Film: Superman Returns

[Belisarius]

Three out of five stars.

It's hard to describe my reaction to this one. The movie had visual and emotional moments that touched greatness, and I loved the fact that they kept the original Superman theme. Though I prefer Hackman's Luthor, Spacey's did a decent job.

That said, the movie is definitely missing a je ne sais quoi, something I cannot ascribe to a single flaw. Maybe it's because I miss Reeve's boyish enthusiasm. Maybe Routh feels too distant. I wanted more conflict, more interpersonal tension than the movie provided; as it was, the whole experience was anticlimactic, and the movie was almost too long for its own good.

In short, "Superman Returns" could have been much more, but it was not a bad movie.

 

[LapDawg]

Three out of five stars.

It's hard to describe my reaction to this one. The movie had visual and emotional moments that touched greatness, and I loved the fact that they kept the original Superman theme. Though I prefer Hackman's Luthor, Spacey's did a decent job.

That said, the movie is definitely missing a je ne sais quoi, something I cannot ascribe to a single flaw. Maybe it's because I miss Reeve's boyish enthusiasm. Maybe Routh feels too distant. I wanted more conflict, more interpersonal tension than the movie provided; as it was, the whole experience was anticlimactic, and the movie was almost too long for its own good.

In short, "Superman Returns" could have been much more, but it was not a bad movie.

More or less my sentiments about the film. I enjoyed it in certain areas, particularly the beginning and the buildup of Superman's return to earth, but once it ended I didn't feel all too satisfied considering it built up a kind of potential early that just didn't deliver for me. As much as Spacey did his best to give a strong performance as Lex Luthor, he just doesn't compare to Hackman's brilliant portrayal. I'm not sure about Kumar and Co. replacing Otis either heh.

On a side note, I noticed that this new Superman's outfit oddly resembles the same color as evil Superman in #3. Ahhh nothing beats seeing Superman punch a hole in an oil rig so he can score with a busty blonde. :D

 

[fengtau]

Excellent casting yo! Spacey > Hackman as Lex. It was as if the comic drew it according to how Spacey would play it.

Routh is not clumsy enough tho...so that kinda sucked.

 

[L2R]

Another annoying aspect is the totally coincidentally simultaneous return of both supes and lex after several years.

I may be bagging this film a lot but that doesn't mean it's not good. I'm being overly critical. Ultimately, it's very fucking well done. It's just a shame it aint more satisfying (as others have said). I think this is more due to the characters lack of depth rather than the filmmaking.
I feel the same way with the Spiderman films. I loved the character when i was young and those films are very genuine to him. The only problem is now i'm much older

 

[skywise]

"...While he is off saving some tart"

...which gave a subtle insight into her characters motivations. A subtlety that another director like Brett Ratner, Joel Schumacher or Michael Bay would never have employed. There are loads of these moments within the film.

Why do you assume Bryan Singer is to credit for such a line instead of the more obvious choices of screenwriters Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris?

 

[L2R]

On second viewing, i enjoyed it much, much more. I knew my first viewing was a little skewed by rushing out as soon as i returned to aus and was too tired from the flight.

The destruction of the model city was fantastic! Away with the special effects of the past just before the first large sfx action scene! Very clever.
I now up my rating from 3 to 3.5/5.

I think a major drawback is luther's plan is very similar to his in the first film.

It's nice to see many sydney sights again ina major blockbuster. See the fountain supes places the car down in front of (with an excelent recreation of action comics #1 cover)? Thats the same one featured in the woman in red scene (that which also includes a 2 second close shot of yours truely ) from the first matrix film.

 

[BA]

I don't know anything about comic books, and I know very little about the history of Superman except the basics. Having said that, I saw the movie last night and I really liked it. It moved along nicely, the audio was fantasic, and the effects were pretty cool. The ending was a little hokey, and I think it went a *tad* too long, but I would definitely recommend it.

I liked Kevin Spacey as Lex, I've always been a big Spacey fan, so maybe I'm just biased. He had a real smug, snarky attitude that I think went over well. I'm not clear on Superman's son, was Lois just in denial that her and Superman got together? Did he magically impregnate her? I'm going to search around and try and find out.

 

[supasteve]

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Ending was the only thing I thought needed to be done better.

Also being a smallville fan (given where the show is currently heading) I thought it was kind of a shame they went down the path of following on from superman II. Would have been nice if they included zod/brainiac somehow and made it more action packed. Lex Luthor wasn't enough of a villian on his own. It needed more alien type stuff to compete with x-men. Oh well that can be in the next one as they left it open for another movie

 

[axl blaze]

\See the fountain supes places the car down in front of (with an excelent recreation of action comics #1 cover)? Thats the same one featured in the woman in red scene (that which also includes a 2 second close shot of yours truely ) from the first matrix film.

when he set that car down in similar fashion to that Action Comics cover, I had that ear-to-ear grin that tambourine-man described

 

[axl blaze]

Also being a smallville fan (given where the show is currently heading) I thought it was kind of a shame they went down the path of following on from superman II. Would have been nice if they included zod/brainiac somehow and made it more action packed. Lex Luthor wasn't enough of a villian on his own. It needed more alien type stuff to compete with x-men. Oh well that can be in the next one as they left it open for another movie

I'm thinking for the next Supes film they could have... DOOMSDAY. although I think he is sort of a one-dimensional character so they could have Braniac controlling him or something.

 

[L2R]

I think it's too soon for Doomsday. Perhaps Death of Superman can be done on the 3rd or 5th film.

 

[tambourine-man]

I think Luthor may make a return??? Perhaps not as the central villain, but as a puppet-master or accomplice to a new threat.

Anyone know if Spacy's contracted to the franchise?

 

[tambourine-man]

Also, as a slight postscript, I just wanted to mention Brandon Routh. There were times when I couldn't quite distinguish what his aims for the performance were. Despite putting in a worthy performance and generally making the role his own, on more than one occasion I sat there thinking: "is he acting as Superman or is he doing an impression of Christopher Reeve?"

Maybe I'm being a little hard on the lad, but there were times when his voice, accent, mannerisms were almost identical to Reeves. Not so much when he's on his own in his "fortress of solitude" or creepily brooding over Lois... but when he rescues someone or has interaction with the public, the "Superman persona" and accent is almost exactly the same.

Is this intentional and am I being ignorant of US dialect and accents? Is the familiar accent reflective of Smallville's location (as in, did Reeve and Routh use that particular accent because that's what is common in Kansas)? Or is Routh just following Reeves' lead?

 

[Perpetual Indulgence]

I enjoyed it. This is not the type of movie I am geared up to see. We went to the IMAX to see it in 3D. 4 scenes were in 3D and I could have done without it.

 

[Web]

on more than one occasion I sat there thinking: "is he acting as Superman or is he doing an impression of Christopher Reeve?"

You aren't the only one... I was wondering if he'd been overdubbed with Christopher Reeve soundbytes. However, I think he did a good job, even if he was chanelling the dead guy.

 

[L2R]

Tam, i felt the same way. I think it's a bit of both. Chris Reeves did his best for the persona and Roth just followed something that works.

I've now seen this a third time (this time on pirated dvd) and i must admit, i'm enjoying it more with each viewing.

 

[TALLY]

It was pretty good. Not Great and Not Awful. Kevin Spacey was my fav part. He is a good actor.