mini-review
The last decade of the 20th Century was not a good one for DC Comics. The Batman franchise suffered from continually poor movie making (writing, directing, acting - you name it). So, I don't know if they decided to make a non-Superman Superman movie to revive their dying comic-movie empire or what. It wouldn't be until a few years later with the advent of X-Men (2000), or Spiderman (2002), that people would realize you could make a good superhero movie.
But we're still in 1997. The crappy Batman Forever (1995) is about to be followed by a even worse Batman film, and the Superman franchise has been long dead thanks to the disaster that was Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). And along comes Steel. I call it a non-Superman Superman movie because of the connection in the comics. I'm sure this was left out due to licensing issues, but in the comic book, when Superman died in the early 90's four Supermen rose to take his place. Only one did not try to claim an actual connection to the original Superman (through genetics, rebuilding, or resurrection) - that was Steel. In the comics, as in the movie, John Henry Irons (Shaq) created weapons - and he decides to turn his abilities to good when he finds that his weapons are being used on the streets of his hometown. Using his amazing metallurgical skills, he creates a supersuit that gives him powers like unto the real Superman. The only difference being, in the comic, he puts a big "S" on his chest, as kind of an homage to the recently-deceased superhero, but in the movie, there is no such connection (save the Superman tattoo on Shaq's bicep).
Anyway, back to the movie (this is supposed to be a "mini-" review). It was corny, it was silly, it was a cliche superhero film. John's grandmother, at one point, tells him "You ain't Superman" (flash forward to Spiderman in 2000). Other silliness in the movie includes the recurring joke that John Henry Irons "never could make free throws." Another attempt to make hilarious connections outside the movie include the use of Richard Roundtree's character - Steel's Uncle Joe. When he builds Steel's hammer he notes "I especially like the shaft." Ugh. If you don't get the joke, take a look at IMDB to see what film made Roundtree famous in 1971. Then there's the villain (Judd Nelson in his prime), spouting classic villain lines like, "Never underestimate your enemy" and "Eat the hot dog, don't be one."
The plot is mediocre, the acting poor, the dialogue silly. All that being said, it's not the worst movie I've ever seen. It actually kept my attention through the full 97 minutes of corniness and comic book cliched-ness. Worth a sit-through if you love comic-based movies; but it's no Batman Begins.
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See it if you've got some time to kill, want to see Shaq's acting or have any desire to see how, once again, the movie industry butchers a comic. Don't see it if you rely on my comic book movie reviews to let you know when a movie is sub-par.
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