MENDING STEEL : My Man of Steel Fix

I wrote this and posted it on my facebook - Teague asked I post it here on the forums, which surprised me being I was disowned by DIF.

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Ok. Yea. So there are a ton of people talking about man of steel right now. As the definitive comic book hero people want so desperately to have a good Superman movie. I know I do. And that's why when we get what we get, we become emotional. I know I do.

I can tell you how angry I was that Man of Steel lacked a soul, that all the moments that should have carried weight fell flat because they were built on nothing.  I can tell you how the decisions Clark made all came entirely too easy and without any visible inner struggle. I can tell you the movie was a pair of legs and arms that punched a bunch of shit, but had no brain and more importantly, no heart. I can also tell you the reason that it is so infuriating is that it was SO WELL CASTED, WELL TONED and SO WELL MADE that what it COULD have been is something dreams are made of.  But instead of telling you all that (see what I did there?) - I simply want to tell you how I think that I can fix it. A few minor tweaks, additions, and subtractions and I think this could have been a pretty damn great movie.

It's a vague plot outline more than anything - but I think it makes the important moments that were in the movie much more impactful. Essentially gutting the middle of the movie and replacing it what I felt we could use to help make the ending of the movie, worth it.

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EDIT: SPOILERS! Ya Dummy.
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Here's my Man of Steel. 

Krypton, Jor-El and Zod - as is. The whole opening of the movie can stay. Don't need avatar dragon flights or anything but whatever. It establishes our world and story and is what it is. Krypton gets destroyed and its last son is sent to earth.

We're now on earth and an early 20s Clark is struggling as he discovers he can do these "things" -  Clark finally learns that he's not from this earth and is shown his ship and the key to his peoples history. It scares him. He argues with his father and we get the great moments in which Johnathan Kent explains how the world would fear him and that he must keep his abilities hidden. He scared and more importantly angry. He's angry with his parents for keeping it from him. After countless arguments he punches a hole in a tracker or some shit and eventually goes off on his own.

As he becomes a man we see the forming of a heroic side of Clark - doing what he can to help people while staying hidden from humanity as best possible (though we never see him fly, he hasn't quite discovered
that yet) - it's then he meets Lois - after some familiarizing over time, she eventually, in a moment of drunken weakness divuldges some confidential information - It can be a fun scene where they go out drinking and she gets hammered but Clark is entirely unaffected - with her guard down she explains shes heading to the arctic where scientists think they found this thing under the ice that's over a thousand years old. Drawn to it for obvious reason of course he investigates - the humans wont get to it for a few years due to their petty human equipment - but Clark simply travels deeper in the sea than any human can reach and burrows his tunnel though - There he finally learns of his past and his true father.

He's told all those great things about humans being good and about how he must fight for them, protect and lead them. He's told to love an appreciate his human family and all of human-kind - that he's more human than he'll ever be Kryptonian - He's told he was sent there to save them all. "They will race and stumble and fall and crawl and curse... and finally they will join you in the sun."  Jor's words ease him and fill him with pride... he feels ready to accept the responsibility.

Clark returns home for the first time in a while, knowing what he now knows he's come to apologize for acting the way he did, but is met with terrible news that his father has since passed. Clark blames himself. He feels he could have stopped it. Tumor came quick, he could've seen it growing inside of him, maybe caught it in time to save it.
His new found confidence is crushed. He breaks down over his father's grave, he tells his mother of his discovery and tells her he doesn't think he can do it.  That he can't be the savior of this earth. How can he save anyone when he couldn't save his own father? - He says that he's afraid. (Just like Christ did! wink wink)

OH NO!!! Lois is in trouble! Lois finds herself in a life threatening predicament with other civilians, just as Clark is discovering the situation - It's clear that saving her, now, the woman he loves, will surely out him to the public. There's no way to do this secretly - time and time again Clark heard his father (John) telling him he must never make his abilities known. That the world would fear and exile him -  but this is the woman he loves. He struggles for as long as he can and in the last possible second, and without even thinking about it, on pure instinct alone for the first time ever, Clark takes flight to save the people. He flies - to save Lois.

People gather and look to the sky, gasping for air as they watch a man in flight. Some people scream in fear. Some swell in amazement. EVERYONE'S eyes are on him. The world watches a man fly.

"Its the second coming, the Lord has returned to us!"
"How do we know we're safe?!"
"Is he American? Is he in our military?!"
"I don't want my kids living in a world where a single man can crush a entire school!"
"I think he's a hero."
"Whoever this guy is, this 'super man' - he can not be trusted with power like that!"
"I think he should be captured and monitored."
"Ah say we weaponize 'em!"
"I'm afraid of him."
The news pours with stories, opinions, and interviews in the following days. The general consensus being - We should be afraid. We should make sure he's under control.

