Superman Returns The Ultimate Superman Returns Review Thread

[Mr. Credible]

i'm just going to add for no good reason: i love the animated series, justice league and smallville, but i've never touched a superman comic before, and i have luke warm feelings for the old superman movies, as i think they're obvious products of their time, but...

i have never been this excited for a movie. not spiderman, not the matrix reloaded (although that one is close) this movie is just going to be... remembered. i can't think of another way to put it. it's going to be big in every way, and not in a spiderman 2, pirates of the carribean, x2, popcorn movie way... this movie (as much as i hate the word) is going to epic.

 

[ROBOCOP CPU001]

I will save myself for when i see it myself.. reviews are personal points of view..what one person likes, i may dislike.. we shall see.

although, i like what i'm seeing.

 

[Ita-KalEl]

I will save myself for when i see it myself.. reviews are personal points of view..what one person likes, i may dislike.. we shall see.

although, i like what i'm seeing.

It's obviously the best point

 

[ROBOCOP CPU001]

It's obviously the best point

Fans.. i love you all.

 

[Mr. Credible]

I will save myself for when i see it myself.. reviews are personal points of view..what one person likes, i may dislike.. we shall see.

although, i like what i'm seeing.

i'm trying to hold out till i see it, but damn... it's hard.

 

[ROBOCOP CPU001]

i'm trying to hold out till i see it, but damn... it's hard.

for people who don't get it in june, twice as hard.

 

[Nivek]

I've picked up a couple handfulls of Superman comics over the last 25 years. I even read Byrnes Man of Steel series month to month when he jumped to DC, but didn't like some of the revisionist elements tied to it. I got the Wedding issues, the Death of Superman, and the Electric Superman issues when I was tring to be a collector.

But to be honest, I found myself enjoying the Reeve films and the Dini/Timm cartoon more than any other interpitations. The Reeve films more so because of childhood memories. But I know the comics, and I know the histories, and used to even have collections like "Superman vs. the Supernatural".

 

[true316]

Another positive review:

http://entertainment.kaboose.com/pages/superman-returns.html

 

[true316]

Superman Returns
by Jane Louise Boursaw

Hard to believe it’s been 23 years since the last Superman movie graced theaters! Fans of the beloved superhero have gotten their fix with The WB’s Smallville these past five years, but what a thrill to see him on the silver screen again.

This time, the Man of Steel is played by 26-year-old Brandon Routh, an Iowa native who bears a striking resemblance to Christopher Reeve, who first donned the famed blue tights for the big screen in 1978’s Superman.

This movie, helmed by director Bryan Singer, picks up with Superman returning to Earth after a long absence. And what a return! I won’t give away too much, but let’s just say it involves a Mission Control space flight, a jet airliner, and a baseball stadium.

The story continues with Superman going about his business of saving the world — rescuing mountain climbers, putting out fires, stopping a bank robbery — intertwined with bits and pieces of Clark Kent and Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), who has a child now and is in a relationship. The reporter has apparently moved on with her life.

Or…has she? Sure, she’s quick to tell Superman, “The world doesn’t need a savior, and neither do I.” But when her boss, Perry White (Frank Langella), forces her to give Superman an interview for the Daily Planet, it’s clear that she still has feelings for him. Some of their scenes together are really touching and magical.

Meanwhile, the world is dying to know where Superman has been. And his nemesis, Lex Luthor (played to the hilt by a bald Kevin Spacey), is still scheming to kill him once and for all so he can take over the world. Again, I don’t want to give away too much, but his evil plan involves kidnapping and, of course, Kryptonite.

This movie is a big, fun blockbuster with just the right mix of thrills, special effects, romance, comedy and drama. Our hearts break when Superman laments that he once had Lois but doesn’t anymore, but we also relate to him on a human level (he is half-human, after all). Sometimes you lose love; sometimes you get it back.

Brandon Routh is perfect in the role, playing Clark Kent as a clumsy, bumbling reporter and Superman as a strong and powerful hero. Spacey rocks the house as Lex, and Kate Bosworth makes you fall in love with her. Eva Marie Saint completely inhabits the role of Superman’s human mother, Martha Kent, and how cool to see archival footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El!

I have to admit, I was a little ticked off when I heard that director Bryan Singer nixed X-Men 3 to do Superman, but what can I say? It’s Superman. And the trade-off is well worth it. This movie rocks, and Singer renews our faith that maybe there’s a little Superman in all of us.

 

[Cinemaman]

So much positivity, I've not read any negative review, strange

 

[Mr. Credible]

yes!

more positive reviews!

 

[Ita-KalEl]

Another positive review:

http://www.iesb.net/warnerbros2006/061006.php

 

[Mr. Credible]

i just wish they'd go into more details, though. not even so much spoiler-wise, but like, just talk about it more, the acting, special effects, etc...

 

[Wilde]

Wow! I love that fact that not only is every review positive, but every review talks about how amazing and brilliant the movie is!

And what's even better, every single reviewer has said something like "Brandon Routh IS Superman" and that he is perfect in the role!

Brandon Routh is Superman. Period. He seemed to embody the very fiber of Superman's being. He turned in a phenomenal performance and gave a fresh face to a well-known character.

Brandon Routh is my Superman. I really think he was fantastic in this film, and he was particularly strong in his Superman scenes with Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane. There's something very interesting going on in Brandon's performance. He's not simply cloning what Reeve gave us two decades ago, but he is exuding the same sort of aura that Reeve did back then. The best way that I can describe it is to say that these two are cut from the same cloth.

