Superman Again
Superman Again
A whole lotta people were lined up at the Universal Studios 18-plex last night to get into three screenings of Superman Returns, the big draw being the IMAX 3D presentation at 10:30 pm. I saw the throngs as I came out of a Supie-3D 7 pm show, and I stopped and took a few blurry-ass photos. The after-effect was such that I forgot to set the camera to auto-focus.
Outside Universal Citywalk plex — Tuesday, 6.27.06, 9:42 pm
As I was doing this, however, I was indulging in my usual-usual — i.e. having second thoughts after a second viewing. And I’m now persuaded that Superman Returns should have been shorter. A really fine editor could go to work on it and (just spitballing) get it down to two hours and 15 minutes, say, or maybe a wee bit shorter with a thousand tiny cuts.
The spiritual current in this film is still, for me, wondrous and profound — Superman Returns is The Passion of the Christ for non-Christians. And the bring-it-home sequences — i.e., the ones involving disaster, rescue and redemption — are no less jaw-dropping, and each and every second of Brandon Routh tearing through the clouds and the heavens is spectacular. But the pace could be picked up…it really could. It didn’t seem labored when I saw it the first time, but last night it did here and there.
Not to the degree that it’s a major problem, but…well, put it this way. When the big-growing-Krypton-island sequence began, with those wretchedly ugly rock-spires starting to emerge through the waves, I started muttering to myself, somewhat fatigued, “All right…here we go again.” But not long after came the fantabulous 3D version of the scene in which Superman rescues Lois and family aboard Luthor’s sinking yacht, and everything was right again.
If only Singer had done what every good tree-trimmer does before finishing the job — if he had grimmed up and lashed himself with birch branches and said, “Okay, now comes the really hard part” and been a man’s man and gone back into the editing room and taken out the orange hand-snippers and started to shave little bits here and there…he could have delivered a film that would feel a little bit tighter and righter to guys like myself.
Spoiler alert…!!
Otherwise it’s a kind of gem, although to understand this you have to get that it’s primarily about the current within. Anyone saying they didn’t get enough of a sense of fun or frolic from this movie is missing that. Superman Returns isn’t “like” a church service — it is one.
Anyone bitching about Clark’s lack of loyalty and supportiveness for Lois (i.e., getting her pregnant and then disappearing for five years) and being a no-account absentee dad (which he is) doesn’t get what’s going on either. Did you ever hear any New Testament scholars dishing critiques about Yeshua’s not being more attentive to the ladies, or not getting married, or not being a more dutiful son to Mary?
I can sympathize with those complaining that Superman shouldn’t be able to carry that rocky land mass out into space because it’s laced with Kryptonite and therefore he shouldn’t have the strength, but I saw this as an act of will, devotion and self-sacrifice first and super-human strength and Kryptonite-vulnerablity second. Besides, the act obviously brings Superman to the brink of death…or perhaps to death itself.
Mary Magdelene (Carmen Sevilla) discovering Christ’s empty bed in Nicholas Ray’s King of Kings
And I love, love, love the scene at the very end in which the nurse comes into the hospital room and finds only an empty bed and rumpled sheets.
read stephanie zacharek’s review of SUPERMAN RETURNS on SALON. She is the best.
i saw it last night and it was probably one of the best audiences i’ve seen a movie with. they cheered and clapped at all the right notes and it made for a pretty fun experience. as for the movie itself, i think it was good, if a little too reliant on the Donner/Lester Superman films in the way it felt almost like a greatest hits of the first two movies. but routh…man, i had low expectations, but he knocked it out of the park. here’s hoping it does well enough so that we can see a movie that builds upon the foundation set forth here.
I saw it last night with some friends. The theater was sold out and we thought it was great!! An excellent combination of action, drama and romance. Plus so many funny scenes! I really can’t wait to see it again.
A very fun movie.
Wells writes: “I can sympathize with those complaining that Superman shouldn’t be able to carry that rocky land mass out into space because it’s laced with Kryptonite and therefore he shouldn’t have the strength…”
Did it occur to you that when Superman pushes that rock out into space, he goes so far that there isn’t enough gravity to pull a massive continent of rock back to earth, but there IS enough gravity to cause Superman to fall back to earth? Doesn’t that strike you as a bit strange?
Isn’t it odd that Superman is here to save the world, but the things that end up threatening the world are elements he brought with him to earth?
Isn’t it strange that a guy who could, perhaps, save the world, spends eight hours a day sitting around in an office where everyone is obsessed with celebrating him, and then a few hours performing a few random acts of rescue instead of addressing the world’s fundamental problems?
“…if he (Singer) had grimmed up and lashed himself with birch branches and said, ‘Okay, now comes the really hard part’ and been a man’s man…”
“Man’s man”? Is this Jeff’s way of saying, “if Bryan Singer wasn’t gay, Superman Returns would be much better.” He certainly spent a lot of time harping on the film’s non-existent gay subtext before he finally saw it, now he’s implying that Singer’s gayness had editorial/running time ramifications? Or maybe I’m totally wrong.
Um, Jeff? The movie has been out for less than 24 hours. The people that take you to task for your spoilers are going to roast you like a sacrificial piggie for this one. For cripes sake, couldn’t you have at least hinted you were going to give away the entire end of the movie?
I don’t feel it was too long. It just didn’t have direction.
