Superman Returns

[Matt Deckard]

Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie

I saw the movie today, and a few points off the bat that I can't get past are the score and, well the weak weak Superman. So you can't replace Christopher Reeve... That is a given, though you can make sure the guy you put in the tights after him has a bt of a presence when on screen. I wasn't impressed.

The score was very very much like the first movies put into a blender and handed to a new, lesser knowledgeable, Composer. I was thoroughly unimpressed and severely dissapointed with the cat and mouse it played with bits an pieces of music that you recognize then get tugged away from by something completely out of context... it riddles the mind how this was thought to be complimentary... Just finish the damn measures of the original score before you break into the new... psychoacoustically it's just bad form!

The opening title and the end were the same songs, though the rest was just incongruent.

The "S" sticks up Like the batman symbol They made it 3D... WHY? A raised S is noticable under clothing.

The outfit was too dark. He looks like he's wearing black in some of the night scenes, and the dark red... well takes away from the scarlet red I liked that seemed so strong and heroic... Superman deserves bright red, not burgundy...

I'll have more later, maybe the stuff I liked... as of yet, #1 gripe for me for me -- I think the score stole the epic sense away from the movie.

Lois was too much of a damsel in distress! Very week.

 

[Andykev]

Second opinion coming soon

My 14 year old boy, Doug. and I are scheduled to see it tomorrow. Stand by for news, Paul Harvey!

 

[G. Fink-Nottle]

For me, there could only be one Superman - George Reeves.

 

[ortega76]

The outfit was too dark. He looks like he's wearing black in some of the night scenes, and the dark red... well takes away from the scarlet red I liked that seemed so strong and heroic... Superman deserves bright red, not burgundy...

QUOTE]

You may not be a current comics fan, but after 9/11 the Superman logo and outfit was darkened as a "tribute" to the victims and heroes. It was the industry's nod to the changes brought on by 9/11. I believe the darkened color is a reflection of the modern depictions of Superman.

fftopic: The comics industry was oddly affected by 9/11. After all, in a world with super-heroes that stop alien invasions, how do you explain the real-life tragedy of this magnitude?

 

[Zach R.]

For me, there could only be one Superman - George Reeves.

I'll take your George Reeves and raise you a Dean Cain.

 

[jake_fink]

I can't get this song out of my head:

Tarzan wasn't a ladies' man
He'd just come along and scoop 'em up under his arm
Like that, quick as a cat in the jungle
But Clark Kent, now there was a real gent
He would not be caught sittin' around in no
Junglescape, dumb as an ape doing nothing

Superman never made any money
For saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him

Hey Bob, Supe had a straight job
Even though he could have smashed through any bank
In the United States, he had the strength, but he would not
Folks said his family were all dead
Their planet crumbled but Superman, he forced himself
To carry on, forget Krypton, and keep going

Superman never made any money
For saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him

Tarzan was king of the jungle and Lord over all the apes
But he could hardly string together four words: "I Tarzan, You Jane."

Sometimes when Supe was stopping crimes
I'll bet that he was tempted to just quit and turn his back
On man, join Tarzan in the forest
But he stayed in the city, and kept on changing clothes
In dirty old phonebooths till his work was through
And nothing to do but go on home

 

[Lady Day]

I always thought Dean Cain was a bad Superman.

About the costume of the Superman Returns Superman, yeah it darker (Ive been an avid comic reader for a while and 9/11 DID change comics forever) and the 's' is raised (not as bad as giving the Batman costume nipples), but that isnt what dates the costume as much as his red tights being low rise! :rage: Im not lookin cause I want to see a prize, Im looking cause that totally dates the costumes in the 2000s 'Gap model of the week' instead of 'classic' as the 1970s costume Mr. Reeve wore.

Oh well.

LD

 

[Lady Day]

The outfit was too dark. He looks like he's wearing black in some of the night scenes, and the dark red... well takes away from the scarlet red I liked that seemed so strong and heroic... Superman deserves bright red, not burgundy...

QUOTE]

You may not be a current comics fan, but after 9/11 the Superman logo and outfit was darkened as a "tribute" to the victims and heroes. It was the industry's nod to the changes brought on by 9/11. I believe the darkened color is a reflection of the modern depictions of Superman.

fftopic: The comics industry was oddly affected by 9/11. After all, in a world with super-heroes that stop alien invasions, how do you explain the real-life tragedy of this magnitude?

Ive always loved Alex Ross' versions of the comics. His Batman is my fave!. His modern/pulp/film noir mix is just so yummy. AND he ages the charactes hey day back to their early 30s instead of early/late 20s!
Yay.

LD

 

[Solid Citizen]

Alex Ross's Superman it Ain't

Just from a body type standpoint the new Superman looks
more like Superboy/Smallville style.

Christopher Reeve looked more like Superman! An Alex Ross
Superman would have been even bulkier than both these actors.

