Superman in Comparison to "those other guys"

[skruloos]

I also wanted more insight into just WHAT Kal-El was thinking when he did certain things. He didn't act out of character or anything (quite the contrary), but I never felt like I got to know who he was and why he chooses to live his life the way he does.

Sounds like you wanted an origin then that way all the explanations for his motivations would be explicit in the picture. Me? I don't care for origins too much since I'm already familiar with these heroes and I'm well aware of their motivations. I don't need it spelled out for me in the film and I'd rather they got on with showing them do their thing. But I could see how this might be a problem for some people.

I know it was subtle in the film but it felt pretty obvious to me. He does what he does because the people of Earth are the closest he has to connection. He doesn't have the people that he descended from so he concentrates on protecting the people he has left.

I did, however, love the subtlety about it. Superman is one of the few characters in the comics who does what he does just because is a good person. He is the personification of good. He doesn't need to explain why he chooses to save all those people. He doesn't have to explain why he pays any mind to all the voices he hears crying for help in the world. He's Superman and that's what he does. The world obviously needs him and he is there. I think that trying to explain it too much or trying to justify it would make Superman too angsty. We know that Batman does it because his parents were murdered in front of him. We know that Spider-man does it because his Uncle Ben died despite all his powers. WIth Superman? No explanation needed. He's just Superman, a force of Good.

 

[DACrowe]

However, in a film it is important to get in the head of the main character or make him a little more interesting to the viewer. I like SR a lot, but let's be realistic, they spent so much time emulating Superman '78 he wasn't allowed to act himself and we never get a real clear view of his longing and why he NEEDED to return to Krypton or how close he once was with Lois (we see her feelings for him and we see him semi-stalking her but it isn't quite the same).

And for those who say SM2 imitates the original too much (which is nonsense) need to take a good hard look at the plot points and pacing of SR and how they compare with S'78.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Yep,it's the ever present fanboy BS that plagues these boards

This place was born as Spider-Man Hype! so inevitably everything will always be compared to Spider-Man. No bad thing IMO - the only way to judge the quality of a superhero movie is via comparison with other superhero movies.

 

[DarKush]

Spider-Man 2 is overrated, but I still think it is better than Superman Returns.

The Clark/Lois relationship reminded me of the Peter/MJ relationship, esp. the scene where Supes flies off the roof and MJ...I mean...Lois looks up in wonderment.

But I felt Peter's longing in Spider-Man, and MJ's frustration in Spider-Man 2. Routh came off a bit muddled as Clark, and Lois was a cipher to me. It lacked the zest and charm of the earlier Superman films.

Tobey Macguire fit into both roles much easier than Routh. Routh did okay as Superman, but he still has a lot of growing into the cape to do. Lois Lane did nothing for me. And I didn't feel or see any chemistry between Bosworth or Routh. At least Dunst/MJ has some life to her.

And Spider-Man had more action and fewer dead spots in the movie. Ock's plan was also silly, but I think Molina's performance worked better for me than Spacey's. Spacey looked bored. Molina was at least into it. And Franco/Harry Osborn did a better job as 'second' villian.

Though I thought Willem Dafoe did a better job as Norman Osborn than either Molina or Spacey. Luthor seriously lacked the edge and darkness of Dafoe's performance.

Spider-Man 2 also did a good job laying some foundation for the third film. SR left me slightly empty, and not really a good job giving me something exciting like Spider-Man 2, X-Men 2, or Batman Begins.

It wasn't a requirement of course, but I had been expecting something. Brainiac to appear or something cool like that.

 

[co2]

I'll admit it, I'm a superhero fanboy. I'm utterly infatuated with the enduring mythos and allegories that go with the genre.

These last few years have been amazing for us comic book fans. Batman Begins was jaw droppingly powerful, Bryan Singer proved that the X-men is more than just a 60s metaphor, and Sam Raimi explored pop psychology with a poignant romance in Spider-Man.

Spider-Man 2 is the best superhero film ever made. It's unpredictable, wildly witty (the elevator scene is classic), and Tobe Maguire and Kirsten Dunst went from memorable in Spider-man 1 to unforgettable in this second installment. Say what you will about the somewhat flimsy CGI or odd pacing, but we empathized with Peter Parker. We cared about him. And when Mary Jane appeared on his door-step, I left the theater exhilarated and inspired.

Superman Returns premiered yesterday, and tonight I finally got a chance to see it. It is, in no short order, a wasted opportunity. It's positively mediocre. It's willing to take ballsy steps like adding a young kid to the plot, while simultaneously remaking Superman (1978) scene-by-scene with worse chemistry and admittedly incredible special effects.

Oh, and did I mention the obvious "He's JESUS!" allusions at the end? It's more pretentious than anything before it. Remember that scene in Spider-Man 2 where Peter collapses after saving the train full of people, and one of the guys notes "Christ, he's just a kid?". It was a tasteful homage to self-sacrifice.Those moments are what Superman Returns lacks. It's like the film is constantly struggling to find it's rhythm. When it should go for the over-dramatic jugular, we get nothing more than subtle signs of what could have been.

Take for instance, the central romance between Clark and Lois. Don't fault the actors, they're actually fairly good when they're not expected to generate chemistry on-screen with each other. The best romance scenes are those where the characters are separated from one another. It's an apt metaphor for the entire film. This film holds you at arm's length from start to finish; we never really understand what Superman is doing or feeling at a given moment. Is he trying to win Lois back out of loneliness, habit, or some odd sense of fate?

Remember those scenes in Spider-Man 2 where MJ and Peter just TORE into one another due to hurt feelings and other responsibilities? Imagine if instead of talking to one another, they just glanced at each other from across the room replete with awkward stares and gestures. That's Superman Returns in a nutshell. At times it reaches the greatness it aspires to, but more often than not, it's a tease.

I really liked your post and agree with most everything....except I think you were a tad harsh on Superman Returns. But I do agree that it could have been much better than what we ended up with. It did feel somewhat unoriginal to me which was disapointing, because I saw a lot of unfulfilled opportunity. But we are almost assured to get a sequel, so we'll see what Singer does next.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I really liked your post and agree with most everything....except I think you were a tad harsh on Superman Returns. But I do agree that it could have been much better than what we ended up with. It did feel somewhat unoriginal to me which was disapointing, because I saw a lot of unfulfilled opportunity. But we are almost assured to get a sequel, so we'll see what Singer does next.

A sequel is not assured, let me assure you.......look at Supes' numbers. They are not encouraging to say the least. Dead Man's Chest is going to knock it out in the first round.

 

[Red Mask]

It already did. It's Number 1, baby!

 

[The Sage]

Spider-Man 2, unpredictable? No agreement.

 

[Jakomus]

Superman and Spider-Man are two completely different characters. Unfortunately some morons want Superman to be more like Spidey (they tend to be post-crisis fans) and they are most likely the ones that are spouting crap about SR.

 

[Red Mask]

Silver Age Superman is cool.