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Monday, September 5, 2011

RevolutionSF Watercooler: Superman Movie Costume

At the RevolutionSF Watercooler, we stand around not working, discussing the most important issues affecting society. Namely, how the Superman costume looks in the next Superman movie directed by Watchmen's Zack Snyder.

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Here is the only official image that's out there. Shots from the set abound upon the net, including action shots with Superman minus cape.

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No cape? Superman started the whole capes thing. -- Dave Farnell

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There definitely is a cape, he was wearing a monstrously large one in the official first look photo where he had just bashed in some kind of vault door.

I hate the idea of once more doing the origin, as if there's anyone who doesn't know Supe's background. Unless you're showing some new, possibly added detail that's vital to your story, then there's no real point to it. Except to make it a big point to everyone that "HEY! This is a REBOOT! We changed, like, stuff!"

As for the wetsuit look, that seems to be the new standard, just like it used to be spandex that was the default tights of choice for live-action. I figure there's one very-overworked custom surf shop somewhere in California that keeps getting these bizarre orders, but the shop owner is too Lebowski'ed to realize he's making costumes for the cape set.

I'm unsure about the missing red shorts, but I'm very glad to see the return of the big S-shield. That was my biggest problem with Singer's suit.

What really makes me happy, though, is that he'll be fighting super-villains again, not just natural disasters.

Some dislike Snyder's style, but I disagree. He does action well, and I enjoy the visuals and the fights in his movies, and it will be nice to see Big Blue get to really kick the crap out of some bad guys. However, I agree with Rick that Snyder isn't as good at the emotional side of storytelling, and Supes is all about heart, so that's probably where this movie won't do well. Unless Nolan, who's producing, brings his influence onto the script or editing in this area. -- Gary Mitchel

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"Snyder isn't good at the emotional side of storytelling," said Gary.

Snyder isn't good at the storytelling side of storytelling. There, I fixed it for you. -- Jayme Blaschke

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This is just a guess, based entirely upon the director, but the cape COULD be added as CGI after the fact. There seems to be tabs on the costume where the cape would go. Oh, what a train wreck. -- Mark Finn

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I miss the red undies. It just all seems wrong.

On the good side, based on this and other photos, they have kept Henry Cavill's lovely curly hair. -- Deanna Toxopeus

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Do we know if this is YET ANOTHER reboot? I really don't need another re-telling of Superman's origin story in my life.

You know what I really need? Someone who will make the movie (and do it justice) of the Red Son one-off. -- Sarah Arnold

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I understand the thought behind it. It's very difficult to look dignified when you're standing around in adult Underoos. But really, why would Superman need body armor? -- Peggy Hailey

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So, Peggy. What you're really saying is that we should start demanding fully nude Superman.

I think I can get behind this.

-- Sarah Arnold

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There are other shots online that do make it look like the costume is designed for snap-on capeage.

Naturally, every director that comes down the pike has to reinvent something that has no need for reinventing, to retell an origin story that pretty much everyone and their dog knows by heart already. If they don't, then the audiences might realize they're creatively bankrupt.

As disappointed as I was in Singer's Superman Returns, I seriously doubt there will be one second in the Snyder film that's half as riveting as Singer's plane crash sequence.

And why, for the love of Pete, do they have to rip off the Spider-Man reboot (don't get me started) by going for the rubberized wetsuit look? -- Jayme Blaschke

Look at the new Superman uniform. Now go look at the new Spider-Man outfit in the RevolutionSF Watercooler we did about that. What is with the really small scales on these guys? -- Matt Cowger

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My thoughts on Snyder are well chronicled and nothing I've seen nor heard about Man of Steel changes my opinions.

Cavill should have a snorkel and goggles with that suit. Will this Superman need to wait 20 minutes after eating before he goes flying?

Without the red shorts and cape and the apparent armor, it looks moronic. Only Snyder would think it's a good idea to digitize the cape. Why go the simple, natural way when you can add yet another artificial, soul sucking digital effect?

This is looking like yet another lifeless, cold Zach Snyder picture. -- Rick Klaw

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I'm mostly with Gary on this one. Of Snyder's movies, Sucker Punch was the only one that disappointed me, and even that was fun to watch.

As for Snyder's story-telling deficiencies, I admit that he has them, but Snyder did a better conveying the emotional lives of the Watchmen than Alan Moore did. There, I said it. I now await crucifixion.

And the suit: You know Snyder's going to post-production the hell out of the thing, so there's not much sense Cassandring over one lousy photo. And boy is it a lousy photo.

I was by no means panting for another Supes movie, but with Snyder and Nolan involved, it raises my interest level significantly. -- Jason Myers

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Snyder's a visual stylist, all right, but 300 was loud and crass and for all his slavish devotion to the source material in Watchmen, when he did introduce stuff he made up himself to that movie, his instincts proved terribly wrong. Watchmen wasn't as awful as I expected. Damning with faint praise? Yep. I haven't the stomach to endure Sucker Punch yet.

Snyder is the wrong director for Superman. I'm not sure who's right, at this point. And I'm no longer mollified by Nolan's involvement. Memento is my favorite movie of his, and while I really, really like both Bat-movies, I'm getting the uncomfortable feeling Dark Knight has reached the point of undeserved adulation.

What's worse, Inception stunned me by its utter lack of imagination, beyond the basic premise. I fear Nolan, like Tim Burton before him, has a finite amount of genius in him and we may well have reached his sell-by date. -- Jayme Blaschke

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In Watchmen, I remember thinking at the time that overwhelmingly the changes were good. I forget the details of Ozymandias' plot in the movie, but it's 100 times better than fake alien invasion. And what Peter Jackson did for Boromir, Snyder did for most of the characters in Watchmen: take the seeds of character that were there and grow them into breathing life. In the movie, I cared about Nite-Owl, felt like the relationship between Manhattan and Silk Spectre was real, bought the complicated relationship between The Comedian and Sally Jupiter, and felt real sympathy for Manhattan.

In the comic, not so much on any of those accounts. I felt like The Comedian was a tragic character rather than just a straw-man for Moore's political commentary.

Moore's Watchman is fascinating and groundbreaking. Snyder's Watchmen is not flawless. But man, that opening montage just floored me, and there were plenty of other moments that did.

I've pretty much always seen Superman as a one-trick pony, until Smallville. We've seen what happens when someone plays it safe (Literally, the most excited I got in Superman Returns is when they played the original theme during the opening credits. Also, I was rooting for Lois Lane to end up with Cyclops). Even if Snyder's Supes is a hot mess, it's unlikely to be boring. -- Jason Myers

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