World Will Routh ever look and feel as Superman-like as Reeve?

[Gus Gorman]

In my books, he's very much Reeve. The entire time I was watching SR, I couldn't shake the fact that I felt like I was watching Christopher Reeve all over again.

Thats how I felt, except I felt that I was watching Superman again, like when I was a kid, and I didnt know the actors name.

 

[Billy Batson]

THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE CHRISTOPHER REEVE!

ALL those who love routh so much, let him be his own MAN!
Can he at least have his own identity?
Stop ridding REEVE'S jockstrap!

DAMN Emulator, SUPERFAKE!

 

[lujho]

Routh can get a better suit, a better build, better hair, better suit, better performance than he did in Superman Returns.

But he will never match up to the comics in terms of a strong, masculine facial bone structure as Reeve did - well, ignoring the possibility of plastic surgery. Unfortunately, your skull shape is one thing you can never enhance with excercise. Really good prosthetics could enhance his look but it's too late for that since they've already made the first film.

Not that he's effeminate or weak-featured - he's not, for a normal guy. But he's just not quite there for superman, he'll never look close enough to the comics for me, and thus will never truly "look" and "feel" Superman to me.

He'll always be the guy playing Superman, not Superman. It's different than with Flash, Spidey and Batman, because they wear masks.

The actor playing superman, more than any other hero, has to look like someone drew him into existence.

And while my ideal Superman is an ideal man, and would make up a small percentage of the population, it's not an impossible ideal, or one that would look silly on screen.

But I never compare an actor playing Superman directly to Reeve - I compare them to Superman. Reeve is not the perfect Superman. He's not exactly the Superman I'd draw, the one I see in comics. He's just the closest anyone's yet been.

 

[ariellem]

...while my ideal Superman is an ideal man, and would make up a small percentage of the population, it's not an impossible ideal, or one that would look silly on screen.

But I never compare an actor playing Superman directly to Reeve - I compare them to Superman. Reeve is not the perfect Superman. He's not exactly the Superman I'd draw, the one I see in comics. He's just the closest anyone's yet been.

While I'd have preferred a more prominent jaw and a slightly smaller nose and naturally light-colored eyes on Routh, he did a good job with what he had to work with (the weird suit, the dearth of lines, the standing around to be looked at). It's more than just the face to carry the role.

At the same time, I'd love to see a "perfect" Superman on screen. As much as I love Welling in Smallville as Clark and think he's gorgeous, I have trouble with the manips of him in the suit. Just don't like the way he looks in the suit, at least not yet. The little turned-up nose could be part of it - always imagined Superman as having a stronger, more grown-up nose.

As a kid, I loved Reeve as Superman (Reeves before that, but I didn't see him on the big screen). As an adult, I find his Clark annoyingly, overly nerdy and prefer the Clark-Superman reversal that started with Dean Cain (who looks NOTHING like the comic book Superman, but he was an awesome Clark!).

The guy house-sitting across the street from us when we first moved in would have looked awesome in the suit. Big, handsome, built guy, dark wavy hair, bright blue eyes, nice voice and manner. Jaw-dropping, literally. Not an actor, though, AFAIK. No idea if he could act. To get someone who looks straight out of the comics, the movie folks should start canvassing marketing departments to see if there are any lookers there who can act... Plenty of good-looking, big guys in sales and the like (and football). Joe, if you're out there reading this, get thee to an agent!

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Reeve was trying to play it campy.

LOL, no he wasn't! What are you talking about? Adam West is camp. Reeve played Superman without taking himself too seriously. Huge difference.

I have no trouble accepting Routh as Superman, it's Dean Cain I have a problem with. As Clark he's the best of them all, but he just doesn't fit as Supes.

 

[Super Kal]

in my book, no, but I'm all for him putting his own spin into the character.

 

[CConn]

Will Routh ever feel as Superman-like as Reeve to the people who grew up with Reeve's Superman? No.

Will he ever feel as Superman-like as Reeve to people who don't have that connection with Reeve? Definitely. Or, at least, probably.

 

[lujho]

While I'd have preferred a more prominent jaw and a slightly smaller nose and naturally light-colored eyes on Routh, he did a good job with what he had to work with (the weird suit, the dearth of lines, the standing around to be looked at). It's more than just the face to carry the role.

At the same time, I'd love to see a "perfect" Superman on screen. As much as I love Welling in Smallville as Clark and think he's gorgeous, I have trouble with the manips of him in the suit. Just don't like the way he looks in the suit, at least not yet. The little turned-up nose could be part of it - always imagined Superman as having a stronger, more grown-up nose.

