Superman Returns Did Singer ground the special effects too far in reality taking some fun out?

[\S/JcDc\S/]

I was watching X-men Last Stand on DVD and noticed how they went the more "romantic" version in terms of effects. I feel like in SR, yeah you believed in a way this guy is really doing these things... since they are a bit toned down in their look. BUT, it kind of takes a bit of fun out of it imo. Like when Superman uses his heat vision, go ahead show a glowing beam, it looks cooler. When he uses his super breath, make it a bigger spectacle (I liked how SV did it actually, maybe just bigger/wider air streams being sucked in though) instead of "well yeah that looks real"

We've seen real. We live in a real world. Go the more sci fi route imo. I hope in the next movie they won't be scared to have a little more fun. They worried a lot about keeping a more serious tone I guess.

 

[h0metwnhero]

i think singer went with what looked best on screen. visually atleast.

 

[Pickle-El]

I think Jc has a point, it seems as if the whole movie was

'What looks more real' as opposed to 'what looks more fun' (within the context of Singer's version...not talking about #### just blowing up)

 

[C. Lee]

I personally didn't feel the FX were toned down too much. Most of the FX were the predominate saving graces for the film to me.

 

[NotFadeAway]

The biggest problem with all the Superman feature films is that they do not embrace the element of fantasy like they should.

 

[CGHulk]

edit

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

i think singer went with what looked best on screen. visually atleast.

Yeah me too, 95% percent of the effects in this movie were superb IMO. And i can understand the route he took with the heat vision, he obviously wanted to distance it from what he had done with Cylcops in the X-Movies.

 

[Junfan]

I'll take what looks "real" over "fun" every day of the week.

Too many movies do stupid effects that look grossly unrealistic, this was a problem I had with blade 2, some of the effects were just way over the top, I'm mostly referring to the martial arts moves.

I agree some of Supes effects could have been a little more prominent, like his heat vision for instance and maybe even the super breath (I like the SV effect also, though it could be polished a little).

I say make it look real first, than maybe throw a little shine on it without it looking stupid. If you can make it look real don't try to do it.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I'll take what looks "real" over "fun" every day of the week.

Too many movies do stupid effects that look grossly unrealistic, this was a problem I had with blade 2, some of the effects were just way over the top, I'm mostly referring to the martial arts moves.

I agree some of Supes effects could have been a little more prominent, like his heat vision for instance and maybe even the super breath (I like the SV effect also, though it could be polished a little).

I say make it look real first, than maybe throw a little shine on it without it looking stupid. If you can make it look real don't try to do it.

Yeah i'd rather it looked real, because that means the effects will stand up in years to come. Honestly, i think in twenty years SR will look more modern than X3. Some effects in X3 were unneccessarily OTT IMO (Yes, yes i know the movie was as well).

 

[dark_b]

I'll take what looks "real" over "fun" every day of the week.

Too many movies do stupid effects that look grossly unrealistic, this was a problem I had with blade 2, some of the effects were just way over the top, I'm mostly referring to the martial arts moves.

I agree some of Supes effects could have been a little more prominent, like his heat vision for instance and maybe even the super breath (I like the SV effect also, though it could be polished a little).

I say make it look real first, than maybe throw a little shine on it without it looking stupid. If you can make it look real don't try to do it.

you do kno that you ca nnot make the flying look realistic? you can only make it look good to the people.

there is no real flying above the clouds with a cape.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I think Jc has a point, it seems as if the whole movie was

'What looks more real' as opposed to 'what looks more fun' (within the context of Singer's version...not talking about #### just blowing up)

I think, for better or worse, Singer was trying to make more than just a 'fun' movie.

 

[hypeSUPERMAN]

The only effects that looked wrong in SR was in the smallville scene where it showed superboy leaping into the air. That just looked really bad and fake. The more realistic it looks the better. The Superman flying scenes were flawless. And the powers were outstandingly presented. I'm glad they didn't go the Xmen route. Thats just childish.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I think, for better or worse, Singer was trying to make more than just a 'fun' movie.

Which i applaud him for, i'd rather watch a thoughtful, long movie with some character than just some 'fun' movie like X3.

 

[hypeSUPERMAN]

Which i applaud him for, i'd rather watch a thoughtful, long movie with some character than just some 'fun' movie like X3.

Agree!!

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Yes, everything was too realistic, I am so freakin tired of realism in fantasy movies, it has really gotten out of hand when a 3 hour er 2 and a half hour Superman movie has what two action scenes and none of them really excite. Hell I liked the roof jumping scene it was the movie's most exciting scene and reminded me of a better movie called Spider-Man.

The movie should have been more fun and put forth original ideas but it didn't, it was a uber serious rehash of a 20 year old movie.

