There's been a lot of talk about Man of Steel. Some people loved it while others are disappointed. What can't be denied is there are some really cool scenes and imagery throughout the movie. The action kicks up and we see some epic fighting.
What is really fascinating about this release is the special features. You get hours and hours of behind-the-scenes features as well as some cool talk about what makes Superman such a great character.
Here's a run down of what's included:
Strong Characters, Legendary Roles (25:59) Zack Snyder, Lawrence Fishburne, Henry Cavill, Kevin Costner, David S. Goyer, Amy Adams, Geoff Johns and others talk about the history of Superman and his appeal to everyone over the years. There's some behind-the-scenes looks while all the actors talk about their characters related to Superman.
It's always great to hear others speak of the importance of the character and the fact that he's thrived for so many years. There's some good insight from the different speakers and hearing their takes is interesting.
All-Out Action (26:02) The training for the physical scenes. They trained their bodies and minds to be ready for each scene. We may not really think about what the actors have to do in order to prepare for movies like this. It's easy for us to get pulled into the special FX and CG work done but they bring up a great point about getting the actors physically and mentally ready for their roles. It's pretty impressive to see what they did.
Krypton Decoded (6:42) Dylan Sprayberry (Clark Kent, age 13) talks about some of the special FX and working with WETA in New Zealand. We see things like how Krypton blew up, the different Kryptonian ships and more.
Superman 75th Anniversary Animated Short (2:03) Seen online (including HERE).
New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth (6:35) This was a little strange to be included. Weta worked on some scenes in Man of Steel but this feature is only about The Hobbit.
Planet Krypton (17:18) Talk about the message from Zod to planet Earth and how aliens are perceived. The question is asked, who and what is Superman?
Journey of Discovery, Creating Man of Steel (2:54:05) This was my favorite feature. You can watch the entire movie and at certain points, Zack Snyder or other members of the cast and crew will pop up and point on things you might have missed or weren't aware of. It's sort of like commentary we see in movies except the behind-the-scenes moments, talks and concept art take precedent over the movie. The movie is delegated to either a picture in picture or completely covered up by the commentary. There's even a close look at the glyphs used in the movie and the what they mean.
If you're a fan of commentary on movies, you'll really love this. But again, it's not your typical commentary track placed over the regular movie. You practically see more of the commentary features than you do the movie.
Was Man of Steel the Superman movie we wanted? For some yes, for others no. This release lets you appreciate the technical aspects of the movie. Fans of the movie will enjoy the great look of the Blu-ray format and the opportunity to watch it over and over. Personally, this is a release where I will gravitate towards the special features rather than the actual film (we all have our own preferences). There's a lot to see in this release. It's a good comic book movie. Was it a good Superman movie? We've already discussed that. Chances are you'll want this in your collection with the other Superman releases.
Man of Steel is now available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and HD Digital Download.
58 Comments