Man of Steel: An Ideal of Hope

‍

The good: Technically flawless editing and nice trimming of some of Snyder's misplaced angst.

The nits: Although the idea of fleshing out the action on the oil rig with footage from DEEPWATER HORIZON to set up the later inclusion of the Capitol subplot from BATMAN v SUPERMAN was interesting, it doesn't really work for me, and led to what I feel were some awkward editing choices and plot holes.

For example, samspider3 has moved the scene at the Canadian bar so that it now occurs prior to the sequence with the Alaskan fishing boat and the oil rig. But at the bar, Clark overhears the Canadian soldiers talking about the discovery of the alien craft on Ellesmere Island, so when he quits his job at the bar and begins hitchhiking north, why did he take the time to make a side trip to get a job on an Alaskan fishing boat? I've looked at a map of Ellesmere Island, and there's nowhere in Canada that will take you through Alaska to get there. It would be like going from Houston to Chicago by way of Seattle, without the advantage of gaining any frequent flyer miles.

And speaking of frequent flyers, what's the deal with all of the helicopters? In the extended oil rig footage, we open on a helicopter approaching an oil rig which is clearly labeled as the Deepwater Horizon (which was never stationed in the Arctic and is therefore as out of place as the Titanic would have been). But who's on the helicopter and why is it flying towards the oil rig? We never find out. It obviously has nothing to do with the explosion on the rig, as we see the explosion occur a short time later. Then, after the explosion, we have a separate U.S. Coast Guard helicopter making "one more pass" by the rig to look for survivors when Clark brings the crewmen out on the helipad. After the rig is apparently destroyed, we get some more footage from another movie (DEEPWATER HORIZON again?) suggesting that at least two crewmen have been left behind, one with his legs injured, which nicely sets up a motive for the later tacked on bit of the explosion at the Capitol building. But who saved these last two crewmen? The Coast Guard helicopter had already made its last pass, the rig's blown up and Clark's communing with the undersea whales.

Later, when Clark swims ashore in Alaska, he looks up and sees yet another helicopter (this one orange in color) flying overhead, which apparently gives him pause for thought. Is this supposed to be some rogue helicopter that somehow saved the two abandoned crewmen after the rig was destroyed? While pondering this question, we immediately cut to yet another helicopter (of a different color) landing on Ellesmere Island with Lois Lane on board, where she's met by Clark. Maybe it was Lois in the orange helicopter? It's all a bit confusing.

And all of this was added just to set up the tacked on bit from BATMAN v SUPERMAN, which while it does add a bit of depth to Superman's character, feels episodic because it isn't integrated into any other parts of the movie. If this scene had been originally included in MAN OF STEEL, as a fan editor I'd have cut it because it doesn't really add anything to the plot.

I imagine this sounds a bit harsh but it isn't really meant to be. Overall I liked this cut better than the release version of the film. And given the higher scores left by other reviewers, I'm probably in the minority on this.

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.

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.