Superman Returns

[tha_con]

The fact that Superman has a child does not "turn up the suck" contrary to belief. It's actually pretty interesting.

Great film, once again, go check it out. Best comic book movie out (I'd say even with the first Spiderman Film).

Definately better than all three Xmen films IMO.

 

[FoolKiller]

I just realized that I've seen the original Superman, like, once. All other one's, I've never even seen. Looks like I got some work to do.

At your age you have no excuse. I wasn't even born when the first Superman movie came out. Superman IV was the only one where I was old enough to understand what I was watching in the theater, yet my mother has pictures and video (which will NOT be shared) of me at a birthday party with a Superman tank top and a Superman cake where my gifts included a Superman baseball cap and a Superman music box (which played "Jesus Christ Superstar" and seems almost blasphemous now).

It is called a video store and I recommend you get there now.

Actually if you just watch the first two you are fine. Even at eight I could tell you that Superman IV sucked and Supreman III made me cry when I was little.

 

[3-Wheel Drive]

I like how the news yesterday actually complained about Superman not fighting "for the American way" anymore, claiming it was due to PC and an international audience for the movie. Besides taking airtime from actual, intersting news, they were just plain wrong (suprise, suprise). Sure, he fought "for the American way" back in the day when we thought we were the center of the Universe (although many of us still think that ), but Superman has changed over the years. The newer cartoons and stuff had him fighting for the whole planet aginst global threats/conflicts. In the movie, they mentioned him stopping a disaster somewhere in Eurpoe (IIRC). So of couse he's not fighting for the American way anymore, he's fighting for the world's way.

By the way, everyone who even somewhat likes Superman sould see the movie. It kicks ass.

 

[FoolKiller]

I like how the news yesterday actually complained about Superman not fighting "for the American way" anymore, claiming it was due to PC and an international audience for the movie. Besides taking airtime from actual, intersting news, they were just plain wrong (suprise, suprise). Sure, he fought "for the American way" back in the day when we thought we were the center of the Universe (although many of us still think that ), but Superman has changed over the years. The newer cartoons and stuff had him fighting for the whole planet aginst global threats/conflicts. In the movie, they mentioned him stopping a disaster somewhere in Eurpoe (IIRC). So of couse he's not fighting for the American way anymore, he's fighting for the world's way.

Having not seen the new movie YET I will reserve any judgements.

In the older movies he prevents a terrorist attack on the Eiffel Tower and did a few other fun things. He and Lois were even on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls (which is just prettier anyway). Despite that he still fought for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

Considering the news spawned from a statement released by the writers I am guessing it was used as an attempt at a statement and not at trying to say Superman suddenly has a global mindset. I even heard one newscaster say that they need to back down from talking about this before they do cause a controversey that will make people not want to see the movie.

 

[a6m5]

It is called a video store and I recommend you get there now.

You are talking to the Beaverton Blockbuster's one of the best customers, buddy. DVDs and basketball are two of my biggest hobbies, pretty much. It's always fun to discover old movies like these though. It's like uncovering treasure(Yup, I'm pretty weird).

 

[FoolKiller]

You are talking to the Beaverton Blockbuster's one of the best customers, buddy. DVDs and basketball are two of my biggest hobbies, pretty much. It's always fun to discover old movies like these though. It's like uncovering treasure(Yup, I'm pretty weird).

I'm just amazed that you didn't bother catching this before now.

If you do that many movies perhaps you should try one of the mail order services out there. Blockbuster can get expensive. My wife just had to upgrade our Netflix to four at a time because she wanted to get to her five movies that have been mixed in with my 107 (I think that's what it is now). I decided to be nice and move her movies to every other one at the top. God knows she would be ticked to have to wait through every episode of "Firefly" to watch "Rumor Has It," "Prime," and "Nanny McPhee."

 

[niky]

After finally seeing Superman Returns, my comments:

X-Men I was passable. X-Men II was passably good. And while no superhero movie can ever be perfect, as the main premise behind any superhero is, in the end illogical and irreconcilable, Superman Returns actually makes that point moot by being something better than perfect... watchable.

