Superman Returns What could have made Superman Returns better

[BH/HHH]

I really like Superman Returns (8/10) but I wanted to list some of the things that could have been changed to have made this film better.

Lack of action - this is the main thing for me I had wanted to see Superman throw down with someone especially with modern FX

Superman's lack of dialogue - Superman didnt have enough dialogue for me, more would have been a plus

The Kid - just no, Lois having a boyfriend would have been enough

Love triangle - the triangle should be Clark, Lois and Superman, now the whole boyfriend thing doesn't bother me that much but I prefer the triangle to be Clark, Lois and Superman, maybe they could have had a plot like in Up Up and Away where Clark's lost his powers and maybe whilst he's not Superman he gets closer to Lois as Clark Kent but when he gets his powers back he has to pull away abit more. Infact you could have had an uplifting end where he reveals to Lois that he is Superman.

Lex's Motives (knocking off old ladies and the Land scheme) - Come on something new would have been good other than a land scheme again, plus if its Superman coming back to a changed world why not come back to have Lex be a hero in Metropolis, been the mega business man he was in John Byrne's MOS would have been alot better than Lex the old lady swindler which was just gross

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane - I just don't like her, she's not very likeable and its not just the way she's written. Lois should have been written better though she comes across as an unlikeable whiney b*tch. Rachael McAdams would have been my choice to play Lois.

Perry White should shout more - Perry should have shouted more, nuff said really

Brightness of the film and costume - the film should have been brighter especially when Superman returned, its not Batman. Also the costume should have been brighter, the S should have been larger and it should have been designed better to show off Brandon's physique.

Superstalking - just no no, I hate that Singer cut out a great subplot of Lex and Stanford sending Superman to Krypton and leave something like this in

The big payoff - two moments of this, Superman should have done something to the guy that shot him in the eye, I think he should have eye lasered the gun so it explodes, so the guy runs to attack him and Superman flicks him (to knock him out) and also the end Superman should have been able to fight off those thugs maybe the scene could have gone like this: Superman lands on the rock but maybe the Kryptonite is blocked by a lair of Crystal so when he goes to confront Lex, his goons try to attack Superman and he fights them off easily, he grabs ahold of Lex and Lex punches him with Kryptonite in his hand then Superman hits Lex back and hurts him but he is weakened and Lex kicks away a lair of crystal to reveal the Kryptonite underneath and the thugs also do this so Superman is surrounded by it then have the thugs and Lex nearly kill Superman.

the end of the film - the whole he is dead thing really dragged the film on maybe he could have landed back on earth and been in pain which could proceed in Lex and him having another fight maybe like the one in Superman Up Up and Away when Superman's powers have temporarily gone

Now it might seem from that, that I don't like this film, I do but it just could have been better. I would have loved it if he'd have realised more of what the general Superman audience wanted than retreading too much on Donner's classic. I like the vague sequel idea, I just think he remade too much of what was already perfected in Superman the Movie. Just a shame that this happened cause I think with some of the fixes to the film it would have been more of a hit.

 

[Herolee10]

I think the concept of Superman returning after a period of absence from the wold was a GREAT idea, but the execution of it wasn't as great imho.

The film should have placed more focus on Superman having to earn back the trust of the public throughout the film, rather than focusing on how his personal life to the extent that the film did.

Honestly, watching the film, it didn't feel like that Superman had ever left the planet given the reactions of the people from what we saw. While I'm not trying to say that the film should have exploited on real life tragic events that took place prior to 2006, like 9/11 for example, I think that there should have been some fictionalized worldly tragedies created for this story in order to give a broader scope as to how Superman having left the planet had dire consequences.

Also, the chemistry between Superman/Clark and Lois wasn't certainly at its best, and given as to what was revealed to have been the established relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane, I think this is one are that should have been modernized to match as how Lois had actual respect and feelings for the Clark Kent persona, rather than having her pine after the Superman one.

I think that the idea of Superman and Lois having a child isn't a bad idea either, but again, the execution of it was terrible. Having Superman come back only to find out that he's had a son with Lois, whom we don't know as to whether she was aware of Jason's true parentage, while having her engaged to a man that most likely thinks that the child is his is just about the biggest complicate mess that you can get with the iconic Lois and clark/superman relationship.

Lex Luthor should have been more sinister and more of a threat. When I saw him, I didn't feel threatened by him like I have with other comic book villains. He really came off as just a bitter old man.

In my honest opinion, they should have not made "Superman" the real persona for this interpretation, and instead, they should have put more emphasis and foundation into the Clark Kent persona in this film as well.

More action wouldn't have hurt the film, and a better pacing at the beginning.

And of course, giving Clark/Superman MORE LINES to say, let alone, more screen time and a stronger character arc would have been helpful.

 

[TheCalling]

Im one of the few people that really LOVES the movie. But no film is perfect and there are a few things i would change.

1. The yellow filter Singer used. This made the film too dark and totally messed up the colors of Superman's costume.

2. Kate Bosworth. She wasn't horrible, she did a few job, but would not have been my choice for Lois Lane.

3. Superman and Lois not getting together.

I didnt have a problem with the kid. I think they put that together really well although i would never want to see him "grow up" with those powers in a once announced sequel.

