Superman Returns

[Jacene]

Well since the other Superman Returns was a bit down the page and it seemed already cluddered about the trailer and whatnot...I thought maybe we could use this thread for those who have seen the film.

Just got back from a pre-screening of it and I have to be honest, I was very scared going in. Superman is something that can easily be messed up, but I think this was pulled off wonderfully.

About the actors, Brandon Routh did a great job as Superman, the similarity between him and Christopher Reeve was uncanny, he was a good Clark Kent, the sort of awkward shy reporter we all know. Kate Bosworth did a good job as Lois Lane...not amazing, but A LOT better than Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes in Batman...but anyways, she did a fine job. Now for my favorite...Kevin Spacey pulled off Lex Luther better than I expected. He was crazy and a nut, just like the Lex Luther I knew from the comics. Very well played out.

Also, there were much humor in this movie at certain points when you least expect it, yet it fits in perfectly.

Oh and also a little bit of trivia I found out, When director Bryan Singer became interested in possibly hiring Brandon Routh, he arranged for them to meet in a coffee shop. When they met at their table, Routh stumbled and spilled hot coffee all over the table. Although he panicked, thinking he had just lost the part, Singer laughed and said it actually helped him get the part. The incident convinced Singer that Routh could pull of the clumsy, bumbling Clark Kent.

Overall I give it an 9/10

[WriterChris]

I had very high expectations for the film after seeing the first 2 trailers then curbed it signifcantly after seeing the 3rd. Overall I think the movie comes in at a 3.5 out of 5 on my review scale. I really liked Brandon Routh as Superman, he channeled the ghost of Christopher Reeve quite well and honestly it really helped sell the movie the way it was presented. To be honest all the casting choices did extremely well in their roles. The only really nagging issue I had was there wasn't enough Luthor and he was but a pale shadow of what he is in the comics and the animated series but again it was ok in light of the overall film. The test of the rebirth of the Superman franchise will be the sequel. The groundwork has been laid for the sequel to build on and exceed the original. If not it will be the bat fiasco all over again.

[Eteric]

Chris, the DVD will probably have A LOT of extra scenes. I heard that they made Bryan cut quite a bit out.

Just noting, so look for it. :)

[Takara]

I <3 Kevin Spacey.

I am so torn on wanting to see this. On one hand I am and worried that they're just trying to ring money out of an already spent franchise, and/or ride the coat tails of the Comic book Hero Movie popularity, and on the other hand, the production quality looks good and it's got some folks in it that I like as actors.

We shall see.

[Eteric]

I <3 Kevin Spacey.

I am so torn on wanting to see this. On one hand I am and worried that they're just trying to ring money out of an already spent franchise, and/or ride the coat tails of the Comic book Hero Movie popularity, and on the other hand, the production quality looks good and it's got some folks in it that I like as actors.

We shall see.

It's a really, truely good movie. Go see it. Even if you're not a Superman fan, it's more emotional and whatnot.

Very good. :D

[wiglyworm]

I liked this movie quite a bit. I think Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor was fantastic. He wasn't the amazing criminal mastermind we get to see in the comic books, but the movie takes place in the universe of the original movies, not the comic books (well, it takes place after Superman II, and wisely ignores Superman III and IV), a universe in which Lex Luthor had just gotten out of a five year stint in prison. Lex said it himself in the movie: Prison is a spooky place. It only makes sense that he was a bit off kilter for the experience.

Superman/Clark Kent was played flawlessly...

All in all, I think it was an excellent movie.

Though...

There is, of course that twist Lois Lane's child is Clark's that answers a few "burning questions" that have actually even been asked in the "What If" series of comics. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that particular plot hook, but at the same time, it was going to happen eventually, right?

[One-Winged Angel]

Saw it last night, and was thoroughly impressed. The Man of Steel is back.

[Eteric]

Hey all.

I didn't really take the time to write my review for this thread, so I'm going to do it now. I saw it this Wednesday at about 4:00 PM at the Grand theater in Lafayette, Louisiana. When I walked in, the Spider-Man 3 teaser was playing, so I was happy to be on time.

I'm going to start by telling you what I thought, and then what I thought could have made it better.

Firstly, Superman Returns is an excellent film in my opinion. It starts the Superman saga by using Richard Donner's version as sort of a history, but updates the look of things. Metropolis looks amazing, top notch! So does the Fortress of Solitude, it looks eerie yet beautiful and almost organic. Jor-El's revival was amazing, even though it was short.

