The worst movies, hands down, are those that fail to illicit a reaction in you. You couldn't care less what happens to anyone in the film, even the central character. An hour or less into it, you're yearning for it to end and wish you could get that time back.
Such was the case over the weekend when, at a friend's behest, I watched "Man of Steel." Since we plan to watch "Batman v Superman" together, which is slated for a March 25 release in the U.S., he thought it imperative that I watch this one first in order to get some background on the origins of Superman.
The movie was completely devoid of any plot or character development. It was laden with special effects, yes, but I had a hard time grasping what was going on and why characters were doing certain things at different points. Special effects are certainly neat, and they help enhance a movie. But to me, at least, they are no substitute for a trite script and lousy acting.
I was expecting the movie to be more along the lines of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight." Also directed by Christopher Nolan, the acting in those movies was nothing short of masterful and the story lines top-notch. You also learned valuable lessons along the way.
For example, in "Batman Begins," Rachel Dawes, who was played convincingly by Katie Holmes, utters one of the most memorable lines in the entire trilogy: "It's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you." Unfortunately, the final installment of the Batman trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises," left a lot to be desired.
In sum, a trite plot and poor character development will always drag a movie down. I hope that "Batman v Superman" will live up to the hoopla it's getting, because "Man of Steel" certainly fell short.
Such was the case over the weekend when, at a friend's behest, I watched "Man of Steel." Since we plan to watch "Batman v Superman" together, which is slated for a March 25 release in the U.S., he thought it imperative that I watch this one first in order to get some background on the origins of Superman.
The movie was completely devoid of any plot or character development. It was laden with special effects, yes, but I had a hard time grasping what was going on and why characters were doing certain things at different points. Special effects are certainly neat, and they help enhance a movie. But to me, at least, they are no substitute for a trite script and lousy acting.
I was expecting the movie to be more along the lines of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight." Also directed by Christopher Nolan, the acting in those movies was nothing short of masterful and the story lines top-notch. You also learned valuable lessons along the way.
For example, in "Batman Begins," Rachel Dawes, who was played convincingly by Katie Holmes, utters one of the most memorable lines in the entire trilogy: "It's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you." Unfortunately, the final installment of the Batman trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises," left a lot to be desired.
In sum, a trite plot and poor character development will always drag a movie down. I hope that "Batman v Superman" will live up to the hoopla it's getting, because "Man of Steel" certainly fell short.
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