Anyhow, I know you'll kill me for saying this, but I actually like SR better than X-Men or Spiderman ( wait a second while I put on my helmet {:) )
So did I. I didn't like it as much as Spiderman II though. But, heresy I know, I liked it more than Batman Begins but then I like Superman more than Batman (and Clark much more than Bruce).
I don't think it's nearly as good as Superman I or even II but I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. Routh was (shocking to me) fine if not exceptional, and he was very easy on the eyes which didn't hurt. He had a nice soulful earnestness and channelled some of Reeves Superman quite well although he lacked much of CR's charm and humor as both Superman and Clark Kent (who was very underserved as a "character" in this film).
I actually liked Richard. Marsden who was so wooden and frankly awful as Cyclops in the X-Men films was rather charming and good here. I liked that the other man wasn't some cliched bad guy but instead a rather appealing and worthy man. And while I usually hate children in these kinds of films I like him because he wasn't "precious" like most children in films. He looked so soulful and sad and rather matched Routh's Superman. I also laughed when it was said he got a D in gym and then I knew who's kid he was. And the entire scene with the piano was one of the best in the film.
Spacey was very good as Luthor even if his real estate plot was more than a bit warmed over from Superman I. I really enjoyed Parker Posey here (I think she'd have made a much better Lois) even if Kitty is a ripoff of Valerine Perrine's Miss Teschmacher.
Lois was the real casting weak link and not because Bosworth did a bad job acting she was just miscast and the character was miswritten. She's not a patch on Kidder's Lois. Bosworth's Lois is so sad and bitter and lowkey. Yes that's part of the story but it's a complete butcher job on what was once a driven, fiery, wry, witty character. And she's just too bloody young to be a Pulitzer Prize winner with a five year old kid. It's hard to understand why Superman or Richard wants her so much.
The film like almost all big films now is about 1/2 hour too long. But I didn't feel bored during it; the pacing was pretty good even if some of the larger action set pieces could have been shortened, I cared about and enjoyed most of the characters, I liked most of the humor (yes including the dogs) and the visuals and stunts were spectacular. It felt like a much bigger movie than any of the X-Men, even X-Men 3 that openned it up a bit from the prior two. It certainly was more vibrant.
I'm just hoping Richard White doesn't turn out to be General Zod in disguise--having cleverly escaped from the Phantom Zone.
Unfortunately,I can see it now:Zod killed the real Richard and cunningly took his place all the while biding his time until Superman returned to Earth.He's out for revenge and having placed everyone under a particulary powerful hypnotic trance for 5 years,Lois has been tricked into thinking she has a son, when all the while Jason is merely a figment of everyone's imaginations.Fiend that he is,Zod has romanced Lois with the sole purpose of putting a dent in her relationship with Superman/Clark Kent.
Zod's goal,of course,is to free Ursa(now played by Lucy Lawless)and Non(now played by The Rock)from the Zone,so this terrible trio can then run amuck on Earth,beginning with Metropolis and extending to the Arctic Circle and the Fortress of Solitude,with a brief stopover at a roadside diner.Maybe they'll bop Perry White on the head along the way, while kidnapping Lois.Oh,and they'll spring a continually quipping and incredibly "hilarious" Lex Luthor from prison so he'll talk more about land-- all the while donning a variety of colorful wigs.Kitty will appear only to suddenly vanish along the way. What fun.
It'll be a thrill.It'll be original,and most importantly,it'll be something Richard Donner might approve of, so Singer'll love it.:v
(Damn!I should be writing this stuff professionally...)
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Who thought that there were so many good screenwriters here on the board. Pretty good ideas...
You guys should load up the truck and moooove to Beverly...Hills that is.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I was reading the novelization to Superman Returns (written by Marv Wolfman) and came across a big difference between the book and movie: in the book Jason clearly is not Superman's son. He never displays any superpowers and it is Lois who kills Brutus on the Gertrude. The book even ends with Richard still living with Lois and Jason and Lois clearly conflicted with where her feelings lie.
I found that to be a big alteration and I wonder now if making Jason Superman's son was a last minute decision on the part of Singer.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
I was reading the novelization to Superman Returns (written by Marv Wolfman) and came across a big difference between the book and movie: in the book Jason clearly is not Superman's son. He never displays any superpowers and it is Lois who kills Brutus on the Gertrude. The book even ends with Richard still living with Lois and Jason and Lois clearly conflicted with where her feelings lie.
