Man of Steel = Awesome, All-Star Superman = Sucks

So I saw Man of Steel opening night, and I loved it. I haven't enjoyed a superman film since Superman II (ok, I'll admit it, when I was a kid I thought the one with Sun Guy Nail Clone was ok). I, reluctantly, also enjoyed the cartoons of the late 90's. But in general I've never been a fan of DC (contrary to Batman being the greatest superhero of all time), and especially not of Superman.

This is likely due to the fact of; how often he is depicted as a red-caped Jesus, how he's never had a decent game, ever (name one, I dare you), and how every movie since Superman II has been complete totalsuck. I mean there was even a time when Nicholas Cage was to play Superman!

Man of Steel, however, finally delivers. It introduces Supes to audiences (such as little kids) again retelling his backstory (this is also one of my digs), is loaded with awesome action and combat scenes, briefly touches on how his presence may affect the world, and has him face off against someone other than Luthor.

Now there are a few things about Man of Steel that I could see might rub people the wrong way. For one, it is perhaps the first ever superman movie not for children. There is some minor cursing (enough for me not to be able to show it to my kids at school), it is more violent than most superman films (but not gorey, if memory serves), and it takes Supes in a slightly darker direction that any film version I can think of. Thing is, a lot of that stays true to the character (from my albeit limited and brief research).
Wikipedia Article on Man of Steel Villain

*Spoiler* Superman's execution to Zod apparently isn't without precedent. Superman has been the direct cause of Zod's death (once intentionally) in at least two of his incarnations. *Spoiler*

So I'm not sure why it's being panned by critics (Other than the fact that critics know nothing). But this isn't a rant about critics (or even a rant). Today I watched All-Star Superman (2011) for the second time. Now if you haven't seen this animated film, it isn't as bad as Superman/Doomsday (2007), but it sucks. Now it was hard for me to wrap my brain around it, because it made me want to read the graphic novel (which I haven't yet).

To give you some background; my understanding is that All-Star Superman wasn't a reboot per se, but an alternate story line, written by Grant Morrison.

"The series was the second to be launched in 2005 under DC's All-Star imprint, the first being All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder. These series are attempts by DC to allow major comics creators a chance to tell stories showcasing these characters without being restricted by DC Universe continuity." ~ Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-Star_Superman

So while I still want to read the comic, the film totally fell flat. It once again depicted Superman as the "I can do anything and everything" Stayus Ex Machina that makes me actually root for Lex Luthor. It doesn't help that the supporting cast where empty caricatures, and greatly lacking. I think where the film went wrong, is it feels like it tried to directly port the comic book, a 12 issue serial, into a 76 min direct-to-video.....piece of crap.

Because of this, the story jumps around, and disallows you to develop any sort of connection to the heroes or villains, which leaves you not caring what happens to these people either way. Yet, for me at least, there was one part of the story that was compelling, the ending. No, I don't mean the credits. There were definite parts of the end that perhaps made me more upset. Because I liked it. It made me go "Why wasn't the rest of the film this decent?"

Bottom line? I highly recommend Man of Steel. I recommend you go see it in theaters. If you walk away from the film disappointed, I challenge you to ask yourself, "What do I want in a Superman movie?"

All-Star Superman on the other hand; if you have Netflix, check it out. I can't recommend the comic because I haven't read it. But I plan to.