 

[Herolee10]

Im one of the few people that really LOVES the movie. But no film is perfect and there are a few things i would change.

1. The yellow filter Singer used. This made the film too dark and totally messed up the colors of Superman's costume.

2. Kate Bosworth. She wasn't horrible, she did a few job, but would not have been my choice for Lois Lane.

3. Superman and Lois not getting together.

I didnt have a problem with the kid. I think they put that together really well although i would never want to see him "grow up" with those powers in a once announced sequel.

1. Oh yeah, the yellow filter is definitely a must go. I've seen clips and pictures of scenes without the yellow filter, and I can definitely say that they're a definite improvement from what we got originally. Superman's costume is dark as it is in regards to the materials that are colored in red. Having a yellow filter makes it appear more brownish than anything, while making the blue part of it look more sea green.

2. Kate Bosworth, although a great actress, I felt wasn't the best choice for the role, and certainly didn't appear to be the right age of that of a Lois who had been established for more than 5 years, while being a mother.

3. I honestly don't know on how they would have solved the issue of Superman's romantic relationship with Richard. Truth be told, Singer has admitted to viewing Superman in this film as nothing more than Lois's old flame, thus somewhat degrading the iconic status that these two characters have in fictional history imho.

4. The kid, while a innovative idea, I think again the timing and the execution was terribly done. Having a kid introduced in the first film of a supposed franchise isn't the best way that I would think of to start things off.

 

[bladezenna]

What is this yellow filter stuff. I watched Superman returns at the cinema and really enjoyed it but the more I thought about the film The more faults I found.

I think the first poster hit the nail on the head with the faults of the film.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

No kid
No fiance
No Bosworth
No land related plan for Lex Luthor
No pathetic sidekicks for Lex
No christ like imagery
No repetition of the line 'The son becomes the father, the father the son'
No copy catting of the feel of the 70s film

More lines for Clark and Superman, and less pensive staring
More respect between Lois and Clark
A more threatening Lex Luthor
More idea of what the public were feeling

Just to say, after all that negativity. I liked Brandon Routh, felt he had a very Supermanly vibe to him. I loved the scene were he's beaten by Luthor and then saved by Lois. Like the visuals on the plane scene and the getting shot in the eye.

 

[BH/HHH]

What is this yellow filter stuff. I watched Superman returns at the cinema and really enjoyed it but the more I thought about the film The more faults I found.

I think the first poster hit the nail on the head with the faults of the film.

Thanks

I think my biggest complain is that we continuosly got no payoff i.e. the bank rooftop scene

No kid
No fiance
No Bosworth
No land related plan for Lex Luthor
No pathetic sidekicks for Lex
No christ like imagery
No repetition of the line 'The son becomes the father, the father the son'
No copy catting of the feel of the 70s film

More lines for Clark and Superman, and less pensive staring
More respect between Lois and Clark
A more threatening Lex Luthor
More idea of what the public were feeling

Just to say, after all that negativity. I liked Brandon Routh, felt he had a very Supermanly vibe to him. I loved the scene were he's beaten by Luthor and then saved by Lois. Like the visuals on the plane scene and the getting shot in the eye.

The respect issue was one of the worst things to me Lois was horrible to Clark for no reason. To say Singer was such a fan of the Donner movie he didn't get the Lois & Clark thing at all, they were good friends in Superman the Movie.

 

[Herolee10]

What is this yellow filter stuff.

There was a yellow like/sepia tone color filter that was placed on the film that made the images presented on the film more darker than originally filmed. There have been some images of scenes along with a clip (that can be found on youtube) of what the film may have looked like in color if the yellow color was removed, and after seeing those things, the film looked more vibrant in color.

Just to say, after all that negativity. I liked Brandon Routh, felt he had a very Supermanly vibe to him. I loved the scene were he's beaten by Luthor and then saved by Lois. Like the visuals on the plane scene and the getting shot in the eye.

Agreed, I think BR's performance was one of the main reasons why the film made as much money as it did. And as many faults there were for this film, the film did provide viewers with a lot of memorable visuals that will be remembered imho by superman fans for many years.

Thanks

I think my biggest complain is that we continuosly got no payoff i.e. the bank rooftop scene



The respect issue was one of the worst things to me Lois was horrible to Clark for no reason. To say Singer was such a fan of the Donner movie he didn't get the Lois & Clark thing at all, they were good friends in Superman the Movie.

Agreed. Heck, Clark Kent and Lois Lane were presented as good, if not great friends, in the following sequels from S:TM (which were ironically not directed by RD).

But yeah, I mean I couldn't even feel that Superman and Lois had a real romantic history in this film. It just felt like they were romantically linked for the sake of the film plot regarding the child. It would have been best to reintroduce and re-establish the relationship between the two on screen before introducing problems and scenarios that either didn't fit with these characters, or shouldn have been introduced at a later film.

 

[BH/HHH]

There was a yellow like/sepia tone color filter that was placed on the film that made the images presented on the film more darker than originally filmed. There have been some images of scenes along with a clip (that can be found on youtube) of what the film may have looked like in color if the yellow color was removed, and after seeing those things, the film looked more vibrant in color.

