Superman Returns (Theatrical Trailer Online!)

[Droo]

It is no secret to say that I love all things Superman. To say that I am an avid manic obsessive Superman fan would be an understatement. So, you can imagine how I've been feeling, waiting through some 27 production blogs over the course of the year but more specifically this past week, having discovered that the teaser trailer would go online tonight. And it has and here is the link:

http://movabletype.warnerbros.com/supermanreturns/

Very teasing and very epic. This is the film I've been waiting for since I was a kid and thank God, they're getting it right. I'm over the moon! :D

And here's a link to the theatrical trailer:

http://movies.apple.com/movies/wb/superman_returns/superman_returns-tlr2_h.640.mov

And in high definition:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/supermanreturns/hd/

And now here's there International trailer:

http://pdl.warnerbros.com/wbol/uk/movies/supermanreturns/superman_returns_tlrf3_qt_500.mov

[jjwr]

Most impressive!!!

I was really hoping to hear the theme jump out at you but the more subtle theme they used from the originals worked just as well. Not as recognizable but some definite goosebumps once it got going.

Easily one of the best teaser trailers I've seen.

[Dasquian Belargic]

It looks pretty good. Gave me goosebumps :)

[Rutabaga]

I saw the trailer during Smalllville last night, and it did raise the hair on the back of my neck...but that was because they used John Williams's Krypton theme from the Richard Donner Superman and also Marlon Brando's voice. I doubt both of those things are going to be used in this new version, so I felt myself wondering...did they kind of cheat in this teaser by invoking the much beloved and revered version with Christopher Reeve? :\

Don't get me wrong, it was a very effective trailer, and it's going to be wonderful to see it on the big screen this weekend in front of Goblet of Fire, but I couldn't help but think they cheated just a little bit.

[jjwr]

I was under the impression they were going to use the original score. The Brando voice isn't a big deal to me but if they uset hat Theme that alone will remind a lot of people

[Ryan Pode]

According to IMDB, Marlon Brando is in the film as "Archive Footage" which means yes, hes in it.

[Yog]

Man, that was great. Its THE movie to look forward to next year for me :)

[Droo]

Marlon Brando is playing Jor-El in this film.


To recreate Brando's version of the character in his new Superman movie, Singer said in an interview that he used "a combination of unused footage, [used] footage and recreated footage. You won't necessarily see Marlon Brando walking around or reanimated in a conventional sense, but you will hear [dialogue] that you have heard before [and] takes that you haven't heard before and a rendering that is completely new."

The theme in the trailer is the Planet Krypton theme from the Donner film. The film being made is to be considered a sequel to Superman: The Movie and Superman II hence a lot of tie-ins. The main Superman theme will most definately be a part of this film. John Ottman will be scoring the film but there will be minimal tampering with the key character theme, thankfully.

This film isn't riding on the coattails of Donner's films but is instead treating them as the cannon origin tale for Superman.

[Rutabaga]

I haven't been following the development of this movie all that closely, since I have my reservations about it, so I hadn't known about using Brando and the Williams themes. Knowing that now, it does make a little more sense that both are used in the trailer. It still feels a little bit like cheating, though :D :cool ;).

[Atreyu]

Looks interesting. However a gripe I have so far is who they're getting to play the Man of Steel - I dunno, he doesn't look 'steely' enough to me. :\ (I even heard a rumour that his suit had to have padding installed to 'bulk' him out a bit).

[Jedieb]

I think the trailer looked great. I like the casting as well. The kid looks like a much better Superman than some of the early casting rumors. I'm also looking forward to seeing the rumored Superman II SE. Even though it was a brilliant sequel, it got taken away from Donner early on. This SE is suppose to be closer to Donner's vision. Should be interesting.

[Lance Casey]

Once I found out they gave Lois a son and created a son for White just to create romantic tension for the reurning Superman, I lost interest in the film. Instead of being a sequel to the 2nd movie, I would have rather seen a restart ala Batman Begins.

[Droo]

Originally posted by Atreyu, Champion of the Force
(I even heard a rumour that his suit had to have padding installed to 'bulk' him out a bit).

Those rumours did surface but have been pretty much silenced since some recent torso shots of Routh have been seen. He's muscular enough for it to be clear that he doesn't need padding in the suit.


Instead of being a sequel to the 2nd movie, I would have rather seen a restart ala Batman Begins.

Why? Superman: The Movie created an excellent origin story that, in my opinion and that of most other Superman fans, is canon and undisputed - at least as far as cinema is concerned. There is no need to erase a solid foundation for the franchise and frankly, were Bryan Singer to do this, he would a) be wasting time retreading old ground(why fix something if it isn't broke?), and b) anger a large portion of the fans.

Batman Begins worked because the Tim Burton films didn't attempt to create an origin story other than a couple of motivational flashbacks here and there.

[JMK]

So once and for all - does this new Superman movie follow the original Superman I or Superman II?

[Jedieb]

I believe it follows BOTH of them. So we're probably picking up on a Lois and Superman that did have the relationship we saw in Superman II. I agree with Droo, there's no reason to do another origin story. The first one was a classic.

[JMK]

So really it starts at Superman 3? This should be considered as part 3?

There will probably be enough back story in this movie that it will feel like an original anyway.

[Droo]

Originally posted by JMK
So really it starts at Superman 3? This should be considered as part 3?

You can look at it that way. Either way, I choose to forget Superman 3 and 4 ever existed - which is an absolute shame because Christopher Reeve's performance never falters, despite crappy storylines.

[Zereth Lancer]

I saw the trailer and I wasn't impressed at all. Infact I thought it looked lame. I've never been a fan of superman so thats probobly why I'm not excited like everyone else. I just think he looks like a silly panzy dude in tights and a cape. I think they should have tried revamping his costume to something totaly different, and throw out the tights for goodness sake.

[Ryan Pode]

Big no.

[JMK]

Then they couldn't call it Superman. The guy is an icon, you just don't take a guy like that and completely blow the mythos of it out of the water just because he 'doesn't look cool.'

[Droo]

Originally posted by JMK
Then they couldn't call it Superman. The guy is an icon, you just don't take a guy like that and completely blow the mythos of it out of the water just because he 'doesn't look cool.'

I love you.

[JMK]

Uhhhh......thanks?



;)

[Atreyu]

I think they should have tried revamping his costume to something totaly different, and throw out the tights for goodness sake.
They did that in the Superman comics back in the 90s. I never read them, but I believe the results were ... not so good. ;)

(maybe someone who has a better knowledge of the comics can explain better)

[Miranda Tarkin]

are you referring to the Red and Blue Superman? :x

Because I remember that and >_< aye, not so good. I could be wrong tho

[Jedieb]

Red and blue Superman was lame beyond words. He didn't even look right after Doomsday and all they did was give him long hair. I agree, you can't mess with that costume. You can play around with the colors a bit and the size of the shield, but in the end it still has to be a guy in tights. It's friggin' SUPERMAN, not Batman: The Story of the Next Batsuit. Batman can get away with that, not Supes.

[Atreyu]

Red and blue Superman was lame beyond words.
I think that's what I was thinking of, but again I don't know the comics at all.

What actually happened? I remember Supes was killed off in the early 90s (1993?) but then brought back - was this Red and Blue thing then?

I just remember watching on the news about a decade or so ago about how Superman had another costume, and i saw it (no cape or anything) and I thought it sucked. :\

[Jedieb]

My DC memory is a bit hazy, but I was collecting Batman around that time and I read the occasional Superman title. After Doomsday "killed" Superman he came back with the same costume, but long hair. Later on there was some storyline about Superman not being able to contain his energy. Thus he needed a suit built that would help him contain his essense. I don't even remember which came first, the blue or the red, but it was pretty damn stupid. But such is life in BOTH the DC and Marvel worlds. They're comics; infinite universes, clones, people coming back from the dead over and over, these things come with the territory.

[JMK]

Wasn't there also 4 different Supermen at one point? I remember they really sent the whole thing to the dump after the Doomsday thing.

[Jedieb]

That was during the Return of Superman storyline. One was a clone Superboy, the other was the Eradicator, Steel (please forget the Shaq movie) was just a guy in a suit and a sledge hammer, and the 4th was a cyborg. After everything was settled it turned out Superman hadn't completely died during his battle with Doomsday, his body had just completely drained itself of its stored solar energy. At least that's how I remember it and by the end of it, Supes was back with long hair.

[Akrabbim]

Yeah... then he became the Man of Energy. His powers were... well, odd then. I never was sure what he could do at that point. And how'd he split in two? And how'd he come back together?

[Atreyu]

Wow, I just found this mammoth post regarding the whole history of attempting to bring Superman 5 to the screen. I'm barely half way through it but it's been an interesting read so far:

Superman V: The Whole Sordid Saga (http://www.agonybooth.com/forum/topic2730.htm)

(I don't know whether or not it leads into Superman Returns - I haven't gotten that far yet)

[Droo]

Yeah, I've read that and it's one of the reasons I'm so happy about the direction in which this movie is going in. The direction it was going in years ago doesn't even bear to think about. They would've done for Superman what that idiot Joel Schumacher did for Batman.

[JMK]

They would've done for Superman what that idiot Joel Schumacher did for Batman.
That's about all I need to read. What a travesty that would have been.

[Droo]

Lemkin’s draft had Superman dying in battle with Doomsday, but managing to impregnate Lois as he’s dying by way of Immaculate Conception. Lois is killed off later in the story, but not before giving birth to a baby who grows 21 years in three weeks’ time, and takes over as the new Superman and saves the universe from Armageddon.

Poirier’s script had an angst-ridden Superman visiting a shrink in order to deal with his feelings of being an outsider and a freak by virtue of his alien heritage, ditching his red and blues for a black suit, using Kryptonian martial arts, and being killed by a Doomsday who bled kryptonite, Brainiac, the Silver Banshee, and the Parasite.

