Superman Returns: reviews

[Snowsquatch]

Ok, I just got back from Superman returns.

The Good: Everyone looked great. Routh is an excellent Superman. Sometimes, he even sounds like Reeve. It's creepy. The costume: great, especially the darker magenta cape.

More Good: the "surprise" twist is pulled off without seeming too hokey. The love story was good without being hokey. The dialogue is "comic-y" without being hokey. Overall, the movie lacks the hokey-ness that kills most superhero movies.

The Bad: Both the beginning and ending of the movie really drag. It was kinda like A.I. towards the ending: you know the movie's got to end sometime, but it's taking forever to happen. Most of the scenes were too long, so they kinda felt dragged out; especially the plane rescue scene. Overall, the movie lacks the "pacing" of an action flick.

More Bad: In too many ways, Luthor's evil plot is too similar to the first movie. And it seems Luthor needs to get over those girlfriends with weak willpower and find himself an appropriate bad girl who doesn't screw everything up. And: James Marsden is just as boring in this movies as in the X movies.

A Little More Bad: there isn't much chemistry between Routh and Bosworth. Maybe that's on purpose, since if there were more, we'd feel like Marsden's character was getting screwed over by our hero.

The Ugly: So, Superman is powerless when he stands on top of kryptonite, but he's capable of moving a mountain-sized ball of it when he's underneath it? Okaaaayyyy....

Recommended: certainly. Best superhero movie ever: no, the Incredibles was still better.

Okay, okay. Best live-action superhero movie ever? I'm not sure. I mean, there wasn't anything really new about this movie.

Great flying scenes? Sorry, Matrix Reloaded was better.
Great action scenes? Sorry, X2 and Hulk were better.
Great story? Good enough, but it wasn't Revenge of the Sith.
Great villain? Really, I was hoping for more. Magneto was better.
Great comedy? Actually, almost every joke falls flat on its ***. Even Daredevil was funnier.
Lotsa hokey? Very little, in fact. Even your jaded girlfriend would enjoy this movie.

Superman Returns: 3 outta 4.

[Transmetropolitan]

Most of the scenes were too long, so they kinda felt dragged out; especially the plane rescue scene.

Which one? Float plane or big fancy plane? Because if you're talking about the first big rescue, I want some of whatever tranqs you take. That scene rocked.


More Bad: In too many ways, Luthor's evil plot is too similar to the first movie. And it seems Luthor needs to get over those girlfriends with weak willpower and find himself an appropriate bad girl who doesn't screw everything up.

Agreed.


The Ugly: So, Superman is powerless when he stands on top of kryptonite, but he's capable of moving a mountain-sized ball of it when he's underneath it? Okaaaayyyy....

When he's caught off-guard, has burned a bunch of energy saving Metropolis, and gets shanked with a knife of pure Kryptonite? Powerless. Then he fluies up, soaks up a big ol' dose of sunshine, and coasts on willpower. Also, consider that he tore up a big chunk of the seabed, so he had a lot of buffer space initially. And it did "kill" him to do so.


Great flying scenes? Sorry, Matrix Reloaded was better.

God, do I ever disagree....


Great action scenes? Sorry, X2 and Hulk were better.

Since Superman really doesn't so much fight as atomize his foes, I'll go along with this one.


Great story? Good enough, but it wasn't Revenge of the Sith.

Since RotS was a festering pile of **** with some of the worst scripting sand unexplained/just-don't-care out of character moments in film history, I strongly disagree. However, as far it goes, it was a worse story than, perhaps, Batman Begins. No shame in that.


Great villain? Really, I was hoping for more. Magneto was better.

Agreed.


Great comedy? Actually, almost every joke falls flat on its ***. Even Daredevil was funnier.

You must've seena different showing than I did. Lots of laughter in my theatre.

[Snowsquatch]

Ok, I just saw Superman Returns again, this time in IMAX 3D at the Paramount Theatre in Toronto.

My advice: DON'T see Superman Returns at the IMAX.

With the exception of ONE SHOT, every scene rendered in 3D is ruined.

Remember those bright-red 3D reel viewers we all had as kids? Imagine that: layers of awkwardly misplaced objects fired at your eyes in varying degrees of focus. That means: the shorter and/or faster the shot, the less likely you find that one object that is in proper focus. Your eyes are literally overworked looking for a clear image.

Bad: the glasses you wear for the 3D parts suck out half the colour. It's like trying to watch a movie while wearing sunglasses.

Worse: all those shots of Lois being flung around the inside of the airplane are transformed into a blurred, unfocused swamp.

Unforgivable: the final shot of Superman smiling into the camera: completely out-of-focus. Grrrr.....

The only good render: Superman holding Lois' family while Lex's yacht drops back into the ocean. Looked awesome. Too bad the rest of the 3D parts look like dog****.

I'm so glad I saw this non-3D first. You should too.

[Le Messor]

Snowie, I totally agree that he should never have been able to pick up that mountain.

In your first showing (I *know* you didn't in your second :wink:) did you see that Lois' eyes are different colours? Right brown, left blue.

They kinda lost me with the dog. Regained me, but that scene was unrealistic (for several reasons) and in poor taste. As was the dropping a plane in a public place (I surprised myself, being a bit miffed at that one).

But, overall, I did enjoy the thing! Unrealisms, poor tasteys, and picks aside.
I liked how they explained the building of the Fortress from the first movie.

Perry White, of all people, was the least convincing incarnation of a character for me.

Routh; all the publicity stills show him posing, like he's trying too hard. He works in the movie. I kinda expected that; I thought Storm looked horrible in stills, worked in the movie, and that's the same director.

- Le Messy
"A good memory does not equal pale ink."