Didn't like the fact it was trying to capture the Christopher Reeve Superman character.
It felt stuck in the past, with old-hat political and emotional sentiment from the Reeve-era. It felt dated because of that, almost irrelevant and done to death, not least because of Kevin Spacey basically playing an homage to Gene Hackman, which was terrible because Spacey would make a brilliant Lex if he was allowed to make it his own. It failled in the same way that if Heath Ledger tried to play Jack Nicholsons Joker, we would have missed out on that special performance we got instead. I felt cheated out of a really good Spacey version of Lex. Trying to run the same course just puts everyone involved on auto-pilot. They're just mimicking and copying something classical, Superman Returns completely failled to take the franchise anywhere new or interesting. It said almost nothing. Of all the billions of new things that are possible with a Superman film, we got a shadow, a tracing, of the original Superman formula.
Routh was a great choice for Superman, that's about it. They should start again, completely. Carve out something new rather than trying to retrace Donners world. When people try to reboot something or start anew, it seems to work out far better than someone trying to follow the pre-established and well-worn. Batman and Star Trek enjoyed decent reboots while Superman languishes in it's own archaic movie mythos. It needs to be pulled into the here-and-now, because Superman has been stuck in the past for a while and I don't think Superman should be a dinosaur of the superhero genre, because he doesn't have to be!
Last edited by Red Superfly on May 25th, 2009 at 05:16 PM
...this was one of the movies I'd refused to watch ...along with Titanic, and every other Cameron film after the original Terminator
...not sure why I decided to take the plunge, but since watching, I've been yearning for Hackman to wrap a big chain and chunk of kryptonite around my neck and leave me to drown in a pool of water
if a child was going to be introduced, a homage to Mark Waid and Alex Ross would've been preferable... on second thought, who knows what pain would've ensued with an out of continuity Kingdom Come...
MattDay says, "...they had sex when he was temporarily affected by red sun radiation so he could have sex with her without killing her" ...dude, his manhood would'n't've killed Lois ...her tying to bring his baby to term would have ...and what was with the kid's asthma and the recessive redhead gene ...he looked like Archie's kid
I disagree with Tra-EL... no shark jumping... the Superman franchise has been in a downturn for a while... killed Richard Pryor, too...
Placidity -- Beckinsale wouldn't have worked either... all we remeber is the patent leather... too much sex appeal isn't Lois...
Personally, Thomas Welling would've been a better choice than Routh... at least, I would've known the producers were joking :-|
Didn't like Routh, the costume, Kate Bosmorth, the kid; and just overall thought the story was nothing special. But whenever that movie comes on, I know when to tune in for the plane, the gatling gun, and the continent lift. Ah gets the chills everytime.
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Re: The one thing I hate most about Superman Returns
If I remember right, Lois Lane is actually NOT married yet, but still has a kid.
By Superman.
Which is wrong on MANY levels.
Arguably more than makes sense to speak of right now.
I think the actors chosen were too young. Or at least too young-looking. Certainly too youthful in appearance to convince me that they had known each other for more than 5 years AFTER graduating college.
I think what you're complaining about is that Bosworth did not then have the fullness associated with a 26 year old woman, and I agree, she didn't, 'cause she wasn't.
On the other hand, I did not really get the impression of "shockingly frail". She was in one too many physically demanding scenes to allow for that.
Did you pay attention to how much pounding she took before Superman saved the passenger plane she was in, even above that of the other riders?
Would put the average Olympian in traction, I think ...
Actually, you'll think I'm making this up, but, the first time I saw Superman Returns, I caught in on TV, unfortunately missing the first 15 minutes. A foreign student from China happened to come upon me viewing the film. He asked a few questions and I told him all about how, yeah, this is Superman, he's been big this year, they've even brought his cousin back in a TV series they have now called Smallville.
"Cousin?"
Yep. Supergirl. Although she's usually in disguise as this dark-haired girl named Linda in the comics.
My friend sat silent for a bit paying close attention.
Then the plane scene I linked you to above played.
Immediately, of course, and predictably, he asked if THAT was her.
If you re-watched that plane scene again, I think you might now agree -- that was a very understandable mistake...
The other scene I was thinking of when I saw that you wrote this, though, was the following:
Yes but then we wouldn't have gotten magnificent Man of Steel.
With 2 unsuccessful sequels it's logical to start over again not add a loose sequel.
I don't think I can pick one thing I hate the most about this emabrassment.
Superman was depicted as freaking Wolverine a guy that goes after a taken woman.
If this takes place after Superman 2 then Superman has been shown to be a liar after saying he wouldn't abandon his responsibility to the President of the Untied States and he leaves Earth to look for Krypton that no longer exists
Superman spies on Lois.
Superman is a deadbeat dad.
He's surprised when he's told Jason is Lois's son.
The horrid writing Superhuman hearing can hear multiple people more than 3 miles away but can't hear another heartbeat from Lois's stomach.
The climax is crap he lifts a rock.
The lack of action there is more action in the Max Fliescher Superman cartoons than this emabrassment.
S to Small, Looks more like Superboy not Superman.
The one thing I hate the most about Superman Returns is the crap depiction of Superman from the deadbeat dad, goes after a taken woman that's not him it's freaking Wolverine, etc.
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