Superman Movie Reviews - spoilers a'plenty

[Alex]

I'd like to see the sewing machine he used to convert it to the suit. And why they included leather boots as part of a blanket.

(Just for the record, I don't really care about this in the same way that I don't care about hte questions in the Cars thread. Just fun to parse out).

[jdramj]

I agree with ISM....I Love this Movie! I was very surprised about the old stuff they reused and referred to. Too cool. I saw the original tons and tons of times (my parents actually owned real movie projectors from a torn down movie theater in Buena Park and we owned a copy of Superman....so I mean tons!) and I was very impressed with the tie in of the original movie and continuation of the story. We watched it in IMAX with 3D scenes incorperated. It was fun to have that little extra added.

I was also disappointed with the softness of Lois' roll, but also the lack of comedic add ons with Jimmy, it started out ok, but got weaker as the movie went along. I realize his character has a small roll, but I thought there should have been more.

[Moonliner]

OK, as you can guess, my review is a bit different from what others have posted. In fact I'll post two reviews mine and my sons (who is 13)

Spoiler:

Boring and inconsistent would be my main points. The effects sucked, pretty much all the super-feats (including superman) were obvious CGI. On the plus side, CGI superman had more charisma than Brandon. Jimmy was presented as nothing more than an annoying turd. Lois had some heart but was bogged down by the rest of the cast.
The story, was also idiotic. From the idea that Superman would leave for five years and not lock up his valuables first, to his apparent on again off again susceptibility to kryptonite. Then there is the kid. Yes, (there were spoiler tags) Lois has a kid which turns out to be superman's. Yuck. How the kid got to be eight when superman was only away for five years is never really explained and while the moive kinda-sorta tired to be a sequal they avoided the fact that according to the earlier movies, Lois has no idea she banged it with the man of steel. A long dull jaunt of a movie.

A 13 Year olds view

Spoiler:

By the end of the movie he as ACTIVLY rooting for superman to die. The movie failed to create any kind of emotional bond with the greatest superhero of them all. You know, it's possible that this movie has in fact killed superman. If today's kids all have this type of reaction...

Oh and the OBVIOUS product placements where both plentiful and annoying, that WAS Richard Branson flying the space shuttle was it not?

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Oh and the OBVIOUS product placements where both plentiful and annoying, that WAS Richard Branson flying the space shuttle was it not?

Um, that's called a cameo. They have different listings in the entertainment jargon dictionary.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Um, that's called a cameo. They have different listings in the entertainment jargon dictionary.

A cameo is Stan Lee in an X-men or Spiderman film, TV's Lois in Superman, Hitchcock in his flicks. The marketing icon for Virgin this-and-that is product placement. IMHO.

[innerSpaceman]

Sorry, but Branson is a world-famous adventurer - certainly associated strongly with Virgin, but only well-known because of his exploits of high adventure. His role as the space shuttle pilot was a riff on his known persona first, and his association with Virgin (perhaps the airline sector) a far-distant second.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. But let's get Gemini Cricket in here to weigh in authoritatively as what is or is not product placement!

[innerSpaceman]

Actually, I've been told by some comic-book geeks that Superman creates a forcefield around himself via energy he sucks from the Sun. That's why his suit is never damaged.

Either way, we simply accept no damage to the suit the same way we accept cartoon characters never losing their hats no matter what bizarre physical things happen. I don't hold comic book superheros to any greater level of physics verisimilitude.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Any movie that can get the pubbies panties in a twist for a reason as stupid as this is a-ok in my book.

Superman eschews longtime patriot act

Nevermind Superman's sexual orientation. Here's another identity-related question that is likely to spark controversy as the Man of Steel soars into theaters nationwide this Fourth of July weekend in Warner Bros. Pictures' "Superman Returns": Is Superman still American?

Ever since artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel created the granddaddy of all comic book icons in 1932, Superman has fought valiantly to preserve "truth, justice and the American way." Whether kicking Nazi *** on the radio in the '40s or wrapping himself in the Stars and Stripes on TV during the Cold War or even rescuing the White House's flag as his final feat in "Superman II," the Krypton-born, Smallville-raised Ubermensch always has been steeped in unmistakable U.S. symbolism.

But in the latest film incarnation, scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris sought to downplay Superman's long-standing patriot act. With one brief line uttered by actor Frank Langella, the caped superhero's mission transformed from "truth, justice and the American way" to "truth, justice and all that stuff."

"The world has changed. The world is a different place," Pennsylvania native Harris says. "The truth is he's an alien. He was sent from another planet. He has landed on the planet Earth, and he is here for everybody. He's an international superhero."

This week on the senate floor the issue was so pressing, Sen. Bill Frist took time from more important matters spending 45 minutes, to condemn Superman for dropping his defense of the "American Way" in his creed.

Thanks, Dr. Frist, for staying focused on the issues that most affect your fellow americans.

[innerSpaceman]

In the screening I saw, the removal of "American way" was very conspicuous by its absence. It made one think for a second of why it wasn't there ... how such a sentiment, nowadays, might be so contrary to Superman's ethical credo that its mention would have been more jarring than its deletion.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

In the screening I saw, the removal of "American way" was very conspicuous by its absence. It made one think for a second of why it wasn't there ... how such a sentiment, nowadays, might be so contrary to Superman's ethical credo that its mention would have been more jarring than its deletion.

Yep. Considering the international release of this film, perhaps the "American Way" is just a bit less appealing to those in other countries. Sad commentary, actually.