Mattel: Movie Masters Jor El

Man of Steel Movie Masters Jor El

So I finally bought Jor El. I just couldn't pass up on this figure when I knew that he's going to be harder to find. When I saw him on the pegs, I knew I had to get him quick. And so far I'm happy that I made the right decision. Read on below for more about this figure and character.

Jor El v.s. General Zod

Jor El, the biological father of Kal El/Superman is played in the movie by Russell Crowe of Gladiator fame. He did quite a great job serving as Kal's guide while Kal was still lost as to what his destiny on Earth is. Crowe did a great job taking the role of Jor El. You could really feel his presence in the film. I actually didn't expected him to play a big part in the film other than having a brief role in the opening minutes. But his expanded presence was a huge anchor for the film. And he was also given an action sequence that I didn't even expected for him to have. The writers and director though tweaked his story a bit. As he died ahead of Lara Lor Van (his wife) during his battle with General Zod. I like it that Snyder and company expanded his role and gave him a proactive role in the opening and middle parts of the movie. His dialogues and fight scenes evokes some of his Gladiator days. So definitely he deserves an action figure. And Mattel's choice of having him is a great one as there was never a single Jor El action figure released in 6 inch form. He'll be a great addition to anyone's collection. Now if only Mattel could find a way to sneak in a Lara Lor Van figure. And a Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent action figures should also be a good addition.

Front Packaging

Card Back

The packaging of the figure is pretty much the same as that of Superman's. The only difference is that on the card back part. Here we are given a brief text about Jor El.

S shield Base

The Jor El figure comes with a base bearing their family crest, the House of El. This is exactly the same as Superman's except for the color scheme used.

Jor El

Man of Steel Movie Masters continues to impress me even without the ab crunch articulation. And Jor El is a great figure because you can actually see how beautifully sculpted the armor is. Mattel surely gave it a great amount of detail and I should say that this is one of the best figures that Mattel has ever made. The Man of Steel Movie Masters toy line certainly is changing the game at Mattel.

Back view of the figure

There's a minor complain here. I would have preferred Jor El to have his majestic cape, or robe. Having that accessory would somehow make Jor El more respectable. This is a minor qualm though as I think Mattel opted to release a battle ready Jor El. Which is fine for me anyway.

Russell Crowe

The head sculpt of the figure screams Russell Crowe the moment I saw it. It's really nice that Mattel did not fail to deliver on this part.

That's how much he could bend his hips

Jor El shares the same articulation with Superman, it features a ball jointed neck, ball hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, pivot torso, hinged elbows and knees, double pivot hips and ankles. A bit of the downside in the articulation department is that because of Jor El's armor's highly detailed sculpt, some joints are limited by the armor. You can't raise his arms too high because of that thing that attaches from his arms to the back of the armor. Same goes for his hip joints as there are some armor pieces protruding and blocking the joints.

Russell Crowe and Marlon Brando Jor El comparison shots

I took a comparison shot with the only other Jor El released in action figure form. This Jor El is from the Mattel Superman Returns two pack box set featuring Marlon Brando as Jor El. The Jor El of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies and Brandon Routh's Superman Returns. The Movie Masters Russell Crowe Jor El stands at 6 inches while the Marlon Brando Jor El stands at 5 inches. You could actually see the difference and how much Man of Steel made improvements with regards to Jor El's design. Brando's looks scientific while Crowe's looks barbaric.

Jor El, Superman, General Zod, and Faora

In closing, Jor El is a must buy. If you see him in the pegs, get him. I'm sure when toy collectors have finally seen the movie, they'd be motivated to get Jor El. And from what I heard, he's going to be harder to find. I'm really glad that I got lucky after I passed on him the first time. I just couldn't let him go again the moment I laid my eyes on him. My only wish right now is for Mattel to release a Lara figure. Though I'm afraid that it would be far fetch for Mattel to do that as Lara didn't really have a big role in the movie except giving birth to Superman. But I just feel that Jor El is incomplete if he's not with Lara. Mattel should reconsider this and release Lara anyway. Maybe as a two-pack with a caped/robed Jor El? Doesn't matter, she'll be good to have. So far Man of Steel has two waves, and wave two is even better than the first wave. I skipped on the armored less Zod figure from wave one as I feel that figure is bland. Watch out for my succeeding reviews as I would feature two more essential characters from the movie; General Zod and Faora. See you next time.