Superman Returns Singer the Action director

[Hunter Rider]

I have to be honest (Bosef knows this) but I always found the X Men action sequences functional; rather than spectacular and inventive so i was uncertain of how he would handle this aspect of SR and it did concern me as Supes has such onscreen visual potential

I am happy to report all my concerns are washed away,from the spots i see inventiveness,style,imagination and spectacle with some stunning camera moves and shot selection......Well done Singer

 

[BizarroAids]

I know how you feel, I can't wait to see them on the big screen. Everything happens so quick on the spots you forget what your looking at. I want to see plane sequence the most.

Mad Props to Mr. Singer and Mr. Siegel (DP)

 

[Steelsheen]

well Singer really is more of a cerebral type of director, prior to X-Men the only other film he did was Apt Pupil and The Usual Suspects.

i never really had any probles with his directorial style or that he may fall short on the "action" dept. Wolverine's fight sequence atop Lady Liberty's head (remember that part where as Logan falls he catches one of the spikes with his claws, and "swoops" back on top? ) proved to him that he can give the audience a thrill when he wants to.

 

[The Kid]

agreed. I knew he was capable of really cool, energetic action sequences ever since nightcrawler stepped foot in the whitehouse.

 

[bosef982]

I have to be honest (Bosef knows this) but I always found the X Men action sequences functional; rather than spectacular and inventive so i was uncertain of how he would handle this aspect of SR and it did concern me as Supes has such onscreen visual potential

I am happy to report all my concerns are washed away,from the spots i see inventiveness,style,imagination and spectacle with some stunning camera moves and shot selection......Well done Singer

**opens arms**

Welcome, my son...


But no, of course in X1 Singer's take on action was a tad bland, with the parts being better than the whole. In X2, I really do believe he stepped it up and is really underrated for what he was trying to do there. However, Singer has always been a situational director -- not so much concerned with aciton beats, as the with the visual acuity of the action itself.

 

[Mr. Credible]

i agree, guy... that was one of my biggest concerns when this film first took off. that, and the fact that there'd be no supervillain.

i'm not worried about either, anymore, and my fears about the kid are subsiding with every new review.

 

[J.Howlett]

In Singer's defense, the X-Men action wasn't really his fault. He didn't have the budget. Once he had the proper budget, you saw what he can do with action in X2....Nightcrawler's White House attack. The Mansion Attack. The X-Jet sequence.

He can do it....

 

[echostation]

why do people keep stressing budget budget... that's a load of hogwash... X-men's budget was the same as ID-4... now X-men is a much better film, but please the action and SFX using terrific models and CG in ID-4 kicked so much ass seriously... the iflm looked like it cost more than 100 mill but only 70 mill

Each lord of the rings was only 20 mill more than X-men... yet the action was far far better choreographed and styled.

The Matrix's budget and X-men's wasn't that big a difference budget wise... Matrix redefined the action genre

More importantly, take a look at something like Equilibrium... absolutely kick ass action yet so low budget and still some epic style massive kick assery in the form of fighting

Action does require budget sure but it requires Innovation... Singer's innovation lies in the cerebral textual material of his film... certainly not the technical action sequences required in these movies.

And it's strange too because I thought the huge gun battle at the end of Usual Suspects was actually really tightly filmed and well executed but his action in X-men was just ludicrously poor... Jean stopping Toad I believe in mid air... joy, then Toad spits his goo at her... it reminded me of the older TSR Marvel Superheroes Role Playing Game where each player took their turn and declared what action they were going to do and roll the dice... There was absolutely no fluidity in the action there

X-2 stepped it up but again, still NOT NOT that impressed... despite the fact that the budget was 120 million... 50 mill MORE than X-men but STILL less expensive than Each LOTR film... LOTR... far better SFX... far better action.

 

[J.Howlett]

echo,

The first X-Men film was only budgeted at 75 million. Independence Day had a much bigger budget than that...

Plus, when Singer started to work on the film, it was budgeted at 100 million but just before they were about to shoot, Fox slashed it by 25 million and then upped the release date by one year. That changed the entire picture....

 

[TerryRL]

I agree with J.

The Nightcrawler White House attack is easily one of the coolest action sequences I've ever seen for a comic book/superhero flick. In fact, that scene is so strong that the rest of X2 had a very heavy burden in following it. The mansion attack, Pyro's "rage" sequence at Bobby's house, the X-Jet sequence (Nightcrawler saving Rogue completely steals that sequence), and Jean's Mr. Spock-like demise (from Wrath of Khan) were all great, but the White House assault was easily the best action moment from the film.

Singer is a very capable action director and he gets better with each subsuquent film. The first "X-Men" was his first foray into the action/adventure arena and I think he did an admirable job considering all the obstacles put in front of him by Fox. The action was pumped up considerably in X2 and I think Singer's Superman trilogy will have some of the best action sequences ever committed to film.

But that's just me.

 

[J.Howlett]

With their franchises as of late, WB doesn't fool around when it comes to budget. Look at WB's handling of the Harry Potter franchise. They get the budget they need.

The same thing will be said for the new Batman franchise and now Superman. Those two franchises will get the budgets they need so the directors can do their job correctly.