“Did you ever hear any New Testament scholars dishing critiques about Yeshua’s not being more attentive to the ladies, or not getting married, or not being a more dutiful son to Mary?”
Yes, but the Lord provided for Mary and Joseph, while Supes didn’t do crap for Lois.
Overstreet: Superman’s a dick. http://www.superdickery.com/dick/1.html
I check this site out pretty much on a daily basis. But lately there have been WAY too many unexpected spoilers, so I will be visiting less often, or at least I won’t ready anything to do with any movie I’m planning to see. Jeff, you’re a smart guy, you KNOW when you’re writing spoiler info, is it that hard to advertise it so people who care can stay away from that post? Otherwise you force people to stay away from all posts!
Hey Jeff:
Was that pic on the front page (of the audience) shot in Superman Imax 3D ?
Jeff:
Spoilers in BLACK!
Jeff’s a glorified gossip columnist. Like that Friedman hack, he thinks revealing spoilers is the same as getting a scoop. The spoilers are not accidental. They’re part of his evil, fanboy-hating masterplan.
I saw it last night.
I liked it enough to say that I liked it but this is by far not a definitive version of Superman.
Routh acquited himself well and Singer understands big and epic. The Williams score also does wonders at giving us an emotional shortcut to reaquainting us with the characters emotions.
I also loved the (intentional or not) Passion of the Superman allusions. Gibson’s film is really becoming influencial.
However, it was too dour and depressing. I mean both physically and emotionally. Superman is a Christ figure…but he is not Christ literally. There should be some joy in him. Even Christ knew how to party at Cana. Routh came off like he was burdened by being Supes where Reeve made even the smallest task for man seem like an honour.
Overall, much better than I thought and I will definitely see it again.
The child story line however will not age well. It paints the characters into an emotional corner and limits what can be done in sequels.
I agree with Jeff that the empty hospital room mirrors the empty tomb and loved that scene as well.
Ironically enough though, I think it is odd to say this is the Passion for the non-Christian crowd. With that many literal Christian allusions it is safe to say that without The Passion or the Christ narrative to support it, the film as such would not exist.
The film is also being praised on many/most Christian/Catholic sites.
Overall a mixed bag, but I respected it and will see it again and own the DVD.
Oh and…Jimmy Olsen was fantastic!
“Yes, but the Lord provided for Mary and Joseph, while Supes didn’t do crap for Lois. ”
Daniel,
That is a funny line.
I agree Nicol D, Jimmy Olsen was awesome! So funny. That moment where he was eating the burrito and made that funny face! Haha.
And the plane scene was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in a movie. I definitely want to see it again.
There have been reports that the first cut of Superman was 3.5 hours long (I believe editor John Ottman confirmed that on aintitcoolnews). And, that one major sequence was cut. It was a sequence showing Superman in his spacecraft traveling through the debris of Krypton. So, trimming did go on, but yeah, some parts could’ve been a tad shorter. Still, overall I thought it was a pretty good movie.
Wells to Sanfred: being gay or straight has nothing to do with true manliness. Manliness is a matter of courage and fortitude and discipline and grace under pressue. My idea of manliness is linked in some level to that line from “The Mosquito Coast” about “four o’clock in the morning courage.”
I don’t see that graph about carrying a land mass out to space and a mention of the rescue aboard Luther’s yacht as spoilers…not at all…visually impressive as they may be, these scenes are total boilerplate stuff for a superhero movie…but there are always peopel complaining about this regardless so I’ll put a warning up.
Jeffrey: Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the IMAX version shorter then the regular release? That would mean it’s been trimmed.
Jeff,
I’ll agree that the yacht rescue is standard issue derring do, but the land mass thing is directly tied to the plot as I understand it. And I won’t even comment on the whole “empty tomb” thing. If you want people to see the movie and discover these cool things for themselves, don’t tell them about them in advance. Heck, go spoil the hell out of POTC.
Saw it at 12:45 today in a mostly empty theatre, a few kids, most of whom sounded like they got restless during the quiet moments, of which there are many.
I wanted to like it more than I do. The iconic moments were fine, the music cues gave me the kind of chicken-skin I got when I saw the Donner picture at the age of 13, Routh made a beautifully sculpted hero. The Christ allegory is a tad obvious for my taste, but works in the story up to a point.
Spacey as Luthor: weak, not that interesting. Luthor’s plot is too ludicrous to seem truly threatening.
Plot holes abound. How did the crystals, which were clearly left behind on the boat, end up where they ended up? Huh? HUH? That stuff drives me nuts.
Jeff’s a glorified gossip columnist. Like that Friedman hack, he thinks revealing spoilers is the same as getting a scoop. The spoilers are not accidental. They’re part of his evil, fanboy-hating masterplan.
Edward:
The IMAX version is shorter, but only because most of the end credits were excised.
Edward:
The IMAX version is shorter, but only because most of the end credits were excised.
Saw the movie last night. Handsomely crafted film, and Singer is a smart guy, but it felt far too much like eating my vegetables. The combination of ’70s Donner kitsch, overwrought romance, and heavy-handed Christ allegory does not do it for me. Not to mention that the entire Luthor plot is simply the height of silliness — isn’t Luthor supposed to be, you know, a genius? Not to mention a captain of industry? Anyways, glad I saw it, really have no intention of watching it again.