Being the huge comic book junkie I am, I can't help but hate this film. While the character Steel can't really be dubbed a classic, at least in the comics there's some dignity to him. In the film, Steel's reduced to a basketball player in tinfoil. I wanted to cry.
Let me start by telling you about the character in the comics. Steel's alter ego is John Henry Irons (named after the famous steel-driving man), who used to be a munitions expert. But when his designed-for-military-use weapons landed on the Street, John Henry quit. While working a job in construction, JH had a fall and was saved by Superman. Inspired by the hero, he decided to do something about the weapons problem. Designing a high-tech full body suit with on board computer, rocket boots for transport, a powerful hammer (with many tricks to it), and a red cape (inspired by the real Man Of Steel), JH hit the streets of Washington as Steel to fight gangs and super villains alike. This smart, strong, honest and resourceful black man is a hero everyone can look up to.
In the film, John Henry is a former military man, who quit when one of his partners was crippled as a result of an accident involving one of his weapons. Taking a job in a foraging plant, John Henry returns to Washington and his family, only to find his neighbourhood threatened by weapons of his own desings. With the help of his computer expert friend (the crippled one), and his Uncle Joe (scrapyard owner). Together the slap together a rinky-dink Steel suit which can barely hold itself together. He is helped by his wheelchair-bound friend who watches his movements via a camera in his helmet, and speaks to him via a small microphone and reciever in his ear. She monitors police frequencies so Steel can help out. Steel soon becomes a local hero, helping take down many small time street thugs, and eventually the gun runners. The only problem is everyone knows who the guy is. How many 7foot8 guys are there running around Washington, and how hard would it be to narrow him down. And he doesn't have a full helmet, leaving his eyes and mouth vulnerable to, well, everything. And everyone knows he's hiding out in the junkyard. The movie, its characters, and its situations are just stupid.
I don't know what Warner Bros. was thinking when they asked Kenneth Johnson to write and direct this film. For those who don't know, he was responsible for the cheesy Incredible Hulk series back in the late 70's. Upon taking the assignment, Johnson told Warner that he did not want to make a superhero movie - so out went the cape and the rocket boots (two things this suit really needed, for style reasons, not only for cool effects) - and he said he wanted to make the hero an everyman - a regular joe - and his world as realistic as possible - so no super-villains. If I were funding a superhero film, the first thing I would want to see would be a) a larger-than-life hero (looking as much like his comic-book counterpart as possible) and b) super villains. Warner should have rejecte Johnson on the spot after his film pitch.
There's no end to the horrors of this film, from the theme song, which is a medly of the classic 70's Superman theme and Isaac Hayes' Shaft score (it's not a good mix), to the horrible jokes about how bad a free throw shooter Shaquille O'Neal (who plays the lead role) is. Even jokes about Richard Roundtree's (Uncle Joe) past as Shaft are thrown in. This movie hits lows that it could never even hope to recover from. It's not even bad enough to be considered funny.
There was such potential, even in what was put up on screen, but it was a matter of the wrong people (person, actually) in control of the project which spelled the kiss of death for Steel.