I can't wait till we finally get a good Superman movie because I haven't seen one.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^Have to disagree, the fantasy movies that go too far with the unrealism of their stories are normally the poorer ones that get criticised for having too much CGI. Check Spawn or the Mummy Returns, because they wanted to get away from realism, movies like those two got drowned in their own effects. Its very rare that the balance needed is achieved, a al LOTR or SW, and its very difficult to strike the right balance also.

IMO Singer did the right thing in SR by not going overly fantastical in the first movie, as a lot of people like the realism aspects of CB movies. Its in the sequels were you can slowly dispense with the realism IMO.

 

[GreenKToo]

while it seems 'MOST' of us liked the realistic approach,it seems alot of the G. A. did not..so with that being said,who does W.B. and singer try to please in the sequel...the fanboys?(us),...or the G.A.??it just seems to me it will never do 300 mill or more if they stay on the more realistic approach,and I want the sequel to do very well.....all MHO of course.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

while it seems 'MOST' of us liked the realistic approach,it seems alot of the G. A. did not..so with that being said,who does W.B. and singer try to please in the sequel...the fanboys?(us),...or the G.A.??it just seems to me it will never do 300 mill or more if they stay on the more realistic approach,and I want the sequel to do very well.....all MHO of course.

If they keep the exact same tone it won't ever make huge bucks and if I was Singer I wouldn't care, because I got to make the movie I wanted to make, (A rehash of a 20 year old movie) and if I was a fan of the film I wouldn't care.

BUT, The fans have to realize (following the boxoffice is fun but I care about if I like the movie more than if I like it's boxoffice numbers, Hellboy comes to mind for me.) that a Superman movie like the one Singer produced will never make Narnia, Harry Potter sequels or Shrek 1 like money, (lets face it, it was never heading for Spider-Man or any other upper 300 million dollar plus movies. That is unrealistic.) because it is so serious. If you look at the top grossing http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/ moderen movies, they have been either very entertaining and good and they have been big important epics that get a pass on the seriousness factor because they are big epic/important films. In my opinion Superman Returns was neither epic, important or fun. It's kinda like the X-Men movies which have been big hits but have falled to make huges amounts of money, say 550mil worldwide. Comicbook movies already have problems in the over seas markets and I can damn sure see why SR had decent openings and bad legs in most of the international markets and can see why the movie only (good for any movie except a 204mil dollar one) did 200mil here.

Bryan Singers movies will never make huge amounts of money, because they don't traslate well overseas and they aren't fun/important enough in the U.S/Canada moviegoers. It must have been really hard to make a Superman movie that couldn't even make 400mil worldwide, cause that should have been easy. WB and Bryan Singer never fail to amaze me thats for sure.

 

[Retroman]

I think, for better or worse, Singer was trying to make more than just a 'fun' movie.

I agree though i think they should try and bring a little more color to Superman's world in the next movie.

 

[hypeSUPERMAN]

Yes, everything was too realistic, I am so freakin tired of realism in fantasy movies, it has really gotten out of hand when a 3 hour er 2 and a half hour Superman movie has what two action scenes and none of them really excite. Hell I liked the roof jumping scene it was the movie's most exciting scene and reminded me of a better movie called Spider-Man.

The movie should have been more fun and put forth original ideas but it didn't, it was a uber serious rehash of a 20 year old movie.

I can't wait till we finally get a good Superman movie because I haven't seen one.

LOL!! thats funny we must be polar opposites. When I saw that roof jumping scene (I assume you mean the smallville scene?) I feared 'oh no please make that the only cartoon scene, I'd hate this to be like Spiderman!' It was the only scene I'd like removed, it kind of spoilt the masterpiece.

 

[Freddy_Krueger]

I think the special effects were fine for the most part in Returns. There's a little term in the film world called "verisimilitude"--something that Richard Donner himself called for during the filming of the original Superman--which basically means that we have to believe that this is really happening. By basing the special effects in reality, we can believe that these things are really happening and won't have to suspend our disbelief a whole lot.

Heck the only special effect I really didn't care for was the close up on Superman during his final flight in the film. I didn't understand why they had a CG Superman, in close up, rather than Brandon Routh himself.

 

[BatFitz]

I think for a moment it was Routh at the end there....if not, then it stands as a damn good CG moment...and I think realistic effects are the best...Batman Begins' effects were great, in fact sometimes it's hard to tell what's real and what isn't...

 

[hypeSUPERMAN]

Its easier to do make special effects look real in Batman cos its all done at night.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

As someone else said special effects need to be grounded in reality so that the general audience can suspend belief as they are the ones that have to most difficulty doing so.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

As someone else said special effects need to be grounded in reality so that the general audience can suspend belief as they are the ones that have to most difficulty doing so.

Yes but the Spider-Man movies are huge hits and have far bigger more outrageous looking action scenes. Movie goers obviously believed those.