Burton hated the flying FX in the 1978 film, too, so he didn’t want Superman to fly. Instead, he put Superman in a Supermobile. (Seven years later, AICN revealed that Burton and Peters had also planned on having Superman teleport from place to place in lieu of flying.) He also hated the classic costume, too, hence the oddball designs he proffered in its place, all of which would have featured silver-relief versions of the ElectroSupes S-shield and armored, treaded boots similar in design to what Michael Keaton wore as Batman:

1. A partially translucent suit that would allow full view of Superman’s internal organs, as reported by Cinescape in late 1997 as Burton’s plans for the film kicked into high gear. (Although word from within the Burton camp confirmed that Burton was indeed hoping to do this, the design was apparently never committed to paper—leaving some people following the project wondering if Burton was really going to use the translucent suit or if it was just a hoax. Nevertheless, Burton’s diehard fans adored the idea, praising it as total genius and the height of coolness. Superman fans, on the other hand, were left scratching their heads over it.)
2. An all-black, alien-looking suit that would have resembled a "cool cross" between Edward Scissorhands, the WB movie Batman, and a Borg. (At one point, this was what Burton’s Superman would have started the film off in.)
3. A metallic silver healing suit/body armor with details that would have made Superman’s body look robotic. (An action figure prototype of Nic Cage as Superman wearing body armor was made, but it looked nothing like the design as described and featured the usual red/blue/gold Superman color scheme.)
4. An all-dark blue suit with a "blood-red" cape. (This would have been the standard Superman suit used in subsequent films.)

1. Krypton doesn’t explode. Instead it’s a Naboo rip-off overrun by robot soldiers, walking war machines, and civil war (can you say, Star Wars: Episode I?). Jor-El is literally the king of Krypton and leader of the Kryptonian Senate (thus Superman is a prince), and he and Lara send Kal-El to Earth because he is "the One" whom a prophecy states will save Krypton from destruction (rip-off of The Matrix). The villains, Jor-El’s evil brother and nephew Kata-Zor and Ty-Zor, take Jor-El prisoner and send probe pods out to find and kill the baby Kal-El. 14 years later, Lara and her shell-less turtle servant Taga (shades of Jar Jar Binks) are found by Ty-Zor, and Lara gets tortured to death.
2. Superman’s costume is a living entity housed in a can, and it climbs onto him when he needs it. He first discovers it in a closet when he’s 14 (Jor-El visited Earth and picked the Kents out to be Kal-El’s new parents, leaving them his picture, some S-shield metal pieces signifying the virtues Kal-El must represent, and the costume), and the costume rips his clothes off and stuffs him into itself. So teen Clark is flying around in a suit that’s way too big for him.
3. Lex Luthor is an evil CIA agent obsessed with UFO phenomena. When Superman reveals himself to the world, Luthor demands that the government allow him to hunt Superman down and kill him. The government refuses, so Luthor allies himself with the evil Kryptonians out to kill Kal-El…because Luthor himself is an evil Kryptonian, working undercover as a human to set up an invasion of Earth!
4. All the Kryptonians get into airborne kung-fu fights straight out of The Matrix. Even Luthor gets in on the act at the end of the script.
5. An aerial kung-fu fight between Superman and Ty-Zor results in Superman being lured into a trap: Lois is drowning in a tank filled with kryptonite. (This begs the question of how there can be kryptonite when Krypton didn’t even explode, but….) Superman is given a choice: save her and die from radiation poisoning in the act, or stand by and watch her drown. So he goes in, saves her, and dies. Jor-El magically senses Superman’s death from across the galaxy, commits hara-kiri with a rock he sharpens in his prison cell, goes to Heaven, and talks Superman into coming back to life so he can fulfill the prophecy of saving Krypton from its civil war. So Superman’s soul returns to his body, and he proceeds to trash Ty-Zor and his cronies. And at the end of the film, Superman flies off in a rocket to save Krypton (which is where the second film is planned to take place).
6. A dialogue scene at The Daily Planet implies that Jimmy Olsen—a horny skirt-chaser in the comic books—is gay, as Abrams describes him as "effeminate" and Perry White rags on him for having a boyfriend.

There's just a few choice quotes from the above link. I remember reading this about a year ago and having nightmates of the death of Superman as a popular culture icon.

[jjwr]

Thats just scary to read, I can 't believe how out of touch all of those people are and actually thinking their lame idea's would make money.

Does anyone know what happened exactly to bridge the gap between the end of that and WB finally deciding to ditch Abrams and go with Singer and his writers?

[JMK]

No kidding. What on earth were they thinking?

Why doesn't someone do a remake of Passion of the Christ, but instead, have him played by Vin Diesel and add in a lot of guns and explosions. Ridiculous ideas all around.

[Jedieb]

Originally posted by JMK
No kidding. What on earth were they thinking?

Why doesn't someone do a remake of Passion of the Christ, but instead, have him played by Vin Diesel and add in a lot of guns and explosions. Ridiculous ideas all around.
:lol

Kevin Smith was attached to the project at one time, wasn't he? I heard he started having second thoughts when the studio kept telling him to work Krypto the Superdog into the movie. Have these people no shame?

[Yog]

Originally posted by JMK
No kidding. What on earth were they thinking?

Why doesn't someone do a remake of Passion of the Christ, but instead, have him played by Vin Diesel and add in a lot of guns and explosions. Ridiculous ideas all around.

Hey, that might be an improvement :lol

[Droo]

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/supermanreturns/hd/

I love HD Quicktime! :)

[Darth McBain]

It's a bird... It's a plane... It's a snake??? :lol

http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_1644219.html?menu=entertainment.films

[Droo]

There's been, unbelieveably, a lot of debate on this over the past week on the bluetights.net forums.

I'm of the opinion that the point these movie bosses may make with regards to the size of the Superpackage is complete rubbish. Here's a hint, he's a Superman, not a Supertranny.

I swear, the feminisation of western civilisation is truly beginning to take its toll when men aren't allowed to have anything between their legs in cinema or otherwise.

That, and I wouldn't wipe my backside with The Sun.

[Jedieb]

Originally posted by Darth McBain
It's a bird... It's a plane... It's a snake??? :lol

http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_1644219.html?menu=entertainment.films

That's the dumbest thing I've heard today and considering I've taught 5 classes that's saying alot. It's too stupid to be true, but hysterical either way. I sympathize with Brandon though, I've had to deal with LargePackagitis all my life. It's a heavy burden. :crack

[JMK]

This is absolutely ridiculous. Don't movie execs have better things to do other than worry about package size? Like a year-long box office slump?

Erasing Routh's twig & berries ought to turn things around. Way to go guys, now you're definetly going to draw attention to this. If you had left it alone there wouldn't be a problem, now everyone is going to check out what the big deal is. No pun intended.

[Jedieb]

Originally posted by JMK
This is absolutely ridiculous. Don't movie execs have better things to do other than worry about package size? Like a year-long box office slump?

Erasing Routh's twig & berries ought to turn things around. Way to go guys.
:lol

yep, it's time to bring this thread down to my gutter.

You know how I know you're gay? You said "twig and berries." :smokin

(Sorry, but I just saw the 40YoV and I've been waiting to play that game.)

[Droo]

This picture is a little old now, a couple of days ago I saw it for the first time at this gorgeous size and feel it has to be shared. To quote Harry from AICN:

"This is Superman!" (http://img484.imageshack.us/my.php?image=copy2ofsupermanreturns20060104.jpg)

[Jedieb]

I saw that at AICN awhile back. That's going to be a great sequence. I think he's holding the Daily Planet up. I wish the had a wide angle pic of that scene. The next trailer should have some great action sequences.

[Droo]

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

http://movies.apple.com/movies/wb/superman_returns/superman_returns-tlr2_h.640.mov

[Naira Cross]

I have to admit that trailer makes me want to see the movie more than the first one.

[Mitch]

I'd be more interested in this if they had simply understood what red and blue are, not cyan and magenta. How can you screw up primary colors? I just don't understand. The color of the costume just looks so off that I can't focus on anything else.

[Jedi Master Carr]

It is better than the first one. Spacey looks great as Luthor, I think he is going to play the part more like the comics.

[jjwr]

I'm loving this trailer!!

Spacey is awesome, great choice.

The score....yup its Superman!!

[Rutabaga]

Up until now, even after the admittedly brilliant teaser, I had my reservations about this project.

After seeing this new theatrical trailer, all my reservations are gone. I simply can't wait to see this movie now. :rollin

And Frank Langella as Perry White? Woohoo!!!!!!! :crack

[Yurza Magus]

Yeah...I just saw the trailer for the first time. I just...words cannot describe my anticipation. Looks like Edwards Cinema will be my home away from home this opening day.

[Droo]

Right, now that I've:

a) Had time to take things in, and
b) Changed my underwear.

I'd like to make a few personal observations on this trailer and the approaching film.

First of all, from the very opening moment of this trailer, I got chills and ironically, the first shot is of the antarctic. I got chills not as a Superman fan but as a lover of cinema. Clearly, as displayed in the teaser, the theatrical trailer, and stills, this film is going to be very cinematic and beautiful. Filmed entirely using the Genesis camera, I can see that the visual splendour of Superman Returns is going to be worth the ticket cost alone. The Fortress of Solitude is gorgeous.

Now, as a Superman fan, I am thrilled with the nods to the Donner films. Martha telling Clark that his father used to say "You were put here for a reason," immediately reminded me of Glenn Ford and reminded me that we are in practically the same universe established by Richard Donner in his film in 1978. Music, humour, and characterisation also fall into my catergory of things that tie in with the original movie(s) but more on that a little later.

My primary concerns about this film are as follows: Routh's performance as the Man of Steel, the plot, and to a lesser extent, the score.

I know bits and pieces of the plot and a couple of spoilers, as much as I've tried to stay spoiler free, and I was shocked to find that there happens to be an enormous plot spoiler buried in the trailer for those who are looking for it. I want a solid story of Superman returning to a world which has changed; a world which believes it doesn't need a Superman anymore, and ultimately, a world which discovers just how important to humanity a hero like Superman is. Similarly, in this cynnical age, I feel this story mirrors reality and hope for the same outcome with not only lovers of film but also the entire global populus. The premise is inspiring, and let's hope the execution delivers.

On top of loving Superman, I am also an avid fan of film score. I collect all the good scores from films I like and listen to them so thoroughly to the point of study. It will come of no suprise how I feel about John William's original score for Donner's film. That was Williams at his peak, during his golden age and like with Star Wars, he created musical themes which became integral to the emotional attatchment to characters and places for the cinema-goers. You cannot change these themes. You simply cannot. As such, I was delighted to discover from a recent interview with John Ottman that not only has he scored the main theme practically verbatim from William's work but also will be weaving the two other most significant themes from the original; the Lois theme (or the love theme) and the Planet Krypton theme. Many of my fears about the score diminished with this revelation. However, I am yet to be truly impressed by an Ottman score, all have seemed quite underwhelming in the past and I truly hope he pulls out all the stops for this one.

