Superman and Man of Steel Films

The posters or each of the Superman and Man of Steel films, will be compared respectively, to which extent they have evolved in terms of filmic technology and other contrasts.

The first Superman movie to be released was Superman the Movie, the poster for the film was subtle and did not include any advanced filmic technology, characters or locations but the poster did include Superman’s famous ‘S’ symbol, which is referred to as the insignia of the House of El. It originated on Superman’s home planet Krypton, where it was his family crest. This crest is the central image in the first Superman the Movie poster. Unlike the first Superman poster the central image for the second poster is Superman in his most commonly known environment, the sky. Superman’s entire ensemble is shown, where one can see his iconic red cape, blue tights, underwear over his tights and the ‘S’ symbol which the superhero proudly wears on his chest. Superman’s stance suggests the superhero is flying higher than he already is and this can be linked with how he has grown to be more comfortable with the use of his powers.

The Man of Steel posters fast forward decades later and take a comical Superman into a matured Man of Steel, not only does his outfit change by looking more advanced through darker colours and better materials but the entire poster is futuristic and suggest depth in character. The Man of Steel poster brings one extremely close to Superman’s face while he is flying over his beloved city, Metropolis. The poster has a kaleidoscope effect that helps one realise that he is flying at high speed. The speed makes one believe that he is on his way to performing a heroic act which amplifies the anticipation of watching the movie.

The first Man of Steel poster, however, is less dramatic than the second one. In the second Man of Steel the Man of Steel himself is seen to be taking in a moment of peace before returning to the war zone that has been so clearly shown in his background. All of the collateral damage behind him looks quite inhumane and one can only argue that it was caused by aliens rather than humans. The first Man of Steel poster unlike the second is more informative as one can see who stars in the film and the gate of the film’s release.

As one has read the comparisons between both Superman posters, the first is noticeably bare which leaves the second poster at an advantage to being quite charming and in turn having the best representation of the superhero while possessing the most effective advertising for Superman the Movie. The Man of Steel posters were arguably on the same level, even with the first poster being more informative than the second, however, the second poster better presents the evolution of the Man of Steel as he is seen at stronger through thought and not action, this show cases the best representation of the superhero. Not only that but the film appears to look better directed, which calls for a more effective advertising strategy for the Man of Steel film.

The evolution of Superman and Man of Steel have kept to the truths of their origin stories and have found new and improved ways of telling the stories without straying away from the superhero’s character. All the posters reflect this evolution through clichés and overall appeal.