Kent sets up a 'press confess' or something and makes himself known in a public format - The President, military leaders, etc. all in attendance - Dark clouds show signs of a storm brewing. He begins explaining himself, his story, that he's here to help. That he grew up on this land and that though he may not be human, he IS of earth. But like a gunshot heard around the world, a single nonsupporting voice in the public triggers a riot. The people he was sent to save refuse to accept him... they don't understand him and so, they HATE him.
The military strikes. The public raises arms, very few are for him and they pay for it. Among the chaos a moment arises in which the President of the United States finds himself in jeapordy. Clark saves him - Clark stands over him with a disappointed look, as the president thanklessly screams - "GET HIM!" - Clark takes off into the the sky, above the storm clouds where he stops for only a moment to feel the suns rays like a cleansing shower from the mud that covers him below, and in an instant he's gone.

Without the emotional strength to face the masses who would have him stoned, he seeks.... Solitude. (see what I did there?)

He returns to the ship -spends weeks with the ghost of his father who further explains his people, his culture, and tries to instill his own beliefs in the young Kal-El. He also explains that Zod is ruthless and will stop at nothing. While there he watches terrorist acts, natural disasters and other nightmares kill hundreds of people, he does nothing despite Jor-El begging him to go.

Meanwhile...."Sir there is an unidentifiable aircraft in our airspace." - Zod has arrived at Earth.  He tells the people of earth about the "being" living among them that he has come for. He explains if they don't give him up, they will all die by his hand."

"Look what you've done to us!"
"Turn yourself in or we'll all die."
"Where IS the man they've come for?!"
As the leaders of the world gather, the news continues to fill the air-streams with hatred towards "the man who flies" -

Clark is in solitude - he can hear all the worlds words but concentrates on a single newscast of a child simply saying - "I don't want to die."

"You must go." Jor-El tells him. He brings up John Kent and his mother to instill some emotion back into the seemingly hopeless Clark. "You must return to them. Fulfill your destiny. Do it for your Father. Your family on earth. She will die to." - Jor-El reveals to him his El Family Ceremonial Robes. (THIS is the moment for the arms-outreached-hover-you-all-know-what-were-doing-here visual.)

He meets with the world leaders- surrounded by a GLOBAL military ready to engage him in any second - he explains that he will gladly go for them, he will gladly turn himself in. But that they must know it will not ensure their safety. That there is no guarantee Zod will keep his word. He demonstrates his power to them and explains that every day he has to make a choice of what to do with it - and now its time for them to make the choice. "You can turn me in and I will go willingly, or you can send me on your behalf, as a champion of Earth, to fight for it."

cut to: He is being led, in cuffs, and presented to Zod.   

Earth has crucified him.

Zod restrains Kal-El and extracts the remains of the Kryptonian DNA from him and instills it in HIMSELF - Zod now carries the future of all Kryptonians inside himself - And as certainly expected, he does not keep his word, despite being given Kal-El and getting everything he wants - he begins terraforming - destroying
earth- Supes escapes with the help of Lois and pops and the battle ensues and despite being fed to the wolves by humanity, he fights to save them all.

Metroplis is being destroyed.

Superman is attempting to fight off his aggressors while simultaneously saving the people. He gets a hit in, saves a human. Etc etc. Eventually he notices a building is about to collapse onto some trapped civilians - he rushes to stop it but cant hold up an entire structure that is falling apart around him. People are dying.

The military has joined the fight much like the did - and when THE PRESIDENT proclaims "This man is not our enemy." it now holds weight.

Supes has Zod at his mercy for a moment. If he wanted to he could kill zod and end the destruction - "You destroy me and you destroy all that is left of our people!" - Supes can't bring himself to do it and is blindsided and the battle continues...

Battle Battle Battle

Grand central: - Supes has Zod's in that headlock - Zod is using his heat vision and slowly lurking towards civilians, from right to left - a man, a woman, a child, and another woman.   - "You think they love you?! You love these people?! Watch them Die!" (or whatever Zod said there) - Supes cries for him to stop.... the beam gets closer... Supes then watches on as Zod's beam makes it;s way through the man on the end... he simply falls in half dead as the beam works it's way towards the woman - Supes screams in agony and snaps Zod's neck. Dropping to his knees - he cries. He has killed all of his kind to save humanity.

Clark is devastated as he walks amongst the destruction of his city, his people... a survivor see's him and proclaims to the crowd - "He saved us."

"They will race and stumble and fall and crawl and curse... and finally they will join you in the sun, Kal-El."

Last edited by Jake Lloyd (2013-06-22 05:13:01)