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https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-script/id602272713

Filmmakers: Directed by Zack Snyder, Screenplay by David S. Goyer, Story by Christopher Nolan & David S.Goyer 

The Script - Beat Sheet Edition: "MAN OF STEEL"

 

Blake Snyder Beat Sheet

 

David Negrin's BEATs

 

Chris Durham's BEATs

 

Opening Image

 

Birth of a child

The birth of Kal-El. We don't know everything that this means in the openingmove (I mean, we do because it's Superman, but...), butthis scene is referenced later. We come to find that this isKrypton's first natural birth in centuries and is wrapped upin Jor-El's sense of hope -- the hope he has for his sonand for the future of Krypton and Earth through his son.So while a birth scene is a bit cliche to open on, this is avery special event.

Theme Stated

 

"You just have to decide what kind of man you want togrow up to be, Clark. Whoever that man is, he's goingto change the world." -Jonathan Kent

Jor-El: What if the child aspired to something greater?... This is all about destiny -- the enbrace of the individualover fatalism. This is like the happiest manifestation if Nietzche's Ubermensch. Kal-El, a natural birth, will begreater than the rest of his race. He will defeat the pre-fab Zod because he chooses his own destiny, and indoing so will choose the right path, the stronger path. Inbecoming this paragon of benevolent individualism he willnot only redeem his race but improve ours. "He will be asa god to them"

Set-up

 

-Setup Jor-el and Zod as old allies against a wastefulgovernment, Head Scientist vs. Head General-Kryptonian apocolypse, no longer from a crashingsun but "overmining" -- weak, uncinematic.-Jor-el flies around on his "How to train a Dinosaur"

This is broad, because the setup has more to do with thelegend of Superman, his background, and the history of the Kryptonian race. It's a dying race and in many ways afailed race. Kal-El is the only future that race can have.This setup seems to ignore Earth and the human race;but it's pretty clear that the future of Superman is also thefuture of humanity as well. This is exactly what's beingfaced in the debate.

Catalyst

 

Kal-El is sent to Earth Kal-El's ship arrives on Earth.

Debate

 

-Great cut to Clark 33 years later still searching tomake a choice to do something with his gifts. To savepeople, to help the people of earth, he's hesistant. 

I believe that everything that happens on Clark's journeyas Clark is part of the debate. It's the whole question of who am I? What does my being here mean? Will I beaccepted? There's even a refusal of the call when Clarkasks his father, "Can't I just keep in pretending I'm your son?"

 

Break into Two

 

Clark chooses to find out where he came from andwho he is. The B2 is muddled here with the clever use of theflashbacks in the F&G, but the B2 has to be his choiceis to find out where he came from and who he was.The cleanest B2 is when he goes to investigate theKryptonion ship but that's too late.

Clark sneaks aboard the Kryptopnian scout ship. This isa long first act (as seems to be the trend in big moviesthese days), and it might feel like the second act beginsafter Kal's arrival when we suddenly cut forward 33years, but I believe the Krypton stuff is just the first half of the first act. This is Kal/Clark's decision. It's the thing thatreally turns the world upside down for him. It is whatsignals Zod and is therefore the engine of the second act.

B Story

 

Lois Lane investigating the elusive hero. Lois Lane

Fun and Games

 

Very cleverly the flashbacks and big setpieces beforeClark dons the suit are the F&G, the promise of thepremise in this Origin Story. -Flashbacks to his childhood saving the bus-Flashback to his 20s hiding his powers,shishkebobing the truck-Present Day setpiece saving the men on the oilplatform-Evading Lois Lane's investigation-Sneaking into the Kryptonian scout ship... when did itland there again?-Kal-el puts on the Superman Suit-Learns to fly 

Everything that is Clark Kent becoming Superman. Jor-Elgives him his back story (again). He learns to Fly. He ishunted down and bonds with Lois Lane, revealing to ushow his father died. He tells his mother he's found outwho he is. I must note that this isn't FUN fun and gamesbut it suits the more contemplative first half of the movie.

Midpoint

 

The Arrival of Zod. Superman cannot keep himself secret any longer.

The Arrival of Zod. At first I thought it was Clark and Loisbeing taken prisoner; but on second thought I think it wasthe arrival. It still qualifies as a false defeat because wenow know Zod has not been defeated. It also preceedsBad Guys. It also is a cross-point in Lois's story becauseit proves her story right and now we start to see theconsequences of that.

Bad Guys Close In

 

Zod vs. EarthlingsZod vs. Superman Zod's strategy, is a kind of LOTR: Two Towers attack,The World Engine is Mordor and his ship is Isengard?Gives our good guys 3 goals for the 3rd Act -- seigetower 1, siege tower 2, stop Zod himself.

Escalating battles with Zod and the Zodkateers.Superman hands himself over to the military and finds hisfaith rewarded with extratiction. The end of Jor-El's ghost,Superman Saves Lois. The Terraforming begins

 All is Lost

 

Superman is cast into the World Engine. But there'sno real Kryptonite to provide overwhelmingantagonism. And so the stakes are never that high for Superman-- worst thing that can happen is somehumans or Lois get hurt. Maybe he gets imprisoned.Superman is still essentially immortal. (until we learnlater that you can break Kryptonian necks).

Superman is cast down into the World Engine.Simultaneously, Perry white struggles to save thereporter trapped in the rubble. Metropolis is destroyed.The thing is here, a lot of this story is reflected in other people. Superman is Superman. He doesn't get so hurt.What hurts him is seeing people hurt (we see this in thebully flashback too) - so we have to see other peoplestruggle as a reflection of what's going on with him

 

Dark Night of the Soul

 

Closest thing to a Whiff of Death is Perry Whitestaying with trapped reporter. MISSED OPPORTUNITY: The Re-Death of Jor-el --the pseudocommunciation that Kal-el has withholographic Jor-el should have been severed. Theship being destroyed or damaged would setup a a lowpoint for Kal-el who spent his whole life thinking aboutwhere he is from. He can now think about where hewants to go.

On that note, it's best seen as Perry White knowing thatthey're going to die and choosing to stay with the trappedreporter. This is a human moment. A self-sacrificingmoment. This is the opposite of what's going on with Zod.So we see Superman now rise up through the worldengine, digging down deep to find the will to do it.

 

Break into Three

 

Fly the plane into the ship... yeah yeah yeah... blackhole... go read "Interstellar" by Jonathan Nolan

They fly the plane into the ship and create a black hole,sucking the aliens in. Now it's just Superman vs. Zod

Finale

 

Superman vs. Zod. 

 Anyone else have a problem with Superman bestingZod with brute strength instead of ingenuity a laSuperman 2 : Richard Donner -- reversal of the crystalchamber? The son of the Scientist should outsmartthe General, not out fight him.

Superman vs. Zod in a final showdown

Final Image

 

The birth of a Superhero "Welcome to the Planet"