Superman Returns Why Don't Some Superman Fans Like Superman Returns?

[DieSmiling]

Can someone explain to me why Superman fans seem not to like Superman Returns?

Personally, I think it's a great film, and one of the best superhero movies of all time, probably only behind Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2.

What don't they like? The fact that it's a rehash/homage to Donner? Who cares? It's the start of the franchise, what better way to start out?

Not enough action? Call me crazy, but I think the airplane sequence is one of the coolest things I've ever seen a movie.

The suit? I mean, c'mon, it looks fine. Compare it to what Batman and the X-Men wear relative to the comics.

So what is it? To me, other than Lois Lane (Bosworth sucks) the casting is great, the production values and effects are MAGNIFICENT and the story is a classic Superman story. What do people hate? That he has a kid?

Sorry, I'm not the hugest Superman fan in the world, but I loved this movie and it seemed like a fantastic adaptation to me. What don't people like about it?

 

[Justice Bringer]

Have you been to Bluetights.net or Supermanhomepage.com? Those are the largest collection of \S/ fans on the boards I've seen and the vast majority dig it.

 

[FlawlessVictory]

^True. There are plenty of Superman fans that like SR. Don't let these boards be the only indicator of how people feel about SR.

 

[GarudA]

I am life long Superman fan, I just did not like Superman Returns at all. Waited a very long time for a new Superman movie and what we got was disappointing. The reasons have already been mentioned by other members over and over. Just do a search or read the old threads, as I do not think people should be repeating themselves over and over and having the same arguement that seems to happen all the time on the board.

 

[El Payaso]

I defend the right to diagree.

 

[Angeloz]

I've loved Superman since childhood and I loved "Superman Returns". So much so it got me to at first read then later on join three forums (all the ones mentioned above). 'Cos I was compelled to join in the discussions.

Angeloz

 

[AgentPat]

Can someone explain to me why Superman fans seem not to like Superman Returns?

• Story (Some feel it was too derivative of S:TM and wanted something NEW.)
• Characters (Some feel the addition of a kid diluted the bittersweet notion of Superman being the last of his kind. Others were miffed at the addition of Richard, when the more appealing triangle has always been Clark, Lois and Superman.)
• Characterization (Some feel Superman was too emo and saw a creepy stalker angle to his actions. Others didn't dig the idea of him being a deadbeat dad and leaving w/o even saying good-bye to the woman he loved. Then there were those who thought Lois was a beyotch for being so cold and detached to the man that loved her more than life itself.)
• Lack of action (Some feel the plane sequence was not enough for a summer action movie based on a superhero comic book character.)
• Cinemaphotography (Some feel it was too dark for Superman and should have been brighter.)
• Tone (Some feel the film was overly depressing, which is antithetical to the joy and elation one would normally get from such an inspiring character.)

I'll stop there. There ARE other issues however, which have been discussed here and elsewhere ad nauseam.

 

[buggs0268]

There is what he guy above me is saying. Also,

1. The lack of logic established in the film-Superman lands on a piece of Kryptonite and is de-powered and getting his a$$ handed to him by humans. Then moments later in the movie, with a piece or pure kryptonite in him, he is able to pic up that very same landmass made of Kryptonite, with shards of it coming out right next to him, and lift it off into space.

2 That Singer made it into, admittedly, a chick flick. Superman 1 and 2 had a love story element, but it was a part of the whole story of Superman and not the main thrust.

3. That suit-Nuff said.

4. There is a mortal character in the movie who seems more heroic than the hero the movie is about.

5. At the end of the day, the movie had nothing to say or do. It just sits there.

6. The movie was more about Lois then Superman.

7. The main character really doesn't say or do much of anything and is basically, at most times, just set dressing in his own movie.

8. That it stole so much from the Donner movies. I love the Donner movies. But this was downright plagerism. Furthermore, Singer even said, he took him down the same journey as that movie. Since we have already been on that journey, we don't need to take it again. For the record, to me it was just stealing.

9. When an unfinished Directors cut of a 30 year old sequel released the same year is better than the new movie, with more action, heart, and character, then something is wrong. Fans got to compare a new movie to a newly released old movie, and the newly released older movie was truer to the character than the new movie ever could be.

9. Did I mention that suit? That damn suit was the first major divide amoungst fans, and a harbinger to come for the film.

 

[Joker's Lackey]

There is what he guy above me is saying. Also,

1. The lack of logic established in the film-Superman lands on a piece of Kryptonite and is de-powered and getting his a$$ handed to him by humans. Then moments later in the movie, with a piece or pure kryptonite in him, he is able to pic up that very same landmass made of Kryptonite, with shards of it coming out right next to him, and lift it off into space.

2 That Singer made it into, admittedly, a chick flick. Superman 1 and 2 had a love story element, but it was a part of the whole story of Superman and not the main thrust.

3. That suit-Nuff said.

4. There is a mortal character in the movie who seems more heroic than the hero the movie is about.

5. At the end of the day, the movie had nothing to say or do. It just sits there.

6. The movie was more about Lois then Superman.

7. The main character really doesn't say or do much of anything and is basically, at most times, just set dressing in his own movie.

