R
rene_artois
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Harry over at AICN has a REAL early review of SR.
Here is the link http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23229
Here is the link http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23229
Showtime
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The first REAL early review of SUPERMAN RETURNS!
Hey folks, Harry here... About 3 weeks ago we got the review of SUPERMAN RETURNS that has begun appearing on a few sites around the web. I felt it was suspicious so we didn't run it. Then Moriarty got his hands on a script, circa about February of 2005, that was a budget draft with a lot of action taken out and a lot of dodgy to terrible scenes left in.
I began contacting some of the people behind SUPERMAN RETURNS to see what they thought. First off - that alleged review? Total bull****. There are several moments mentioned in that review that never even made it to in front of the camera, but happen to be in the draft that Moriarty read... which means... that reviewer is a liar... flat out, that read an early flawed draft of SUPERMAN RETURNS then set out to maliciously slander and cause harm to SUPERMAN RETURNS.
The draft in question is a draft of this film that nobody in the production was satisfied with. Anyone familiar with Hollywood understands the concept of a "budget draft" which is the draft of the film where you begin cutting out costly scenes that don't directly affect the main plot of the film, but would significantly lower the cost of the film. Having said that, the feeling Moriarty got reading it was genuine and his assessment was correct - based upon that draft. However, that was not the film that was shot. A great deal of that script was shot, but action scenes were added, dialogue changed, the movie evolved.
Now - I have spoken personally with 3 different people that have seen SUPERMAN RETURNS. Two are primary folks responsible for it's creation - they're beaming proud of the film. Of course they are. However, they made the movie and while they've been incredibly honest with me in regards to the film... They are making the movie. The third was an employee at DARK HORSE ENTERTAINMENT, who saw an extended cut of the film and it blew him completely away. This is someone that has no direct ties to the film. Who isn't involved in it's creation and who had nothing to gain or lose by telling me his honest opinion as we shared a dinner at Chuy's here in Austin.
Then there's this review. It is FILLED with spoilers. Complete spoilers, but it was written by someone that saw the film and has been frustrated with the negative buzz coming from folks that have not seen the film and have not read a shooting script. In short... This is someone that saw one of the 3 micro-test screenings that have taken place of SUPERMAN RETURNS. This is a WARNING - There are SIGNFICANT SPOILERS throughout this review. SO BEWARE! Personally I have the utmost confidence in this film. It will be something to see.
Hey folks, Harry here... About 3 weeks ago we got the review of SUPERMAN RETURNS that has begun appearing on a few sites around the web. I felt it was suspicious so we didn't run it. Then Moriarty got his hands on a script, circa about February of 2005, that was a budget draft with a lot of action taken out and a lot of dodgy to terrible scenes left in.
I began contacting some of the people behind SUPERMAN RETURNS to see what they thought. First off - that alleged review? Total bull****. There are several moments mentioned in that review that never even made it to in front of the camera, but happen to be in the draft that Moriarty read... which means... that reviewer is a liar... flat out, that read an early flawed draft of SUPERMAN RETURNS then set out to maliciously slander and cause harm to SUPERMAN RETURNS.
The draft in question is a draft of this film that nobody in the production was satisfied with. Anyone familiar with Hollywood understands the concept of a "budget draft" which is the draft of the film where you begin cutting out costly scenes that don't directly affect the main plot of the film, but would significantly lower the cost of the film. Having said that, the feeling Moriarty got reading it was genuine and his assessment was correct - based upon that draft. However, that was not the film that was shot. A great deal of that script was shot, but action scenes were added, dialogue changed, the movie evolved.
Now - I have spoken personally with 3 different people that have seen SUPERMAN RETURNS. Two are primary folks responsible for it's creation - they're beaming proud of the film. Of course they are. However, they made the movie and while they've been incredibly honest with me in regards to the film... They are making the movie. The third was an employee at DARK HORSE ENTERTAINMENT, who saw an extended cut of the film and it blew him completely away. This is someone that has no direct ties to the film. Who isn't involved in it's creation and who had nothing to gain or lose by telling me his honest opinion as we shared a dinner at Chuy's here in Austin.
Then there's this review. It is FILLED with spoilers. Complete spoilers, but it was written by someone that saw the film and has been frustrated with the negative buzz coming from folks that have not seen the film and have not read a shooting script. In short... This is someone that saw one of the 3 micro-test screenings that have taken place of SUPERMAN RETURNS. This is a WARNING - There are SIGNFICANT SPOILERS throughout this review. SO BEWARE! Personally I have the utmost confidence in this film. It will be something to see.