I found that to be a big alteration and I wonder now if making Jason Superman's son was a last minute decision on the part of Singer.
Hope this wasn't read by someone who hasn't seen the movie yet. . . 8-)
Anyway, novelizations tend to be based on early versions of the scripts, so there are likely to be major differences between what's been filmed and what's been written.
Hope this wasn't read by someone who hasn't seen the movie yet. . . 8-)
HB, as I hope you know I don't treat spoilers lightly, but a quick perusal of the past few pages will quickly show that that little piece of information has been thrown back and forth many many times already. Besides, it's pretty common knowledge as even a lot of critics have harped on it.
Now if somebody had told you about the part of the movie where we find out Lex is really Superman's long lost Kryptonian brother...DOH!!!...just kidding.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Just another wisecrack from a fan at IMDB. It's just comic relief over there... ) :
larryborglum (Wed Jul 12 2006 14:55:46)
I was a huge Superman fan as a child, so I anxiously awaited this film. Here are my problems with it.
I know Budweiser probably paid them a pretty penny, but to have squeaky-clean Clark Kent in a bar drinking? Not to mention, this is SUPERMAN! He doesn't even lie, but now he drinks??? And it was JIMMY'S idea?!?!? Out of the whole cast, those are the two least likely candidates to be drinkers. I'd rather see Martha Kent shooting Jim Beam at the farmhouse.
Also, Superman doesn't need to chase taken women. He should know better. If SHE fell for HIM again and he played it down, it would have been more like the Superman I remember. Instead, he's stalking her and using his X-ray vision to spy on her at her home at night. CREEPY!!! It's a good thing she wasn't taking a dump!
Then he shows up on the rooftop figuring that taking her flying will make her fall in love with him again. He actually cocks off that Richard needs a plane to fly and he doesn't! You're SUPERMAN for crying out loud!!! You shouldn't need to plead your case!!!
Richard was a hero in the movie, and Superman is trying to take his woman. He also broke their family picture which was a nice touch. Use your heat vision and FIX THE GLASS you disrespectful psycho!
As for the rape part, that's not exactly true...but isn't Lois a little creeped out that she has Superman's child, even though he wiped out any memory she had of the relationship with Clark Kent/Superman? She must REALLY think he's faster than a speeding bullet.
Otherwise, I liked it
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I hear you; I'll try to be even more cautious in the future.
And as an FYI, the novelization was quite close to the book although it obviously expanded on a lot of things. In particular, the early chapters where Superman is...
exploring the remains of Krypton were particularly good and really made me wish Brian Singer had not cut those scenes from the movie.
It was a good read and recommended to anybody looking for something to do over a lazy couple of days.
Rogue, the guy in your spoiler post does make some very good points; I felt the same way when watching those scenes he mentions (though obviously not as strongly as he or you did).
(Damn!I should be writing this stuff professionally...)
You might be sued for plagerism -- then again if it's OK for Singer and company... )
MBE
C'mon,I'm a genius--and I'm at least as imaginative as Singer.If he's happy simply reheating the contents of the first Superman movie,with a few minor alterations(Tom Mankiewicz should be getting a check from Singer and Co.),then surely a slightly revised version of Superman II would also appeal to him.I've read that Spacey is signed for at least one more Superman movie(this was in Starlog if I remember correctly).
To paraphrase Arsenio Hall,that kind of information makes me go,"Hmmmm....."
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
From reading other reports on the web about Warner Bros. disenchantment on this film not surpassing 200 million domestically after 2 weeks of release, it's said that if a sequel is ok'ed, they'll cut costs for that project and some movie insiders feel that that sort of curbing of the purse strings won't fly well with diva director Singer.
For now, it's just speculation...
Hopefully if Singer's displeased enough with WB's arm-twisting on this stance, he'll walk away and let a director(Cameron) in here to whitewash this little incarnation like Marvel is doing with the Hulk franchise at the moment.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
From reading other reports on the web about Warner Bros. disenchantment on this film not surpassing 200 million domestically after 2 weeks of release, it's said that if a sequel is ok'ed, they'll cut costs for that project and some movie insiders feel that that sort of curbing of the purse strings won't fly well with diva director Singer.
Well it won't be hard to cut costs for the second one since a huge chunk of the costs on Superman (like Terminator 3) come from all it's failed attempts to get off the ground with previous directors, writers and actors. The film costs tens of millions before Singer shot frame one. Nic Cage (what was someone thinking?!) had a pay or play deal and got $20m not to star as Superman in the film. Routh got $1m to actually act in it.