Finally, the man of the hour, Brandon Routh. He has some immense shoes to fill and I'm sure he has found himself standing in the shadow of the late, great Christopher Reeve. He has to become Superman on the screen, and he has to give it his all, and we must buy it. Aesthetically, he's almost perfect, save for a couple of odd shots in which he looks a little too young in the role. On the other hand, there are moments when he looks, in Donner's own words "so much like Chris it's extraordinary". I am satisfied. He looks graceful and natural in the flying shots we've seen and this is very important but it is his performance that truly matters. As far as playing Clark Kent is concerned:

"Hello".

The delivery of that line made me smile from ear to ear. He was channeling so much Chris Reeve in that, I got goosebumps, and again, his line at the very end of the trailer - couldn't have asked for anything more. The voice, the look: perfect. Now, he has the daunting task of performing Superman and the trailer simply did not provide enough material to convince me, yet. His facial expressions in the suit are moving; flying away, presumably from Lois, looking heartbroken and near the end, when he appears to be in a fit of rage. Again, reminded me of Chrisopher Reeve. This is all good, but I need to see more.

On a similar note, I love Kevin Spacey. I love his presence on the screen as Lex Luthor. He also seems to be channeling his predecessor, Gene Hackman, with a bit of camp and comedy in his performance but thankfully, he turned it all around with "Wrong!" While I knew it was coming, it still shocked me, and from what I've heard thus far, Spacey's Luthor can be expected to be downright scarey at times. That's what I wanted to hear but I am concerned about him stealing the show from Routh and make no mistake, Superman Returns ought to be all about Routh as Superman. I want history to repeat itself and have a relatively unknown actor match seasoned veterens blow-for-blow with his performance.

Maybe it's Kate Bosworth, I doubt it, but I'm not sold on Lois Lane in this film. She is such a strong character and what has happened is that she has, like the rest of the world, changed significantly in Superman's absence. I wanted to see some of her fiestiness show in the trailer to relieve me of doubt. Lois has changed but according to Bosworth, she still has many of her old characteristics. Time will only tell.

On forums and feedbacks, many people have criticised the camp, quirky humour evident in certain scenes of this film. Personally, I think it is integral as it is in keeping with the spirit of not only Donner's films but also the comic books themselves. Specifically, the classic moment of Clark clumsiness in accidently breaking the picture frame and the great comical moment at the end:

"Look, in the sky, chief."
"It's a bird."
"It's a plane."
"No, look it's..."
"Uh, you wanted to see me?"

I was giddy with glee after that bit.

Now, there are a couple of shots which look like they need more CGI work but we have two whole months before the film is released so I'm pretty sure such discerpancies will be dealt in time. Besides, the rest of the visuals are awe-inspiring:

-Young clark leaping over cornfields: gorgeous colours and motion.
-Lois and Supes flying above the Daily Planet: tender, romantic and beautiful.
-The plane rescue: ZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMG!!!
-Superman flying above the earth before the sun: final scene of the movie, I guarantee it!


Now this is quite a lengthy post, and I'd like to take a moment to briefly explain why I am how I am when it comes to Superman. There are plenty of other characters out there; comic book and otherwise, many are rooted much more in reality with their faults and demons but to me, there is plenty of that in every aspect of art and life already. Superman is so special to me because after almost 70 years, he remains true to his values (even though he wasn't quite the Superman we know today in his debute in Action Comics).

Superman can be a messiah story. Superman is the ultimate immigrant. To me, however, Superman is hope. A man in an alien world with the power to rule it as he sees fit, and he chooses to serve humanity and protect it and abide by its values and all at the cost of his own comfort in life. He is a fictional character, but if everyone only grasped onto the idea of Superman for just a second, I believe the world would be a better place for it. This is why this film is so important to me and I hope come June 30th, or if you're a poor neglected Brit like me, July 14th, you all feel a sense of that, too.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'll wait to see it until July 14th out of solidarity with my British bretheren.

[Droo]

Madam, I salute you!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think Spacey will play Luthor much more seriously that Hackman did, which I like, I think that Wrong shows that. One thing I wish they had kept Metallo in the script. He was cut out I read somewhere. It would have given Superman somebody tough to fight. Maybe they will save him for the sequel. Although, I really want to see Braniac in a Superman movie, he is a great villain.

[Rutabaga]

I finally saw this awesome trailer on the big screen today, when my sister and I went to see Poseidon. As great as this trailer is online, it's even more impressive on the big screen. :crack

And even my sister, who isn't into comic book superhero movies at all, said, "Wow, that looks like it's going to be really good!" :crack

[Lilaena De'Ville]

(how was Poseidon? My husband refuses to see it with me..)

[Droo]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
(how was Poseidon? My husband refuses to see it with me..)

He is a wise man.

The official poster went live last night.

http://www.andrew-milligan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/sr_poster.jpg

Also, a new trailer will be out in time for X-Men 3.

[Oriadin]

Nice!

The cape kinda reminds me of the Revenge of the Sith poster, but I like it. The cape and S look particularaly red!

[Rutabaga]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
(how was Poseidon? My husband refuses to see it with me..)

We went in with the viewpoint that it would be craptastic fun with a dumb script but great special effects and stuntwork that would make it worth a $6 bargain matinee. And that's exactly what we got. Zero character development (heck, the wave hits the ship only about 15 minutes into the movie) but with the advance in special effects in the last 30 years, the visual effects are awesome, especially the turning over of the ship itself.

Wow, the Superman Returns poster is great!!! :rollin

[Lilaena De'Ville]

How does Superman breathe in space? Or does he not have to breathe? OR, can he hold his breath longer than David Blaine? ;)

Jinn, thanks for the two second review. That's pretty much what I expected too, and with the 90+ degree weather we've had here for the last few days I've been dying to rest my bones in a movie theatre, but noooo, there aren't any good movies out. ^_^;

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Wow, that poster looks pretty cool. I haven't been watching any new trailers lately, apart from when I see them at the cinema, and haven't been reading any spoilers about what's coming in movies like this and X3. Hopefully holding out will make the final experience all the sweeter :D

[Droo]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
I've been dying to rest my bones in a movie theatre, but noooo, there aren't any good movies out. ^_^;

Well, The Da Vinci Code comes out in a couple of days - although, the early reviews of it are quite negative. I'll definately go see it but I haven't been enthusiastic about it for a long time now. I hope it's good. :\

Then, of course, we'll all be able to see X-Men 3 a week tomorrow. As awesome as it looks, and as awesome as I want it to be, there is a buzz of mediocrity in the early reviews which has me worried but unsuprised considering Brett Ratner is helming the bloody thing.

Fingers crossed for both films.

ps. Jenny, if you're staying away from trailers and spoilers, turn your head or switch channel the moment an advert for SR comes on TV, it has a huge spoiler in it.

[jediSamson]

With the poor casting for Superman/kent and Lois, I had all but given up on Superman Returns, but after seeing this trailer i'm starting to feel like it may not stink as bad as Spiderman:rollin

Roth could be bigger though, Like toby as Spiderman ,WAY!!!!! to small to be the man of steel, but maybe his acting can make one forget he looks whimpy. :\ Who knows, I was wrong about Bale as Batman and JAne as the punisher, they actually made me believe they were said hero's. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.:D

[Droo]

I'm wondering if you had a problem with Reeve as Superman, because Routh is channeling complete Reeve in what I've seen of him so far and what I've seen I love and I see Superman.

I'm tired of nit-picking when it comes to this film. This is the cinematic Superman, not Alex Ross's Superman or any other of the many other artistic incarnations of the character. He has comic book origins, yes, but that character has long since evolved from the pages of a comic book and is open to creative freedom. What I'm getting at is that I don't think that some people realise just how good they're getting it with this film.

Some years ago, Tim Burton was going to create a Superman who got his powers from some estranged bionic suit through which you could see his internal organs, Lex Luthor was a Kryptonian and huge alien dog things guarded the fortress of Solitude. In comparison, I see Superman Returns, casting et al. as a damn Godsend.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

You sound like a long suffering martyr. ;)

Just because a movie could have been OH SO MUCH worse, doesn't mean that the average movie goer has to appreciate that fact, and it doesn't mean that the movie will in fact be good.

Every movie could be worse. Something to think about next time you watch Purple Rain. *SHUDDER*

[Oriadin]

Im really looking forward to it. Recently started watching Smallville really got me in the mood. Bought the 4 film box set which Im in the process of watching through and my excitement is starting to bubble over.

My only fear is whether or not Roth can pull of Clark Kent. I have every faith he can do Superman but Clark is where the challenge lies. The trailer didnt show a lot of him as Clark so hard to tell from that but the trailer really got me chomping at the bit to see the film.

I too was listening to some of the story ideas they were coming out with and thank god non of them came to surface.

[Droo]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
You sound like a long suffering martyr. ;)

Just because a movie could have been OH SO MUCH worse, doesn't mean that the average movie goer has to appreciate that fact, and it doesn't mean that the movie will in fact be good.

Every movie could be worse. Something to think about next time you watch Purple Rain. *SHUDDER*

1. If you spent as much time as me reading whiney nit-picking posts at Bluetights.net everyday then you'd sound like a long-suffering martyr, too.

2. This is not going to be an average movie.


As for Routh's acting: his delivery of what few Clark lines we've heard so far have been great, and for me personally, I'm more worried about his Superman portrayal. He looks the part but we've only heard a couple of Superman lines uttered. In the new trailer coming next week, apparently there's a fair bit of him acting as regular Clark, back on the farm in Smallville and also a couple more Superman lines. Hopefully, it will calm our fears.

[JMK]

This is going to be one of those movies where not everyone will be pleased. There's just too many fans of Superman for this one movie to satisfy everyone 100%. Either Routh is not good enough as Clark, or he's not convincing as Superman. Or, he's not muscular enough. Or Spacey stinks as Luthor. Personally I think all of my expectations will be met. I think Routh looks and sounds great from what we've seen (although maybe he looks a tad bit younger than CR), but that's nit picking at it's finest. I'm almost as excited for this as I am for X3.

[Oriadin]

Ive heard that the film follows on from the second. Is that right or is the film just its own entity?

