Superman Returns Sensitive Superman turned people off - LA Weekly

[Spare-Flair]

Warner Bros. has the reverse problem: the studio’s failure to stem the gay buzz surrounding Superman Returns, which opened Wednesday. I maintain it was first sparked by those one-sheets that made Brandon Routh look like a baby-faced bottom. Then Warners went into a nelly panic because of gay-themed Superman stories in The Advocate. Singer himself didn’t help matters with his own desperate damage control, claiming this was “probably the most heterosexual character in any movie I’ve ever made.” Things got so out of hand, I’m told, that Warners president of production Jeff Robinov sought advice from his Matrix pal Joel Silver on how the hell to sell Superman in a more butch fashion. (When it comes to making and marketing manly movies to manly men, Silver’s the manliest.) As late as this week, new TV ads transformed Routh from doe-eyed softie to macho man of steel, with special effects set to pounding rap music (cue Terminator-like eyeball suck-out). With no thumpa-thumpa Gloria Gaynor in earshot, the Warners guys can’t wipe away that flop sweat yet, since the perception now is only that Superman is a bona fide top.

I would agree, Singer's focus on marketing this as a senstive Superman or in his own word's "A Chick Flick" derailed the film's reception. The WB's polling indicated that the sensitive style ads focusing on Superman's "it's not easy to be me, keeping secrets", floating with Lois rather than action or something moving and epic and inspiring or new turned off audiences. Even the WB realized this and had to change gear.

Many reviews criticize the lack of innovation in the film and that they themselves don't particularily fancy the "it's not easy to be me" (cue Five for Fighting - Superman) type Superman and would have rather seen an epic and involving Superman tale rather than a rehashed plot injected with further sentimentality and alienation for our poor protagonist. I don't want to draw attention to "the gay buzz" mentioned in that article but I can attest that it was genuine from conversations I overheard in the theatre and comments on other boards that Superman looked gay. The Advocate Magazine cover that explicitly stated that didn't help WB either. The ads with the stern faced Superman were always better than the ones of him staring doe-eyed or even with fluffed eyebrows and mascara type look flying through the clouds with poofy hair.

http://www.pajiba.com/superman-returns.htm

 

[DorkyFresh]

spare-flair with yet another negative article....what a surprise.

 

[boywonder13]

Its time like these that make us think what if JJ Abramsn Superman became a movie, I could see that breaking or being around Spider-Man 2's opening. I actually Liked ABrams Superman, just small things that could be overlooked.


Superman Returns is still good

 

[charl_huntress]

This like doesn't even remotely surprise me...lol

edit:

STILL THOUGH....SUPERMAN IS NOT GAY.

Bryan just jacked him up....no joy and no friggin romance!!!!! I have no idea how he could have watched the Donner films and not got that. LOL...it's amazing...yet the sheep will still bahhhhh

 

[Spare-Flair]

spare-flair with yet another negative article....what a surprise.

It's not explicitly negative (despite my own leanings), people are asking what happened with the box office and buzz and empirically speaking, this article is a partial explanation of that as well as insight into WB's marketing scheme and that they too realized that they need to retool the focus.

 

[Cats]

What's with these people? Must every man on planet earth that wears a tighter pair of pants, be gay?

 

[Backdrifter]

What's with these people? Must every man on planet earth that wears a tighter pair of pants, be gay?

I think it was the sissy, whining, "its not easy being me" Superman that spurred this.

 

[LostSon88]

Damn you FIVE FOR FIGHTING!

















(j/p I like that song )

 

[Backdrifter]

I mean, Superman almost CRIED. That is wrong...that is just wrong.

 

[Eteric]

I mean, Superman almost CRIED. That is wrong...that is just wrong.

Are you saying Superman should be a cold hearted bastard? :/

I think he handled it a hell of a lot better than Spider-Man.

 

[Pickle-El]

This is the same Depp-fan who has had it out for SR since day one......AND she writes for the LA Weekly.

(Basically a magazine for escorts and such)

 

[LadyVader]

It boggles my mind that this is even an issue. It's almost funny. Market Superman in a more "butch" fashion!?

 

[Octoberist]

Dude, I love LA Weekly. I don't care what people say.

And why does it matter if she's a Depp fan or not. Depp is a GOD, and should be worship by many who like and dislike Superman.

 

[Xybalba69]

im very happy action is being taken for all the claims we, the fans who dont accept the not so small changes made to our ICON...

more power to them...

 

[Octoberist]

Personally, I just think that Superman just doesn't have the appeal of Batman or Spider-Man. Or at least, to the modern audience.

I think that's why the sequel needs Brainaic to show Superman can duke it out, like his comic counter-parts. Just a theory, folks.