Its a shame the film was way too dark I always felt that the film should have become brighter when Superman had returned

Agreed, I think BR's performance was one of the main reasons why the film made as much money as it did. And as many faults there were for this film, the film did provide viewers with a lot of memorable visuals that will be remembered imho by superman fans for many years.

Yes I agree, the Plane scene, the costume change in the lift at the Daily Planet, Superman catching the globe, Superman flying faster than a speeding bullet over the ocean, Superman holding half a boat up in one hand, Superman been shot in the eye... to name a few, its a stunning film visually and does have some great individual moments

But yeah, I mean I couldn't even feel that Superman and Lois had a real romantic history in this film. It just felt like they were romantically linked for the sake of the film plot regarding the child. It would have been best to reintroduce and re-establish the relationship between the two on screen before introducing problems and scenarios that either didn't fit with these characters, or shouldn have been introduced at a later film.

Definitely, it almost felt like two stranger who'd had a one night stand and he'd never called.


It also bugs me that Singer wasted a bunch of money on a Return to Krypton sequence that we never got to see, couldn't he have used the money to film some extra action scenes instead of wasting it?!

 

[Herolee10]

Its a shame the film was way too dark I always felt that the film should have become brighter when Superman had returned

That would have definitely been a great visual effect to see, while helping to dramatize the events of the story. Hell, they could have had the day that Superman made his official return, by having it all cloudy and dark, only for the sun to finally emerge (and technically restore the film colors) when he emerges from the plane for the world to fully see him.

Speaking of which, as much as I thought that it was a GREAT scene to see the audiences cheering for him, I thought that in the context of the story, that it was a misplaced scene. Given that Superman was supposed to be gone for half a decade, to the point where the world got used to the idea of him not being around to help them, the people should have been silent, and in awe of trying to absorb the fact that Superman was actually back.

The film should have focused more imho, on how crappy the world had gotten without Superman being around, and how it felt like without his presence. The only thing that we got in regards to this theme was when Clark turned on the tv to see the disaster reports while he was at the farm.

Yes I agree, the Plane scene, the costume change in the lift at the Daily Planet, Superman catching the globe, Superman flying faster than a speeding bullet over the ocean, Superman holding half a boat up in one hand, Superman been shot in the eye... to name a few, its a stunning film visually and does have some great individual moments

Agreed..heck, it'll be quite hard to pull off a first official Superman rescue on screen for the next film without drawing comparisons from this scene.

And the bullet in the eye scene was definitely an original and jaw dropping moment for a lot of people to see.

Speaking of effects, I thought that the film though, had overused too much CGI doubles for superman. There were A LOT of CGI doubles for Superman when he was flying when it could have been easily filmed with BR himself. Instead, they chose to go with a CGI double for who knows what.

I mean, if CR could pull off several classic and memorable flying scenes with his own body, why didn't they allow BR to do the same? I mean, I saw on how they were like training BR for weeks as to how his posture should be like when flying and how to get used to yet, and somehow, it all felt like a waste in the end since we got so many CGI doubles for him.

Not to mention, that Singer should have realized that his original scene for how Clark changed into Superman for when he was rushing to save the plane was not what he had preferred, since there wasn't really anything iconic about how they had just inserted a CGI chest plate onto BR's chest when he ripped his shirt opened, since we know that in the original scene, it was supposed to be revealed that Clark had left his suit in his briefcase.

They should have just reshot the scene altogether to make it better, hell Spiderman 2 had a better shirt rip scene than that.

Definitely, it almost felt like two stranger who'd had a one night stand and he'd never called.


It also bugs me that Singer wasted a bunch of money on a Return to Krypton sequence that we never got to see, couldn't he have used the money to film some extra action scenes instead of wasting it?!

Agreed; like I said, I didn't feel any history between them, or real sparks for each other.

And seriously, what was Singer thinking on placing Superman in a situation where it could easily be misinterpreted that Superman could be posed as a possible homewrecker for the White Family? I mean it's one thing if Richard white is presented as a bad character, but from what I saw, he was a great guy who had it all where it counted the most. Seriously, I really feel that Singer had devalued the iconic relationship, and the fact that he called all of this drama into being his "first chick flick", really says a lot as to how he views the relationship.

As for the RTK sequence; again just like the shirt rip scene, Singer should have made up his mind as to which scenes he wanted to keep or not before actually spending money on them. Personally, I wish as well that they would have kept the sequence in.

Imho, Lex and Lois got much more screentime and focus in this film than Superman himself did.

 

[BH/HHH]

That would have definitely been a great visual effect to see, while helping to dramatize the events of the story. Hell, they could have had the day that Superman made his official return, by having it all cloudy and dark, only for the sun to finally emerge (and technically restore the film colors) when he emerges from the plane for the world to fully see him.

Speaking of which, as much as I thought that it was a GREAT scene to see the audiences cheering for him, I thought that in the context of the story, that it was a misplaced scene. Given that Superman was supposed to be gone for half a decade, to the point where the world got used to the idea of him not being around to help them, the people should have been silent, and in awe of trying to absorb the fact that Superman was actually back.

The film should have focused more imho, on how crappy the world had gotten without Superman being around, and how it felt like without his presence. The only thing that we got in regards to this theme was when Clark turned on the tv to see the disaster reports while he was at the farm.

