. (when that what-can-only-be-described-as-a-metal-hydra attacked Supes over the Indian Ocean antipode when those War of World type machine was doing dubstep).
…and thousands more.
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME ZACK SNYDER?