Superman Returns....kinda
Warning! There are spoliers below!!
After the dismal piece of cinematic shit they had the nerve to call X3, all my faith lay in Bryan Singer (who directed the first two impeccabley crafted X-Men movies) to deliver us with Superman Returns.
Superman Returns ignores 3 & 4 and takes place after Superman 2-itself kinda sketchy, but still fun.
Superman had been gone for 5 years because scientists have found remains of Krypton floating in space. Superman takes a trip to see if anyone survived. In the meantime the world's gotten along without Superman (except that Bush happened) and Lois Lane got engaged and had a kid.
I've been following the progress of this film since I first heard Singer would direct. Ironically, Bret Rattner, the schmuck responsible for destroying any integrity X-Men had, was supposed to direct Superman. Let it also be known that Rattner didn't think the Phoenix story (the biggest story in X-Men history) had enough meat to make a movie-which is why he threw the mutant cure idea in-whereas Singer said he would have made it a two-parter.
But I suppose the chance to direct the world's greatest superhero was too irresistible to pass up.
And he does a bang up job.
However, Superman Returns is not without its flaws, and it took the keen eye of Blog Monkey to point out a few of these glaring problems.
Let me start off by saying that Singer took great care to create this movie. It's quite clear that there was a lot of love for the material and respect for the first two Superman movies with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder-who by the way are still the king and queen of the Superman interpretations. I liked Lois & Clark’s
new approach and thought Dean Cain & Teri Hatcher were a respectable second. Haven't seen Smallville much, but what I have seen is bloody impressive.
The Good
Frank Langella was perfect as Perry White, wise, confident and even funny. He wasn't a charicature. He re-interpreted Perry White and it worked perfectly.
Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen was perfect. The way Olsen should be. He was the funniest thing in the movie and had great presence. He really balanced out the newsroom and was the only one sympathetic to poor Clark-who still gets treated like shit and was never missed-which is probably what Kal-El wanted.
Kevin Spacy was a great pick for Lex Luthor, but I think he could been more of a prick. His intro was probably the best intro to an antagonist I've ever seen. Ah Gertrude...Strangely enough-and I think Singer did this on purpose-when Lex was holding his 'wife' Gertrude's hand on her death bed, it seemed as though that was an old Lois Lane in bed holding a still-young & vibrant Kal-El's hand. I interpreted it as a flash into the future.
I loved how Superman's flight looked like it took a bit of concentration-notice his flight pattern when he lands...
The little touches like 'Look chief, it's a bird, it's a plane, no look it's...', the orginal Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) playing a bartender, Luthor bumping into Lois Lane while brushing his teeth. Great stuff.
The Bad
Not all that bad really; I loved the suit. I just thought the ‘S’ was a bit small and that the neck wasn't open enough. Other than that I thought it looked great
Yeah yeah yeah Kryptonite, enough already, something else please?
Uhm...no one noticed that Clark and Superman were gone for the exact same time? Kal-El should have used his superbrains and made it so that Clark shows up even a couple weeks later.
The Ugly
Kal Penn! Remember ‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’? Penn as Kumar was hilarious and Singer didn't even give Penn a speaking role as one of Lex's henchmen! What a waste!! The comedic element-so sorely missing, and I'm not talking campy here-could have used a little more Penn .
Singer fucked up on casting Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. Just from the commercials I could tell she was wrong for the part. Margot Kidder was bang on and although I'm not looking for clones, my preference after she dealt with Lois Lane is that she's plucky and has attitude. No disrespect to Kate Bosworth, but she was wrong for the part, much like Kirsten Dunst was wrong to play Mary Jane in Spider-man (what about Kate Winslet? Don't believe me, rent Eternal Sunshine of A Spotless Mind)
Bosworth had no depth, didn't interest me and was way too young. It's been five years since Superman was gone people! Even Brandon Routh as Superman was too young.
Singer should have went with a comedic actress, someone with great timing and presence. Why not Janine Garofalo or better yet, a relative unknown, but someone who could excude independence and wit.
There were a bunch of silly little things that went on too.
Superman's in the hospital for weeks-Uhm...where's Clark? If I were his boss I'd have fired his ass (thanx for the observation Blog Monkey)
Superman floats up to the strato to hear all sorts of shit going down on the planet then bolts down to stop a serious situation...That would be a bank robbery where the cops are out-gunned.
Ooh!
Horrible!
Forget about the genocides happening around the planet or gang wars, two men in blue-oh, I get it- are about to be shot down. They knew the risks when they joined the force!
I would have bought the scene if Supes where floating over just his home town, but to prioritize a bank robbery over everything else going on in the world is just bad writing.
Brandon Routh. Solid, but not enough presence. And no jokes-except for the flight thing, but Reeve delivered it better. Reeve had this magic about him, Superman was even a bit cocky, aloof. Remember that interview with Lois in the first one? Holy shit!
Again, I'm not asking for a clone, in fact I'd like something a little different, instead I got plain bread, no butter (and a glass of water for dippin'!)
All in all I enjoyed the movie and will see it several more times but Singer could have taken a few more chances. Lois's kid was a bold move indeed, but in all other areas I think Singer played it a bit too safe. Let's hope a few things can be tightned up on the sequel.