It's a pretty good movie. It sucks you in well enough that it achieves suspension of disbelief... although for anyone who's read "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex", Lois Lane's kid will stick out as something pretty unbelieveable.

Well, the story is slow in some bits, pretty predictable at others, decent enough, but it doesn't really matter.

What matters is that Superman comes off as believeable, with very few over-glossy CGI moments and relatively realistic physics. The world looked and felt real, much in the same way Sam Raimi makes the world of Spiderman feel real (except for the crappy CGI), and not a parodic caricature of the world, as seen in all of the Batman films (including Batman Begins... it's a good movie, but the world is too... goth... )

The main characters are well-enough developed and human, although Jimmy Olsen and Perry White come off as pretty two dimensional, as does Lois's boyfriend (whossisnameagain?).

Overall, I'd rate it as four stars out of five, and worth more than one watch.

PS: If you've never read "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex", I'm pretty sure some fanboy will dig it up and post it on the net soon enough. It's a good read.

 

[niky]

As an addenda (because edit isn't working for me):

Damn you for abandoning the X-Men, Bryan... if you'd done this kind of job on three, it would've been four stars, too, instead of the two and a half I gave it... but then, thank you for a wonderful job done on this one. 👍

 

[a6m5]

I'm just amazed that you didn't bother catching this before now.

If you do that many movies perhaps you should try one of the mail order services out there. Blockbuster can get expensive. My wife just had to upgrade our Netflix to four at a time because she wanted to get to her five movies that have been mixed in with my 107 (I think that's what it is now). I decided to be nice and move her movies to every other one at the top. God knows she would be ticked to have to wait through every episode of "Firefly" to watch "Rumor Has It," "Prime," and "Nanny McPhee."

I've tried Netflix's free month trial before, I'm on Blockbuster's Online trial now. Netflix, I was pretty impressed with. Accurate and speedy service. Blockbuster was speedy on the first shipment. Only issue is that they got my choices all mixed up. All my choices were "available", but they picked the first three DVDs from all over my list, ignoring my #1 choice as well. My buddy whose fiance tried the service told me the same thing, they were right.

As for the local Blockbuster, I have their "Preferred" membership. For $10 a year, you get:

1) 1 free non-new release rental for every paid rental, Sunday thru Thursday.
2) 1 non-new rental per month.
3) 1 free rental for every 4 or 5 paid rental(I forget).

In the end, renting locally will costs you little bit more, but I love visiting video stores, so I won't be making a switch yet.

P.S. Sorry for the off-topicness. I should make a thread on this subject!

 

[[FPV]Rusty]

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther makes me think of 'hey Powers, you better watch your freikin self becuase this is one docter who does make housecalls'

 

[FoolKiller]

As for the local Blockbuster, I have their "Preferred" membership. For $10 a year, you get:

I did that until Netflix came out. I tried Blockbuster's mail-order service too and was equally disappointed.

In the end, renting locally will costs you little bit more, but I love visiting video stores, so I won't be making a switch yet.

If Netfix's closest warehouse is in the same city I work in does that count as local? I occasionally have gotten my DVDs two days after returning one.



BACK ON TOPIC:

I saw Superman yesterday. I felt like a kid again. It was incredible. I wanted to cheer him on when he saved the day and found myself feeling scared when he was in trouble. It was everything I could have hoped for and the 3D IMAX scenes only added to the effect.

It gets 👍 👍 from me.

I would ramble on more about the movie, but then I would start throwing out spoilers. I'll wait foir it to have been out a few months before I start doing that.

 

[El Gigante]

Damn, this film doesn't come out until July 14th in the UK

 

[Der Alta]

Saw this today, whilst taking Miss_DA to a double feature.

There was some good, some bad, many indifferent pieces. Perhaps I've seen too many super hero movies lately, or maybe it was the theatre.