Well the light returning could definitely have been symbolic aswell as a great visual, this is what I mean when I think Singer really missed the boat alot


There definitely should have been more made of that, it just seemed like he saw a few things that went wrong when he was gone felt a little bad, came back and everyone was just automatically happy that he was back instead of been like well where were you when this happened, etc etc

Agreed..heck, it'll be quite hard to pull off a first official Superman rescue on screen for the next film without drawing comparisons from this scene.

And the bullet in the eye scene was definitely an original and jaw dropping moment for a lot of people to see.

Speaking of effects, I thought that the film though, had overused too much CGI doubles for superman. There were A LOT of CGI doubles for Superman when he was flying when it could have been easily filmed with BR himself. Instead, they chose to go with a CGI double for who knows what.

I mean, if CR could pull off several classic and memorable flying scenes with his own body, why didn't they allow BR to do the same? I mean, I saw on how they were like training BR for weeks as to how his posture should be like when flying and how to get used to yet, and somehow, it all felt like a waste in the end since we got so many CGI doubles for him.

Not to mention, that Singer should have realized that his original scene for how Clark changed into Superman for when he was rushing to save the plane was not what he had preferred, since there wasn't really anything iconic about how they had just inserted a CGI chest plate onto BR's chest when he ripped his shirt opened, since we know that in the original scene, it was supposed to be revealed that Clark had left his suit in his briefcase.

They should have just reshot the scene altogether to make it better, hell Spiderman 2 had a better shirt rip scene than that.

They're gonna have a job doing something better than the Plane scene if they're going to do something on this level. I think a Train scene might be just as good if not better.

Yeah reading the script aswell that scene where he went back to the planet for his costume worked aswell. Infact there's several things in the shooting script that they should have kept for the movie

Agreed; like I said, I didn't feel any history between them, or real sparks for each other.

And seriously, what was Singer thinking on placing Superman in a situation where it could easily be misinterpreted that Superman could be posed as a possible homewrecker for the White Family? I mean it's one thing if Richard white is presented as a bad character, but from what I saw, he was a great guy who had it all where it counted the most. Seriously, I really feel that Singer had devalued the iconic relationship, and the fact that he called all of this drama into being his "first chick flick", really says a lot as to how he views the relationship.

As for the RTK sequence; again just like the shirt rip scene, Singer should have made up his mind as to which scenes he wanted to keep or not before actually spending money on them. Personally, I wish as well that they would have kept the sequence in.

Imho, Lex and Lois got much more screentime and focus in this film than Superman himself did.

If Richard had 've known Jason wasn't his it could have been avoidable.

Its basically Lois Lane/Lex Luthor the movie featuring the Return of Superman and thats its biggest problem. Superman actually has more dialogue in the shooting script, not a ton more but there's more, like when he goes back to the fortress and realises the crystals have been stolen in the script he's calling out for his father and explaining that he's been gone along time and he needs to talk but then notices the crystals gone. Little things like that should have been left in.

Superman should be the main focal point, look at the Nolan Batman movies no matter what Batman is the star of both those movies, thats how it should be.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

Yes I agree, the Plane scene, the costume change in the lift at the Daily Planet, Superman catching the globe, Superman flying faster than a speeding bullet over the ocean, Superman holding half a boat up in one hand, Superman been shot in the eye... to name a few, its a stunning film visually and does have some great individual moments

Definitely... and I remember leaving the cinema feeling absolutely wonderful about those moments, wanting to see them over and over, wanting other people to see them... and it's such a shame that moments like that are going to be forgotten about because they were in such a forgetable film.

Definitely, it almost felt like two stranger who'd had a one night stand and he'd never called.

This^

And then add the creepy factor that she doesn't remember sleeping with him :S

Given that Superman was supposed to be gone for half a decade, to the point where the world got used to the idea of him not being around to help them, the people should have been silent, and in awe of trying to absorb the fact that Superman was actually back.

And how poignant would that have been? It would have been damn incredible to see a whole stadium full of people just completely standing there in stunned silence... and to have him taking all that in, realising that people weren't going to just welcome him back with open arms, but were going to have mixed feelings of abandonment and resentment...

I mean ANYONE who had a relative or loved one, who had died in a natural disaster that Superman would have easily averted, would have been angry. Selfishly angry, yes, but still angry.

I would have loved a scene in which people in the streets were rioting against the MOS, praising Lois' prize winning peace on not needing him, and have an incident in which when Superman is trying to save the day, people are mobbing him with abuse, maybe even hurling things at him.

And seriously, what was Singer thinking on placing Superman in a situation where it could easily be misinterpreted that Superman could be posed as a possible homewrecker for the White Family? I mean it's one thing if Richard white is presented as a bad character, but from what I saw, he was a great guy who had it all where it counted the most. Seriously, I really feel that Singer had devalued the iconic relationship, and the fact that he called all of this drama into being his "first chick flick", really says a lot as to how he views the relationship.

I've read a great fanfic that makes richard a villain... it makes me feel a bit better when i read that

But seriously, I just think the kid's inclusion was one of the most INSANE ideas i've ever seen allowed to actually go ahead in a film.