As a kid, I loved Reeve as Superman (Reeves before that, but I didn't see him on the big screen). As an adult, I find his Clark annoyingly, overly nerdy and prefer the Clark-Superman reversal that started with Dean Cain (who looks NOTHING like the comic book Superman, but he was an awesome Clark!).

The guy house-sitting across the street from us when we first moved in would have looked awesome in the suit. Big, handsome, built guy, dark wavy hair, bright blue eyes, nice voice and manner. Jaw-dropping, literally. Not an actor, though, AFAIK. No idea if he could act. To get someone who looks straight out of the comics, the movie folks should start canvassing marketing departments to see if there are any lookers there who can act... Plenty of good-looking, big guys in sales and the like (and football). Joe, if you're out there reading this, get thee to an agent!

That's the thing. There ARE normal, ordinary guys who look like that... like Clark Kent. JUST like Clark Kent. So to have someone in an actual movie who is slightly sub-par, is disappointing.

When you think the guy in the movie could concievably have looked literally like you're looking through a window into the "real" DC universe (which I don't think we even got with Reeve)... to get less than what is possible is just a bit of a bummer.

I know Superman isn't *just* a face and I'd rather have someone like Routh rather than the physically perfect Superman who can't act.

 

[lujho]

Will Routh ever feel as Superman-like as Reeve to the people who grew up with Reeve's Superman? No.

Will he ever feel as Superman-like as Reeve to people who don't have that connection with Reeve? Definitely. Or, at least, probably.

But like I said, it's not about which Superman actor you grew up with or comparing Routh with Reeve. It's comparing ALL the actors with the actual comic-book superman, and in many ways Reeve simply beats Routh, especially physically. Even taking into account that not everyone draws Superman exactly the same.

I too think that Routh's version of Clark is a better one than Reeve's, performance wise. But he'll never beath Reeve in looks. Reeve isn't Superman - Superman is Superman, but Reeve is closer to that than Routh, Reeves, Cain, etc.

Because to me, the *look* and *feel* of Superman are very, very closely related. That's just a personal thing - other people might not be so visually oriented and say that the performance makes up a bigger part of what makes a good Superman. But for me personally, it's got to be thw whole package to be right.

 

[ariellem]

That's the thing. There ARE normal, ordinary guys who look like that... like Clark Kent. JUST like Clark Kent. ...

Tiny tweak to your argument and I'd agree: change "Clark Kent" to "Superman"... If a guy looks like the mythic Superman, that pretty much rules out "normal" and "ordinary" in my book - unless we're living on Krypton or something

It's a lot easier to look like the stereotype of Clark Kent (tall; really can't see the build other than "big"nice-looking; quiet and/or bumbling/clutzy) than to live up to the full, ingrained Superman image. The latter is an awfully high bar. [see my next note too]

 

[ariellem]

But like I said, it's not about which Superman actor you grew up with or comparing Routh with Reeve. It's comparing ALL the actors with the actual comic-book superman... Even taking into account that not everyone draws Superman exactly the same.
...
Because to me, the *look* and *feel* of Superman are very, very closely related. That's just a personal thing - other people might not be so visually oriented and say that the performance makes up a bigger part of what makes a good Superman...

Agreed.

I haven't followed the modern incarnations of the character in the comics much, but had read reprints of the early Superman comics many years ago. Found one of Ross' in our elementary school library the other day (of all places!) and read it. I didn't like his version at all, frankly. He's great with his pencils/ink, but I don't like Superman looking that much like Buzz Lightyear/Jay Leno. Have seen the long-haired Superman that looks like Seinfeld; hate that look completely. Guess I'm stuck in the 70s or so again, as that comic book look is my favorite thus far for the character.

Would be cool - again, for one of you who has the time/ability to do this! - to take digital images of each incarnation/artist's version of Superman and digitally average them together, to get a "composite" comic Superman. That's probably the archetype most of us are close to. Then see which Superman actor's face/build most closely resembles the composite...

 

[GarudA]

(Edit)

I remember seeing a manip of Reeve in the Superman Returns suite and he even made the Suit look good. Thats how perfect Reeve was.

Here is something I did to show you. I did it quick so it is not perfect manip.

 

[GarudA]

Just look at Reeve and then Routh. See the man and the Boy? Sorry but Routh could never pass Reeve.