I'm blaming the "Meh" result, 15% movie/10% me/75% theatre. The theater screwed the sound alignment, and the contrast, as the night scenes were too dark to see anything at all, and the sound screw up was just annoying through out. Kinda like a bug bite that doesn't really hurt, but you still want to scratch it.

10% on me, only because I'm a bit worn out on CGI lately. Thinking I have to see a movie that has acting in it.

All in all, I'll have to see it in IMAX in order to improve my opinion of it.

15% on the movie, as it had a few plot issues, that jaded me on it.

 

[FoolKiller]

All in all, I'll have to see it in IMAX in order to improve my opinion of it.

I highly recommend it, although putting the 3D glasses on and then back off again gets distracting. You can't completely lose yourself in teh movie. One part even had a false signal where the change never happened but you were signaled to put the glasses on.

15% on the movie, as it had a few plot issues, that jaded me on it.

Too much was left open with loose ends and I felt like they might as well have said, "Superman will return in..." at the end.

Singer better direct the rest because he made enough changes to really make it suck for future production teams to work with.

I do believe my youthful giddiness got the better of me and I was able to overlook the majority of the problems.

 

[niky]

I do believe my youthful giddiness got the better of me and I was able to overlook the majority of the problems.

Haha... ...same here. It's only after watching it (again) with my wife that it struck me... or her... I'm usually more critical of movies than she is, but she came right out and said it:

"There was no story?"

Amazing. After reviewing all two and a half hours of what we watched, I realized that nothing had fundamentally changed. Superman was still Superman. Lois was still Lois. Luthor was still Luthor... etcetera.

Of course, there are a few advancements to the plot... but it was just like the old Supey comics... nothing ever changes.

Still, a great watch for those who can actually remember Superman, and I think Perry White summed up the movie in one line he uttered in regards to some photos of Superman... "iconic".

That's what the whole movie is. Pure iconology. The scenes all look like they could be painted and posted on the walls. While the writing is purely run of the mill, the love and attention paid to the cinematography are awesome.

 

[FoolKiller]

There was a story. Superman saved the day against unimaginable odds.

Your LLs always have to remain the same. People with those initials will always play a major role in Superman's life. It is some kind of rule. Even when Lex Luthor dies in the comics his son takes over and it is same stuff, different Lex.

I think part of this movie's lack of moving the main story forward was that it was introducing the characters.

The most important thing we saw was that Superman will do whatever it takes to save people, no matter the challenge or the sacrifice. He walks boldly into the greatest danger he can face and does not even hesitate. This is no reluctant hero, like Spiderman or Batman, this is a man who was born to be a hero and never waivers in that idea. If saving the day means losing the girl or even dying then so be it, but you will never find a Superman suit in a garbage can.

I believe that is what Bryan Singer was trying to portray in this movie. This is the new Superman. This is what we can expect now.

 

[niky]

Hmmmm... Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Lana Lang... gee willickers, Batman! You're right!

I'm surprised Clark Kent doesn't read Louis L'Amour.

I do realize that much of the movie was as a re-introduction of old characters and an introduction to new ones. What's surprising is how little this seems to matter in the actual viewing of it.

It's amazing what Singer managed to do with this movie. I'm eagerly awaiting the next one... unless he's pirated back to do X-Men IV... the movie where they reveal that everything that happened in X-Men III was in a parallel universe, and that Logan goes back in time to stop everything from happening... ought to be fun.

True, Superman really is that uncomplicated, elemental. It's part of his appeal.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

We saw this last night and just could not get into it at all. I actually almost fell asleep! The last 20 minutes of the movie was pretty good when the action picked up but other than that it seemed way to slow. The piano part was pretty cool and I couldnt help get excited at that part. I do realize this is probably the beginning of several Superman movies but still its a slow introduction.

 

[Swift]

We saw this last night and just could not get into it at all. I actually almost fell asleep! The last 20 minutes of the movie was pretty good when the action picked up but other than that it seemed way to slow. The piano part was pretty cool and I couldnt help get excited at that part. I do realize this is probably the beginning of several Superman movies but still its a slow introduction.

My thoughts exactly. I'll get a little deeper later.