Steel

• USA • 1997 • 97m •

• Directed by: Kenneth Johnson. • Starring: Shaquille O'Neal, Annabeth Gish, Judd Nelson, Richard Roundtree, Irma P. Hall, Ray J, Harvey Silver, Charles Napier, Kerrie Keane, Eric Pierpoint, Tembi Locke, Thom Barry, Gary Graham. • Music by: Mervyn Warren.

John Henry Irons designs weapons for the military. When his project to create weapons that harmlessly neutralize soldiers is sabotaged, he leaves in disgust. When he sees that gangs are using his weapons on the street, he uses his brains and his Uncle Joe's junkyard know-how to fight back.

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Review:

With all this madness about superheroes going on right now ("The Avengers" just opened today), I decided to go back in time to 1997, to the poorly received box office flop "Steel." I was 12 back in 1997, but I have to admit that I liked "Steel" then (I also liked the big-budget adaptation of another favorite superhero of mine, "Spawn").

15 years later, a lot has changed. For one, I've grown up. I now realize that "Steel" is not a very good movie. I remember around that time, my cousin saw "Steel" in the theaters and told us that it was not a very good movie. The critics and most sensible audience members seemed to agree.

But I digress; "Steel" is good for one thing and one thing only: a rainy day, like today. Since I'm not daring brave the over-crowded theaters for fear of being over-run by Avengers fan-boys (and fan-girls), I decided to pop in my 14-year-old VHS copy of "Steel" and relive 1997 like it was just 15 years ago (which, in fact, it was).

"Steel" is the live-action adaptation of the second-tier DC Comics character co-created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove, with NBA star Shaquille O'Neal playing the titular steel-armored, non-super-powered superhero whose real name is John Henry Irons in his civilian identity.

I'm not really a fan of the movie anymore (most readers will remember that I'm largely a Marvel Comics reader), but I find the history of the original comic book character to be quite fascinating: as yet another proud, positive black-American superhero in comics, John Henry Irons is a brilliant former weapons designer for a private arms-manufacturing company whose life is saved, both literally and metaphorically, by the mighty Man of Steel himself, Superman. Ironically, a later incident with the powerful super-villain Doomsday costs Superman his life, and Irons's life is changed forever when he decides to don a powered suit of armor of his own making - much like Marvel Comics' Tony StarkIron Man - and fight crime himself as Steel (with Superman's logo blazoned mightily on his chest as a reminder of his inspiration) and wielding a powerful sledgehammer, too.

The 1997 live-action adaptation removes any mention of Superman (or his apparent death), except for a tattoo O'Neal has on his arm, and goes forward with its own origin story. Certain aspects of the movie are faithful to the comics, but the rest of it is pretty campy and just bloody awful. This time out, Irons is a weapons designer for the U.S. Army and when an ambitious rival, Nathaniel Burke (Judd Nelson), is involved in an accident that kills a U.S. senator and leaves his best friend Susan "Sparky" Sparks (Annabeth Gish) a paraplegic, Irons resigns from the military in disgust.

Irons (whose name is reportedly inspired by the legendary black-American folk hero John Henry) returns to his home in Los Angeles, only to discover that street gangs are out committing brazen bank robberies using the exact same, albeit heavily modified, weapons he designed. With Sparky and Uncle Joe (Richard Roundtree) by his side, Irons dons a custom-made suit of armor as the armored superhero Steel. As he dives deeper into his investigation, he discovers that his old rival Nathaniel Burke (who has since recruited young neighborhood street kids to do his bidding) is behind the robberies and the deadly new weapons out on the street.

"Steel" is pretty cheesy and campy, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Unlike most people, I don't think Shaquille O'Neal is that lousy an actor. I think that if he were given the right material, he would manage out OK. At least here, I think he seems perfect for the part of John Henry IronsSteel; it's just a shame that the rest of the movie, as written and directed by Kenneth Johnson ("V"), is just not very good. In other words, Shaq just needed a better movie. The special effects, the hokey street dialogue, and the performances don't help matters much either. Richard Roundtree and Irma P. Hall do what they can, but aren't given a whole lot to do beyond offering elder-generation advice to the younger folks. Judd Nelson relishes his role as a stereotypical villain, but it's really Annabeth Gish as the physically handicapped yet resilient gadgeteer Susan Sparks who really seems to shine the most in what could have been a very limiting part.

I sense that a remakereboot is, or soon probably will be, in the works sometime in the near future, and that is one "Steel" I just "may" (italicized) fork over $7.50 at my local movie theater to see. Until then, "Steel" will continue to mightily serve its purpose for rainy days (and some late-'90s nostalgia)...

Review by dee.reid from the Internet Movie Database.