Ah Hollywood.
WB seems to have done well though selling all related Superman DVDs from the 70s films to the 50s show to Lois & Clark to the Animated series - from the look of things on Amazon. So they have reason to want another film (at a more reasonably priced budget) because new films help to drive sale of the back catalogue.
They'll probably wait and see how the film does on DVD to see if they want to change the tone /director etc. Not to mention the worldwide numbers. It might do better than Batman Begins.
I don't think WB did the film any favors by positioning it just 9 days ahead of Pirates, and not even being able to open it immeadiately worldwide because of the World Cup, especially when you see how barren so much of the rest of the summer is when it comes to spectacle.
I was reading the novelization to Superman Returns (written by Marv Wolfman) and came across a big difference between the book and movie: in the book Jason clearly is not Superman's son. He never displays any superpowers and it is Lois who kills Brutus on the Gertrude. The book even ends with Richard still living with Lois and Jason and Lois clearly conflicted with where her feelings lie.
I found that to be a big alteration and I wonder now if making Jason Superman's son was a last minute decision on the part of Singer.
Hard to say.Frankly,I think Wolfman leaves it up to the reader to decide if Jason is Superman's son or not.One could always argue that Jason is, and the boy in the novelization--being the son of the completely powerless Superman--thus wouldn't have been able to inherit any of dear ol' Dad's unique abilities.And then that was changed,however slightly, for the movie.
I've looked in the SR novelization and haven't found a statement anywhere in the book where Wolfman says in no uncertain terms whatsoever that Jason isn't Kal-El's kid.
And there's this sequence in Chapter 37,page 323--
Lois is near Superman and:
She walked to his side and took his hand."There's something ... something I need to tell you."
She bent low,whispering in Superman's ears,her eyes filled with tears which she tried,fruitlessly,to wipe away.
Lois could be saying anything but my guess is that she tells Kal-El that she loves him and that Jason is their son.
Of course it's all up to conjecture.If you don't want Jason to be Superman's son--then he isn't.But then again,he could be.Personally,I find it passing strange to think that Jason is anyone other than Superman's son by Lois when he was briefly mere mortal Clark Kent.He's 5 years old--exactly the right age to have been born while Superman was away.
Perhaps Lois is beginning to remember isolated portions of her romantic evening with the depowered Superman- just enough to know that Jason is the Man of Steel's kid-without recalling all of the particulars about Supes also being Clark Kent.That famous Amnesia Kiss may not be as permanent as Superman originally intended.It may only be good for about five years,tops--after such time it has to be renewed.Assuming that this is the case,this also means that in time(probably sooner than later) Lois will eventually realize that Clark and Superman are one and the same.
Knowing that she has a child by Superman may have been the primary catalyst behind Lois writing that Pulitzer Prize winning article,"Damn you Superman!You left me behind while you just flew away without so much as a by your leave,you irresponsible jerk!Take this!" also known as "The World Doesn't Need a Superman".
[end of spoiler]
Just an opinion.:)
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
I take it this isn't a "graphic" novel is it? Just words? ?:)
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I take it this isn't a "graphic" novel is it? Just words? ?:)
Just words.A prose novel by Marv Wolfman based upon one of the final drafts of the SR screenplay.
That said,I believe Singer's written(or at least authorized) a couple of special comic books designed to accompany this movie,and there may even be a special comics adaptation as well.There was for Batman Begins.
Check Amazon--if these things exist then you'll probably find them there-in their Graphic Novels/Comics sections.
In fact,I went over there and found some stuff you might like.
Here you go:
The comics adaptation of SR is called,Superman Returns and Other Tales of the Man of Steel,By Martin Pasko.(I'm old enough to remember when Pasko was a regular letterhack in DC comics-primarily the Superman and Justice League titles.Editor Julie Schwartz called him,"Pesky Pasko")
The Singer comic book is called:
Superman Returns--the Prequels.This'll be available in October.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
I take it this isn't a "graphic" novel is it? Just words? ?:)
Just words.A prose novel by Marv Wolfnman based upon one of the final drafts of the SR screenplay.
That said,I believe Singer's written(or at least authorized) a couple of special comic books designed to accompany this movie,and there may even be a special comics adaptation as well.There was for Batman Begins.
Check Amazon--if these things exist then you'll probably find them there-in their Graphic Novels/Comics sections.