[Droo]

It treats the two Donner films as a loose history. It's quite clear that this film is made in reverence of Donner's Superman, which can only be a good thing, but as for specifics such as General Zod, that doesn't have to have happened. I imagine all that is relative in the story line, is that Kal-el came to earth and was brought up by the Kents, created his Fortress of Solitude in the arctic and came to Metropolis as Superman. He put Lex Luthor behind bars and had a relationship of some sort with Lois, then left for six years.

Here are two TV spots - beware, spoilers abound, particularly in the first one.

This was aired about a week ago during a Smallville interval. It is clearly aimed at promoting the action.

http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbmovies/supermanreturns/tvspots/tvspot1_500.mov

This was from last night, I believe. Aired during The OC. This one goes for the more romantic angle. I strongly dislike the music used in this one:

http://media.kal-el.org/Superman_Returns-TV_Spot_02.avi

[Jedieb]

I was just thinking that about the fact that the Reeves films never had to contend with the internet and fan speculation that this film has to. Superman 2 had a lot of buildup for its day (I'm pretty sure it set B.O. records on its opening weekend), but nothing like this film. But this is just the world we live in now. Personally, I think the casting has been excellent. Routh looks great. He's big, but he's not friggin' He-Man big. I love that they're treating the first 2 films as a kind of loose history and pretty much ignoring the last 2.

I'm taking the boy to see this opening weekend, I can't wait!

[Mitch]

I'm one of the Sumperman fans who simply insn't excited about this film. At all.

Call me weird, but everything I've seen so far has done nothing but annoy me.

[Droo]

The international trailer is now online, I would like to have heard more of the Superman theme in there and I think it could've been cut better but my god, what we see is unbelievable - by which I mean other than it being awesome, there's much more to see here in the way of spoiler material:

http://pdl.warnerbros.com/wbol/uk/movies/supermanreturns/superman_returns_tlrf3_qt_500.mov

[jediSamson]

Really liked that one, kind of got me giddy :D

the , gunshot and the look, might make be a believer:p

[Mitch]

Eh, trailer was okay.

I don't know what it is, but this movie just can't excite me. I don't think "Superman" at all when I look at him, either.

It's just... mediocre looking.

[Droo]

When you say "mediochre looking" are we talking in terms of cinematography here? I can understand you not thinking "Superman" when you see him, perhaps his performance might sway you and maybe it wont. Only time will tell. However, when it comes to the cinematography on this film, I have to say - not as a Superman fan but just someone who loves films and appreciates good cinema - that the cinematography in this film is bloody gorgeous. It's classy and it's fittingly epic. Even if the film turned out to bomb entirely, at least it would look great doing so.

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
You sound like a long suffering martyr. ;)

Just because a movie could have been OH SO MUCH worse, doesn't mean that the average movie goer has to appreciate that fact, and it doesn't mean that the movie will in fact be good.

Every movie could be worse. Something to think about next time you watch Purple Rain. *SHUDDER* Just really read this post, and I have to ask, whats wrong with Purple Rain?????o_O

[Mitch]

The cinematography can be pretty and wonderful, but the rest of it doesn't look interesting. At all. I'd rather have it look bad but be great.

[Droo]

Ah see, that's part and parcel why I am so scrumdiddliumptiously excited about this film because not only is it eye candy of infinitely sexy proportions but it also looks like it will be awesomely superb and woot. I hope you will really enjoy it when it is released but it all depends on what you want from a Superman film.

[Mitch]

I want Superman from a Superman film. So far I'm not seeing it. Which is a bummer because I really wanted this to be good.

[Jedieb]

The commercial that was shown on 24 Monday was AWESOME! Hearing that Williams score really got me going. I even dragged the boy over to see the commercial and he's getting excited about it.

[Ryan Pode]

Just saw the third trailer. O.M.G.

Best scene in the trailer was when he was on the balcony walking towards the machine gun and bullets just flew off.

[Droo]

Tonight, Soundtrack.Net released an overview and brief review of John Ottman's soundtrack. As I'd stressed, the score was one of my main concerns, and I can very happily say that it looks like Ottman hasn't let me down. There are 30 second snippets of each track available and they're unlike anything I've heard from the composer/editor before. The main theme is there, the love theme, the Krypton theme and even the Kents theme is all there.

And for the naysayers, what's best of all is that this certainly sounds like Ottman's score, not a rehash of Williams's score. There's some beautiful music here, it sounds a bit like a marriage of Elfman and Williams styles. The choral elements really give it an epic grace... it doesn't seem like this film can do any wrong.

Check it out:

http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=196

[jjwr]

Just caught a 2 hour special on A&E called Superman: Look up into the Sky. Covers the full history of Superman from pre-Action #1 to the current movie. Lots of great stuff, casting video from the old movies, behind the scenes stuff, tons of Superman Goodness.

[Rod Stafford]

I was persecuted for the whole two hours last night with Americans going "Omg! Did you guys just see that?", on the bluetights.net forums. I really hate that you guys get almost everything before us, especially when it concerns Superman.

/reroll American

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Sorry just saw this question:
Originally posted by jediSamson
Just really read this post, and I have to ask, whats wrong with Purple Rain?????o_O

Purple Rain is the worst movie of all time!!!! >_< :x

[Droo]

11 clips from the film went online last night. I've given up trying to resist spoilers or anything else for that matter. These clips are wonderful.

http://www.iesb.net/warnerbros2006/061306.php

And the new TV spot is very cool, too:

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=8DE046882894DE89

[jjwr]

At this point I'm waiting for it in the theatre, I've seen enough and don't need any more convincing to get me to go.

[Droo]

Originally posted by jjwr
At this point I'm waiting for it in the theatre, I've seen enough and don't need any more convincing to get me to go.

Ah, to have will power. :(

[Oriadin]

So far, all sounds extreamly positive for the new film!

Take a look here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5095436.stm

[Droo]

Yep, someone on AICN described it as "the Lord of the Rings of the superhero films". You can't ask for much more than that but those guys do tend to get swept away when they review something. The unofficial Tomatometer on rottentomatoes.com is at 94% so I'm eager to see what the official one turns out.

One week left for the Americans. :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Droo
Yep, someone on AICN described it as "the Lord of the Rings of the superhero films". You can't ask for much more than that but those guys do tend to get swept away when they review something. The unofficial Tomatometer on rottentomatoes.com is at 94% so I'm eager to see what the official one turns out.

One week left for the Americans. :)

Variety put it right with Spiderman 2 and below Batman Begins (that for me is the best superhero film so far) so that is good company.

[JMK]

That's excellent news. I'm getting more and more excited for this with each passing day. Bryan Singer seems to be making all the right moves these days.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'm still mad at him for ditching X-Men. :grumble

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
I'm still mad at him for ditching X-Men. :grumble

Heh well at the same time Rothman for Fox messed up by delaying the shoot. If they had started filming X3 when they should have, Singer would have directed it.

[Droo]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
Variety put it right with Spiderman 2 and below Batman Begins (that for me is the best superhero film so far) so that is good company.

That's not entirely true. What the quote reads is as follows:

"Sure to rate with aficionados alongside "Spider-Man 2" and, for many, "Batman Begins" on the short list of best superhero spectaculars..."

It insinuates that many will believe it on par with Batman Begins, and actually fails to give their own solid opinion on where they believe it rates with those films listed. Apologies for being picky but I'm going to big up this film as much as possible prior to the opening date. :cool

Secondly, what that article might be insinuating is that perhaps they don't feel that Batman Begins deserves the credit and status it has amongst superhero films. Although I doubt that as Batman Begins is incredible but it's possible to read into that quote as such.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Droo
That's not entirely true. What the quote reads is as follows:

"Sure to rate with aficionados alongside "Spider-Man 2" and, for many, "Batman Begins" on the short list of best superhero spectaculars..."

It insinuates that many will believe it on par with Batman Begins, and actually fails to give their own solid opinion on where they believe it rates with those films listed. Apologies for being picky but I'm going to big up this film as much as possible prior to the opening date. :cool

Secondly, what that article might be insinuating is that perhaps they don't feel that Batman Begins deserves the credit and status it has amongst superhero films. Although I doubt that as Batman Begins is incredible but it's possible to read into that quote as such.

Well, I must have read it wrong or it is my own bias for Batman reading into it heh.

[Droo]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
Well, I must have read it wrong or it is my own bias for Batman reading into it heh.

You can't be blamed for that. Batman Begins is rathersexy.com.

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Droo
Yep, someone on AICN described it as "the Lord of the Rings of the superhero films". You can't ask for much more than that but those guys do tend to get swept away when they review something. The unofficial Tomatometer on rottentomatoes.com is at 94% so I'm eager to see what the official one turns out.

One week left for the Americans. :) well the Lord of the rings Stunk beyond belief, so I hope Supes is a little better. Lets really hope one doesn't fall asleep watching SR like one did twice for Lord of the rings |I


but so far all I have seen and heard is still making excited for this.

[Droo]

Originally posted by jediSamson
well the Lord of the rings Stunk beyond belief, so I hope Supes is a little better. Lets really hope one doesn't fall asleep watching SR like one did twice for Lord of the rings |I


but so far all I have seen and heard is still making excited for this.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Personally, I found the LOTR trilogy one of the most sublime things I've ever seen.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Droo
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Personally, I found the LOTR trilogy one of the most sublime things I've ever seen.


I agree the LOTR trilogy was amazing.

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
I agree the LOTR trilogy was amazing. well, you guy's know I respect you, more than myself...but :x I'd rather watch reruns of
Full house than any of the Lord of the rings , but hey...it's me :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by jediSamson
well, you guy's know I respect you, more than myself...but :x I'd rather watch reruns of
Full house than any of the Lord of the rings , but hey...it's me :)

No problem, I doubt you are the only one.

[Mitch]

After seeing more trailers for Superman, I still think it looks like it's going to be a lousy movie. Rave all you want, it's yet to impress me.

[Droo]

Just go see it and see what you think. I honestly cannot see what you feel is lousy about it, simply to look at it looks superior than most films out there and that's just the tip of the iceberg, and you're yet to really elaborate apart from that it doesn't look like Superman to you.

[Mitch]

Superman has a look, and a feel, and nothing in what I've seen has made me think "Superman" at all. If I can't feel that's Superman up there on the screen, it's not right, and not what it should be.