SC [huh]

 

[Matt Deckard]

Dean Cain did not a Superman make!

 

[Matt Deckard]

The dark red just takes the feel of the outfit away for me.

 

[jamespowers]

Ok, now for the controversy. Remember the Truth, Justice and the American way slogan? Well it got axed down. Truth and justice are still there but the American way is gone. Is Superman now a PC character?

Regards,
J

 

[WEEGEE]

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Certainly .... George Reeves is #1

 

[Flash Gordon]

I agree they shouldn't have re-designed the costume. Too much texture, and why mess with the belt?

Some positive things:

I thought the flying scenes were pretty darned good. The feeling of speed was very well done. Also, the heat vision really looked like heat. The "bullets bouncing off" was pretty spectacular, as was catching the jet plane.
I liked the shot in the eye. Didn't even blink.

When things were supposed to have heft to them, they did. Heavy things looked like they had mass.

I guess the effects were what impressed me the most, come to think of it.

Anyway, I went with my wife and nine-year old son and we had a great time. After all, it's SUPERMAN!

 

[jake_fink]

That's my favourite part in all the Superman movies ever made.

 

[zeus36]

I just saw it Friday morning at the IMAX in 3D at Universal City Walk. Wow! Aside from the score like Matt talked about, I really enjoyed the movie. Maybe it was the 3D (which was incredible) and the special effects. I don't go to movies for the effects, but those flying scenes were top notch. Kevin Spacey did a much better job than Gene Hackman and I looked forward to his scenes.

I did notice some religious parallels that made me wince...., however.

I think Brandon Routh did a pretty good job with the Kent character, but out of his disguise, he looked like YoungAdultman, and not Superman. I was able to overlook that after a bit. There is a trend to show a younger Batman, Superman, and coming up, a younger James Bond in Casino Royale.

I highly recommend seeing this film and if you can get to an IMAX, do it.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Well, Routh is 2 years younger than the one currenlty playing Clark Kent in Smallville.

I just thought that the whole story was pretty miffed up.

Lex out on a technicality? He stole two nuclear warheads and nuked part of California! He was already serving two life sentences!

They didn't show in any way shape or form that he was smart. Hackman put up a hologram that he made to fool the Prison guard so he and Otis could escape! Everything that you see Spacy doing is something that you could have easily seen one of his henchmen doing. The only thing Spacy provided to push the story was know where the fortress was. the others could have asked how crystals worked. the plan was stupid... build an island and wait for the military to show up and take you back to prison?... I don't get it!

It was hard enough for Supes to stop a train in the first movie. In this one he lifts and island and with Kryptonite still in his body... you have to wonder how much the stuff really affects him.

You can't get around the idea that Superman is a superstalker when he heads over to his ex girlfriends house and takes an inside look and listen.

That end scene where he swoops past the camera... He looks completely digital... Am I the only one who saw that? In fact through much of the movie he looks plastic, including his hair.

I though the begening was fine, thoguh they put way too much crap in the planet flybys.

In the first two movies the city was gritty and you knew it was a real working city with real people... yes the clothes date them, though by making it all timless and 30's 40's 'ish, they took away the reality of Metropolis and put it into the realm of the city's we see in the Batman movies.. very artificial to me.

The story was just very poor, And he was a very strong Clark Kent, though a very unformed version of Superman... no lines at all to show who he was!

Superman now has a kid.

 

[fedoralover]

I saw the movie yesterday and was thoroughly disgusted with the whole thing. As least Chris lifted weights and put on some muscle for the movie, this guy looked like a wimp. The story line stunk, Lois lane pouted the whole movie cause the guy in tights didn't tell her he was leaving for a while. I don't think superman had more than a couple of sentences to say per scene. Couldn't the guy memorize more lines than that at a time? I could go on, but what Matt says pretty much says it all for me too. It was a loser.

fedoralover

 

[Dalexs]

I saw it a few nights ago too, and once again, I was let down.
I really wanted this to be a great comic book movie. It just wasn't there.
Yes, the effects were spectacular, they did Superman justice in that respect, but the story was too much a rehash and pretty much nothing.
The score didn't bother me that much.
I'm still on the fence about the new kid. Maybe add some real bulk to him, and he'll be fine. I think he tried a bit too much to be Christopher Reeves.

Next up: Spiderman 3 Lets hope for the best.
(The trailer is online now at Apple.com and Sony.)

 

[Zach R.]

Well, I enjoy some aspect about each actor that has portrayed Superman--Dean Cain included.

Lois and Clark's biggest problem was that Cain's Clark Kent and Superman were very similar--Clark was every bit as brave as Superman. I'm a big fan of L&C though, so I might be a bit opinionated.

Heres an interesting question, and one that I *greatly* disagreed with David Carradine(in Kill Bill) on:

Do you guys think Superman is the disguise and Clark Kent the person or is Clark Kent the guise that Superman/Kal-El puts on for his alter-ego?