The Superman Returns spoiler thread.

[Hand of Evil]

Is it just me, or do all these movie threads seem insanely depressing these days?

I don't know about depressing or gloom and doom, I think it is the changing nature of movies and the trend to compare movies to other movies in the same genre. Most of us are not critics and judge a movie on its own merits but on what has come before. It is also our age, a lot of us are getting old and we grew up during those years when Hollywood was re-invented by Star Wars, the late 70's and the 80's. A lot of what we are seeing these days are the same stuff we have seen over and over again with just more flash and pretty faces. There is a lack of character (don't know what else to call it) from movies in the last two or three years.

You also have the stats, which like baseball is becoming the game, all about the numbers. It does not matter if the movies is good or bad but what the numbers come out to. I enjoy the numbers, I blame D&D.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I'm curious, btw, how Superman will do when you factor in DVD sales. It seems like one of those movies that will do extremely well in that regard.

It will kick butt but it is hard to find data on DVD sales. Last year there was an investigation on their sales and the way they are reported and used as tax write offs. Seems the companies say sales are what they created and sold to stores, the stores report their sales and the unsold diffentance was reported as deductions or some such. What was happening was they would flood the market with DVDs to get a greater write-off.

 

[JoeGKushner]

My Take

The special effects were good.

The action sequences were fair.

Overall, I disliked the movie.

1. I disliked the son of Lois.

2. I disliked how young Lois looks with her son. Look more like brother and sister.

3. Superman stalking Lois? Creepy.

4. Superman not fighting anyone with any abilities? Suck.

5. Superman getting the beat down from normal thugs due to Kyrptonite? Suck.

6. Superman not realizing that the whole thing is kryptonite? Suck.

7. Superman suddenly being able to lift the whole thing of kryptonite despite being powerless in it early? Suck.

8. Last twenty minutes of the film? Suck. Way to kill an action sequence.

9. The deaths of thugs? Suck.

10. Superman leaving Lex on an island? Suck.

11. Lex talking about his advanced technology from Krypton when there apparently was none? Suck.

12. Lois getting on a boat with her son? Suck.

13. Clark being a complete clutz? In 1980 it might've been good but how is he supposed to be a reporter if he can't walk across the room without stumbling? Suck.

14. The inability to connect Clark's return to Superman's return? Ugh.

I could go on for a while but well,
I could go on, but take away the special effects and you're not left with much.

 

[Arnwyn]

Just got back from seeing it. An amazing, awesome movie all the way around. It's both a fantastic continuation of the first two films, and it's own movie all at the same time. I really can't say too many good things about it.

Absolutely agreed. Tied (with District B13) for my favorite movie so far this year. They did (almost) everything right in my eyes, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The only thing I didn't like was Lois/Bosworth, who just didn't work for me. But everything else was fantastic (Jimmy Olsen was worth the price of admission on his own). And including the John Williams theme(s) was awesome.

A 9/10.

 

[WayneLigon]

11. Superman taking too long to save someone with no brakes? And not recognizing her? Suck.

Superman can't be everywhere.
I'm pretty sure this is the first time he's laid eyes on her in his life. Where's he suppossed to recognize her from?

 

[JoeGKushner]

Superman can't be everywhere.
I'm pretty sure this is the first time he's laid eyes on her in his life. Where's he suppossed to recognize her from?

Isn't Kitty supposed to be the same flame of Lex from previous movies? If not, my bad.

 

[Arnwyn]

Isn't Kitty supposed to be the same flame of Lex from previous movies? If not, my bad.

Your bad.

 

[Particle_Man]

Where the movie was weakest was in the plot, IMO. There really was no good reason why Superman wouldn't have informed his loved ones of his intent before he left Earth. I'm not saying he'd have called a press conference or anything. But Ma and Pa? Lois? They'd have known. That they didn't was a glaring contrivance. And the plot that stems from that was slow-moving and without resolution. Clark still hasn't found a place to live by the closing credits.

1) I think Ma did know. "If Pa were alive he would never have let you go" implies that Clark said goodbye to his mom beforehand.

2) One reviewer said that the "you were gone, now you are back" deal was a meta point directed at the audience. Superman has been gone for a long time (from the movie theatres), but now he is back.

 

[WayneLigon]

Isn't Kitty supposed to be the same flame of Lex from previous movies? If not, my bad.

No, that was Eve Teschmacher. This was Kitty Kowalski.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Where the movie was weakest was in the plot, IMO. There really was no good reason why Superman wouldn't have informed his loved ones of his intent before he left Earth. I'm not saying he'd have called a press conference or anything. But Ma and Pa? Lois? They'd have known. That they didn't was a glaring contrivance.

Pa is dead, and his mother clearly knew where he went and what he was doing- she even asks him if he found what he was looking for. Her upset is caused by not knowing what happened to him in the meantime, or if he was coming back, but to be fair- it's probably a little difficult to write from hundreds or thousands of light years away.

As for Lois- they made it pretty clear that she doesn't really consider Clark much at all- nor did she in the other films (though Kidder's Lois did seem to notice him a little more than Bosworth's). Jimmy and Perry seemed to know about Clark's leaving as well- Perry not really caring (which was odd, frankly, as Kent is supposed to be one of his best reporters).

And the plot that stems from that was slow-moving and without resolution. Clark still hasn't found a place to live by the closing credits.

He has, but only a gradually. I got the sense that they'd cut out some of his return parts- such as, perhaps, a scene where he decided he didn't want to be Superman anymore. He definitely seemed reluctant to return to the tights when the plane was in trouble. You could see in his face when the crowds cheered him, and his statement about hearing the world crying out for a savior, though, that he realized this was where he was needed, and where his home really was.