I'll see it at matinee just to appease you, though, then give a full breakdown of what I think then. Until then, I have very, very low expectations that I'll enjoy it, and I dearly pray that I'm wrong.

[Oriadin]

Saw another superman trailer from the apple website last night, probably been there a while. It gave more of the plot away than any of the other trailers and I have to say im drooling! I'll be interested to see if Lex Luthor actually ends up being the star of this film... Spacey has that presence about him.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

http://www.kal-el.org/SL/supermanrebornLoRes.jpg A conceptual look at Superman, had Tim Burton had his way.

All I can say is...

Zombie Superman?! AWESOME

[Droo]

Yeah, I remember finding that picture when I read about that nightmare last year. Thank God he didn't get to direct or have anything to do with a Superman film. I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread but he had alternative version in which the suit was transparent and made Superman's skin transparent so you could see his internal organs when he wore it. What nonsense.

Insteresting bit about that suit linked above: the metal S-shield came off and breaks into daggers.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I retract my earlier statement - he looks more like a Borg than a zombie. :) But yeah, no matter what Superman Returns is like, it could be a lot worse and this is the proof. :lol

[JMK]

That would have been the single most stupid idea ever to come out of hollywood. Total nonsense.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Droo
Yeah, I remember finding that picture when I read about that nightmare last year. Thank God he didn't get to direct or have anything to do with a Superman film. I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread but he had alternative version in which the suit was transparent and made Superman's skin transparent so you could see his internal organs when he wore it. What nonsense.

Insteresting bit about that suit linked above: the metal S-shield came off and breaks into daggers.

His version was better than Abrahams. Abrahams is brilliant with Lost but he just couldn't do Superman.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Do you mean J. J. Abrams?

[Droo]

I believe he does, Abrams penned a script for a directorless Superman film.

And finally, the critic I trust has spoken and his review is very positive. Superman Returns sits at a paltry 81% at Rotten Tomatoes. I have every faith that when the bulk of the reviews come in, that percentage will climb somewhat. Nevertheless, I'm completely satisfied that James Berardinelli is satisfied:

http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/s/superman_returns.html

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Droo
I believe he does, Abrams penned a script for a directorless Superman film.

And finally, the critic I trust has spoken and his review is very positive. Superman Returns sits at a paltry 81% at Rotten Tomatoes. I have every faith that when the bulk of the reviews come in, that percentage will climb somewhat. Nevertheless, I'm completely satisfied that James Berardinelli is satisfied:

http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/s/superman_returns.html

yeah that is who I meant. J.J. Abrams was the one who radically changed Superman. He wanted Krypton not to blow up and turn Lex Luthor into an alien. There were some other really mind blowing stuff that I couldn't believe too.

[Jedieb]

"Drab looking, underwhelming and inferior to all four of the Superman films that starred Christopher Reeve...But at least it's better than Supergirl."
Click for Full Review
-- Chuck O'Leary, FULVUEDRIVE-IN.COM
I honestly doubt that ol' Chuck has seen Superman III and IV lately. Reads like blind Reeves worship to me. It's dropped to 79% at RT now but I think that's fairly decent for a movie with this many expectations. I also think that a lot of people are putting Reeves up on a pedestal and are just going to knock this new Superman no matter what. I never let my childhood love for the George Reeves' Superman bring down the first 2 C. Reeves Superman movies. I just saw the Ken Burns Supes documentary yesterday. It's a great DVD for just $10 and shows just how many changes the character has undergone over the years.

[Droo]

There are some truly atrocious reviews out there. The worst I have seen is written by this pompous dimwit who cannot differentiate between a film review and a political statement supported by a ham-handed comparison between two vastly different films which should never be mentioned in the same sentence together.

http://worldfilm.about.com/od/independentfilm/a/supermanvsgitmo.htm

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Woohoo I could see it tomorrow at 10 pm! *does the ha-ha dance*

[Droo]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
I'll wait to see it until July 14th out of solidarity with my British bretheren.

:mad!!!


ps. You must go see it asap, I'm dying to hear what the people I know think of it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Jedieb
I honestly doubt that ol' Chuck has seen Superman III and IV lately. Reads like blind Reeves worship to me. It's dropped to 79% at RT now but I think that's fairly decent for a movie with this many expectations. I also think that a lot of people are putting Reeves up on a pedestal and are just going to knock this new Superman no matter what. I never let my childhood love for the George Reeves' Superman bring down the first 2 C. Reeves Superman movies. I just saw the Ken Burns Supes documentary yesterday. It's a great DVD for just $10 and shows just how many changes the character has undergone over the years.

Yeah I can't believe anybody would think Superman 3 and 4 are good. Those are two of the worst comic books movies ever, IMO.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Originally posted by Droo
:mad!!!

Hey now, I only said I *could* see it tomorrow at 10 pm.



p.s. Of course, I will. >D

[JMK]

Another less than glowing review:
http://movies.msn.com/movies/hitlist/6-27-06_3

The only line from that review that bothers me, because it is something that can be measured:

"There's very little action".

If that's true then I will be disappointed, even though Superman 1 & 2 were not action-packed either.

[Droo]

The line of this review that bothers me most is this:

"Or maybe it's the emphasis on Superman and Lois' lost love that will have no context for someone who hasn't seen 1981's Superman II?"

As has been expressly stressed throughout the production and marketing of this film, Superman Returns is a sequel, albeit a loose sequel, following on from the first two Superman films. It has no reason to be apologetic for its roots and the romance angle. If people don't want to watch at least Superman: The Movie, then that's there choice. I think what this guy wanted was another origin story.

I'm so glad we don't have yet another superhero origin story coming our way with Superman Returns. For one thing, there's no need for one as the origin was wonderfully handled in the Donner film and secondly, I'd like to see a character's story evolve past a three movie contract.

As for the action, this doesn't bother me, I know what action sequences are coming and if they are few, I know they are bloody big. Secondly, I want a film about Superman, not about what Superman can do; ie. brainless action sequences for two and a half hours. I think it's more important for an audience to care about the characters at risk in action sequence as opposed to having a ridiculous amount of pointless action sequences thrown at them.

[Mitch]

Actually, Droo, nowhere in any of their marketing have they expressed that this is a sequel. There has been no written or verbal mention of that specific in any of the trailers, TV ads or print ads, and when I try to tell people that it's the new Superman III, they act quite confused, then say, "I thought they were starting over like in Batman."

Not a single person I know personally, even Superman fans, knew that it was being made as a sequel.

[Droo]

Frankly, I thought the hint was in the name.

[Miranda Tarkin]

Originally posted by Droo
Frankly, I thought the hint was in the name.


:lol that's what I was thinking too!

[Mitch]

Well, it implies that he's back.... After Superman IV.

[Droo]

Back after Superman 2 or 4 really doesn't make that much of a difference. It's a loose sequel anyway but if people think a film called Superman Returns is an origin story, especially when the trailers and TV spots show that he has been away and come back, then they have to be lacking in the common sense department. There's really no excuse for that.

[JMK]

Originally posted by Droo
but if people think a film called Superman Returns is an origin story..... then they have to be lacking in the common sense department. There's really no excuse for that.

This is a fair point. I've run in to people who were aware that it is a sequel of #2, and I've run in to those who thought it was a new story. At best it's been fuzzy as to what it is. I knew because I follow, but those who don't, won't know what it is...but this is where the common sense kicks in. It should at the very least prompt people to ask questions or do a little research. It's out there, and has been out there for some time if people wanted to find it.

[Mitch]

But we all know that people are lazy, and they don't want to research movies. That's what we've become dependant on advertising for =P.

Yes, the information is out there, but, think about it. It's a comic book movie, featuring possibly the best-known superhero out there. We know he's from Krypton, we know he is Clark Kent and loves Lois Lane, and that the bad guy is bald and named Lex Luthor. In most people's minds, thats all they have to know, and they're ready for the movie. It's like walking, you don't need to study how to do it, you just do it, even though there might be information out there telling you how you might be able to walk better.

[Droo]

Originally posted by Mitch
We know he's from Krypton, we know he is Clark Kent and loves Lois Lane, and that the bad guy is bald and named Lex Luthor. In most people's minds, thats all they have to know, and they're ready for the movie. It's like walking, you don't need to study how to do it, you just do it, even though there might be information out there telling you how you might be able to walk better.

Precisely. People need not know anything further thus refuting that completely nonsensical commented I quoted from that review a few posts earlier. Even if people have no idea that Superman and Lois have a romantic history, it is clearly evident in the trailers and some of the TV spots, so much so that you'd have to be a vegetable to not realise this when watching the film. So his remark about it having no context if you haven't seen Superman II is ridiculous. They were in love and that's it.

[jediSamson]

Droo, I have a question for you, but maybe spoiler, for other people......
















seeing as how this is basically 5 years after superman 2, and lois' kid is five and sups and lois....well you know...couldn't that be sup's kid??

[Miranda Tarkin]

psst use the spoiler tags

[ spoiler ] ... [ / spoiler ]


;)

[jediSamson]

thanks Tarkin, been so long, forgot how :hug

[Droo]

It could. Do you really want to know the answer? ;)

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Droo
It could. Do you really want to know the answer? ;) yes I do!!!!!


seeing it at 10:00 tonight, hope it's good, if not I will blame droo ;)

[Jedi Master Carr]

I will probably get to see it either Thursday or Friday. I will be at the beach Wed and Thursday so I don't know yet.

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
I will probably get to see it either Thursday or Friday. I will be at the beach Wed and Thursday so I don't know yet. off topic:myrtle beach?

[Droo]

Originally posted by jediSamson
yes I do!!!!!

seeing it at 10:00 tonight, hope it's good, if not I will blame droo ;)

If you're seeing it tonight, sorry mate, there's no way I'm going to spoil that for you. I can't bring myself to do it now that you're so close. Enjoy the film and enjoy finding out that little secret. :)

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Droo
If you're seeing it tonight, sorry mate, there's no way I'm going to spoil that for you. I can't bring myself to do it now that you're so close. Enjoy the film and enjoy finding out that little secret. :) :cry ok i'll wait but.........., now I'm really anxious, my thoughts on SR have been sorely negative for a while, but here lately my anticipation has grown. PLEASE!!! Singer ,don't screw up SuperMan make me eat my words about Brandon and Kate :rollin

[Droo]

I'll be frank, given what you've said about other films, I don't think you'll like SR at all. I really hope I'm wrong but given the opinions you've made on other films, I can't see you liking this one much. :\

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by jediSamson
off topic:myrtle beach?

