Man of Steel: An Ideal of Hope

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A vast improvement over the original, this edit transforms Man of Steel into a more complete and fulfilling Superman experience. Subtle changes improve the character of Clark/Superman and re-arranging the scenes of Krypton and Clark's youth allow us to feel more a part of his journey. Using scenes from other movies (which are added seamlessly), this edit includes a new introduction of Superman to the world, with different repercussions. I found that the restructuring and additions, without all of the strings attached to Batman v. Superman, really let you experience Clark's side of the story in a different light. This added investment in the character and the story lead to a much more meaningful and powerful confrontation with Zod.

An Ideal of Hope works very well as a standalone Superman movie but hints at a larger world without trying to stuff it all in one movie. It implies that Superman has been in action for some time, references Luthor, and hints of budding romance with Lois - this is the version I wish I saw in theatres. Due to borrowing scenes from Batman v. Superman, there are some continuity issues with the other DCEU movies but the result is thoroughly satisfying and entertaining - I can't recommend it enough.

In an attempt to better balance out the themes and messages behind Snyder's vision, samspider3 has taken a unique approach to the first outing for the DCEU's take on the man of steel. Throwing in essential story beats from Batman v Superman and stitching it together with bits from a different movie (with a similar incident) to create a whole new element that weaves in and out of the existing MOS footage, giving us a world reacting to this stranger from another world in thier midst, but divorced from the convoluted scheming of Lex Luthor or the quasi-murderous intent of the Batman. Minimizing the romantic elements for Lois and Clark does not diminish their bond either.

This edit captures the essential essence of fan mixing and really is what fanediting is all about.

I enjoyed a lot this edit, as I always do with the samspider3 edits, in fact, this is one I was waiting for a long time. The parts I really enjoyed were how the structure and incorporation of the new scenes from other movies to add a new villain, it just gave a whole new insight in how Superman sees himself in this world and I thought that was fantastic. Another great thing about this edit is the structure in the end, it gives such high hopes for the character, I believed it was great. Thanks again for an incredible edit.

I'll start this off by saying I'm a huge fan of the original movie, even though I agree with the majority of the criticism that's been thrown around. Which is why I was very excited to check this edit out. As I was reading through all the changes, it sounded like it fixes everything wrong with the movie while simultaneously introducing new elements that elevate the narrative. Well, now that I've seen it, does it actually do so? Kinda.
The first act is probably the one that suffered the most changes. I really enjoyed the new order of the scenes as it allowed for some interesting juxtaposition. However, this act also has my two least favourite scenes: the oil rig and the Africa ones. Firstly, the additions to the oil rig sequence were a bit jarring and I feel like it didn't make any sense to show who is implied to be Keefe being dragged to safety after the entire rig collapses on Clark. It would have been better if this was either added before Clark rescues the workers or just removed entirely from this scene since we see it again later in the movie and it works much better with that later scene. Secondly, just the cut to the Africa scene is so jarring. We see Lois in Smallville talking with Clark at his dad's grave and then we immediately cut to her being in Africa with not Jimmy Olsen. Additionally, seeing KJ Beast shoot up the mercenaries was again weird because that whole subplot is removed.
After those two though comes probably my favourite part of the edit - the Capitol subplot. I love its addition to the story and I believe it exponentially strengthens the themes of this movie.
The only other thing that's left to talk about is the last quarter of the edit; it's the only part from the rest of it that has any significant changes. And some of them unfortunately don't work. Cutting Perry and co. from the Metropolis attack removes a lot of the suspense from the first half of the fight. On a brighter note though, I really liked the new and extended ending.
Overall I'd say that despite introducing new problems in an of itself this edit is really good. It might've sounded like I didn't like it throughout this review but I genuinely enjoyed my time with it and would definitely recommend it to others.