After the dismal piece of cinematic shit they had the nerve to call X3, all my faith lay in Bryan Singer (who directed the first two impeccabley crafted X-Men movies) to deliver us with Superman Returns.
Superman Returns ignores 3 & 4 and takes place after Superman 2-itself kinda sketchy, but still fun.
Superman had been gone for 5 years because scientists have found remains of Krypton floating in space. Superman takes a trip to see if anyone survived. In the meantime the world's gotten along without Superman (except that Bush happened) and Lois Lane got engaged and had a kid.
I've been following the progress of this film since I first heard Singer would direct. Ironically, Bret Rattner, the schmuck responsible for destroying any integrity X-Men had, was supposed to direct Superman. Let it also be known that Rattner didn't think the Phoenix story (the biggest story in X-Men history) had enough meat to make a movie-which is why he threw the mutant cure idea in-whereas Singer said he would have made it a two-parter.
But I suppose the chance to direct the world's greatest superhero was too irresistible to pass up.
And he does a bang up job.
However, Superman Returns is not without its flaws, and it took the keen eye of Blog Monkey to point out a few of these glaring problems.
Let me start off by saying that Singer took great care to create this movie. It's quite clear that there was a lot of love for the material and respect for the first two Superman movies with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder-who by the way are still the king and queen of the Superman interpretations. I liked Lois & Clark’s
new approach and thought Dean Cain & Teri Hatcher were a respectable second. Haven't seen Smallville much, but what I have seen is bloody impressive.
The Good
Frank Langella was perfect as Perry White, wise, confident and even funny. He wasn't a charicature. He re-interpreted Perry White and it worked perfectly.
Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen was perfect. The way Olsen should be. He was the funniest thing in the movie and had great presence. He really balanced out the newsroom and was the only one sympathetic to poor Clark-who still gets treated like shit and was never missed-which is probably what Kal-El wanted.
Kevin Spacy was a great pick for Lex Luthor, but I think he could been more of a prick. His intro was probably the best intro to an antagonist I've ever seen. Ah Gertrude...Strangely enough-and I think Singer did this on purpose-when Lex was holding his 'wife' Gertrude's hand on her death bed, it seemed as though that was an old Lois Lane in bed holding a still-young & vibrant Kal-El's hand. I interpreted it as a flash into the future.
I loved how Superman's flight looked like it took a bit of concentration-notice his flight pattern when he lands...
The little touches like 'Look chief, it's a bird, it's a plane, no look it's...', the orginal Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) playing a bartender, Luthor bumping into Lois Lane while brushing his teeth. Great stuff.
The Bad
Not all that bad really; I loved the suit. I just thought the ‘S’ was a bit small and that the neck wasn't open enough. Other than that I thought it looked great
Yeah yeah yeah Kryptonite, enough already, something else please?
Uhm...no one noticed that Clark and Superman were gone for the exact same time? Kal-El should have used his superbrains and made it so that Clark shows up even a couple weeks later.
The Ugly
Kal Penn! Remember ‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’? Penn as Kumar was hilarious and Singer didn't even give Penn a speaking role as one of Lex's henchmen! What a waste!! The comedic element-so sorely missing, and I'm not talking campy here-could have used a little more Penn .
Singer fucked up on casting Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. Just from the commercials I could tell she was wrong for the part. Margot Kidder was bang on and although I'm not looking for clones, my preference after she dealt with Lois Lane is that she's plucky and has attitude. No disrespect to Kate Bosworth, but she was wrong for the part, much like Kirsten Dunst was wrong to play Mary Jane in Spider-man (what about Kate Winslet? Don't believe me, rent Eternal Sunshine of A Spotless Mind)
Bosworth had no depth, didn't interest me and was way too young. It's been five years since Superman was gone people! Even Brandon Routh as Superman was too young.
Singer should have went with a comedic actress, someone with great timing and presence. Why not Janine Garofalo or better yet, a relative unknown, but someone who could excude independence and wit.
There were a bunch of silly little things that went on too.
Superman's in the hospital for weeks-Uhm...where's Clark? If I were his boss I'd have fired his ass (thanx for the observation Blog Monkey)
Superman floats up to the strato to hear all sorts of shit going down on the planet then bolts down to stop a serious situation...That would be a bank robbery where the cops are out-gunned.
Ooh!
Horrible!
Forget about the genocides happening around the planet or gang wars, two men in blue-oh, I get it- are about to be shot down. They knew the risks when they joined the force!
I would have bought the scene if Supes where floating over just his home town, but to prioritize a bank robbery over everything else going on in the world is just bad writing.
Brandon Routh. Solid, but not enough presence. And no jokes-except for the flight thing, but Reeve delivered it better. Reeve had this magic about him, Superman was even a bit cocky, aloof. Remember that interview with Lois in the first one? Holy shit!
Again, I'm not asking for a clone, in fact I'd like something a little different, instead I got plain bread, no butter (and a glass of water for dippin'!)