Huntington Island, it is near Beaufort.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I read an awesome review of the movie in a weekly magazine I get and I'm chomping at the bit to go see it tonight. unfortunately I'm going to have to sit through The Da Vinci Code first, my mother-in-law wants to see it, and while I have no interest in going, I'm going to tag along with my husband because ITS FREAKIN 90 DEGREES IN MY HOUSE AHHH NO A/C WHY WHY WHY!?

p.s. Ok, i'll tell you why no A/C in my house: I live in Oregon. It's only above 70 degrees here for a little less than three months out of the year. We actually DO have central air, it's just broken and we haven't fixed it yet. Still, after it hitting 105 yesterday and 91 today I'm ready to sell a kidney to get the cool air flowing.

p.p.s. sorry, most of this post had nothing to do with Superman. Returns. As in, was here once and now is back. AKA Sequel. Also, Batman BEGINS, aka, starting over.

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Droo
I'll be frank, given what you've said about other films, I don't think you'll like SR at all. I really hope I'm wrong but given the opinions you've made on other films, I can't see you liking this one much. :\ well, I'm glad to tell you, your wrong..WOW!!! not the greatest movie ever, not the best comic book movie(that belongs to batman begins and daredevil) but well worth the wait as a Superman fan.

Routh did a fantastic job, channeling(sp) Chris reeves, there were times I thought I was watching Reeves. The whole feel of the movie reminded me of the first two Superman movies(but up to date) if that makes any sense) and I'm glad I was right about my previous Question... I wanna learn to play the piano :lol
Granted I think most people do not agree with my taste in movies, but in my opinion, If you liked either of the crappy spiderman movies, you'll love this. Speaking of, they showed the new trailer at my theater....and I must admit..it was kind of ...good on the big screen...may eat crow on that one too o_O But won't hold my breath on that.


The one big surprise to me was KAte as Lois, she never reminded me of kidder, but made lois all her own and it worked.

will be the first movie that I can recall other than a SW film that I will see twice.



one complaint: Not that it was horrible, but the CGI could have been better, they really should have called ILM.

[jjwr]

Just got back from the 10pm showing.....wow!

Real quick before delving into the rest


one complaint: Not that it was horrible, but the CGI could have been better, they really should have called ILM.

Huh? This movie had some of the best and most realistic CGI I have ever seen, most big action movies you see quite a few spots which tend to still look fake but I never got that watching Superman

The one thing I was really hoping for came up right off the bat, the Intro! In addition to the classic cast lettering. Classic and very well done. This movie had by far the best and most entertaining opening credits I have ever seen.

Routh - Wow did he nail it! He had the nerdy/geeky Clark Kent down perfect, not the bumbling, fumbling version that Reeve played but his own take on it. He wasn't shy or silly, just a nerdy/geeky guy. When he puts on the suit the difference is very noticable, he carries himself perfectly and definetly has the body for it. I noticed a few scenes early on where Routh reminded me very much of Reeve, very uncanny.

The score was incredible, they did an excellent job of mixing in the classic score with the new stuff, they played the classic Superman theme when he was rushing in and their own mix in lots of other places.

I'd like to say more but I'm exhausted and need sleep before I fall asleep here at the keyboard. I will say the one thing I really didn't like was the piano scene. Its obviously his child and while its ok short term what bothers me is every movie going forward now has to account for the chid.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Only one thing to say: Superman Returns is on par with Batman Begins.

Its fantastic and the action sequences are breathtaking without being overdone.

[Droo]

Ok, that's cheered me up a lot. Thanks guys. After reading so many negative reviews, I was really starting to feel quite down.

As for the piano scene, I have to admit I still am uncomfortable with the whole kid issue. Apparently it is all done in good taste which is fair enough but I don't know yet. I'll when the film comes out over here. That said though, for the whining about Bryan, Michael, and Dan not doing anything new for this film in the script, I'd say they took a bloody big risk with that plot point.

[JMK]

All these spoiler tags are killing me! And I won't get a chance to see the movie until next Tuesday at the earliest because I'm moving this weekend and am prepping until then. Ugh!

[jjwr]

Droo, up to you if you want to read this but a bit more on that issue...

The child issue is done incredibly well, the Piano happens so fast, you know what happens but then your very suprised by it.

After that they really don't play it up at all until the very end, the hospital scene and then the bedroom scene are done ridiculously well, very touching.

Now some additional comments about the rest of the movie

The Airplane scene was incredible, starting them first ramping up the theme again as he's running through the streets trying to find a place to change and then urging the shuttle into space all the way to the very end and setting down this massive jet in the middle of a baseball park. The CGI was flawless, the score was inspiring and the action was top notch. This part happens fairly early but after this you definetly know Routh is Superman.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Originally posted by jjwr
Droo, up to you if you want to read this but a bit more on that issue...

The child issue is done incredibly well, the Piano happens so fast, you know what happens but then your very suprised by it.

After that they really don't play it up at all until the very end, the hospital scene and then the bedroom scene are done ridiculously well, very touching.

Now some additional comments about the rest of the movie

The Airplane scene was incredible, starting them first ramping up the theme again as he's running through the streets trying to find a place to change and then urging the shuttle into space all the way to the very end and setting down this massive jet in the middle of a baseball park. The CGI was flawless, the score was inspiring and the action was top notch. This part happens fairly early but after this you definetly know Routh is Superman.

I have to agree 100% with this. Also, I loved the opening credits sequence. :D

[Ryan Pode]

I loved the scene when Routh is getting the stuffing kicked out of him on the island, especially when he is very emotional about his father. Just like the comics would portray him to be.

[Jedieb]

Took the boy to see it this afternoon. He loved it! It was good, at times, GREAT. I thought Singer did an excellent job of reintroducing the character. That's what I thought one of the main functions of the movie was; It's been over 25 years since you've seen a decent Superman movie, here's he is again in a story that doesn't suck.

I was really impressed by Routh's performance. The kid did a great job and he more than held his own to previous Supermen. Spacey was great as well. His Luthor was somewhere in between Clancy Brown's cartoon version and Gene Hackman's film version. I thought that was a good compromise. The film had plenty of humorous moments without resorting to camp goofiness.

I'm really excited about where the series could go next; Braniac, Darkseid, etc. There are so many great villians that Singer could realize with today's technology. This next one should be even better now that Singer got his Supes introduction out of the way.

[Ryan Pode]

Doomsday.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Brandon Routh seemed to be channeling Christopher Reeves at some points, without directly 'copying' what's been done before. He did a fantastic job.

And I think that Kate Bosworth was great as Lois Lane - considering I think the only other movie I've seen her in was Blue Crush, she was a surprise. At least she didn't turn into another "Katie Holmes in Batman Begins" disaster.

edit: The only problem I have with the dialogue was when Lois is describing Superman as 6'4", 125 pounds. 125 pounds? If he only weighed 125 pounds he'd be the Human String Bean, not the Man of Steel.

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
Brandon Routh seemed to be channeling Christopher Reeves at some points, without directly 'copying' what's been done before. He did a fantastic job.

And I think that Kate Bosworth was great as Lois Lane - considering I think the only other movie I've seen her in was Blue Crush, she was a surprise. At least she didn't turn into another "Katie Holmes in Batman Begins" disaster.

edit: The only problem I have with the dialogue was when Lois is describing Superman as 6'4", 125 pounds. 125 pounds? If he only weighed 125 pounds he'd be the Human String Bean, not the Man of Steel. really thought she sad 225?? , oh well I could be mistaken:\

[Lilaena De'Ville]

If/when I see it again i'll listen closer but my husband saw it for the second time today with a friend and he said it really does sound like 125. ^_^; 225 makes a lot more sense, of course. :p

[Droo]

It's 225 pounds.

http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_returns/trailers.php

Go down to "I love that he can see through anything". It's in there. No weedy Superman for me, thank you very much. :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'm just saying what it SOUNDED like to me. :)

[Miranda Tarkin]

LD, you're not the only one. I thought Lois said that at first too :)

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Same here. It really really sounded like she first said 125. The second time they said 224-225ish.

[Ryan Pode]

People in real life mistake numbers too sometimes.;)

[Droo]

Not that it matters because she clearly says "225 pounds," damnit!

[Miranda Tarkin]

I was actually disappointed by this movie. It was a GOOD movie but not great. I felt like I was watching a sequel but not because the plot from Superman was used again ... more or less :\

[Ryan Pode]

It's meant to be a sequel.

[Nara McKenna]

I know that. I said it didn't FEEL that way to me.

[Ryan Pode]

Originally posted by Miranda Tarkin
I was actually disappointed by this movie. It was a GOOD movie but not great. I felt like I was watching a sequel but not because the plot from Superman was used again ... more or less :\

I'm confused.

[Miranda Tarkin]

and the rest of the sentence was and yet not at the same time. The movie was a sequel but to ME it didn't feel that way. They rehashed alot of Superman, the first movie back in the 70's.

Take out the elements thrown in there to place it after the first two movies, it was the original Superman movie. That's my opinion.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Was it just because he was still battling Lex Luthor?

[Mitch]

Okay, so I saw it tonight, and now I can give my informed opinion.

It was okay.

Not good, not great, but it was okay, and it thankfully was not near as bad as I was expecting. My suprise not withstanding, it still only hit the medium mark.

The acting, eh, varied from actor to actor. The plot... could have been a lot tighter. The effects, please, someone get them a better CGI department. Gripping? Hardly, it felt every minute as long as it is. Superman, please, someone adjust the hue of his suit, it's off. Lex, not bad, Spacey's perfomance seemed a little phoned-in, though. And, amazingly, this could be the most spectacular part of the film, I saw Parker Posey on a screen and didn't want to beat her head in with a cricket bat.

So, there you go. Sorry, Droo, I'm a Superman fan, too, but this film just didn't do it for me. It's a good superhero flick, but, not one of the best ones I've seen. Sometimes it had the Superman feel, sometimes it didn't. It just felt to me like they were trying to do too much, pay too much homage to different things, and they forgot about the main core of the film.

As a grade, I'd probably give it a C+ to B-. It had its moments, but not enough of them.