Really... REALLY? They all sat there in the initial stages going 'You know what'd make Superman cooler, more badass?... A Kid! A Super kid! And we'll have him shove pianos and stuff, and be immune to kryptonite, and maybe even save his daddy somehow. Oh, and do you know what would make it EVEN COOLER?! If he had to break up a family in order to be with Lois and his kid again....

Superman actually has more dialogue in the shooting script, not a ton more but there's more, like when he goes back to the fortress and realises the crystals have been stolen in the script he's calling out for his father and explaining that he's been gone along time and he needs to talk but then notices the crystals gone. Little things like that should have been left in.

Superman should be the main focal point, look at the Nolan Batman movies no matter what Batman is the star of both those movies, thats how it should be.

I like the sound of that. It's so sad Routh was never given that opportunity. Because IMO everything he DID say was very well done.

 

[BH/HHH]

Definitely... and I remember leaving the cinema feeling absolutely wonderful about those moments, wanting to see them over and over, wanting other people to see them... and it's such a shame that moments like that are going to be forgotten about because they were in such a forgetable film.

Definitely a shame

This^

And then add the creepy factor that she doesn't remember sleeping with him :S

Yeah I think that might be the whole idea of Singer using his vague theory

And how poignant would that have been? It would have been damn incredible to see a whole stadium full of people just completely standing there in stunned silence... and to have him taking all that in, realising that people weren't going to just welcome him back with open arms, but were going to have mixed feelings of abandonment and resentment...

I mean ANYONE who had a relative or loved one, who had died in a natural disaster that Superman would have easily averted, would have been angry. Selfishly angry, yes, but still angry.

I would have loved a scene in which people in the streets were rioting against the MOS, praising Lois' prize winning peace on not needing him, and have an incident in which when Superman is trying to save the day, people are mobbing him with abuse, maybe even hurling things at him.

Definitely it would have given them the deepness they were hoping to get from this film. Some of the stuff in Superman Secret Origin where people weren't sure what to make of him was brilliant. You hear them saying stuff like what does he want from us? etc

I've read a great fanfic that makes richard a villain... it makes me feel a bit better when i read that

But seriously, I just think the kid's inclusion was one of the most INSANE ideas i've ever seen allowed to actually go ahead in a film.

Really... REALLY? They all sat there in the initial stages going 'You know what'd make Superman cooler, more badass?... A Kid! A Super kid! And we'll have him shove pianos and stuff, and be immune to kryptonite, and maybe even save his daddy somehow. Oh, and do you know what would make it EVEN COOLER?! If he had to break up a family in order to be with Lois and his kid again....

The kid was a stupid idea indeed, but like I said had he have known Richard wasn't his Father and visa versa it wouldn't have painted them into such a corner but th I'd rather he wasn't in it anyway. Wasn't Lois just having a boyfriend enough. Tbh though thats why I prefer the Up, Up and Away idea when Clark has lost his powers and is living as a civilian that for me would have beenmore interesting, this way Lois could have grown closer to Clark, Clark Lois Superman the only way the love triangle should be imo.

I like the sound of that. It's so sad Routh was never given that opportunity. Because IMO everything he DID say was very well done.

Well its possible it was filmed cause it is the shooting script so maybe they have the scenes somewhere with the dialogue. In the shooting script book it starts with 3 interviews and one of Singer, Dougherty or Harris (I forget which) says that with all the scenes they had the film would have been 3 and a half hours long so I'm guessing that whats in the shooting script was all shot.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

Yeah I think that might be the whole idea of Singer using his vague theory

I missed that, what's his attempt at an excuse?

Definitely it would have given them the deepness they were hoping to get from this film. Some of the stuff in Superman Secret Origin where people weren't sure what to make of him was brilliant. You hear them saying stuff like what does he want from us? etc

God that sounds awesome... and exactly why i'd love to see an origin in the new film IMO.

It's just NEVER been dealt with realistically and seriously as a legitamate subject matter (other than, of all places, Smallville ). Superman just goes into the fortress, comes out in the suit, and when he starts saving the day people just smile happily and applaud and love him immediately... No one questions the outfit. No one questions why he's there, or whether he's dangerous.

It makes the whole world look stupid... and it makes the story so incredibly unrelatable and dated.

Yeah, you can't have full on 'realism' in a character who can fly and shoot fire from him eyes. But the world around him can react realistically to him. And he can act as we would imagine some in that situation would.

The kid was a stupid idea indeed, but like I said had he have known Richard wasn't his Father and visa versa it wouldn't have painted them into such a corner but th I'd rather he wasn't in it anyway. Wasn't Lois just having a boyfriend enough. Tbh though thats why I prefer the Up, Up and Away idea when Clark has lost his powers and is living as a civilian that for me would have beenmore interesting, this way Lois could have grown closer to Clark, Clark Lois Superman the only way the love triangle should be imo.

Agreed. For god's sake, it's one of defining points of Superman for me. He actually has a love triangle with HIMSELF as the other man. It's a great story.

 

[BH/HHH]

I missed that, what's his attempt at an excuse?

Ha ha well its vague history so if you say but he wiped her memory he can say hey its only vague lol

God that sounds awesome... and exactly why i'd love to see an origin in the new film IMO.