8. That it stole so much from the Donner movies. I love the Donner movies. But this was downright plagerism. Furthermore, Singer even said, he took him down the same journey as that movie. Since we have already been on that journey, we don't need to take it again. For the record, to me it was just stealing.

9. When an unfinished Directors cut of a 30 year old sequel released the same year is better than the new movie, with more action, heart, and character, then something is wrong. Fans got to compare a new movie to a newly released old movie, and the newly released older movie was truer to the character than the new movie ever could be.

9. Did I mention that suit? That damn suit was the first major divide amoungst fans, and a harbinger to come for the film.

Agreed. i admit to not being a Superman Fan boy, but i loved the orinigal movies, and to me SR was a disgrace. The characters were written so poorly like X-men1 and 2, no emotion and chemistry between anyone in the film, and the potential of showing Stacey as a Ruthless, intelligent, yet witty villain was wasted as a comic relief character that it felt really hard to believe that he is the arch-nemesis of Superman. Also, the suit was garbage. If they do replace Singer, I would love to see Alfonso Cuaron direct the next Supes film.

 

[CGHulk]

The orange look of the film, Superman leaving without telling a soul, all he had to do was film himself on a video and take it to a TV station. The neckline is to high and the red is brown burgundy on the suit. Superman throwing the ball only to trick his dog that he was throwing it only to throw it miles. The Superman digital double looked like he was made out of silly putty. This is just my short list!

 

[dark_b]

• Story (Some feel it was too derivative of S:TM and wanted something NEW.)
• Characters (Some feel the addition of a kid diluted the bittersweet notion of Superman being the last of his kind. Others were miffed at the addition of Richard, when the more appealing triangle has always been Clark, Lois and Superman.)
• Characterization (Some feel Superman was too emo and saw a creepy stalker angle to his actions. Others didn't dig the idea of him being a deadbeat dad and leaving w/o even saying good-bye to the woman he loved. Then there were those who thought Lois was a beyotch for being so cold and detached to the man that loved her more than life itself.)
• Lack of action (Some feel the plane sequence was not enough for a summer action movie based on a superhero comic book character.)
• Cinemaphotography (Some feel it was too dark for Superman and should have been brighter.)
• Tone (Some feel the film was overly depressing, which is antithetical to the joy and elation one would normally get from such an inspiring character.)

I'll stop there. There ARE other issues however, which have been discussed here and elsewhere ad nauseam.

i agree with that 100% that this is the reason why a lot of fans dont like it. teh characters i like. i gave the movie a 8.but a lot of fans dont like the because of what she wrotte.

plus i think action was a major problem for the general public.

 

[DieSmiling]

As far as the general public is concerned I agree, action was the biggest issue.

I can understand why people didn't like the plot; I loved it as a modern day update of S:TM but I can see why people weren't fond of the rehash. I can also see why people hated Richard and Jason, and I agree Lois was a b*tch...

Here's what I dont get:

I don't get the suit talk. Really, I don't see how any fan could be so nitpicky as to dislike the movie over that. It's too dark... The neckline... Who cares? It's still the Superman costume. The Batman Begins costume wasn't perfect, but it's not like he doesn't look fine.

I don't get how anyone could say the movie was too depressing. What was remotley depressing about it?

5. At the end of the day, the movie had nothing to say or do. It just sits there.

Explain to me how this movie had any less of a message than any Spider-Man, Batman, or X-Men movie.

 

[Super Kal]

As far as the general public is concerned I agree, action was the biggest issue.

I can understand why people didn't like the plot; I loved it as a modern day update of S:TM but I can see why people weren't fond of the rehash. I can also see why people hated Richard and Jason, and I agree Lois was a b*tch...

Here's what I dont get:

I don't get the suit talk. Really, I don't see how any fan could be so nitpicky as to dislike the movie over that. It's too dark... The neckline... Who cares? It's still the Superman costume. The Batman Begins costume wasn't perfect, but it's not like he doesn't look fine.

the suit did have the basic requirements for it to be a Superman suit, but so does a kid's Superman costume... just because they make a Superman suit doesn't make it a good one. Dark colors are not what Superman is known for... For the past 60 years, Superman has been known to be as a bright positive hero with a bold, outgoing costume. That changed when Singer got his dirty little hands on it.

I don't get how anyone could say the movie was too depressing. What was remotely depressing about it?

for me, what made it depressing was the overuse of dark filters and lack of light on the entire film. The filter ruined everything in this movie and made it look like a Batman film, and Superman is not Batman.

Explain to me how this movie had any less of a message than any Spider-Man, Batman, or X-Men movie.

simple:
those movies catered to the core of the character by putting the hero in the environment that they are accustomed to.

Superman wasn't.

 

[Sloth7d]

One thing I can say is atleast SR didn't have annoying plotholes like another SM film.

Ahem

Not saying it was a bad movie

 

[Super Kal]

at least the other films made him look like Superman...

