Forget all that nonsense about Superman being an inferior superhero, compared to Xmen, Batman and Spiderman. Superman is in a league of his own (no pun intended).
For one thing, he is the only superhero on the list that was born to be a hero. He is not a reluctant hero, who is constantly struggling with whether or not he wants to use his superpowers to save the world. For Superman, it's a given.
What I loved most about Superman Returns was the parallel to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even you are not a Christian, you will recognise the many references to the idea of a fallen world, the need for a Saviour, the oneness of a Father and a son, the passion of the Christ (when Lex and his men work Superman over, my eyes filled up with tears) and the resurrection message.
And what about that Brandon Routh eh? Blue contact lenses notwithstanding, I can't think of a better actor to play the role. He still has that small town farm boy charm (he is from Iowa), which comes across when he is Clark Kent. But when he is Superman, he is self-assured, confident and oh so yummy. My fave scene was when he is floating up in space, drawing energy from the sun. The relaxed pose juxtaposed with the enormity of what he was doing, was the perfect image of who Superman really is.(Another Christian message here - when you are at rest, that's when the Son can fill you up)
I have to mention here Kevin Spacey's role as Lex Luthor. He played the consummate Luthor - evil? yes. Megalomanical? Yes. And yet so human (fallen but redeemable) and personable, there are times when I found myself actually understanding why he wanted to ruin Superman so much. His role was very much like that of Judas Iscariot - ultimately it was his choice to destroy good, but somehow you know he was led to make that decision.
So if you are considering seeing Superman, do it!! In additional to fabulous casting, great character development and a water tight script, the sfx and cinematography are flawless. It probably won't be nominated for an Oscar because the Academy has a childish pet peeve against nominating good comic movies, but it is still a magnificent film.
2 comments:
I agree on the Messiah theme, which is commonly done. Of course it falls short on the full Gospel where Christ can be in all men through his Holy Spirit. I did enjoy the part when Superman took Lois on a ride in the sky and asked her essentially why she wrote her Pulitzer winning article "Why The World Doesn't Need Superman". He also ask her what she heard looking down at the world. She responded with "nothing", then SM said "well I hear everything from this vantage point all time, and from where I stand there are many people all over the world looking for a savior." That was hot!!!
Your Lex Luthor comment was interesting and I agree, though I was looking for a more sinister type. But, in the end Lex is an opportunist and manipulator, very human for sure.
Now, Oscar material plezzzzzzzzzzze! There is enough dialog to warrant that for any of the characters. Maybe for the opening save with the airplane! I was actually gasping a bit. Exciting!!! Lex didn't even have stereotypical evil dude monologue. At least Gene Hackman had that in the earlier movies.
Comics just need to have more of their own big events where they invite all their stars to wear nice dresses and tuxes. Maybe the other awards committees understand that comics are driven by action and the impossible, not dialog, and just include the category because of SAG. I know people get rewarded for acting, dialog, interaction and creativity, but I didn't see that here, but I was well entertained.
Remember the Character Scare Crow from "Batman Begins?" He was interesting start to finish, and he gets my vote before Superman. To me the character development for all the "Batman Begins" was superb. Perhaps that was directing, or just great casting, but it left me wonder about the live of many characters. Not so with Superman! At the end when his mother showed up in the crowd when Superman was declared dead was shock. She didn't eve look bothered, unless she carried some hidden secrets of Superman, like he can't die. I was no doubt well entertained by Superman, but the actor and direction sure needs the handsome visage to make the movie work! Brandon Rouths acting style vacillated between trying to be Christopher Reeves and himself, especially when he did the "statistically air travel still is the safest mode of transportation" quote. His tone was right out of the previous character, which is not very original for me. There are alot of ways to play SM, because even some of the cartoon version characters had more original content.
Critique aside I enjoyed myself immensely watching for the first time time when my son Hanan.
OBJr
I agree on the Messiah theme, which is commonly done. Of course it falls short on the full Gospel where Christ can be in all men through his Holy Spirit. I did enjoy the part when Superman took Lois on a ride in the sky and asked her essentially why she wrote her Pulitzer winning article "Why The World Doesn't Need Superman". He also ask her what she heard looking down at the world. She responded with "nothing", then Superman said "well I hear everything from this vantage point all time, and from where I stand there are many people all over the world looking for a savior." That was hot!!!
Your Lex Luthor comment was interesting and I agree, though I was looking for a more sinister type. But, in the end Lex is an
opportunist and manipulator, very human for sure.
Now, Oscar material plezzzzzzzzzzze! There is not enough dialog to warrant that for any of the characters. Maybe for the opening save with the airplane! I was actually gasping a bit. Exciting!!! Lex didn't even
have stereotypical evil dude monologue. At least Gene Hackman had that in the earlier movies.
Comics just need to have more of their own big events where they
invite all their stars to wear nice dresses and tuxes. Maybe the other awards committees understand that comics are driven by action and the impossible, not dialog, and just include the category because of SAG.
I know people get rewarded for acting, dialog, interaction and
creativity, but I didn't see that here, but I was well entertained.
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