I finally forced myself to watch as much of this as I could stand when the movie appeared on cable. I tried to find something, anything, to like about this film, but it's simply dreadful.
Why do they insist on putting Shaqille O'Neale in movies? However imposing and charismatic he may be in person, and no matter how entertaining he can be in various short TV commercials, he's a dullard and a lug on film. He's got no range, no gravitas, and he's so odd looking in the context of a 'normal' film world that he is actually rather repellent.
I know, I know - Shaq is a celebrity, and celebrity sells.
Some of the problem is that the director and screenwriter paid millions of dollars to cast a 7 foot 2 inch man in the role of an armored, high tech superhero, and then they threw the premise away on story elements and fight scenes that utterly waste the idea's potential.
The DC superhero "Steel" was incredibly powerful, and resourceful: he could fly via boot jets, he fired big steel spikes from wrist launchers, he could pick up and throw railroad box cars, his armor could withstand mortar bursts and artillery fire, and his 'homing' hammer was the neatest visual gimmick since Captain America's shield.And he had a deeply resonant spiritual side as well - he was a man who was brought back from death itself by Superman and destiny, who took up his armor to fight the good fight in a world that needed heroes more than ever.
Instead of all this great potential appearing on the screen, we get a big doofus with a bulletproof suit who runs around on foot and uses his hammer like a gun.
If I wanted to really frustrate myself, I would imagine the black actor who played the Commander of Deep Space Nine (Avery Brooks) being cast in the role of Steel, and the millions of dollars that went into Shaq's salary being spend on cool SFX and CGI, so that Steel could fight sprawling high tech battles with the bad guys from under the sea to the edge of space, with building, bridges and tanks being flattened like tin foil and and attack helicopters getting knocked out of the sky by the hammer. And I would give Avery Brooks, who can ACT with a dignity and potential worthy of James Earl Jones, room to do well all the things that Shag does so badly: act, emote, express rage and anger and indignation at the perfidy of the bad guys, and make you feel too his strife and extremity and pride.
Well, "Steel" killed the franchise, and so we will never know what could have been.
Shaq, go back to playing basketball (and making amusing commercials); you do that supremely well. Please stop inflicting movies on us.
1 star added because the idea of a high tech, armored black superhero who came back from the dead to be a hero was such a great idea. Too bad they dropped the ball so badly.
Why do they insist on putting Shaqille O'Neale in movies? However imposing and charismatic he may be in person, and no matter how entertaining he can be in various short TV commercials, he's a dullard and a lug on film. He's got no range, no gravitas, and he's so odd looking in the context of a 'normal' film world that he is actually rather repellent.
I know, I know - Shaq is a celebrity, and celebrity sells.
Some of the problem is that the director and screenwriter paid millions of dollars to cast a 7 foot 2 inch man in the role of an armored, high tech superhero, and then they threw the premise away on story elements and fight scenes that utterly waste the idea's potential.
The DC superhero "Steel" was incredibly powerful, and resourceful: he could fly via boot jets, he fired big steel spikes from wrist launchers, he could pick up and throw railroad box cars, his armor could withstand mortar bursts and artillery fire, and his 'homing' hammer was the neatest visual gimmick since Captain America's shield.And he had a deeply resonant spiritual side as well - he was a man who was brought back from death itself by Superman and destiny, who took up his armor to fight the good fight in a world that needed heroes more than ever.
Instead of all this great potential appearing on the screen, we get a big doofus with a bulletproof suit who runs around on foot and uses his hammer like a gun.
If I wanted to really frustrate myself, I would imagine the black actor who played the Commander of Deep Space Nine (Avery Brooks) being cast in the role of Steel, and the millions of dollars that went into Shaq's salary being spend on cool SFX and CGI, so that Steel could fight sprawling high tech battles with the bad guys from under the sea to the edge of space, with building, bridges and tanks being flattened like tin foil and and attack helicopters getting knocked out of the sky by the hammer. And I would give Avery Brooks, who can ACT with a dignity and potential worthy of James Earl Jones, room to do well all the things that Shag does so badly: act, emote, express rage and anger and indignation at the perfidy of the bad guys, and make you feel too his strife and extremity and pride.
Well, "Steel" killed the franchise, and so we will never know what could have been.
Shaq, go back to playing basketball (and making amusing commercials); you do that supremely well. Please stop inflicting movies on us.
1 star added because the idea of a high tech, armored black superhero who came back from the dead to be a hero was such a great idea. Too bad they dropped the ball so badly.