I saw this movie 2 months ago in South L.A. but I didnt bother to write a review. But I just saw Moriartys mini script review and felt compelled to set the story straight. I really liked this film, long as it was (about 2 and a half hours!) and it kinda ticked me off that it seems to be getting a bum rap. A fake negative review? Cmon. Well Im going to set the story straight, and that is that this is a very good movie.
This is not Batman Begins, and despite what you might be led to believe, the overall tone is a lot like Superman 2, if not a little bit more serious. It's big and fun, but it has a heart. The love story is the basis for almost all of its drama, but what Singer cleverly has done is added a new element, and it is what will make most fans say wow. Superman really ISNT all that boring. Hes given Lois Lane not only a boyfriend, but a child! On paper, that sounds AWFUL. Lois lane? A mother! WHAT! Well yeah, thats how it is, if your really narrow minded. What the child does is cement the fact that lois has MOVED ON and supermans never ever had to deal with this problem before, and that is what makes us able to relate to him, the fact that we all have dealt with this very problem before. This adds a huge element to the movie and makes a much more mature film than youd think. Instead of the standard "loves her but cant have her love story, heres a story where he DID have her and he blew it, and now hes trying to rekindle the relationship. I dont really get why some fans have such trouble grasping that, unless your one of those geeks thats never been in a relationship so you obviously wont relate to this problem. But seeing Superman being jealous, while it might not be exactly what he does in the comics, makes the movie better. Giving Superman the slightest edge, or as some fans have said, making him emo-it all makes Superman much more relatable;hes no longer just somebody who can do everything he ever wanted to. We know exactly what hes going though, and Singer really took time to hammer home that fact and it totally pays off. Thats where the film gets really good, when they finally seem to be hitting off again, Luthor comes in and totally messes up everything, and the solution involves a lot of superman.
And ya know, Im not dumb. The fans know Superman is the kids father. But in the movie it is not bad. Your almost wishing he is the father, just because you know he is supposed to be with Lois. Like with Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Peter is taking a backseat to guys like Flash Thompson of John Jameson and you as the audience want Peter to get with MJ even it means hurting his good friend Harry; its the same here. You accept he has a kid so he can be with Lois. And people, dont be surprised. They dont have to outright say Lois and Superman had sex to get the point, either. Basically here Superman takes a backseat to Richard and Jason, and hes never done that, so its very, very interesting and refreshing source of drama for a superman movie. And ya know, there are going to be people who just flat out dont like it. Thats fine.But this not a bad film by any means, and I doubt the public think of it as bad either.
Ok, so now that that **** has been explained and cleared up, Ill move onto the plot, performances, and the action and special effects. The music obviously was not finished and neither were the fx, but it was easy to tell what was happening in the scenes. The plot is simple. Superman returns to Earth and has to juggle his ruined relationship with Lois while Lex Luthor is trying to kill and kills billions!. Ill be flat, the second half of the film is where it really gets going. The first half is him in space, then in smallville, and then finally returning to Metropolis. Bits and pieces of Luthor and Lois are thrown in but not a lot. Like every other Superhero film with the exception of Batman, it gets going about an hour in when our hero finally ahem returns. The airplane/space shuttle saving is really incredible the fx were not done but you could tell from what was there this will be a very intense and memorable scene. Panic flows from Mission control as the first not-nasa-related space flight seems to be a complete disaster until Superman shows up. He also saves the plane, and sets down in the middle of a baseball stadium. He goes inside and gives a little speech, and then goes to leave the front door to walk into 1000 cameras so the world knows: hes back.
Then there was a very enjoyable sequence of Superman doing various jobs saving the world. He saves some mountain climbers, puts out some fires, and finally, he stops a bank robbery that was really cool. Now comes little bits and pieces of Lois and Clark, either in the daily planet, or Superman watching her or some ****, combined with little bits of Luthor and his scheme. Hes kicked an elderly woman out of her mansion and taken her yacht, why well find out later. He robs a museum of its kryptonite so he can kill Superman.
Meanwhile, the world is DYING to know where Supermans been, and Lois is basically forced by White to give him an interview, no matter how much she does not want to. Its hard, especially for her. They do eventually begin to warm up to each other, and end it with a very, very memorable scene where they go flying. Lois is still nervous, but they kind of fall of in love while they go flying. You wont get it now, but when you see it on screen youll know what I mean. It just looks...right.
