So, the reviews are rolling in and it’s pretty much official that this one’s a solid flick that does a great reinvention of the character (the sequel was greenlit as soon as the earliest praise rolled in), so the onus is all on Snyder, Nolan and co to do the next film up as good or even better than their first effort. Granted, Man of Steel is probably not going to convince that small group of Donner-only diehards, but I’ll bet they can’t deny the power on display… That and if you hate this film for doing things differently, you’re probably more of an Otis fan…

Well, so much for the small crowd that thought this was going to be too talky or *dull* because of some misconceptions floating about since that original languidly paced reveal. Balance seems to be key here, as the trailers and ads have gotten all the more intense. I’d say both camps should be pleased at the end of the day and as tickets are already on sale (a move guaranteed to pump up the box office receipts for that all important opening week/weekend), I’m betting “sold out” shows will be the thing to deal with in a few places. Actually, WB only has to “worry” about those early bird reviewers who nitpick the films they see to death and consider the first two Chris Reeve Superman films “untouchable” for some reason (they’re great fun, but not beyond criticism for their flaws). As usual, we shall see…

It’s actually pretty funny to see a small (yet vocal) mini-backlash building against all these TV spots by some that feel WB is “ruining” the film by showing “too much”. Well, let’s see now… some research shows that the movie is about 2 hours and 23 minutes long and we’ve seen maybe five minutes total or less of footage that hasn’t been repeated in other ads and trailers. Add to that the fact that most trailers end up using footage not in the final film (this happens way too often and often on purpose) and even more important, the bigger fact that those whiners can (and should) CHANGE THE DAMN CHANNEL when these ads run and well… “Nothing to see here… move along” makes for a more calming mantra for those folks. My good deed for the day is now done – where’s my cape? Oh, in the laundry (yuk), which actually needs to get done, as it’s walking around the room again…

Michael Shannon has one of those faces that makes a great villain or at least, a good guy with a really hard edge you’d never want to run into in a dark alley. Anyway, here’s Mr. Mc Grimace doing his thing in this new Man of Steel TV commercial. Memo to anyone left in Hollywood that has a working brain and isn’t on too many drugs. If there’s ever a Mike Hammer TV series or movie to be made, it better be period-era precise and have Mr. Shannon in it as the lead. You’re welcome, and if it’s a series being made, “Kiss Me Deadly” HAS to be the final episode, as you can’t beat that story for sheer insanity when it comes to its beginning and ending…

OK, bad pun, pad pun! Eh, I figured that since this new Superman film is dumping the now supremely corny camp humor found in the five Reeve films and the original TV series for a more serious tone, I may as well get in as many bad jokes as possible before it hits theaters. Of course, I don’t think The Man of Steel will lack humor ENTIRELY, folks… I just think it’ll be minimized so the story is more enjoyable with less eye-rolling moments when a one-liner pops up and the audience groans because it ruins an otherwise good scene.. Save that stuff for flicks where jokes are part of the game plan (like Kick-Ass 2), I say.

Oh, by the way – give that funky Man of Steel Glyph Creator a whirl if you’re curious about what your family name would look like on your own super-suit. Don’t go getting any ideas, though – you won’t be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, bend steel in your bare hands or anything else (unless you’re already doing that stuff as part of a freak show act in a carnival somewhere)…