Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman*

Some thoughts I had while I saw Man of Steel today with my dad.

Bad News first:

– The script seemed choppy, like key plot points were forced, instead of finding a way to them organically.
– The destruction in the film seemed a little too much, especially for the ending. Metropolis was destroyed, and yet he’s just going to waltz into the Daily Planet for a job? Why are they operating like normal? Of course they could be hiring if half their staff died, shouldn’t some of them still be in a state of shock? Are they too busy pushing out stories to help with clean up?
– Why did no one say Metropolis? I saw Smallville written on things, at least they got that bit.
– I think the story was overburdened with previous superman origin stories, and wanted a different approach. Only problem is, they forgot their audience has seen them too.
– Superman always seemed like a simple story to me. Why did it need to be overburdened with so much destruction and CGI? I might have enjoyed it more if they destroyed less buildings. (They could still fight the same)
– Come on you guys!

The Good News:

– The world has discovered Henry Cavill. Who is in great form in this film. (I am a fan of The Tudors and Stardust, I saw this guy coming, but the rest of the world might not have)
– Michael Shannon. You are amazing. But do you ever smile? Call me!
– Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent was spot on casting. I’m going to be quoting his lines to my children.
– Diane Lane! Amy Adams! Ayelet Zurer (she was Lara)!
– And could I forget Russell Crowe? No, no I couldn’t.

In conclusion, I’m completely torn as to if I liked it or not. The Screenwriter in me says ‘No! Stay back!’ but the fangirl in me says ‘Come on, you love Highlander, and it has way more issues than this’ to which I’d reply, ‘Yeah, but this doesn’t have it’s soundtrack done by Queen’. So since I can’t decide, I’ll leave you with the epic video from Highlander, “Princes of the Universe”

You’re welcome. Cheers.

The Power Four: The Doc, The Stars, and a firefly

Or really: Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Firefly.  Those are what I like to call my Power Four, my favorite fandoms in the scifi universe.

I know you’re thinking it’s against nerd rules for some of these to cross-pollinate. Growing up though, the two stars were permanent fixtures in my house. Almost as if they were the foundation for all fandoms I would come across in my life.  The Next Generation ended it’s seven-year run when I was ten, and the first remastered Star Wars films returned to theatres when I was in middle school.  I didn’t bat an eye this year when I was wishing everyone a Happy Star Wars day on May the fourth (be with you) and talking about how excited I was about the new Star Trek film in theatres for my birthday weekend two weeks later.

You might also think that Firefly is relatively new to be included in a Power four that includes such heavy weights as Star Trek and Star Wars. But it’s amazing.  It is quoted regularly in my family, and I love recruiting Browncoats.

Last is Doctor Who. One thing you definitely are thinking is, ‘oh, here we go, another Doctor Who fan, probably a hipster too’, but really I’ve been a die-hard fan since I was fifteen, which is six years before Eccleston even stepped into that TARDIS ( I don’t care if you do the math). Doctor Who has also shaped my whole life – which is not melodramatic by any means. I was named after a character from the show – yes, my parents are those nerds.  I used to tell people I was named after a British Science Fiction character, but now, with the success of the new incarnation, I can easily tell Americans I was named after a Doctor Who character, and staggering amount know what I’m talking about. It’s nice, sometimes even surreal – that people actually like this mad man in a blue box just as much as I do.

So I wanted to start a section of this page about the fandoms I love. I’ll probably go into depth with each another time. Not ‘primer’s by any means, but my favorite episodes, characters, etc. I’ll also talk about other fandoms I like too, such as fantasy ones- Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter. There’s Also MST3k, Farscape, Highlander (mostly because my favorite band is Queen), and others.

Cheers for now, ❤ ❤ Romana