 

[larryfilmmaker]

Instead of him being the next Christopher Reeve, how about him being the first Brandon Routh?

exactly

 

[larryfilmmaker]

Just look at Reeve and then Routh. See the man and the Boy? Sorry but Routh could never pass Reeve.

it's totally jaw structure. Reeve really reminds me of Kurt Angle here

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

To be honest that is kind of a tough question because Reeve was a good Superman but IMO what made him be come Superman was how he reacted after the thing with his neck. IMO thats when Reeve really shined as a Superman. Now as far as Superman in the movies Routh has shown me he is Superman.

 

[lujho]

it's totally jaw structure. Reeve really reminds me of Kurt Angle here

From the front like this, Routh's jawline doesn't compare TOO bad to Reeve here. Sure, it's not as square, but it's still strong, and angular. And his chin is actually squarer than Reeve's. But the thin neck, bigger nose and much bigger and funnier-looking ears atand out as weaknesses.

In profile, Routh's weaknesses compared to Reeve are even more apparent. His chin is not very prominent at all, the nose is too prominent.

He actually looks best in 3/4 view - there are some shots in Returns where he does look half decent.

But basically, no-one would EVER draw Superman with Routh's basic facial proportions. It's like he's 80% Reeve, 20% Disney's Ichabod Crane (not the Johnny Depp Ichabod Crane, unfortunately, since he has more Supermanly facial proportions than Routh does).

I honestly feel that if Routh had the same basic facial (and neck) proportions as Reeve (in other words, as Superman), but still with with his own features, he'd make a better Supes than Reeve. His mouth and nose aren't so weird looking as Reeve's. He'd be a better looking guy. Reeve always looked just a teency tiny bit weirdly skeletal and reptilian to me.

They both have really sucky hair.

I also think that if you made Kirk Alyn 30 years old, gave him Reeve's jaw and neck and then morphed that result with Reeve a bit more - say 60% Alyn 40% Reeve... you'd have a really great looking Supes. Alyn really looks a lot like the Joe Shuster/Alex Ross version, except with too weak a jaw.

 

[DrMylesOBoogie]

Routh is the worst actor to ever put the suit on.

 

[Billy Batson]

If Routh's portrayal of SUPERMAN was so great.
Why are SUPERMAN's fans debating, wether or not Routh will ever look and feel as Superman-like as Reeve?

 

[Billy Batson]

Just look at Reeve and then Routh. See the man and the Boy? Sorry but Routh could never pass Reeve.

SUPERMAN Tale of The Tape

Reeve vs Routh

1. Blue eyes vs Blue contacts
2. Thick neck vs thin neck
3. Large for a wide chest vs Small for a narrow chest
4. Marine (soldier) vs Navy (sailor)
5. Police vs Security Guard

 

[lexlives]

SUPERMAN Tale of The Tape

Reeve vs Routh

1. Blue eyes vs Blue contacts
2. Thick neck vs thin neck
3. Large for a wide chest vs Small for a narrow chest
4. Marine (soldier) vs Navy (sailor)
5. Police vs Security Guard

Forget the physical appearance. That is secondary to the presence, charisma, charm Reeve had. Routh does not have that presence - Singer should have looked for an actor with the Reeve presence - not the Reeve look. That was the mistake.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

No,Reeve was Superman for 2 generations.Routh will never be Superman,perhaps to younger people,but to mine and the previous generation.Reeve was Superman.

 

[DrMylesOBoogie]

Forget the physical appearance. That is secondary to the presence, charisma, charm Reeve had. Routh does not have that presence - Singer should have looked for an actor with the Reeve presence - not the Reeve look. That was the mistake.

Exactly. Some say he wasn't as good as he could have been because he didn't have enough dialogue. That arguement doesn't hold for me because he has no presence. Reeve would have still been amazing if he'd only had the same amount of dialogue as Routh because he could act.

 

[lexlives]

Exactly. Some say he wasn't as good as he could have been because he didn't have enough dialogue. That arguement doesn't hold for me because he has no presence. Reeve would have still been amazing if he'd only had the same amount of dialogue as Routh because he could act.

Looks will get you only so far. Reeve had the looks and the talent and the presence. Singer got it backwards focusing on the looksbecause there are other actors out there with a great presence and good looks - even though they don't look a lot like Reeve.

A very good actor can make poor material work - as you say Reeve would have been amazing. But I am not all about Reeve - there are other actors out there today who could have turned the material around.

Which segways nicely to another point - Routh needs to be out there getting movie work, TV guest spots, doing live theatre. He needs lots more acting experience and he needs to get his face in front of audiences so he becomes more known for any sequel. SR did not turn him into the superstar some expected it to. I am disappoionted he is not doing more.

 

[elvis]

No, I am 100% serious. He looks and sounds more the part of how I would invision Superman.

Me too, Reeve was over rated.