Steel (1997)

User Rating:

2.7/10   

Director:

Kenneth Johnson

Writers (WGA):

Louise Simonson (comic book series) &
Jon Bogdanove (comic book series) ...

Release Date:

15 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy

Tagline:

Heroes don't come any bigger.

Plot:

John Henry Irons designs weapons for the military. When his project to create weapons that harmlessly neutralize soldiers is sabotaged...

Plot Keywords:

Paraplegic | Superhero | Anvil | DC Comics | Magnet

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Shaquille O'Neal	...	John Henry Irons / Steel
Annabeth Gish	...	Susan Sparks
Judd Nelson	...	Nathaniel Burke
Richard Roundtree	...	Uncle Joe
Irma P. Hall	...	Grandma Odessa
Ray J	...	Martin (as Ray J.)
Harvey Silver	...	Lamont
Charles Napier	...	Col. David
Kerrie Keane	...	Sen. Nolan
Eric Pierpoint	...	Major
Tembi Locke	...	Norma
Thom Barry	...	Sgt. Marcus
Gary Graham	...	Detective
Eric Saiet	...	Young Cop
Hill Harper	...	Slats

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some superhero action violence.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | Canada:PG | UK:PG (video premiere) | USA:PG-13

Company:

Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment

Trivia:

Steel is a DC Comics character. In the comic book, he was directly inspired by Superman when the Man of Steel saved his life (both literal and metaphorically). Since then, John Henry Irons sports Superman's shield as a homage to KalEl. At the movie, the existence or not of Superman is not touched, but John is related to the last son of Krypton via his tattoo.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Steel's armor is supposed to be made from steel which he's forged himself. Despite this the armor and helmet flexes as if made from painted rubber throughout the movie.

Quotes:

John Henry Irons: I can imagine how you feel.
[about her being crippled]
Susan Sparks: No. No you can't.
John Henry Irons: You're right. I can't

Movie Connections:

Referenced in F. (2007)

Soundtrack:

Dark Energy

Superman *still* didn't return.

Steel was a character created for DC Comics during the "Death of Superman" storyline. So naturally, based on the lack of movie since Superman IV, the makers of this movie could spin that as Superman as being dead or missing, therefore Steel was created, right? Wrong. It's has no reference to Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel stories, so it sucks.

This "comic book" movie stars the Miami Heat's Shaq as John Henry Irons, a technical/scientific genius (*snicker*) who creates the super armor just to beat lame bad guy Judd Nelson! In doing this, "Steel" becomes one big joke. It's 100% obvious how Shaq was miscast, and once he dons the "armor", looks like he poured glue all over his body and fell into Fred Sanford's junkyard. Peppered with unnecessary inside jokes about Shaq's crappy free throwing, this movie has no value to comic readers or movie lovers. Action scenes had potential, but fell flat with neither creativity or fun. Bad bad bad. Better casting, better written story, better special FX and a tie to Superman would have ensured a blockbuster, but now it's just cannon fodder for comic book fans.

To see the true Steel in motion, look to the 90s Superman cartoon, he looks like the character and is voiced by Michael Dorn( ST: TNG). You'll be happier watching that than this movie.