I finally got to see Superman Returns last weekend, but I have been dealing with wonky internet access all week, so finally, I give you my review (not that you were holding your breath). Beware of spoilers contained within:
While Superman Returns certainly had its faults, I thoroughly loved the film. It touched on all the things that make me love the character, and the visuals were incredibly stunning. Those action sequences were amazing. Bryan Singer’s visual style just seems to expand and improve with each film, and I thought Brandon Routh was wonderful as both Superman and Clark Kent. I’ll admit, I wasn’t nearly as thrilled with Lois Lane or Lex Luthor, but Kate Bosworth did not bother me nearly as much as I thought she would and Kevin Spacey’s Lex was a vast improvement over Gene Hackman. I didn’t even hate the kid as much as I thought I would.
I thought the emotional aspect of the film worked extremely well, since the whole movie was about Superman's isolation. Many people have complained about Clark/Superman's lack of dialogue. My response to that is to ask who he was supposed to talk to. He had no one. As Clark, he couldn't talk to anyone, because no one knew he was Superman. As Superman, he couldn't really talk to Lois, the only person he had anything to say to, because she had moved on. He just came back from Krypton, finally having come to terms with the fact that he really is the last of his kind, and then his one link to his heritage is taken away from him when Luthor stole the crystals. It was heartbreaking. That's why I found the end so powerful. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of the kid, and I would still prefer they went with a different angle on the whole thing, but you could see just how much knowing he had a son meant to him. He wasn't as alone anymore because there was this other part of him out there in the world, half Kryptonian and half human. Jason represented a link to both his heritage and his adopted world.
I thought the emotional aspect of the film worked extremely well, since the whole movie was about Superman's isolation. Many people have complained about Clark/Superman's lack of dialogue. My response to that is to ask who he was supposed to talk to. He had no one. As Clark, he couldn't talk to anyone, because no one knew he was Superman. As Superman, he couldn't really talk to Lois, the only person he had anything to say to, because she had moved on. He just came back from Krypton, finally having come to terms with the fact that he really is the last of his kind, and then his one link to his heritage is taken away from him when Luthor stole the crystals. It was heartbreaking. That's why I found the end so powerful. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of the kid, and I would still prefer they went with a different angle on the whole thing, but you could see just how much knowing he had a son meant to him. He wasn't as alone anymore because there was this other part of him out there in the world, half Kryptonian and half human. Jason represented a link to both his heritage and his adopted world.
The main plot of the story didn’t work nearly as well for me as the emotional angle. I kept wondering about how Lex Luthor’s plan would work in the long run. The whole thing could have stood to have a bit more explanation. However, Spacey’s Lex Luthor proved himself far more menacing than Hackman’s ever was during the beat down he and his henchmen gave Superman. I actually found that scene rather disturbing, and I’m a girl who has been known to root for other versions of Lex Luthor. (Have you read my Justice League Unlimited blog entries?) Also, as I said before, the action sequences were amazing. They really carried the non-love story side of the movie. I went nuts over the plane crash scene and all the other heroics, especially the whole sequence where he saved Metropolis were exciting. I know the budget on this movie was astronomical (mostly because of all the previous failed attempts to get a Superman movie made), but it was worth every penny. Singer worked in the iconic Superman imagery seamlessly. I spent half the movie just completely geeking out.
The entire end of the film, from the beat down to the very last shot was breathtaking – a true testament to just how great a filmmaker Bryan Singer is. The shot of Superman flying up to the sun to recharge was breathtaking. Actually, every shot was unbelievably beautiful. The last movie I saw that looked this good was Peter Jackson’s King Kong. As a matter of fact, King Kong is the movie I would most likely compare it to, both in content and in the fact that it’s not nearly as successful as it deserves to be. It is fitting that both were filming at the same time. Maybe Singer and Jackson can commiserate about their under appreciation.
The acting was less stellar, but I thought Brandon Routh was wonderful. (I’ve got a crush on him now, so you will find it impossible to dissuade me from this point.) As has been noted and criticized, he did not have much dialogue, but he managed to sell so much emotion without saying anything. I never failed to feel for both Clark and Superman. My heart went out to him throughout, and if Routh had not been effective that would not have happened. Kate Bosworth did not annoy me as much as I thought she would, but she wasn’t great. Her acting wasn’t awful, but I think a better actress would have done a better job of making me overlook some of the flaws in the characterization. The way Lois Lane was written in this film just did not fit my ideal version of the character, but I thought it worked within the context of the story they wanted to tell. Kevin Spacey was great acting wise, but I would have preferred a different take on Lex Luthor entirely. However, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen were captured exactly how I imagined them. Next to Brandon Routh, I thought the most impressive performance was turned in by James Marsden as Richard White. As the man who stood between Superman and Lois Lane, he had a difficult task in front of him, but good writing and a considerable amount of talent and charm made Richard as sympathetic as Superman. Also, after X3, it was just really nice to see James Marsden get to play a considerable role in a good movie.
