MAN OF STEEL - References to DC Universe and Run Time Confirmed
There's been a lot of talk and speculation regarding Man of Steel, and if we are actually going to see any connections to the rest of the DC Universe or not. Chris Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy steered clear of that and Batman had his own world that he didn't open up to other DC characters. I was fine with that. I don't think these films really need to connect with each other anyway. The only reason DC is looking to do it now is because Marvel is doing it. In an interview with Empire Magazine Zack Snyder confirms, in regards to Man of Steel, that he has "been making references to the DC Universe, just to let you know that world is out there..."
If they plan on using Superman to open up the DC cinematic universe I hope they are able to effectively pull it off! It was also seemingly confirmed that Snyder would be directing Justice League, so this all makes even more sense. Snyder is going to be Warner Bros' Joss Whedon type guy, only not as talented.
It was also revealed that the movie clocks in at around 2 hours and 10 minutes. Snyder also added, "The movie is the director's cut." When talking about the choice to not shoot the film in 3D, and convert it instead he said,
It is just my humble opinion, but it is better than native now. By the way, we like to think that the 3D is just another way of seeing the movie. It is not Superman 3D, it is Man of Steel, available in 3D.
Wait, did he just say converting is better than shooting the film in native 3D? I have to full heartedly disagree with that statement on every level. I will say the best 3D converted film I've seen so far was the re-release of Jurassic Park. The best movie I've seen actually shot in 3D is Oz The Great and Powerful. Most of the movies I've seen converted to 3D have been really bad; the worst ones actually come from Warner Bros., which doesn't spark a lot of confidence.
It's puzzling because many other directors are saying the same thing about the 3D conversion process. Joss Whedon, Guillermo del Toro, and Jon Chu have made comments similar to Snyder's. I personally think the studio doesn't give them a choice, so they are put in a position where they have to say great things about 3D conversion. As a guy that loves going to the movies, I can say that I've plenty of examples of both native and converted 3D, and I can see the difference. As much as I enjoyed The Avengers, I still thought the 3D conversion looked cheap. Maybe one day the 3D conversion will be just as good as native 3D, but I don't see how it can ever be better.
In the end, Man of Steel looks like an amazing movie, and it will be fun to see how the rest of the DC universe is referenced in it.
What are your thoughts on Snyder's statements here?