It's just NEVER been dealt with realistically and seriously as a legitamate subject matter (other than, of all places, Smallville ). Superman just goes into the fortress, comes out in the suit, and when he starts saving the day people just smile happily and applaud and love him immediately... No one questions the outfit. No one questions why he's there, or whether he's dangerous.

It makes the whole world look stupid... and it makes the story so incredibly unrelatable and dated.

Yeah, you can't have full on 'realism' in a character who can fly and shoot fire from him eyes. But the world around him can react realistically to him. And he can act as we would imagine some in that situation would.

Well I want to see origin but not all the Krypton/Smallville stuff I want it to start with his first day at the DP and he discovers a little more about his origins in the film and even more so in a sequel (with Brainiac hopefully )

Agreed. For god's sake, it's one of defining points of Superman for me. He actually has a love triangle with HIMSELF as the other man. It's a great story.

Definitely, I mean if you've done a few movies with it and you wanna spice it up maybe bring in Lana Lang but for me the triangle works best as Clark Lois Superman.


If only we had a time machine

 

[Herolee10]

Honestly, I wish that they had gone this route with SR instead:


1. The World of Superman Returns: I would have made the world presented in the film as being a place that wasn't pleasant to be in. I mean if people sees as to how "Smallville" is slowly having its world turned upside down by Darkseid's influence and by the public's paranoia of Heroes, I would have gone a similar route for the world in SR, but perhaps a bit darker.

The film should have focused a lot on how the world had changed for the worse due to not only because Superman's absence, but because they had started to rely too much on him like Jor el had feared they would.

Superman is supposed to inspire hope and to help people realize that they're capable of doing great things on their own as well; hence Jor-el's line about how humans can be a "great people", and that they just need the light to be shown the way, which would be Superman in this case of course.

By the end of the film, after Superman's heroics, not only would they finally accept him back, but they would have learned to stand up on their own as well against corrupted forces.


2. Credible Threat: Honestly, while Lex had his few moments in SR, he still came up short as to who I would consider to be a credible threat. The irony is that Singer said in a interview that a "Hero is as good as his villain", well I guess he mustn't really think of Superman as a great hero since I didn't see a great villain.lol That and the fact that Singer was able to develop great villains for his X Men series.

Lex Luther should be someone who should be feared, and who should wanting things bigger than mere profits. He should have tried to gain public support for himself, making himself out to be the new savior of the world while further trying to discredit Superman's name.

Granted he's not as crazy and scary looking as the Joker, but he should still be someone who you would normally fear to get pissed off.


3. Better Action: Honestly, with the budget that went into this film, after seeing great comic book films that have brought forth, one must wonder as to where the hell did Singer spend the money at times?

I mean would it have been hard to have given Lex his battle suit for this film in order to fight Superman and give us a meaningful super fight instead of creating a scene that reminded some of the Passion of the Christ? That and the fact that the entire Metropolis disaster sequence felt more like a modified and updated version of the chaos that took place near the end of S:TM.

And honestly, give Superman much more believable and menacing thugs to deal with when he's doing his super saves. Jeez, I wanted to see Superman save people who were being terrorized by believable and menacing thugs (the kind that you actually see in real life) and just whoop their asses like only he could.


4. Superman's Relationships: I thought Superman's relationship with his mother was done well, so I really wouldn't change that. Now the way that his relationship was presented with Lois; that's a different issue.

First off, get rid of the kid. I'm sure many have said this before, but the kid was introduced too soon and in such the wrong way. I know that there are many families out there that are in the same case as Superman/Lois/Jason/Richard are in, but there are just some problems that a person should not give Superman, and this is something that I would consider as one of them.

How many great franchises have gone downhill, or have lost it's serious tone after giving the main couple a kid? The Mummy? Zorro? Point being, if there was a need to bring in the kid, he could have been saved for the final film of this series. And he could have actually been born where Lois knows that clark is superman, and where we don't have the case where Jason and possibly Lois, thinks that another man is Jason's biological father.

I mean, the only way to solve this problem in a believable way while not making Superman appear as a home wrecker would have been to kill of Richard in the next film since based on how Richard was presented in this film, I wouldn't and couldn't believe that he'd become evil someday.

Now comes the other problem; honestly, not only would it have been better to make "Clark Kent" more of a dominant persona, but it should have been the "Clark Kent" persona that Lois Lane should have been in love with. She could have been in love with Clark Kent, while being great friends with his Superman persona, hence when Clark Kent/Superman leave her, she can feel all the more hurt; which could have still led to the whole "Why the world doesn't need Superman" article.

There was nothing iconic about the relationship in this take, and sadly, I would have preferred for Clark's relationship with Lois to be like how Richard white's relationship was with Lois; where they can be that much at ease with each other.

Also, I would eliminate the triangle issue, don't introduce Richard, and just have Lois presented as someone who was seriously hurt, and that Superman/Clark would have to earn her trust again as well throughout the duration of the film.


5. Superman's Presence: Give Routh more freaking material to work with! Seriously, i thought he did a GREAT Job with what little he was given, so imagine what he could have been like if he had been given more and better material, let alone lines to say!

Also, there should have been a distinct difference as to how the world in the film felt like at the beginning, where Superman is absent, as to how it feels like by the end of the film when Superman is back.