Other little bits happen, but now heres the next action scene. In comparison to the first two this is very, very small, and its also complicated. Basically, Lois and Jason are kidnapped would be the word I guess-by Lex and his crew. Heres where we find out his plan-hes used to the kryptonion technology he got at the fortress to make a new continent. Its already partially created, and by making it full with this kryptonion missile he has would cause a massive worldwide Earthquake and kills billions!Used as bait, Superman comes, and Lex and his men fight him, using stolen kryptonite to make him powerless. They STAB him with the kryptonite, and hes essentially dies right before lois as they shove him off a cliff on new krypton.
So, with Superman seemingly out of the way, Lois in tears, Lex locks em up in the boat, and proceeds ahead. What he does not count on is his girlfriend, the weird Kitty Kosloski, thinks hes nuts and is having a change of heart. Meanwhile, Superman go to the fortress of solitude, where Jor-el gives him his powers back just in time to save the day as the big earthquake hits. I wont spoil the rest, but Ill just say, its good. The very final scene of the film is also, a an instant classic. This film is the ultimate blockbuster-action,drama,comedy. It's got a very happy ending all around.
Now that you know what happens, you can see its not bad. The pacing is good, very similar to Superman 1. Performance wise, its all good. Spaceys a very memorable Lex, and Routh is a very good Superman. His Clark Kent is bumbling with a high voice, while his Superman is powerful and idealistic. Trust me, hes good. But the real scene stealer is Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. I dunno why, but I just really liked her. Her character is the kind that is hard to not fall in love with. Even when shes mad, shes just hard not to like. We can see why Superman is so in love with her.
And now the action. I read in Moriatys review that he says theres only 2 action scenes in the whole script-well Im here to tell you that s a total LIE. Theres 2 action scenes in the way Spiderman had 2 action scenes-or in other words, theres 2 super huge action sequences, and then a lot of other smaller stuff. The plane sequence will be amazing and worth the price of admission. The saving the day montage is classic Superman. The earthquake scene is a 2 parter. Like again, in Spider-man,you have the finale is the bridge and then the fight, but its all one big action scene. Same here. Youve got the intense Earthquake scene, which has a lot of stuff, from runaway trains to toppling bridges to demolishing buildings. The youve got the fight after, including how superman stops new krypton and the fights on the Gertrude,that mega boat.
To sum up, this will surprise you. Its a way more mature film then a lot of people will realize. In case you havent realized it from reading what happens, this is a big, big film that will be very entertaining and its also very good. This is not wall-to-wall action which is why I think Moriaty was bummed. But it is action mixed with drama mixed with comedy. Theres nothing to worry about, and no reason to have so much negative buzz. Moriaty said he didnt like that the pacing almost exactly like Superman the movie-yeah hes right. That doesnt mean its BAD-that means its good if anything, because it worked for that movie. It worked for Spider-man. It worked for Batman Begins. And it works for Superman Returns. Call me BlackJack, and Im out.
This is not Batman Begins, and despite what you might be led to believe, the overall tone is a lot like Superman 2, if not a little bit more serious. It's big and fun, but it has a heart. The love story is the basis for almost all of its drama, but what Singer cleverly has done is added a new element, and it is what will make most fans say wow. Superman really ISNT all that boring. Hes given Lois Lane not only a boyfriend, but a child! On paper, that sounds AWFUL. Lois lane? A mother! WHAT! Well yeah, thats how it is, if your really narrow minded. What the child does is cement the fact that lois has MOVED ON and supermans never ever had to deal with this problem before, and that is what makes us able to relate to him, the fact that we all have dealt with this very problem before. This adds a huge element to the movie and makes a much more mature film than youd think. Instead of the standard "loves her but cant have her love story, heres a story where he DID have her and he blew it, and now hes trying to rekindle the relationship. I dont really get why some fans have such trouble grasping that, unless your one of those geeks thats never been in a relationship so you obviously wont relate to this problem. But seeing Superman being jealous, while it might not be exactly what he does in the comics, makes the movie better. Giving Superman the slightest edge, or as some fans have said, making him emo-it all makes Superman much more relatable;hes no longer just somebody who can do everything he ever wanted to. We know exactly what hes going though, and Singer really took time to hammer home that fact and it totally pays off. Thats where the film gets really good, when they finally seem to be hitting off again, Luthor comes in and totally messes up everything, and the solution involves a lot of superman.