 

[buggs0268]

Originally Posted by Nikki Finke, LA WEEKLY
Warner Bros. has the reverse problem: the studio’s failure to stem the gay buzz surrounding Superman Returns, which opened Wednesday. I maintain it was first sparked by those one-sheets that made Brandon Routh look like a baby-faced bottom. Then Warners went into a nelly panic because of gay-themed Superman stories in The Advocate. Singer himself didn’t help matters with his own desperate damage control, claiming this was “probably the most heterosexual character in any movie I’ve ever made.” Things got so out of hand, I’m told, that Warners president of production Jeff Robinov sought advice from his Matrix pal Joel Silver on how the hell to sell Superman in a more butch fashion. (When it comes to making and marketing manly movies to manly men, Silver’s the manliest.) As late as this week, new TV ads transformed Routh from doe-eyed softie to macho man of steel, with special effects set to pounding rap music (cue Terminator-like eyeball suck-out). With no thumpa-thumpa Gloria Gaynor in earshot, the Warners guys can’t wipe away that flop sweat yet, since the perception now is only that Superman is a bona fide top.

I hate to be right. Man all that name calling, and I have a tube running from my butt to my moth, but low and behold. I guess I can see the future. I was saying this was going to happen last year. And I feel so bad for Routh right now. Hey WB, if you are reading these pages, and I know you are, DON'T BLAME ROUTH. It isn't his fault. It was your ineptness to not listen to the reactions of the fans when the suit first came out and do something about it. You should have showed the suit before filming and then gotten our reactions and made the chagnes we wanted. But instead you had plants come in here to get people to like your idiotic suit instead of fixing the problem. This is your stupid faults, not Routh's.

 

[Backdrifter]

Are you saying Superman should be a cold hearted bastard? :/

I think he handled it a hell of a lot better than Spider-Man.

Umm no. But way to take what I said and turn it into an extreme. This kind of reaction truely shows that you lack the maturity to debate like an adult. I want Superman. If you don't know who that is...I really should not have to explain. Superman isn't an angsty whiner who stalks his ex-girlfriend and complains about his identity crisis. Thats what Smallville is for. This is Superman.

 

[ScrnNmsSuck]

Wow another Superman is gay / looks gay & that is the reason why People are not seeing the Movie thread. This will get locked like all of the others

 

[buggs0268]

Well the others where just hypers venting. This is an article from a newpaper saying it, so it should not be locked as the writer is reporting that as a valid reason based on exit polling by WB why the movie is not doingwell in the box office.

 

[ScrnNmsSuck]

The writer is reporting that as a valid reason based on exit polling by WB why the movie is not doing well in the box office.

The problem is these kinds of threads 98 % of the time end up nothing but trouble. Plus this can go in the Non Spoiler Section as this does not spoil the Movie if you want to get technical

 

[Ita-KalEl]

Nikky has to write about the Variety and Newsweek POTC2 reviews: why they are so negative? IMO it's more interesting to know why the "antiSR movie" looks so crappy.

 

[GarudA]

Simple why the movie is not doing well as it should, SR is not what the public expected from a Superman movie, people have their own image of Superman that they know and SR was just not what they had in mind.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Maybe im just ignorant to it, but i honestly didnt feel any "gay" vibe in regards to this movie in MY area....i mean, if you look hard enough you can put a "gay" spin on practically anything, couldnt you? The article sounds like someone pushing an agenda of some sort, imo, be it Anti-Singer, Anti-WB, or whatever.

In regards to Superman "almost crying" in SR; didnt the same thing happen in the first Donner film when Lois "died"?

 

[Matt]

Maybe im just ignorant to it, but i honestly didnt feel any "gay" vibe in regards to this movie in MY area....i mean, if you look hard enough you can put a "gay" spin on practically anything, couldnt you? The article sounds like someone pushing an agenda of some sort, imo, be it Anti-Singer, Anti-WB, or whatever.

In regards to Superman "almost crying" in SR; didnt the same thing happen in the first Donner film when Lois "died"?

CaptainStacy! I haven't seen you in forever! how's it goin?

 

[Backdrifter]

Maybe im just ignorant to it, but i honestly didnt feel any "gay" vibe in regards to this movie in MY area....i mean, if you look hard enough you can put a "gay" spin on practically anything, couldnt you? The article sounds like someone pushing an agenda of some sort, imo, be it Anti-Singer, Anti-WB, or whatever.

In regards to Superman "almost crying" in SR; didnt the same thing happen in the first Donner film when Lois "died"?

I dunno, just the way it was in the movie was very "sissy" to me. In S:TM he was more angry and enraged than whimpering and tearing up.