[Miranda Tarkin]

It was mainly because Lex and Kitty (I know the name was different but she was the same character from the 70's) were the same. Lex's plan was basically the same ... :\

That took away from the good parts of the movie - the special FX and the acting. At least for me. It was a gorgeous movie and I was watching Superman but I've seen it before :)

Plus, I want the S on his cape:cry

[Droo]

Well, it would be naive of me to think that everyone would love the film. It would be nice if everyone liked it as much as others but that would be very boring indeed. Cheers for the feedback, guys.

13 days left and counting. I'm guessing Odeon will screen the film a day early here. They do so with all major films, including POTC2 - which, I've heard is supposed to be excellent!

Edit: I hate this so much, there's a clip online of the opening 5 mins, ie. the credit sequence, and it's absolutely killing me not clicking the link. I am really starting to feel it now. This is horrible. To hell with the World Cup, we should've had a global release! :verymad

[Jedi Master Carr]

I saw it last night. I really liked, I didn't think it was as good as Batman Begins but it was pretty close. The best two things were Routh, he did a reall good job, IMO and Spacey. To me Spacey fit Luthor, he played the character more sinister and dark than Hackman did. I actually agree with Jedieb it was in between those two versions of Luthor (although the Luthor in Justice League went over the deep end and acted similar to SR Luthor for the last two seasons). I am curious how they will do a sequel. I want Braniac he is an amazing villian. Darkseid I am not sure about, they could do him, but he be cooler fighting the whole Justice League, which I am not sure is even possible to do.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

They could do the Justice League after they do the introductory movies for every character. :lol After the Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman movies...

AQUAMAN CAN THINK TO FISHES. :love

:lol

I said that SR was as good as Batman Begins, but I think I have to rewatch the latter so I can remember all the wonderful goodness that is Batman Begins. I will say that my initial reaction certainly was that SR was almost or just as good as BB.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Heh I am not sure if Aquaman will be in a JL movie. They just need to do Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Latern done. You have those 5 and introduce Martian Manhunter in the film and have Darkseid invade earth. It would be a cool movie although very expensive.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Isn't Aquaman in the Justice League? I confess, I don't know.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
Isn't Aquaman in the Justice League? I confess, I don't know.

Well he is but he has been kind of pushed off to the side in recent years, most people in the comic world make fun of him.

[Jedieb]

To me Spacey fit Luthor, he played the character more sinister and dark than Hackman did. I actually agree with Jedieb it was in between those two versions of Luthor (although the Luthor in Justice League went over the deep end and acted similar to SR Luthor for the last two seasons).
That's a good point. By the time Timm and company got to the JL cartoon Luthor was wearing a green suit and trying to battle heroes toe to toe. But those first seasons of Superman he was evil in a business suit and it worked quite well.

Spidey 1
Spidey 2
Batman Begins
Superman Returns
X-Men 2
X-Men 1

Off the top of my head, that's how I'd rank the recent superhero flicks. Flicks I've left off there just didn't do it for me that much.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I would go
Batman Begins
X2
Superman Returns
Spiderman 2
X1
X3
Spiderman
The first spiderman I liked the least although I am not counting Daredevil and Hulk Spiderman is way above those movies.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

He can... THINK TO FISHES!!!!

:lol sorry I find that so amusing.

I would rank them thusly:

Batman Begins
Superman Returns
X2
Spiderman 2
X1
Spiderman
X3

Roughly.

[Droo]

Currently, my list would be:

Superman: The Movie
Batman Begins
X-Men 2
Spiderman 2
Superman 2
X-Men 1
Spiderman
X-Men 3

I'm guessing SR will fall either above or below S:TM in time. I am biased, though. Only time will tell how it will hold up to the others with repeated viewings.

[Mitch]

In order of what I enjoyed the most.

Batman Begins
Hellboy
X-Men 2
Spiderman 1
X-Men 1
Superman Returns
Spiderman 2
X-Men 3

[jediSamson]

off the top of my head top 5

1.Batman begins
2.Daredevil
3.superman returns(after 2 showings SR got better)
4.superman 2
5.punisher (Jane's)

Bottom 5

1.Spiderman
2.spiderman2
3.hellboy
4.spawn
5.blade 2

[Jedieb]

I purposely left off older superhero movies because they're in another category for me. After a few years I'll lump them all together. For old school superhero movies I'd go with;

1. Superman: The Movie
2. Superman 2
3. Batman
4. Batman Returns

Can't think of any old school movie to take that 5 spot. Although the Batman movie that had Adam West battling a shark clinging to his boot with his BatSharkRepellant was a big hit with me when I was 6.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I forgot about the Blade trilogy, Hellboy and Daredevil. ^_^; I need to have a comicbook movie marathon and re-watch them all. Elektra is at the bottom of the list, though I enjoyed the 'girl power' part of it. :uhoh

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Jedieb
I
Although the Batman movie that had Adam West battling a shark clinging to his boot with his BatSharkRepellant was a big hit with me when I was 6. :lol :lol

[CMJ]

Really liked, but did not love. Then again - I've never been a huge Superman fan. He's one of the least interesting superheros to me. Singer did an excellent job however, and really brought me into the film. A tad too long, but an enjoyable experience.

[Rutabaga]

Saw it today, and I thought it was terrific...my only complaint is that it was about 15 minutes too long. But that's a minor complaint, it's a great movie and a very loving homage to Superman. Bryan Singer has now done for Superman what he did for the X-Men, so I think it's safe to say there are more wonderful Superman movies in our future. :)

Brandon Routh was terrific in the role and very reminiscent of Christopher Reeve. There were times when his voice sounded so much like Christopher Reeve's, it was eerie. And the use of John Williams's majestic Superman theme...every time I hear that music, all I can think of is Christopher Reeve, so it brought a few tears to my eyes more than once. There was a little boy of no more than 4 or 5 sitting a few seats down from us, and when Clark pulled open his shirt for the first time to display the Superman "S," this little guy started clapping. And when Superman finally brought the remains of the airplane to rest in the middle of the baseball field and everyone in the stadium was cheering him, a lot of people in our theater were cheering along with the people in the movie :D.

Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey were great too, Spacey in particular is always terrific no matter what he does. I'm glad he was shown to still be alive at the end of the movie so we can look forward to his reappearance, unlike the Batman movies, which seem to like to kill villains off :D.

Very nice touch with the Noel Neill and Jack Larson cameos, that was sweet :).

[Droo]

Originally posted by Jinn Fizz
There was a little boy of no more than 4 or 5 sitting a few seats down from us, and when Clark pulled open his shirt for the first time to display the Superman "S," this little guy started clapping.

That's the sort of thing I love to hear. :)

On that note, I'd like to make an enquiry about the first shirt rip. There's footage online of a shirt rip just before the plane rescue. Now the story goes like this: originally, Clark was supposed to rip his shirt open to reveal a white undershirt. He'd forgotten to put his Superman costume on because he'd been off the job for so long. It was meant to be a little comical moment and he had to get changed in a broom cupboard in the Daily Planet. A while ago, there were shots of him coming out of a cupboard available but now it seems this might have been cut out of the film and instead, they've superimposed a CGI costume into the original comical shirt rip, which can be seen here, in the "Unidentified Bogey" clip:

http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_returns/trailers.php

You can tell the costume underneath is CGI when you examine it and I'm hoping against hope that this is not the first shirt rip of the film. It's off centre, understated and just underwhelming. Compare it to the Chris Reeve shirt rip during his first rescue sequence in S:TM. It doesn't have any of that magic.

Anyways, my question to you is this, have they changed it or is it the same CGI shirt rip?

[Rutabaga]

Hm...I'm pretty sure that's the same shirt rip, but hopefully others who've seen the movie can back me up on whether it is or not. In the clip, it does seem like it's almost lost in the moment, but in the theater, I remember you couldn't possibly miss what was going on. Anybody else?

What you've described as the original idea for the scene would definitely have been comical, but I can see why they changed it...while it would have given a giggle in the middle of a very tense scene, it would have delayed Superman that much longer at a time when every second counted. So I'm glad they made that decision.

Oh, and about that whole scene...I loved that moment when Superman got the shuttle apart and away from the plane, and suddenly on the plane there was that moment of weightlessness for everyone on board. That was a really neat moment :D. As was the "I hope this hasn't put you off flying" dialogue, since that came right out the first Reeve movie. And when Lois fainted at the very end of the scene and slid down the escape chute, everyone in the theater busted up.

[Ryan Pode]

Anyone else notice at the end the PJ's on the kid were justice league? At least Aquaman and what looked liked Green Latern and Flash. Just saw my second screening and noticed that.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

One thing I forgot to mention earlier was in our screening at 10:30 pm on the day before it was supposed to open that our audience almost seemed reverent in its absolute silence, most notably when Clark first returned to his mother's farm. The film is pretty quiet when he gets up in the morning and is remembering growing up there, and it was pretty incredible in the theatre - no popcorn munching, whispers, or anything. Just silence, like everyone was holding their breath.

[JMK]

Finally got a chance to see it and I loved it.

One question though:

Why was Lois still pretending that she doesn't know who Superman is? Clark blew his secret in Superman 2 didn't he? He tried to hide it with the incident at Niagara Falls, but then it all went downhill from there...or did I miss something?

As for the child issue, I'm VERY uncomfortable with it. Like jjwr said, it's an issue they will have to address with each sequel from now on, and that's not the way it should be. If this was a finale then it would be completely fine, but that's not the case.

Those are my only 2 gripes about the movie, aside from that I thought it was amazing.

[CMJ]

IIRC Superman hypnotized Lois and removed that admission from her memory

[Rod Stafford]

One day left to go! One day left to go! Ee-aye ad-ee-oh! One day left to go!

One day left until I hear the fateful...

Bum-ba-da bum-ba-da! :crack

[Pierce Tondry]

So I saw the movie last weekend and I very much enjoyed it.

Some people have said that they're not comfortable with the child issue, but frankly I'm not that bothered by it. I enjoy the fact that someone has taken a chance, for a change. I see many future movies and many future twists in those movies that angle can run with, not the least of which is having someone else carry on the legacy. I just hope they don't cop out and kill Randy White off so Supes can swoop in and hook up with grieving widow Lois.

As far as acting goes, I think honestly the Clark Kent role was underused in the film and I was a little disappointed at that, although I also felt that Routh wasn't quite as good at playing that side of the character as he was Superman. Wherever Superman shows up, though, he is excellent, and that's a good thing.

