Superman Returns - BEWARE: POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT- Page 4

[Luscious]

Posted: 7/4/06 at 9:58pm

*** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT ***

What a major disappointment! Ironically, the only good thing about it was Brandon Routh, who I thought would suck. The rest of the movie is woefully miscast. Hated Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. Hated Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Hated Frank Langella as Perry White. Hated Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen (where did they find him?). Hated the little kid (what was with that hair-cut?). Hated the maroon-colored cape. Hated all of the Christ-like parallels. The entire film was one big misguided effort. The story was weak. There was little to no chemistry between Superman and Lois. The editing was choppy. The pacing was deadly. And many of the scenes were retreads of the original, like Superman and Lois's night flight over Metropolis. It brought nothing new to the table and did nothing to advance the story, with the exception of Superman being the father of Lois' kid. And why always Lex Luthor? Aren't there any other villains in Metropolis? Okay... I'm done ranting. Just had to get it out. I was looking forward to this movie and really wanted to love it.

Updated On: 7/4/06 at 09:58 PM

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 7/4/06 at 10:19pm

Craig T. Nelson should've been Perry White.

[broadway86]

Posted: 7/4/06 at 11:19pm

Liked the movie. Some missed opportunies, and while it's not quite as good as X2, Spider-Man 2, and Batman Begins, it is certainly better than X-Men: The Last Stand.

I had my doubts about Brandon Routh, but he turned out to be the big surprise. He is solid as both Clark Kent (who should have gotten more screen time) and Superman. He is charming and believable in both roles, and he does it without coming off as either smarmy or bland. The lack of pretention in his work makes the performance genuine and fresh.

Kate Bosworth has her moments - some very nice moments, I might add - but does anyone else agree that she's about 5 to 10 years too young? She also lacks the certain... oomph that Margot Kidder and Teri Hatcher had. James Marsden does what he can with a thankless role, as does Frank Langella. The kid is decent.

Another thing: The romantic sides in the Spider-Man films are more interesting to me because it turns out that MJ loves both the hero and Peter Parker. In this film, Lane doesn't seem to give Kent a second thought. I could be wrong, but I don't remember it being like that in the other films.

Completely going against what Luscious said, I think Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey stole the show. But, like most of the other actors, they should have been given a bit more to do.

On the flip side, the movie is technically assured and looks great. The editing is tight, and the score is wonderful. It is also the first movie that really gave me the sensation of what it would be like to fly. There is also more than enough humanity and energy to make it worth recommending. Updated On: 7/4/06 at 11:19 PM

[NCGuy]

Posted: 7/4/06 at 11:40pm

Lane doesn't seem to give Kent a second thought. I could be wrong, but I don't remember it being like that in the other films.

Broadway86, that’s exactly as it is in the earlier films.

Completely agree with you about Brandon Routh (and I wasn’t prepared at all for how moving he was in the final scenes). Kate Bosworth does look too young throughout the movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by her performance (Margot Kidder will forever be Lois Lane to me, though).

My judgment may be clouded by my affection for the Christopher Reeve films, but I had a blast at this movie despite its flaws.

[broadway86]

Posted: 7/4/06 at 11:49pm

Thanks, ncguy. Even so, that is the reason why Spider-Man 2 resonated with me more.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/5/06 at 2:10am

rewatching Superman II, I found that Lois' liking only Superman bothered me. What does that say? And then it got weird as she suspected him of being Superman--well wouldn't that have made more sense if she was falling in love with Kent, too? It's complicated.

That monologue in the bedroom at the end was heartbreaking. Maybe because it hit me on a personal level (father/son issues), but I just found it beautiful--and beautifully acted.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 7/8/06 at 3:27am

Ok... I LOVED this movie. Loved it! It's the perfect pop-corn movie for me. Good story, good acting, good action... I was totally immersed in the film, I couldn't tell time go by. (for someone with the attention span of a 2-year old, that's quite a feat) I really appreciated the respect they played to the Christopher Reeve films... it really, in some ways, felt like this IS Superman III. Even though you know the ending will be ok, I had tears in my eyes... and yes, I was eating pop-corn. This is what summer movies are supposed to be like!

[shiksa_goddess]

Posted: 7/8/06 at 8:51am

Just saw it, and was really impressed. The Superman movies had always been a big bore for me, but I enjoyed this one alot. Brandon Routh was great and he really IMO embodies Superman. I gotta say though, Lois' son was amazingly annoying.

I was expecting a little more from Lex. The character, not Spacey. I think he did a fine job.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/8/06 at 5:09pm

Saw the 3 D IMAX version

It dragged a bit in spots. There were about 3 set pieces of him using his powers impressively instead of being throughout the movie. The 3 D sequences , with the exception of the plane sequence, seemed to have been picked @ random. Blink quickly or come in late & you miss Noel Neil

On a scale of 10, we gave it an 8. It was good but could have been better. They could have lost 20 minutes & made it much better

Updated On: 7/8/06 at 05:09 PM

[Peter]

Posted: 7/8/06 at 11:41pm

I agree with your rating Mr.Roxy. Although it was hokey at times and in need of a trimming, for me it was quite nostalgic, brought back some sense of wonder missing from most films, and timely. If this country was ever in need of a Savior, its now.
Updated On: 7/8/06 at 11:41 PM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 12:56am

Luscious - what about Parker Posey?
I know you didn't hate her!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 2:42pm

I saw it again for a second time, this past Friday and I loved it even more. It went by A LOT quicker and I enjoyed certain scenes more this time around. I actually want to see it again.

[DG]

Posted: 7/13/06 at 3:15am

Blech.

Goodness knows, one doesn't go into these types of things with any kind of expectation - except, perhaps, for some nice visuals and good popcorn-chomping fun. This had nothing. Dismal, dreary, leaden and inert. Eva Marie Saint and Frank Langella - wasted. I hope they got paid well. And who cast these children as the leads? This is five years after what we've seen before? Please. The title is SuperMAN, not SuperBOY.

Again I say, "Blech!"