We should have seen better scenes as to how the people in Clark's life, whether good or bad, along with the people outside of it, were like because of his absence, and how they were like after he returned.


So again I said, Superman Returns had a great Concept, but the execution was bad, and it wasted so much potential.

 

[BH/HHH]

I mean would it have been hard to have given Lex his battle suit for this film in order to fight Superman and give us a meaningful super fight instead of creating a scene that reminded some of the Passion of the Christ? That and the fact that the entire Metropolis disaster sequence felt more like a modified and updated version of the chaos that took place near the end of S:TM.

Powersuit Lex would have kicked ass

 

[hurley711]

The scene on NK, when the thugs beat up on a weakened superman I actually found very powerful. The music, a weakened supes being thrown around was sad to watch. But I always thought it would have been really really cool if when he was punched by Lex and realized on the ground that his fingers were bleeding from the greek K if supes would have had just enough power left to attempt to fly away, and as he was weakly lifting off the ground have the thugs grab him by his legs to stop him, thus making the scene even more powerful.

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

What would have made Superman Returns better IMO is if they left the movie uncut. Now granted I did love the movie and thought it was great but I think it would have been better if they left in the whole RTK scene as well as the Lex Luthor subplot and some of the reaction they had planned for Lois when her and Superman talked as well as them hinting at her knowing he was listening. Another thing I think that would have been better is that if Lois and Clark had a better relationship before he left as they showed in the prequel comics and I think it would have been a little better if Lois knew Clark was Superman. Would have been more dramatic when both returned I think.

 

[mariefarie]

superman returns would have been better if they got rid of lex luthor and stopped trying to make a tribute movie to the old films. oh and get an actual fan to direct it.

 

[mego joe]

I really like Superman Returns (8/10) but I wanted to list some of the things that could have been changed to have made this film better.

Lack of action - this is the main thing for me I had wanted to see Superman throw down with someone especially with modern FX

Superman's lack of dialogue - Superman didnt have enough dialogue for me, more would have been a plus

The Kid - just no, Lois having a boyfriend would have been enough

Love triangle - the triangle should be Clark, Lois and Superman, now the whole boyfriend thing doesn't bother me that much but I prefer the triangle to be Clark, Lois and Superman, maybe they could have had a plot like in Up Up and Away where Clark's lost his powers and maybe whilst he's not Superman he gets closer to Lois as Clark Kent but when he gets his powers back he has to pull away abit more. Infact you could have had an uplifting end where he reveals to Lois that he is Superman.

Lex's Motives (knocking off old ladies and the Land scheme) - Come on something new would have been good other than a land scheme again, plus if its Superman coming back to a changed world why not come back to have Lex be a hero in Metropolis, been the mega business man he was in John Byrne's MOS would have been alot better than Lex the old lady swindler which was just gross

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane - I just don't like her, she's not very likeable and its not just the way she's written. Lois should have been written better though she comes across as an unlikeable whiney b*tch. Rachael McAdams would have been my choice to play Lois.

Perry White should shout more - Perry should have shouted more, nuff said really

Brightness of the film and costume - the film should have been brighter especially when Superman returned, its not Batman. Also the costume should have been brighter, the S should have been larger and it should have been designed better to show off Brandon's physique.

Superstalking - just no no, I hate that Singer cut out a great subplot of Lex and Stanford sending Superman to Krypton and leave something like this in

The big payoff - two moments of this, Superman should have done something to the guy that shot him in the eye, I think he should have eye lasered the gun so it explodes, so the guy runs to attack him and Superman flicks him (to knock him out) and also the end Superman should have been able to fight off those thugs maybe the scene could have gone like this: Superman lands on the rock but maybe the Kryptonite is blocked by a lair of Crystal so when he goes to confront Lex, his goons try to attack Superman and he fights them off easily, he grabs ahold of Lex and Lex punches him with Kryptonite in his hand then Superman hits Lex back and hurts him but he is weakened and Lex kicks away a lair of crystal to reveal the Kryptonite underneath and the thugs also do this so Superman is surrounded by it then have the thugs and Lex nearly kill Superman.

the end of the film - the whole he is dead thing really dragged the film on maybe he could have landed back on earth and been in pain which could proceed in Lex and him having another fight maybe like the one in Superman Up Up and Away when Superman's powers have temporarily gone

Now it might seem from that, that I don't like this film, I do but it just could have been better. I would have loved it if he'd have realised more of what the general Superman audience wanted than retreading too much on Donner's classic. I like the vague sequel idea, I just think he remade too much of what was already perfected in Superman the Movie. Just a shame that this happened cause I think with some of the fixes to the film it would have been more of a hit.

So...basically everything.

 

[mego joe]

I really like Superman Returns (8/10) but I wanted to list some of the things that could have been changed to have made this film better.

Lack of action - this is the main thing for me I had wanted to see Superman throw down with someone especially with modern FX

Superman's lack of dialogue - Superman didnt have enough dialogue for me, more would have been a plus

The Kid - just no, Lois having a boyfriend would have been enough

Love triangle - the triangle should be Clark, Lois and Superman, now the whole boyfriend thing doesn't bother me that much but I prefer the triangle to be Clark, Lois and Superman, maybe they could have had a plot like in Up Up and Away where Clark's lost his powers and maybe whilst he's not Superman he gets closer to Lois as Clark Kent but when he gets his powers back he has to pull away abit more. Infact you could have had an uplifting end where he reveals to Lois that he is Superman.

