Superman origins

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

The story was insulting to Superman's character. And the creepy almost-Chris Reeve guy creeped me out. I remember enjoying it for popcorn's sake, but the plane crash nearly vetoed that. I hope they don't do a sequel in that mold.

It isn't like I remembered this two years later, this thread caused me to refresh my memory of my original thoughts on the movie. But it would appear your feelings about Superman Returns have been tempered by the passage of time.

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I LOVED IT. LOVED! I FORGIVE THE MINOR PROBLEMS AND I TYPE IN CAPS BECAUSE I LOVED IT.

[innerSpaceman]

I found Supe's mooniness over Lois to be a little too schoolboy for the Man of Steel, but I understand a movie has to focus on romance, and it was just a little excess that I found forgivable in the context of comic-book movie.


I don't think Superman has much character to be insulted. But I found that a wee bit retarded.


And granted, Lois getting knocked around the plane so much with nary a scratch, much less 18 broken bones, just struck a wrong chord. It was lazy filmmaking even for a comic book movie, but I forgave the slight because it was a comic book movie.


Tone is very important to me in a film, and I find few films achieve a good or consistent one. I thought Superman Returns was very good in this regard, and so forgave it a lot of little sins.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

I wouldn't forgive those problems just because it was a comic-book movie. I think it's the fault of the filmmakers and not because it's a "comic-book movie."

And, not aiming at ISM, but in general the sterotype comic book movie in the public eye always seems to see this. The eyes roll and its another guy in his underwear and the biggest hurdle is Hollywood going with those types - but then when Dark Knight comes along and blows everyone away, they're all shocked. Well, the material is there and the potential - it's just that no one steped up and moved beyond "Comic book movies."

Anyway...

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Alex

It isn't like I remembered this two years later, this thread caused me to refresh my memory of my original thoughts on the movie. But it would appear your feelings about Superman Returns have been tempered by the passage of time.

While we're mentioning changes of heart, I posted that I really liked Indy 4 after I saw it the first time. Now, after seeing it 3 times, I hate the film.

[innerSpaceman]

Yep, I loved Indy 4 when I first saw it, pretty much despised it after the 3rd viewing.

I cut Batman a lot less slack because he's got no superpowers. But once you go with superpowers, and Superman is at the far end of that scale, I forgive all slights to natural law. Even though, vicerally, Lois escaping the plane without even a tiny cut just struck me so horribly retarded.

Considering, though, that her entire characterization was the bane of that movie ... and yet I still liked it, the sub-point that she defies physicality as much as her boyfriend is really moot.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Alex

It isn't like I remembered this two years later, this thread caused me to refresh my memory of my original thoughts on the movie. But it would appear your feelings about Superman Returns have been tempered by the passage of time.

Bwahahaha! VAM. Geez, read the rest of my comments there and I'm surprised how much I loved it. Yeah, action movies always make me feel good, and I remember feeling very nostalgic about the Christopher Reeve films, but over time, it fades, and you realize that you really don't feel like seeing it ever again.

Ok, I'll upgrade my current review here to say that I really did love the homages to the old films.

Note to self - write action movie reviews at least a week afterwards...

[innerSpaceman]

On the other hand, there are films I didn't care for the first time ... and don't know why I gave them a second chance, but did ... and they went on to become some of my favorite films of all time.


The Chris Reeve Superman happens to be among those.


As is, sigh, Close Encounters ... which I love so much, I'll be having a lone-man cemetery picnic this weekend.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by flippyshark

As much as I enjoy the first Richard Donner Superman, I did not then, I do not now and I never will accept that spinning-the-Earth-backwards bit. It's number one on my list of all time "you gotta be kidding me" moments.

And then, in the Richard Donner cut of Superman II,

Spoiler:

I'll be darned if he didn't go and pull that sh!t again! Yeesh.

I agree that Brandon Routh was a good Reeves-ish clark Kent. I wish he had a more charming movie within which to be so.

Personally, I never interpreted that scene to imply the actual rotation of the earth stopped and reversed. It just looked that way from Superman's point-of-view as he moved back in time.

Have you all seen the Superman "How it should have ended"? Classic.


Also, if you wanted to revamp the Superman franchise I think a movie adaptation of Larry Niven's classic Superman essay would be a good start.

[Alex]

The part that bothers me about the going fast part, regardless of whether the earth's rotation actually changed is that having Superman going really fast would have the opposite effect. It wouldn't take him into the past it would take him into the future even faster.

But I think it is generally accepted that this super power makes absolutely no sense.

However, now that I think about it, I wonder if anybody has used that to calculate a minimal limit to Superman's strength. The g-forces involved in orbiting the Earth at relativistic speeds would be phenomenal and far worse than anything any super villain ever threw at him.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I simply must tell a very serendipitous happening at work...

A guy came up to get a library card a couple of weeks back. He was easily the tallest and most buff guy I've helped in a long, long time (perhaps ever). His hair was jet black and shiny, with one loose curl gracing his forehead. He wore black plastic eye glasses with oddly thick rims. His shirt (with ripped sleeves so you could eye the guns) was in the style of Hispanic tattoos, with words like "Justice" and "Truth" done in jagged cursive around elaborate scrolling. In the center - the familiar red and yellow S symbol.

The application didn't say "Clark Kent" but there was no denying that this was exactly what he was going for. The glasses were the clincher - they were so extremely stylized that I found myself wondering where he got them. I really wish I could get a pic of him. The only things holding him back are the fact that he's not fair skinned (and, judging by his surname, at least partially Hispanic - more power to him) and his various bicep tattoos, none of which are Superman related, and all of which look rather crudely done. Intriguing.

I saw Mr. Kent a few days later wearing a plain red shirt (again ripped at the sleeves). Last week, he wore another Superman shirt. And today, while walking to a public computer to check the LoT, I saw him at his own station. I couldn't help but notice that he was looking at some MySpace page (perhaps his own?) that was covered in Superman photos and red and blue, as garish as any MySpace you've ever seen. I sat two stations away and considered typing this very post...but decided it was quite possible he'd notice the word "Superman" on my screen with his amazing vision.

Did I mention that all this makes him extremely hot? I usually don't like muscled guys, but yeah, this Superman thing is pretty sexy. Where did I put that billowy blue nightgown....