And ya know, Im not dumb. The fans know Superman is the kids father. But in the movie it is not bad. Your almost wishing he is the father, just because you know he is supposed to be with Lois. Like with Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Peter is taking a backseat to guys like Flash Thompson of John Jameson and you as the audience want Peter to get with MJ even it means hurting his good friend Harry; its the same here. You accept he has a kid so he can be with Lois. And people, dont be surprised. They dont have to outright say Lois and Superman had sex to get the point, either. Basically here Superman takes a backseat to Richard and Jason, and hes never done that, so its very, very interesting and refreshing source of drama for a superman movie. And ya know, there are going to be people who just flat out dont like it. Thats fine.But this not a bad film by any means, and I doubt the public think of it as bad either.
Ok, so now that that **** has been explained and cleared up, Ill move onto the plot, performances, and the action and special effects. The music obviously was not finished and neither were the fx, but it was easy to tell what was happening in the scenes. The plot is simple. Superman returns to Earth and has to juggle his ruined relationship with Lois while Lex Luthor is trying to kill and kills billions!. Ill be flat, the second half of the film is where it really gets going. The first half is him in space, then in smallville, and then finally returning to Metropolis. Bits and pieces of Luthor and Lois are thrown in but not a lot. Like every other Superhero film with the exception of Batman, it gets going about an hour in when our hero finally ahem returns. The airplane/space shuttle saving is really incredible the fx were not done but you could tell from what was there this will be a very intense and memorable scene. Panic flows from Mission control as the first not-nasa-related space flight seems to be a complete disaster until Superman shows up. He also saves the plane, and sets down in the middle of a baseball stadium. He goes inside and gives a little speech, and then goes to leave the front door to walk into 1000 cameras so the world knows: hes back.
Then there was a very enjoyable sequence of Superman doing various jobs saving the world. He saves some mountain climbers, puts out some fires, and finally, he stops a bank robbery that was really cool. Now comes little bits and pieces of Lois and Clark, either in the daily planet, or Superman watching her or some ****, combined with little bits of Luthor and his scheme. Hes kicked an elderly woman out of her mansion and taken her yacht, why well find out later. He robs a museum of its kryptonite so he can kill Superman.
Meanwhile, the world is DYING to know where Supermans been, and Lois is basically forced by White to give him an interview, no matter how much she does not want to. Its hard, especially for her. They do eventually begin to warm up to each other, and end it with a very, very memorable scene where they go flying. Lois is still nervous, but they kind of fall of in love while they go flying. You wont get it now, but when you see it on screen youll know what I mean. It just looks...right.
Other little bits happen, but now heres the next action scene. In comparison to the first two this is very, very small, and its also complicated. Basically, Lois and Jason are kidnapped would be the word I guess-by Lex and his crew. Heres where we find out his plan-hes used to the kryptonion technology he got at the fortress to make a new continent. Its already partially created, and by making it full with this kryptonion missile he has would cause a massive worldwide Earthquake and kills billions!Used as bait, Superman comes, and Lex and his men fight him, using stolen kryptonite to make him powerless. They STAB him with the kryptonite, and hes essentially dies right before lois as they shove him off a cliff on new krypton.
So, with Superman seemingly out of the way, Lois in tears, Lex locks em up in the boat, and proceeds ahead. What he does not count on is his girlfriend, the weird Kitty Kosloski, thinks hes nuts and is having a change of heart. Meanwhile, Superman go to the fortress of solitude, where Jor-el gives him his powers back just in time to save the day as the big earthquake hits. I wont spoil the rest, but Ill just say, its good. The very final scene of the film is also, a an instant classic. This film is the ultimate blockbuster-action,drama,comedy. It's got a very happy ending all around.
Now that you know what happens, you can see its not bad. The pacing is good, very similar to Superman 1. Performance wise, its all good. Spaceys a very memorable Lex, and Routh is a very good Superman. His Clark Kent is bumbling with a high voice, while his Superman is powerful and idealistic. Trust me, hes good. But the real scene stealer is Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. I dunno why, but I just really liked her. Her character is the kind that is hard to not fall in love with. Even when shes mad, shes just hard not to like. We can see why Superman is so in love with her.
And now the action. I read in Moriatys review that he says theres only 2 action scenes in the whole script-well Im here to tell you that s a total LIE. Theres 2 action scenes in the way Spiderman had 2 action scenes-or in other words, theres 2 super huge action sequences, and then a lot of other smaller stuff. The plane sequence will be amazing and worth the price of admission. The saving the day montage is classic Superman. The earthquake scene is a 2 parter. Like again, in Spider-man,you have the finale is the bridge and then the fight, but its all one big action scene. Same here. Youve got the intense Earthquake scene, which has a lot of stuff, from runaway trains to toppling bridges to demolishing buildings. The youve got the fight after, including how superman stops new krypton and the fights on the Gertrude,that mega boat.