Lex's Motives (knocking off old ladies and the Land scheme) - Come on something new would have been good other than a land scheme again, plus if its Superman coming back to a changed world why not come back to have Lex be a hero in Metropolis, been the mega business man he was in John Byrne's MOS would have been alot better than Lex the old lady swindler which was just gross

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane - I just don't like her, she's not very likeable and its not just the way she's written. Lois should have been written better though she comes across as an unlikeable whiney b*tch. Rachael McAdams would have been my choice to play Lois.

Perry White should shout more - Perry should have shouted more, nuff said really

Brightness of the film and costume - the film should have been brighter especially when Superman returned, its not Batman. Also the costume should have been brighter, the S should have been larger and it should have been designed better to show off Brandon's physique.

Superstalking - just no no, I hate that Singer cut out a great subplot of Lex and Stanford sending Superman to Krypton and leave something like this in

The big payoff - two moments of this, Superman should have done something to the guy that shot him in the eye, I think he should have eye lasered the gun so it explodes, so the guy runs to attack him and Superman flicks him (to knock him out) and also the end Superman should have been able to fight off those thugs maybe the scene could have gone like this: Superman lands on the rock but maybe the Kryptonite is blocked by a lair of Crystal so when he goes to confront Lex, his goons try to attack Superman and he fights them off easily, he grabs ahold of Lex and Lex punches him with Kryptonite in his hand then Superman hits Lex back and hurts him but he is weakened and Lex kicks away a lair of crystal to reveal the Kryptonite underneath and the thugs also do this so Superman is surrounded by it then have the thugs and Lex nearly kill Superman.

the end of the film - the whole he is dead thing really dragged the film on maybe he could have landed back on earth and been in pain which could proceed in Lex and him having another fight maybe like the one in Superman Up Up and Away when Superman's powers have temporarily gone

Now it might seem from that, that I don't like this film, I do but it just could have been better. I would have loved it if he'd have realised more of what the general Superman audience wanted than retreading too much on Donner's classic. I like the vague sequel idea, I just think he remade too much of what was already perfected in Superman the Movie. Just a shame that this happened cause I think with some of the fixes to the film it would have been more of a hit.

So...basically everything.

 

[MydnightPhoenix]

I liked the son, I just think they didn't think it out well enough. I love the idea of Lois*Clark having a baby together and I even like the idea of Lois having to keep a secret like Clark has to; but the way it was written with no concrete answer as to whether Lois knew who the father was or when Jason was conceived was done poorly. Someone Richard is going to have to be pushed aside and Clark/Superman to take his place and there just doesn't seem anyway for that to be done right w/o Jason getting hurt especially.

I will say that there were a lot of scenes and events that I did like in the movie:
Lois and Superman's flying sequence was much better than the original
Lois diving into the ocean to save Superman
Superman's flying sequences (Snyder take notes)

It's just that the movie didn't flow together very well and left too many unanswered questions.

 

[djingo]

I liked the son, I just think they didn't think it out well enough. I love the idea of Lois*Clark having a baby together and I even like the idea of Lois having to keep a secret like Clark has to; but the way it was written with no concrete answer as to whether Lois knew who the father was or when Jason was conceived was done poorly. Someone Richard is going to have to be pushed aside and Clark/Superman to take his place and there just doesn't seem anyway for that to be done right w/o Jason getting hurt especially.

I will say that there were a lot of scenes and events that I did like in the movie:
Lois and Superman's flying sequence was much better than the original
Lois diving into the ocean to save Superman
Superman's flying sequences (Snyder take notes)

It's just that the movie didn't flow together very well and left too many unanswered questions.

I also liked the son-idea.
And all those unanswered questions your talking about, they would have been answered if Singer/Routh and the rest of the gang would have had a chance to do a sequel.
Imo WB was to soon to put a end to the Singer-Superman, i truly believe that in the second part we would have more action and a more complete explination regarding the kid.
Right now SR is a story without a proper ending, lots of questions we will never get an answer for. Those answers would have come in the sequel but yeah ...

I tought Singer did a good job and he made what he promised: making us a movie in the same style and lines as STM and SII.

 

[MydnightPhoenix]

I think he didn't make a movie in the style of Superman, he made a re-do of Superman 1978. He literally took scenes out of the 78 movie and put them in the 2006 version. And while a sequel would have answered questions, the start of a new franchise shouldn't necessarily make you leave the first movie scratching your head as to what happened. X-men, Batman Begins,Iron man, even Batman 1989 didn't seem to have huge holes in their individual movies which made people wonder wth just happened.
Also the reason for Superman leaving was just kind of bogus. Didn't his father tell him straight up, Krypton was gone? And now we are given one line in the movie about how astronomers thought they found it so he left for 5yrs to see for himself. Really? That FOS you have doesn't have a high tech 41st century cell phone so you can give a call first? And why would Superman just vanish without telling people he was leaving BUT would be back.