Brandon Routh turns in a performance that at many times plays as an homage to Christopher Reeve's legendary portrayal of Superman while managing to prove scene-after-scene that he now owns the role.

Brandon Routh?

There is no longer any doubt.

Brandon Routh IS Superman.

Routh and Bosworth have fantastic chemistry. Honestly, not a single performance was anything less than fantastic.

Brandon Routh is perfect in the role, playing Clark Kent as a clumsy, bumbling reporter and Superman as a strong and powerful hero.

Like Apollo come to earth, like Atlas holding the world in the great Rockefeller Center sculpture, Brandon Routh’s Superman has a gravity that enobles this entire two-and-a-half hour picture.

If you have any misgivings about the castings, as I've already mentioned, Brandon and Kevin are unbelievably good so count on many chills going up and down your spine. Watching them is like watching the comic come to life.

Lets hear people criticize Routh now!

I can't wait to see this movie!

 

[Nivek]

AICN got their review up. I guess Merrick is Joblo's friend that said it's "Good, but not great".

 

[The Batman]

Well...it seems most of the reviews are positive.

i like how AICN and joblo try to put their reviews in a negative light by saying its good and not great...

 

[CoGro]

He also mistook John Ottman's score for John Williams, which should say good things for the music.

Personally, once he said how much he loved the first Superman and parts of Superman II, you gotta take the rest of the review with a grain of salt. The original Superman, and especially Supes II, are unwatchable by today's standards for the most part. If anything, I want to see that stuff re-imagined. I've learned to recognize that whenever a writer starts off an article by trying to justify their opinion, it's pretty baseless and usually the opinion of someone with little taste.

Also, I still maintain that Burton's Batman is better than BB so him and I are going to have to disagree there.

 

[Nivek]

Well...it seems most of the reviews are positive.

i like how AICN and joblo try to put their reviews in a negative light by saying its good and not great...

It sounds pretty much like they are coming from the same source to me.

 

[SolidSnakeMGS]

The original Superman, and especially Supes II, are unwatchable by today's standards for the most part.

Jeez, NO THEY'RE NOT!! Why, no explosions, Jessica Alba, or car chases every 5 seconds??

 

[greenlantern530]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7528 - ComicBookResources review.

http://bluetights.net/news.php?id=314 - BlueTights review.

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/2006/06/i_saw_superman.php - Hollywood Elsewhere review.

http://news.bostonherald.com/blogs/stephenSchaefer/?p=63 - Boston Herald review.

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/news.php?readmore=2149 - Superman Homepage review.

Any that I'm missing?

Wow sounds great! I didn't expect reviews this good

 

[theogt]

Jeez, NO THEY'RE NOT!! Why, no explosions, Jessica Alba, or car chases every 5 seconds??

It's probably the bad acting, cheesy dialogue, and 3 decade old SFX. When viewed in light of their era they're still fun to watch. Not great, but fun.

 

[Ita-KalEl]

It sounds pretty much like they are coming from the same source to me.

BINGO!

 

[Cinemaman]

Hey, why they are not talking much about Spacey's acting???

Oh yeah, I think the whole world will understand that ROUTH is Superman.

 

[Cinemaman]

We have now 8 positive reviews, awesome!

 

[greenlantern530]

http://latinoreview.com/news.php?id=636

Why the World Needs to See Superman!


Three things are apparent about Superman Returns: Three things are apparent about Superman Returns:

* 1. Bryan Singer is on the fast track to being a legend.
2. Kevin Spacey's only limitation is the very few projects he works on each year.
3. Brandon Routh is... Clark Kent.

Superman Returns picks up right after Superman 2, after a 5-6 year trip back to his destroyed home world of Krypton, and boy howdy have things changed when he gets back. In his absence Lois has gotten engaged, Clark Kent has supposedly been soul-searching around the world, and the world has just seemingly moved on, without him. The big question is: Does the world need a savior? The timely answer is one of the most gorgeous uses of special effects as Superman makes his grand entrance just in time to save a crashing plane. Now I don't want to give away too many of the goodies, but trust me: this film is loaded like an Easter Bunny that was planning on going on strike.

If you have any misgivings about the castings, as I've already mentioned, Brandon and Kevin are unbelievably good so count on many chills going up and down your spine. Watching them is like watching the comic come to life. Bosworth cannot be over looked, in fact - given the reaction to Katie Holmes in Batman Begins - I could envision her being the biggest gamble in the audience's mind. You'll be happy to know that she pulls it off in spades. I never once saw her as anything other then Lois Lane, it is a career defining roll for her — now she'll always be Lois. The rest of the cast did well especially Sam Huntington who plays Jimmy Olsen, he knocks that performace out of the ballpark.

Lastly, Superman Returns is coming to IMAX and I have got to tell you: bring an extra pair of shorts. It's not just good. It's not even great. It's spectacular! It will BLOW YOUR MIND! Whatever technique IMAX does to the film is just jaw dropping; Superman saving a crashing plane honestly feels like he's in the room with you. It'll be 20 minutes of the film that is converted to IMAX and I think I want to see it like 20 times. I'll see y'all in line at the IMAX theater! What a great way to start the summer! A triumphant Return!

SWEEET.