It's going to be very fun to watch both Batman and Superman in their next two films a piece, considering the director's behind them.

 

[user123456789]

I have to be honest (Bosef knows this) but I always found the X Men action sequences functional; rather than spectacular and inventive so i was uncertain of how he would handle this aspect of SR and it did concern me as Supes has such onscreen visual potential

I am happy to report all my concerns are washed away,from the spots i see inventiveness,style,imagination and spectacle with some stunning camera moves and shot selection......Well done Singer

elaborate on which camera moves u liked

 

[Hunter Rider]

**opens arms**

Welcome, my son...


But no, of course in X1 Singer's take on action was a tad bland, with the parts being better than the whole. In X2, I really do believe he stepped it up and is really underrated for what he was trying to do there. However, Singer has always been a situational director -- not so much concerned with aciton beats, as the with the visual acuity of the action itself.

LOL

I agree he did and he's took up several more notches in this film by the looks of it

 

[Hunter Rider]

echo,

The first X-Men film was only budgeted at 75 million. Independence Day had a much bigger budget than that...

Plus, when Singer started to work on the film, it was budgeted at 100 million but just before they were about to shoot, Fox slashed it by 25 million and then upped the release date by one year. That changed the entire picture....

Nope,ID4 is listed as $75M budget same as X-1
I think in the first movie it was just that Singer was not a natural action director but once he cut his teeth he found he had more of a knack for it than he thought and it showed in X2's Mansion and Nightcrawler sequences,Now on SR he has went up yet again

 

[J.Howlett]

Didn't know that. While ID4 had the action, it doesn't really have that much else.

Plus, Singer is the one who brought the superhero genre back and now look where it is....the greats, the goods, the bads, and the truly awfuls.

Singer is a storyteller. He saw the themes that made the X-Men comics work and he used that to get general audiences to understand this universe to our own. That's why that first X-Men film worked.

Even with that, the action sequences in that film are, as you said hunter, functional. But, with X2, he went pass functional. Again, Wolverine during the Mansion Attack, after three years, still one the best of the genre. I love that sequence to death.

Not to mention his bout with Deathstrike....that was vicersal and primal.

 

[Hunter Rider]

elaborate on which camera moves u liked

Well this may seem corny but every single shot of him dodging debris from the plane sequence i think looks poetically kinetic with the sweeping moves and mix of close up and wide shots

The sequence of him turning mid flight to look up at the sky
The shot of him crashing through the window to catch the globe
The swooping shot of him catching the guy falling of the building
The bullet/eye/gatling gun sequence
The shot of him flying towards the FOS and the close up followed by the pan around into him zooming off
The elevator shot where he changes mid flight

So yeah everything so far LMAO

 

[Hunter Rider]

Didn't know that. While ID4 had the action, it doesn't really have that much else.

Plus, Singer is the one who brought the superhero genre back and now look where it is....the greats, the goods, the bads, and the truly awfuls.

The rest of what you say is right pretty much,i was just saying action focus wise this is Singer lifting his creative game visually IMO

 

[Hunter Rider]

Even with that, the action sequences in that film are, as you said hunter, functional. But, with X2, he went pass functional. Again, Wolverine during the Mansion Attack, after three years, still one the best of the genre. I love that sequence to death.

Not to mention his bout with Deathstrike....that was vicersal and primal.

Sorry you edited this after i wasn't ignoring it
Admittedly with X2 he raised his level and the Mansion sequence is a classic i agree but only that and the Nightcrawler sequence stood out to me and that was a shame as the best action was early in the movie rather than at the climax

 

[fangrl06]

I love the bullet-eye thing, but don't you think he would at least flinch or something? Unless he has no feeling at all......It confuses me how he can feel but can't get hurt.....

 

[The Kid]

is the action in both movies comparable? I see one as cool dogfights in space, similar to star wars and the other as kung fu fighting with powers.

 

[fangrl06]

Dogfights in space? WTF?

 

[J.Howlett]

hunter,

I can understand that feeling as well. The Nightcrawler sequence was such a shock when it hit. I mean, nobody expected it. I mean, it got it's point across rather quickly.

It's a remarkable sequence. Even with that, the Mansion Attack, to me, is better because of the fact that these soldiers are invading a safe haven for those kids and it's just wrong on so many levels to see that happen.

But then, to see Wolverine protect those students, there's just more raw emotion in that scene....that's why it's tops for me.

 

[The Kid]

World War 2 type of areial battles like we see in star wars, fangrl. ID4 borrowed a bit from that, I think. Heck it's like an updated version of return of the Jedi prettymuch.

 

[fangrl06]

World War 2 type of areial battles like we see in star wars, fangrl. ID4 borrowed a bit from that, I think. Heck it's like an updated version of return of the Jedi prettymuch.

oh.....thanx!

 

[user123456789]

I love the bullet-eye thing, but don't you think he would at least flinch or something? Unless he has no feeling at all......It confuses me how he can feel but can't get hurt.....

He saw the bullet coming from a mile away, in a sense. That's why he didn't flinch. And what do you mean "he has no feeling at all[?]" Ofcourse he feels, both physical and emotional pain.