Superman Returns wasn't a definitive interpretation of Superman, and it may not even be my favorite, but it was a completely valid interpretation. I thought everything worked within the context of the story Singer was telling and I was incredibly moved by it. I'm not ashamed to admit that my eyes welled up with tears several times throughout the film. Between the powerful emotional storytelling, the beautiful imagery, plenty of moments to make my inner fangirl completely geek out, and quite probably the best superhero action sequences I have ever seen, I thought it was a completely satisfying movie and far better than a lot of the other superhero movies (like X3, for example). Spider-Man 2 is still my favorite superhero movie since I am 100% biased in favor of Spider-Man and I thought Dr. Octopus worked better as a villain than Lex Luthor; and it is hard to compete with the original Superman films since the are a fond memory from my child and are the standard by which I judge all superhero films; but Superman Returns would definitely be put near the top of my list.
The entire end of the film, from the beat down to the very last shot was breathtaking – a true testament to just how great a filmmaker Bryan Singer is. The shot of Superman flying up to the sun to recharge was breathtaking. Actually, every shot was unbelievably beautiful. The last movie I saw that looked this good was Peter Jackson’s King Kong. As a matter of fact, King Kong is the movie I would most likely compare it to, both in content and in the fact that it’s not nearly as successful as it deserves to be. It is fitting that both were filming at the same time. Maybe Singer and Jackson can commiserate about their under appreciation.
The acting was less stellar, but I thought Brandon Routh was wonderful. (I’ve got a crush on him now, so you will find it impossible to dissuade me from this point.) As has been noted and criticized, he did not have much dialogue, but he managed to sell so much emotion without saying anything. I never failed to feel for both Clark and Superman. My heart went out to him throughout, and if Routh had not been effective that would not have happened. Kate Bosworth did not annoy me as much as I thought she would, but she wasn’t great. Her acting wasn’t awful, but I think a better actress would have done a better job of making me overlook some of the flaws in the characterization. The way Lois Lane was written in this film just did not fit my ideal version of the character, but I thought it worked within the context of the story they wanted to tell. Kevin Spacey was great acting wise, but I would have preferred a different take on Lex Luthor entirely. However, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen were captured exactly how I imagined them. Next to Brandon Routh, I thought the most impressive performance was turned in by James Marsden as Richard White. As the man who stood between Superman and Lois Lane, he had a difficult task in front of him, but good writing and a considerable amount of talent and charm made Richard as sympathetic as Superman. Also, after X3, it was just really nice to see James Marsden get to play a considerable role in a good movie.
Superman Returns wasn't a definitive interpretation of Superman, and it may not even be my favorite, but it was a completely valid interpretation. I thought everything worked within the context of the story Singer was telling and I was incredibly moved by it. I'm not ashamed to admit that my eyes welled up with tears several times throughout the film. Between the powerful emotional storytelling, the beautiful imagery, plenty of moments to make my inner fangirl completely geek out, and quite probably the best superhero action sequences I have ever seen, I thought it was a completely satisfying movie and far better than a lot of the other superhero movies (like X3, for example). Spider-Man 2 is still my favorite superhero movie since I am 100% biased in favor of Spider-Man and I thought Dr. Octopus worked better as a villain than Lex Luthor; and it is hard to compete with the original Superman films since the are a fond memory from my child and are the standard by which I judge all superhero films; but Superman Returns would definitely be put near the top of my list.
4 comments:
you need to join LJ world :)
I'm still waiting to see this movie again before I pass final judgement, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as you.
I had a real problem with Bosworth. She really did suck and it took me out of the film when ever she started to ham-hand her roll.
I liked Lex, but felt his part was lessened by Parker Posie (sp?). I think if there was a better caliber actress playing her part, Lex would have played better.
I hated the fact that there was a kid. Call me a purest, but no kid in the comic should mean no kid in the movie. At least they didn't make him a wise ass brat. I wouldn't have been able to site through that.
The one thing that really hurt this movie is the same thing that hurt King Kong - the length. They could have cut forty minutes out of this and it would have made KB seem like a much better actress because you wouldn't have had dull spots where you could think about how shitty she was. As far as King Kong; cut forty minutes out of the first hour of that movie and it would have made another hundred million.
Kitty would have sucked no matter who played her. Hopefully Lex will now learn to ditch the ditsy dames and get himself a kick ass chauffer. Bring on Mercy Graves!
At the end of the day, Superman carried this whole movie for me, just like Spider-Man his movies for me. I can list a million reasons why I could hate those movies if I let those things bother me, the travesty that is Mary Jane being the top of my list, but Spider-Man 2 is still one of my all time favorite movies. That's how I feel about Superman Returns.
There is a mountain of stuff they got wrong, but I felt like they got Superman right, had some kick ass action sequences, and was just an incredibly well crafted film. That's the most important thing to me. At no point did I feel like the character was betrayed, and that's the big difference between a movie like X3 and Superman Returns. X3 wasted some amazing characters, turned heroes into villains and just overall didn't care about the characters, just about whether there was cool action sequences (all of which I thought were underwhelming, especially after seeing SR). Superman Returns displayed a blatant love and respect for its title superhero, and I love it for that.
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