Superman Returns Mark Millar's thoughts on the movie . . .

Discussion in 'Donner's Superman' started by JBElliott, May 12, 2006.

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  1. JBElliott

    JBElliott Registered

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    For what it's worth, this is what Mark Millar wrote over on his forum about SR:

    As for Superman Returns. Well, I have to say...

    ...I'm a little worried.

    Any regular poster here knows how much I dig Superman. Superman is the reason I started reading comics and the reason I wanted to write them too. I have Christopher Reeve's cape hanging in my hall and Frisky the cat stuffed and sitting on top of our dining room piano. I have also waited for nineteen years for Superman to be back on the big screen. I almost wept like a baby when I heard that Bryan was doing this flick after so many scares with Burton, Cage, killer polar bears and scripts based on a 1990s comic-book marketing stunt.

    So why am I worried? I dunno. It's my spider-sense. It's just tingling. I liked the first trailer a lot, but that second trailer... It just seemed to lack any moments. There was a lot of everyone except Superman there and there wasn't a single moment that had my hair standing on end as I would have expected. Only a fool judges a movie based on a trailer, but there only needed to be one money shot-- one big moment-- to get me excited and what should have been that moment in the final third of the trailer is this horrible, jarring scene where the needle almost seems to jump and we get Spacey camping it up. Also, there are two big action sequences in this movie; a series of rescues by Superman in the middle and Superman saving people from a huge Earthquake towards the end. I'm not saying he needs to hit somebody, but... with today's special effects and what's expected from a superhero movie I think he DOES really need to hit somebody in the third act. It's what makes Spidey satisfying and Hulk unsatisfying. Superman isn't about his relationship with Lois Lane and their kid. It's about Superman doing 'cool ****' and I worry he's not going to be doing enough in this novie.

    I thought Batman Begins would do 800 million and it did 400. I realize this is because the movie, though brilliant, lacked Batman. Similarly, Spidey 2 was a superior movie to Spidey 1, but the first flick had Spidey every eight minutes or so and kids watched it continuously. Kids don't want Spidey 2 or Batman Begins over and over and my worry is that Superman is going to suffer from the same problem. Also, it seems like Superman 5. It seems like the CAPSTONE to a franchise as opposed to a new foundation a quarter of a century after the first movie. Heroes get the girl and have a kid at the END of their adventures. Doing this right at the beginning just feels off and is problematic for sequels. Imagine 'BOND IS BACK... AND THIS TIME HE'S BROUGHT HIS WIFE AND KID' and you'll see what I mean. Incredibles is one of my top 5 movies ever, but the gag there is that it's a family of superheroes. That's not what makes Superman cool. It's a great ending to the franchise, but an unfortunate beginning.

    Anyway, I pray I'm wrong because I want to love this more than any of you. I'll open a vein if Superman isn't as big as Titanic, but a Superman movie that starts with Krypton, goes to Smallville, has Clark going to the big city, has Superman saving Lois from a crashing plane, has Superman doing a series of rescues, has Luthor stealing Kryptonite, poisoning Superman and then setting off a huge earthquake seems kind of familiar and oddly pointless. It seems like Superman The Movie PLUS A KID.

    I can't believe I'm saying this, but in terms of moments and coolness and all the things little kids wants to see on the screen I have a weird feeling that X3 might be the one that delivers this Summer.

    MM    ​
     
    #1 JBElliott, May 12, 2006
  2. VGPOP

    VGPOP Registered

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    Who the hell is Mark Millar? :confused:
     
    #2 VGPOP, May 12, 2006
  3. Tanin

    Tanin Vladeck

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    Superman isn't about Lois Lane?

    What is this guy on??
     
    #3 Tanin, May 12, 2006
  4. JBElliott

    JBElliott Registered

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    Yet another successful comic professional who's weighing in on the movie. He writes "The Ultimates," "The Ultimate Fantastic Four" and "Civil War" among other things.
     
    #4 JBElliott, May 12, 2006
  5. Tanin

    Tanin Vladeck

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    Is Marvel asking their writers who hates the movie and paying them to say just how much they hate it?
     
    #5 Tanin, May 12, 2006
  6. Nivek

    Nivek Registered

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    Didn't he have a write up about his thoughts on Batman begins last year that wasa bit "off the mark"?

    The guy is a little too "pop-culture" flavored in his comic writing for my tastes...

    Dont even get me started on his Ultimate Hyde... er... I mean Hulk.
     
    #6 Nivek, May 12, 2006
  7. VGPOP

    VGPOP Registered

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    Never heard of him. You might want to put something on this thread's title.

    Like, I don't know, Mark Millar (Professional Comic Writer) or something.
     
    #7 VGPOP, May 12, 2006
  8. PSU442

    PSU442 Guest

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    yeah... i'm sick of 'successful' comic book writers chiming in with negative buzz. Look, if you really cared about the character and wanted to be professional, you'd keep your mouth shut.
     
    #8 PSU442, May 12, 2006
  9. Nivek

    Nivek Registered

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    I dont have a problem with people who wrote or have drawn the character speaking out, they have a history and related fanbase. But when it's just someone out of the blue chiming in with their two cents, well, critism away...
     
    #9 Nivek, May 12, 2006
  10. VGPOP

    VGPOP Registered

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    Same topic posted at The Planet, so I copy and paste what I wrote there....

