Topic > Comparative Analysis of “Superman, The Movie” and “Superman, Man of Steel”

Superman evolved cinematically from “Superman, The Movie” to “Superman, Man of Steel.” In “Superman, The Movie” the opening shot provides the audience with context that the superhero, Superman, hails from a red alien planet that has been undermined to the core due to the arrogance of the Kryptonians. In "Superman, Man of Steel" the opening shot consists of a mother giving birth. The blur still shows the state of mind Lara is in and the excruciating pain she endures. This is a social commentary on the emotional connection between a mother and child that is lost if children are artificially "raised" as they are on Krypton with the use of code. This choker shot shows how Lara in "Superman, Man of Steel" feels pain as you see her facial expression and how she emotionally connects with her son instead of being a stock character like Lara in "Superman, The movie". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In "Superman, the Movie" the long shot from a slightly high angle gives us the context that Krypton has been mined to such an extent where there is almost no visible life except the dome, which becomes the point focal since all diagonal lines lead to this dome which contains the council hall. The color white depicts a cold and desolate planet. The vertical lines show how deep into the planet they were mined to the point where they were trapped on Krypton. The planet is dimly lit, which makes it seem even colder. In "Superman, Man of Steel" the long point-of-view shot depicts an orange planet with blue hues in the sky and with the dull brown-gray silhouettes of dragons and buildings while the barren terrain is in the foreground. The orange color comes from the missile launches and shows the destruction of Krypton. The sun is depicted unusually large and the dragons and strange buildings show the audience that it is an alien planet while the sun is shown as the main source of light. The extremely close shot of Kal-el's steel heart shows how technologically advanced the Kryptonians are as their computers generate three-dimensional images of a baby's heart when it is still in the womb. Strong key lighting from the left shows only some parts of the heart while others are masked by shadow. This metal heart contributes to the name "Man of Steel" as Superman is from a metal planet. The heart is an icon of love and this specific heart symbolizes that a baby is about to be born. In "Superman, The Movie" the long over-the-shoulder shot shows Jar-el standing alone against the council who fires him instead of listening to him. Jar-el is an icon of truth. The color white is ridiculous as white is generally seen as a pure color, but in this context white symbolizes the arrogance of the council as they believe they are intellectually elite and infallible. White represents the absence of intuition, lack of wisdom and mental imprisonment on the part of the council. Furthermore, the board lacks purity of purpose. In "Superman, Man of Steel" the long shot of the council at eye level is taken from inside a cave which creates a frame for the image. The large chairs on which the board members sit create strong vertical lines. The strong vertical lines are meant to decode superiority but instead represent not only their mental imprisonment and lack of wisdom, but also their physical entrapment on the planet Krypton. The huge amount of black foreshadows the death of the council on Krypton. In "Superman, The Movie".