To sum up, this will surprise you. Its a way more mature film then a lot of people will realize. In case you havent realized it from reading what happens, this is a big, big film that will be very entertaining and its also very good. This is not wall-to-wall action which is why I think Moriaty was bummed. But it is action mixed with drama mixed with comedy. Theres nothing to worry about, and no reason to have so much negative buzz. Moriaty said he didnt like that the pacing almost exactly like Superman the movie-yeah hes right. That doesnt mean its BAD-that means its good if anything, because it worked for that movie. It worked for Spider-man. It worked for Batman Begins. And it works for Superman Returns. Call me BlackJack, and Im out.
Bad Superman
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How I hate that munchkin storyline. The reviewer may love that "addition" to the story, but I don't. It's an unnecessary change and it doesn't have to do with "geeks being involved in relationships to grasp it". That was a very stupid comment.
As for the rest, I'm relieved the film is good.
As for the rest, I'm relieved the film is good.
Bad Superman
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Showtime029 said:
Exactly. My fear is that it may turn into something similar to The Legend of Zorro. Asides from the little demon, the rest of the film sounds really good
I can't wait for June 29. . . Yes I will be watching it a day before 
R
ROBOCOP CPU001
Guest
At least the kid doesn't have super powers..
so what is the hospital scene all about..if jor'el saves supes.
so what is the hospital scene all about..if jor'el saves supes.
R
rene_artois
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Tzigone said:
Harry seems to think it's genuine. And it does fit in with a lot of what we've been hearing of what was actual filmed, particularly the part where Superman is injured.
My advice, be cautiously optimistic.
Bad Superman
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lazur said:
Some don't, but others do.
Bad Superman
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rene_artois said:
After all that's been reported, I think that's the best advice anyone can give.
Lone
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Bad Superman said:
I still need to see how the issue of the kid is played out...
Off topic but I think we'll see Supes have a kid in the comics too...if you're reading Supes OYL,
he's been powerless for a whole year
Myxz
Sverdlovski
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I didn't like it. Especially the part where
Meh.
Kowalski saves the day and Supes gets revived at the FOS.
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Lone said:
Wow. . . didn't know that
I haven't been following the comics for almost 7 years now. I stopped collecting around that time.
WhatsHisFace
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The spoilers are nothing I don't already know, but that was a good read nonetheless.
It'll be a darn good movie.
It'll be a darn good movie.
Sverdlovski
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Wait a sec... where's the hospital scene? Hmm... I smell a fake here.
R
ROBOCOP CPU001
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Sverdlovski said:
already said that..just nobody actually read it.
KrypJonian
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Jeez....I'm so torn here. I want to read the review, but I'm afraid of the spoilers.
I read the BB script, and while I don't feel like it ruined the movie, I felt it would have been nice to be surprised....
I read the BB script, and while I don't feel like it ruined the movie, I felt it would have been nice to be surprised....
Desk
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Riiiight... so the day after a supposedly "fake" review appears, which people say can't exist because there haven't been any test screenings, a purportedly genuine positive review emerges from test screenings held two months ago?
And I've got to say, for what's touted as a positive review it leaves me feeling anything but. What's described is a tired retread of stuff we've seen before in Superman: The Movie and Superman II (
)
The only significant original idea I can spot in this entire film is something I can't abide -
.
Colour me unimpressed and highly sceptical.
And I've got to say, for what's touted as a positive review it leaves me feeling anything but. What's described is a tired retread of stuff we've seen before in Superman: The Movie and Superman II (
A bungling Clark Kent, a land-grabbing Luthor, his kooky assistant betraying him, a parent restoring Superman's powers, etc.
The only significant original idea I can spot in this entire film is something I can't abide -
the idea of Superman fathering a kid
Colour me unimpressed and highly sceptical.
R
rene_artois
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ROBOCOP CPU001 said:
I've been thinking about that too. Perhaps Kitty goes to the Hospital where Superman has been taken after he supposedly dies and manages to transport him back to the Fortress using some sort of Kryptonian technology so that Jor'El can heal him.
It's only speculation on my part and it does ring a bit Smallville-ish, but it could be an explanation for the Hospital scene and what this guy wrote in the review.
Yellow Cyclone
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no, no, noooooooo! this is NOT what we need...
a Ms Teschmacher 2.0. you'd think that LEX LUTHOR would've been able to spot a "girlfriend" who might betray him in the future, but i guess he didn't from SI to SII, so this is what we're getting again
ARGHj jaklsdf;jalsdfj;lsakf
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