    *************************************************************
    Now I don't know who this Millar guy is. But I do know one thing:

    He sucks big time at making predictions. He thought BB would make $800 million. It made $371.8 million worldwide (not $400 million like he mentioned)

    If he doesn't like SR, then it would do the opposite (just like BB)

    This guy is OPPOSITE PERFECT PREDICTOR.

    Gotta love it....
     
    #10 VGPOP, May 12, 2006
  11. Tzigone

    Tzigone Registered

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    I don't have a problem with criticism. But these people haven't seen the movie, so their opinions don't mean much to me at this point.
     
    #11 Tzigone, May 12, 2006
  12. JBElliott

    JBElliott Registered

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    People who read DC and Marvel comics should be familiar with Millar's name and work. He's one of the higher profile and higher regarded writers on the scene today.

    Millar enjoyed "Batman Begins" at least that's what he wrote on his forum when it came out last year.

    While he works for Marvel now he's a huge Superman fan and will probably end up writing a Superman comic in the next few years (with Hitch drawing it). He's also currently writing a Superman book of some sorts right now, though the details are under wraps. He also wrote the crititcal and otherwise successful comic "Superman: Red Son." So he can't be dismissed as a "Marvel writer." His critcism isn't quite "out of the blue."

    That said, it's not clear his opinion should be regarded any more than anyone else's, like say comic artists who like Routh.
     
    #12 JBElliott, May 12, 2006
  13. Saint

    Saint Registered

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    Mark Millar is the mind behind things like Superman: Red Son, The Ultimates, and Civil War.

    I disagree on about one and a half of his points, but overall I think he's correct. Of course, I have very little doubt that posters here will flame him to a crisp and scream about how much he "sucks" despite the fact that he is one of the best writers in the industry right now.
     
    #13 Saint, May 12, 2006
  14. The Game

    The Game Registered

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    Welcome to Hype 101, where if anyone doubts SR they will be flamed and chased off by angry hordes of posters.
     
    #14 The Game, May 12, 2006
  15. DvilDog

    DvilDog Registered

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    Never really got into comics, but hey i believe everyone who tells me he's got what he does down to a science and thats really great. I have read his opinion. It was, in my humble opinion decently put together and he made his points. Once again of course i will take his opinion and put in the box of other opinions about the movie. After all its only one of many somewhat negative opinions. Just like my opinion is only 1 of many positive ones. I personally think Superman could make a huge number in the box office. Say 800,000,000. or it might not even do 100 mil. who really knows. Doesnt matter to me one way or another. The only thing thats going to deter me from watching this movie a 2nd time is if the story isnt good, or if when I look at Routh on screen I dont see Superman. Take my opinion with a grain of salt just like you should take his if its not the opinion that you want to hear.
     
    #15 DvilDog, May 12, 2006
  16. Dope Nose

    Dope Nose Registered

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    as much as I love Mark Millar I think he's completely off on this. did Superman need to hit someone in '78?
     
    #16 Dope Nose, May 12, 2006
  17. Orko Is King

    Orko Is King Registered

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    You don't read comics, do you?
     
    #17 Orko Is King, May 12, 2006
  18. echostation

    echostation Registered

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    he more or less is... Superman has not thrown one god damn solid punch at anyone in ALL of his major movies... pathetic

    he does about an average of 6 punches per ep on TAS... hell that average could be ten for all I care...

    i'm not saying oh just make it all action... But superman? and not 1 major major solid punch given to any villain at any point worth remembering in the ENTIRE FILM SERIES

    The last episode of Justice league had the most kick ass Superman action than all of his incarnations put together
     
    #18 echostation, May 12, 2006
  19. Nivek

    Nivek Registered

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    Edit: Should know better...
     
    #19 Nivek, May 12, 2006
  20. Hunter Rider

    Hunter Rider Ronin

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    I'm a fan of Millars writing and given that he is talking about the trailer i agree with what he is saying about lack of a wow moment moneyshot and the campy tones but i think the TV spot last night showed a different side to SR and delivered a decent moneyshot moment in the Yacht cracking in half
     
    #20 Hunter Rider, May 12, 2006
  21. DvilDog

    DvilDog Registered

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    Honestly now you guys may not like this but i base a lot of things off my 2 year old daughter. There are only 2 things in this world that my daughter will watch. One is her baby einsteins, and the other is anything that has to do with SR. She flips out and yells yay everytime at the end of the trailer when he is trying to save the plane.(so thats my money moment) So i apologize up front. If you live in my area expect to have at least one child in the theater premiere night. Cause there is no way i am depriving her of chance to see uperman(as she likes to call him)
     
    #21 DvilDog, May 12, 2006
  22. The Game

    The Game Registered

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    But what this film needs is a great money shot not just a decent one, the yacht shot was just meh seeing as how Posiedon will prolly take the award for 'the best ship destroying moment of the year'

    Millar also brings up another point in regards to action scene's, with today's CGI standards I would have liked Superman to get in to a good scrap with another villan.
     
    #22 The Game, May 12, 2006
  23. Hunter Rider

    Hunter Rider Ronin

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    The supervillain was something i really wanted to see,with modern SFX a smackdown between Superman and one of his more physical rivals would have been like nothing we had seen before
     
    #23 Hunter Rider, May 12, 2006
  24. Carter

    Carter Registered

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    I really have to agree with the guy
     
    #24 Carter, May 12, 2006
  25. Carter

    Carter Registered

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    That's stupid. If you love a character and feel like it's being taken in the wrong direction, the last thing you do is "shut up".
     
    #25 Carter, May 12, 2006
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