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Can someone explain to me why Superman fans seem not to like Superman Returns?

Personally, I think it's a great film, and one of the best superhero movies of all time, probably only behind Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2.

What don't they like? The fact that it's a rehash/homage to Donner? Who cares? It's the start of the franchise, what better way to start out?

Not enough action? Call me crazy, but I think the airplane sequence is one of the coolest things I've ever seen a movie.

The suit? I mean, c'mon, it looks fine. Compare it to what Batman and the X-Men wear relative to the comics.

So what is it? To me, other than Lois Lane (Bosworth sucks) the casting is great, the production values and effects are MAGNIFICENT and the story is a classic Superman story. What do people hate? That he has a kid?

Sorry, I'm not the hugest Superman fan in the world, but I loved this movie and it seemed like a fantastic adaptation to me. What don't people like about it?

I totally agree with you, i dont understand what people dont like about this movie at all, i love it. No its not perfect, no movie is, and it does have flaws and problems that i hope are improved in the sequel.

But as a starting point for a potentially new franchise, i dont think we could have asked for much better personally.

 

[Super Kal]

I could have...

 

[daywalker2007]

the reason people dont like it is because singer made superman into a *****

made clark kent a useless non existant character

made superman a "bastard" with an illegitimate child

made superman a stalker

made superman wear a "gayed" up costume with a tight neckline, brown maroon cape, victorias secret panties, and a stupid plastic s shield on the belt,

not only that, the story was rubbish, the action was non existant

superman was "gayed" up beyond recognition

Singer truly did FUBAR this movie

 

[afan]

I don't get the suit talk. Really, I don't see how any fan could be so nitpicky as to dislike the movie over that. It's too dark... The neckline... Who cares? It's still the Superman costume.

The suit is an uninspiring design, is it recognizably Superman, of course, but it was drab and lifeless. It was not the be all and end all for the film's lackluster feeling, but it is a visible symptom of the films over all unimaginative content.

 

[Super Kal]

lol, that's saying it nicely

 

[batbat_29640]

I am life long Superman fan, I just did not like Superman Returns at all. Waited a very long time for a new Superman movie and what we got was disappointing. The reasons have already been mentioned by other members over and over. Just do a search or read the old threads, as I do not think people should be repeating themselves over and over and having the same arguement that seems to happen all the time on the board.

Amen to that!!! Batman and Superman are my two favorite comic books characters. It took them 5 tries to finally get Batman right. On;y took them once with Superman and the three that followed Donner's were horrific. Here comes the new millenium and so many movies have shown us the potential that a new Superman movie could have. Not only was that potential not realised with SR the character itself came off as so unfamiliar in that movie.
As I've said before . . . 2006 and that's all they can give us for a SUPERMAN movie??!! I don't know what the folks at BlueTights.net and the SupermanHomepage are smoking but they sure are letting a great character get a bad parade.

 

[Dr. Fate]

The film just isn't true to Superman's character. He leaves Earth without telling the people who have come to depend on him where he's going, doesn't even tell the woman he loves where he's going, and is then reduced to a slacker dead beat dad when it turns out he knocked up Lois Lane and STILL didn't have the decency to tell her where he was going, and then the film becomes more fixated on him pining over Lois and even stalking her despite the fact that she now has a committed life companion in the form of Richard White, thus wrecking the little family unit she has. This does not match up with the traditional image of Superman as a mature, responsible figure.

Additionally, the film failed to properly update Superman the way "Batman Begins" updated Batman. By obsessively clinging to the Donner films, the film is more of a misguided nostalgia love fest than a proper restart of Superman's film franchise for the 21st century. And no, sticking Superman in a rubbery, de-colorized version of his costume does not count as "updating", that is blasphemy.

And of course, Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth were WAY too young to be believable as an established Superman and Lois Lane who has a pulitzer and a 5 year old son - unless Lois was 16 when she got herself knocked up with the little bastard. Plus neither of them really felt like they inhabited the characters, they just came off as really flat and empty.

 

[batbat_29640]

the reason people dont like it is because singer made superman into a *****

made clark kent a useless non existant character

made superman a "bastard" with an illegitimate child

made superman a stalker

made superman wear a "gayed" up costume with a tight neckline, brown maroon cape, victorias secret panties, and a stupid plastic s shield on the belt,

not only that, the story was rubbish, the action was non existant

superman was "gayed" up beyond recognition

Singer truly did FUBAR this movie

Yeah . . . I think what he is , in short, saying is that Singer bout Schumachered Superman. Now it wasn't Batman and Robin bad but damn near in the middle of B&R and BF.

 

[batbat_29640]

One thing I can say is atleast SR didn't have annoying plotholes like another SM film.

Ahem

Not saying it was a bad movie

Yes but that wasn't a Donner film was it? That scene didn't make it in Donners cut of that movie did it?

 

[afan]

lol, that's saying it nicely

If you don't have something nice to say, even in a negative way, don't say anything at all.

I would refer anyone who doesn't understand the issue fans have with SR costume design to the Iron Man boards, now that suit my have repulsors but it will never repulse!