The cast was great! Brandon plays an excellent Superman. This Superman is like Reeve's version, but more mysterious and talks only when really necessary with no cheesy jokes like in Superman: The Movie. His Clark is funny, but more toned down compared to the Reeve version (it's a good thing). What's really funny is when he does something silly (like hitting people with the bags by accident), you know he knows what he's doing, and is probably having fun with it.

Kate plays a more toned down Lois than the Margot Kidder version, which is fine with me. She's beautiful, mature, but still tends to get into trouble a lot. One of my favorite scenes with her was when she walks in on Lex brushing is teeth, and he's got this completely confused look on his face with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, it was great.

I loved Lex, just loved him. He's more dark and calm in some situations (like Rosenbaum or the TAS version), but sometimes he can just go completely nutty and become fun (Gene Hackman). But he never becomes mind numbingly campy, but has the ability to make you smile. He's evil people, just EVIL!

As for Richard, I really liked the guy. People say he's a human version of Superman, but I saw differences. He was more of a smart ass sometimes (which was funny), but he's willing to talk more. Different characters, but very similar in character and spirit, but different in tone. I loved him.

Jimmy was just hilarious. He's the Jimmy I've always wanted. I just don't know what to say, he's absolutely perfect.

As for Jason (or "The Kid" to most of you), I swear, if I ever have a kid... I want one just like him. He's quiet, but observant. Very funny sometimes in a kid kind of way. He doesn't get in trouble like his mother, but he sees things others may not. I love the little guy.

Perry was good too, more like a cheif of the Daily Planet should be. He's not like Mr. Jameson from Spider-Man at all, which is good. He cares about his paper, but he cares about his people too. There are two scenes I really liked with him, but I don't want to be a spoiler.

As for Ma Kent, played be Eva Marie Saint (not sure if that's the correct name) she was good, but underused. I'll explain more in a second.

Okay, overall Superman Returns is a great movie. In fact, I want to see it like 3 more times, because I think it's a movie you REALLY need to soak in. The first time I was just so excited that I probably missed stuff, but it's definitely got replay value to me. Maybe more than most movies, I'm not sure yet.

As for what I didn't like. It probably wasn't that I didn't like anything, but that because I'd kept up with the movie since the beginning, I noticed a lot was cut. The whole Ma Kent and Hubbard sub-plot was cut, and Ma Kent was hardly used. I think this hurt the beginning of the movie, because it didn't get people to feel for Superman's problems. They kind of just zoomed past everything straight to Metropolis, but as soon as it got there the pace became better.

Personally, I think a comic book explanation of Superman's past would have been interesting instead of the text version. I also (like I stated above) think it would have been nice to keep more of the Smallville and young Clark parts, along with maybe more of the conflicting parts we heard about (Clark not sure if he wants to be Superman again).

Though I could see the conflict dragging the film on...

Overall, I still think it was a great movie! I give it a 9 out of 10. It could have been better in the beginning, but really soared after. Worth seeing, multiple times!

[Tristate0999]

Saw this Sunday and I really liked it. The special effects were great, and the actors & actresses did a great job. I especially enjoyed Brandon's Clark, and how the director played on how easily it would be to identify Superman. Not much else to write about it now, but I do know I will be buying this one on it's DVD release.

[drunkengamer]

ok nobody posted this but did y'all notice lois' husband...yeah that's right its james marsden...you know everyone's(ok mostly everyone's) favorite one-eyed x-man CYCLOPS..pretty cool, huh

[Tristate0999]

Thought he looked familiar...good catch drunken

[NerfTheWarmech]

Yeah, that's the reason he wasn't really in the last two X-men movies. The reason behind the reason, so to speak, is either he didn't like his character (the visor was too hard to act with, supposedly) and tried to break contract, or Marvel reduced his role as punishment for being in a DC film, depending on what source you read.

Of course, my track record with movie rumor sources has been pretty crummy lately, so who knows.

[Nikiny]

I loved this movie, i think Iv seen it about 15 times since the DVD came out. I cry every time Lex stabs him in the back and says, "Now Fly!" *tear the music alone is overwhelming at times. omg like the hospital scene.

[B_Delacroix]

Here is my short review.

It was an enjoyable superman movie. He actually even looked a lot like Reeves to me.

It could have done with a little less self pity and more superhero stuff.

Overall it was fun to watch.

Yea, watching superman get beatup and stabbed was just so wrong. Glad he got over it (and her).

[Whytewulf]

Reminds me I need to buy or rent this to see again.

I really liked it, but thing that bothered me a bit, was how "industructable" Lois seems. That airlines flight alone should have busted her up a bit.