All in all I enjoyed the movie and will see it several more times but Singer could have taken a few more chances. Lois's kid was a bold move indeed, but in all other areas I think Singer played it a bit too safe. Let's hope a few things can be tightned up on the sequel.
posted by DaProkah at Wednesday, July 05, 2006
8 Comments:
I'm with you on the Kal Penn thing. He's a great actor, and his role in Superman Returns was the caliber of roles that Vinnie Jones used to get in the mid-90's.
The more I read other reviews and hear other opinions of this movie, the more I see the inherent flaws and problems, but they honestly don't bother me at all. I personally wouldn't change anything about this movie, given the amount of pure enjoyment I had when I left the theater.
And with all the problems in the world that Superman passes over, it's just a comic movie, after all. If Superman kicked the shit out of "the terrorists" or "Al Qaeda," it'd be great to see, but it'd be too contrived, and leave us feeling more depressed about all that other shit than we were when we started. That's part of the reason I thought Azzarello's run on Superman last year was very overrated. Superman's become a mythological figure, and with that, myths need that stock/standard "save-the-day" story to please the average Joe. And Superman Returns was just perfect for that.
I do expect the sequel to be better, though.
Thanx for your comment!
I don't expect Supes to take on Al Queda although that would be nice. I just don't like my intelligence insulted no matter what kinda movie it is. Funny, it's the little things that seem to matter the most ;p
The movie was ok, but it didn't really explain things very well; there were a few inconsistencies in the story.
1. the kid looks to be about 8 years old, but Superman was only gone for 5 years. If a normal pregnancy is 9 months, junior should only be 4, and not in school yet (Lois Lane picked him up from school, remember?). Doesn't anybody notice this kid is huge for his age?
2. How can Lois not do the math, and figure out who her baby's daddy is? She must have been putting out a bit there if she didn't realize she was pregnant from Superman, and thought it was some other guy's kid. How long did she wait until she gave up on her supposed love? Pretty fishy...
3. what about poor Richard? He's paying and taking care of a kid that is not his, and no one seems to mind (although James Marsden seemes to be stuck as the other guy i.e. "The Notebook", X-Men", etc.). Didn't he do the math, and realize that it is impossible for him to have fathered the child? If for some reason junior took longer in the womb, wouldn't Lois have clued in? Unless Lois was a big time player...
4. How come the first time Superman lands on the kryptonite island he loses his powers right away, but the second time, after he uses his eye beams, he can fly that sucker into space? And why did it take weeks for him to recover the second time, and only a few minutes the first time?
Over all, it was ok, but I hope they tie the story up a bit more next time.
'Till next time.
~Angela
Wow! Great observations!
Let's see...
I think Supes recovered a little faster because he recharged his ass with the sun.
Bear in mind that once recharged, he took all his strength to push Kryptonite Island into spqace. He forced himself to use all his strength while being exposed to Kryptonite. You'll also notice that chunks of it were slipping out right near his face.
Mind you that's kinda silly to because exposure to it made him weaker than a coke-bottle eye glasses nerd before puberty.
I figure he was in te hospital for weeks because
a. He had prolonged exposure to Kryptonite while pushing himself
B. Once he ran out of juice he was in a weakened state, and let's not forget that he fell from the troposphere!
Lois Lane must be a slut if she thought that kid was Richard's. She must have slept with dude a week after Supes took off. I didn't see Clerks but I heard the legendary discussuin two characters had about the logistics of Lois's pregnancy and how it wouldn't work. She'd get a suntan and the kid would kick a hole in her. Also, honestly, Superman cumming? wouldn't she explode?
I think Richie's in denial. Looks at the kid alot and wonders..he looks nothing 'He looks nothing like me....' then again he could either have the biggest heart in the world or be the biggest wuss.
As for the kid, movies are notorious for fucking up on kids' ages and size comparisons. Still, maybe Kryptonian kids are bigger....Afterall, they are from another planet and certain periods of growth may work differently.
I do NOT like filling in gaps that make me stretch too much, but you do bring up spome great observations!
Cheerz
not enough moustaches.
as for lifting the rock, i assumed he dug waaaaay under the structure, into the bedrock and lifted it. but, as the island expanded it started to get closer and closer to the bottom where he was situated...
ah, whatever. i'd have set it in the 1920's-1940's, ignored the other films, made him a thick older dude, like glenn strange and made him not as strong. it would have been fun, not this melodramatic, safe-ass pap.
Huh huh...you said pap.
You're reaching:
1) Angela: The kid looks 8? How many kids you've been hanging around with? As someone who takes care of kids that age, the kid could convincingly be a five year old.
2) While there is a high creep factor for me with love triangle, "She's a slut because she slept with a two men in the same week argument" does not hold. If it a dude did that in the movies or in real life no one would bat an eyelash, but he might get an approving slap on the back from his buddies.
Any superhero taking on Al Qaeda is a mistake of a storyline, and I include Frank Miller's forthcoming Batman - Osama bin Laden graphic novel prominently as an example.
As for the super-foetus thing, it's been done to death long before Clerks. Best example, Larry Niven's Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex. Actually I think you are thinking of Mallrats because some of the dialogue uses example directly from that essay.
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