Spacey as Lex was dynamite. I loved it. "I would trade a million of those and every ounce of your blood for a single gallon of gasoline!"

Wasn't too fond of the chick who played Lois. Felt she was a tad wrong for the role, but not so much that I didn't enjoy the performance at times.

All in all, a solid movie. Droo should enjoy most of it. :)

[Figrin D'an]

Saw it, liked it. It did well the two things that it needed to:

1) Revived the franchise in the mold of the Donner films.

2) Set up the continuing plot for further films.


I'm kind of hoping that, for the inevitable next film, they bring in another villian. As much as I love the character of Lex Luthor (and nothing against Spacey's performance), Superman needs a new bad guy to face of against.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I would bring in Braniac if not him I go with Parasite. Darkseid is too early (I rather him for a Justice League Movie if that is possible), I am not sure about Metallo or Bizarro.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Has Supes ever faced a supervillian in a movie yet? Having only seen 1 and 2 I don't know the actual answer. Not counting the prisoners from Krypton, though they did have super powers.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Just Luthor, the third movie had him face the villanous combo of Richard Pryor and Robert Vaughn (man that movie sucked). Of course 4 was worse with Nuclear Man.

[CMJ]

The 3rd was worse IMHO.

Of course SR acts as though both don't exist. Thank God.

[Jedi Master Carr]

heh they are both very close as far as worst Superman movie, IMO. I guess at least the 4th movie has Luthor in it again.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Ok, so having him face a supervillian at all would be something pretty new as far as a movie goes. Its not like Spiderman where they have so many awesome villians that they're putting four into the next movie. ;)

[Droo]

I think they went with Luthor for this film because he's the character with whom most people are familiar, Superman fan or not. A lot of complaints about this film I've been hearing is that it feels to similar to Superman: The Movie. If it feels like a modern S:TM, I'll be thrilled, but that's not why I raised the issue. I feel Singer has not only made the film feel like the original due to the great amount of homage given but also because he wants to give Superman fans, and cinema audiences, a smooth transition from classic movie Superman to modern day Superman. I think there'd be much more of a ruckus if the feel and spirit of Returns was leagues away from that present in Donner's film. This familiarity was neccessary to make the transition.

I am of course saying this without seeing the film. 22 hours, 15 mins and counting. But I think, like Fig mentioned before, is that the purpose of the film is to reintroduce Superman to a new audience while endearing lovers of the original film(s) and setting up a strong foundation for an exciting new Superman movie franchise.

[Jedi Master Carr]

One problem with Superman is that his villains aren't as known as like Batman or Spiderman's villians. Outside of Luthor only really Braniac is well known (he is in the Smallville tv show now). Bizarro was in the old Superfriends and Superman animated show. Parasite and Metalo were in the animated show as well, along with the Justice League. Then there is Darkseid but to me he is more of a Justice League villian. I still want to see a movie version of Braniac he could be really cool.

[JMK]

You're right, no one outside of JLA or Superman fans know of Superman's arch enemies except for Luthor. I think they should do it sort like what they're doing with Venom in the Spider Man series; introduce him in the next sequel and have him take the main stage in the 3rd part.

[Droo]

Personally, I'd love to see Doomsday, preferably in the final film.

[JMK]

Doomsday would work particularly well because you could still have Luthor pulling the strings as the brains of the operation, while Doomsday could be the powerful, lumbering menace.

[Jedieb]

I think you'd have to count Nuclear Man as a superpowered villian, a lame one, but he was superpowered. The budget for S4 was so low that the movie was destined for failure. No budget + 80's technology = craptacular villian. I think Braniac, Darkseid, or Doomsday would be great superpowered villians. I think Braniac is the perfect choice for the next film. You can go back to the destruction of Krypton and show how he escapes and starts wandering the galaxy absorbing civilizations, or maybe just have him follow Kal-el's ship. There are alot of ways to tell this story and I think tying into Krypton would be ideal.

[Jedi Master Carr]

will they make Braniac the destroyer of Kypton? I know in the animated series they did.

[Figrin D'an]

Doomsday would be really cool to see come to life in a Superman film, but hopefully they'd save that for the final film of this renewed franchise, like Droo said.

Braniac would work for the next film. I'd be happy with that.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

DC has pretty crap villians, other than Batman's little collection of escaped loonies. I mean, if you ask me.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Darkseid is a great villain, and so is Braniac and Luthor of course but outside of Batman's I agree.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I actually don't know anything about Superman's super villians. ^_^; So I assume they're pretty crap. ;)

I mean, if they were cool I would have heard about them by now.

:lol What I really want to know is what Droo thinks of the MOVIE!!! :crack

[Jedi Master Carr]

well most haven't been used in outside of cartoons and the comics which is the problem. Also some of the better ones Braniac and Darkseid were tough to do in anything outside animated stuff until recently. But other than those two Superman does have some lame villains. Metalo is okay but he might come off as a terminator rip off.

[Jedieb]

I've always liked Bizarro. That's an easy character to get laughs with and he can be sympathetic as well. As for Braniac destroying Krypton, the cartoon had him lying to the inhabitants about the planet's destruction so he could allocate his resources into saving himself. The film doesn't have to do that. They could have him become evil after he's left the planet.

One villian I hope we don't see is Myexplyx (I don't know how the hell to spell his name). I've always thought he was an annoying character and he's been a Supes villian since the old movie cartoons.

[Droo]

I saw it at the first screening available today. I won't go into great detail yet. I'll wait to see it at least one more time, and I'll be definately going to see it in IMAX 3D in Manchester next week. You won't be suprised to hear me say this, but I do know when I will love a film and this is no exception: Superman Returns was perfect. I expected so much from it and it delivered and exceded on every level. The wait was worth it and the emotional pay-off was profound. I'm very very happy. :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Droo
I saw it at the first screening available today. I won't go into great detail yet. I'll wait to see it at least one more time, and I'll be definately going to see it in IMAX 3D in Manchester next week. You won't be suprised to hear me say this, but I do know when I will love a film and this is no exception: Superman Returns was perfect. I expected so much from it and it delivered and exceded on every level. The wait was worth it and the emotional pay-off was profound. I'm very very happy. :)

I am happy to hear that.

[Rutabaga]

Originally posted by Droo
I saw it at the first screening available today. I won't go into great detail yet. I'll wait to see it at least one more time, and I'll be definately going to see it in IMAX 3D in Manchester next week. You won't be suprised to hear me say this, but I do know when I will love a film and this is no exception: Superman Returns was perfect. I expected so much from it and it delivered and exceded on every level. The wait was worth it and the emotional pay-off was profound. I'm very very happy. :)

I'm sssoooo glad to read that you loved it. There's nothing worse than having your hopes built up for something and then being disappointed in it...thank goodness your experience was anything but bad, and that it lived up to your expectations! :) :) :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

YAY HE LIKES IT!! :crack

I had my hopes built WAY up for Timeline, but I should have known that they've never written a decent screenplay for a Michael Crichton book. Jurrassic Park was a good movie, but the book was waaay different. Anyway, I was so terribly disappointed by the movie I almost walked out. :(

[Oriadin]

Saw the film on Friday and thought it was excellent, so saw it again on Sunday! I would have to give the film 9/10. The only thing the film really lacked was Christopher Reeve and since there isnt a lot you can do about it, this film was spot on for me.

The humour was excellent. The acting was excellent. The story was excellent. The effects were excellent.

There wasnt enough Clark Kent in it for me and I dont think Ruth managed to pull of the difference in character between Superman and Clark as I would have hoped but really, thats my complaints over.




The intro was fantastic. Great special effects and the origional music gave me tingles as I sat in anticipation for the film.

I loved the airoplane rescue, that was done perfectly. The part where Superman is being beaten up was extreamly well done. It was emotional, intense and you just willed him out of the situation.

My favorite part is very short and subtle. Its when Superman flew to space and just hovered above the earth. His cape out behind him and he just listened out for trouble. I loved that scene because it was incredibly powerfull and made it look like he was watching over us. It was a warm and comforting thought.

Not sure Im too happy about the kid being Supermans son, but at the same time it really worked for this film. When superman went to see him while he was asleep and repeated the words his father said to him, that was a really moving and iconic scene. Just worried about what that means for future sequals to the franchise.

[CMJ]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
...but I should have known that they've never written a decent screenplay for a Michael Crichton book. Jurrassic Park was a good movie, but the book was waaay different.

If you judge a movie's screenplay by how close it is to the book it'll rarely be any good. It would have been hard for the movie of JP could have been much closer to the novel unless it had been about 3 1/2 hours long. There have been a few of Crichton's stories that have been adapted well.

I'll agree that Timeline was not one of them.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by CMJ
If you judge a movie's screenplay by how close it is to the book it'll rarely be any good. It would have been hard for the movie of JP could have been much closer to the novel unless it had been about 3 1/2 hours long. There have been a few of Crichton's stories that have been adapted well.

I'll agree that Timeline was not one of them.

Yeah that movie was horrible. Crichton's books have had bad luck really it being made into movies, maybe Westworld, Andromean Strain, Disclosure, and Jurassic Park are great ones.

[Oriadin]

Just thought I would mention that I watched Superman IV last night and to be honest, I loved it!

It had been a while since I saw it last and I bought the box set recently and decided to work my way through them as and when I could. If you were to remove all the Nucular Man scenes, the film would be superb. Christopher Reeve shines superbly in this. Especially the scene where he and superman are supposed to turn up to the same "date". His acting as Clark Kent is simply perfect.

I think its highlighted how difficult Brendon Ruths job in trying to fill his boots actually was. I dont think he did as good a job at having a vastly different character between superman and Clark, but I think he took a slightly different direction. Not quite trying to be the same, but at the same time paying homeage to Reeve's take.

[Ryan Pode]

I tried to go see Superman today at 7 PM, it was sold out.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

SR is down to three showings in our closest theatre, one in the next closest. Looks like probably next week it'll be out of theatres around here.

[Droo]

It hasn't done as well as expected in the box office, pretty much thanks to a much lesser fillm that I didn't dislike; and I still need to write up my take on this whole thing but I'm finding it hard to bring closure on it until a sequel is confirmed.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Pirates did hurt it. What is ironic is that X3 did better than SR by about 35-50 million. Of course, I think that is more because of the previous two films.