Thanks.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I take it this isn't a "graphic" novel is it? Just words? ?:)
Just words.A prose novel by Marv Wolfnman based upon one of the final drafts of the SR screenplay.
That said,I believe Singer's written(or at least authorized) a couple of special comic books designed to accompany this movie,and there may even be a special comics adaptation as well.There was for Batman Begins.
Check Amazon--if these things exist then you'll probably find them there-in their Graphic Novels/Comics sections.
Thanks.
You're welcome Rogue.Check the previous page--I've added the titles of the books you might be interested in to my earlier response to you.;)
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
edited July 2006
I thought that I'd share this with you guys. It's an article and video on the concerns of SR lack of crowd pull at the box office as opposed to Pirates steam-rolling in the big bucks.
I think that Routh handles himself very well with questions on this and I think that's just his nature. Afterall I can't blame him for this. Singer,on the other hand, doesn't sport a good poker face at all. Well that's the way I see it. I hope you all can pull this up.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,994Quartermasters
Thanks, Rogue---I'm particularly fond of the nom de plume of one poster, "F*** TOM CRUISE." )
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I've looked in the SR novelization and haven't found a statement anywhere in the book where Wolfman says in no uncertain terms whatsoever that Jason isn't Kal-El's kid.
No argument on that point; the book definitely doesn't hit you over the head with it either way. I came to my conclusion based on the fact that Jason never exhibits any manefestations of super abilities and Lois never explicitly mentions it to Superman.
Hopefully, we'll be able to find out some day when in the movie's life cycle that whole angle was decided upon. I'd love to know if it was part of Singer's vision from day one, a last minute creative inspiration (and I use the term loosely) or something in between.
Also, as an FYI to anybody who may be curious, I chatted with some folks who saw the Imax 3D version of the movie. The verdicts were somewhat mixed on the quality of the 3D effects (some compared it to looking at a Viewmaster 3D slide) and there is no additional footage shown. There were rumors that Singer was going to reinstate the Superman visiting Krypton sequence, but alas it was not to be.
BTW, I also like your alternate title to Lois' essay much better than the one she used. )
From reading other reports on the web about Warner Bros. disenchantment on this film not surpassing 200 million domestically after 2 weeks of release, it's said that if a sequel is ok'ed, they'll cut costs for that project and some movie insiders feel that that sort of curbing of the purse strings won't fly well with diva director Singer.
For now, it's just speculation...
Hopefully if Singer's displeased enough with WB's arm-twisting on this stance, he'll walk away and let a director(Cameron) in here to whitewash this little incarnation like Marvel is doing with the Hulk franchise at the moment.
If you're talking about James Cameron, well personally I think that would be an even worse choice for a director. His movies can be very heavy handed and long winded and if anybody could outdo Singer on the budget, it's Cameron. Besides, these days he likes to focus on his own original ideas rather existing IP's (he walked away from Spiderman for pretty much that reason). He'd probably want to insert a scene where Superman raises the remains of the Titanic.
Personally, I think a good workmanlike action director like Johnathan Mostow or even (dare I say it) Brett Rattner could do a good job. At least they know how to pace their movies and bring them in at a reasonable length, although I doubt they'd get the job because they're not as "sexy" as some of the more hip directors.
As to the budget, as MBE astutely pointed out SR was weighed down by all the money spent on the aborted attempts to revive the franchise. With everything now in place (I even think a lot of the sets are still standing in Australia) any followup should not be nearly as expensive to make.
Personally, I hope they do make another movie, sans the kid and Richard White. And Kate Bosworth has to go; they need an actress not a borderline model.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Personally, I hope they do make another movie, sans the kid and Richard White. And Kate Bosworth has to go; they need an actress not a borderline model.
See, we do agree on something. {[]
I too would love to see a follow-up to this; just reboot it.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Personally, I hope they do make another movie, sans the kid and Richard White. And Kate Bosworth has to go; they need an actress not a borderline model.
See, we do agree on something. {[]
I too would love to see a follow-up to this; just reboot it.
We agree on a lot of things, like Aunt May has to go. )
My only problem with another reboot is that there were a lot of things in this movie that I liked and would hate to see them go. I liked Routh, I liked Langella as Perry White, I liked Jimmy Olson, I liked Lex and Kitty. Maybe instead of a reboot they should just leave Lois and Co. behind for the next movie and bring in Lana Lang instead.
Comments
Thanks, but we both know it'll never happen.
So did I. I didn't like it as much as Spiderman II though. But, heresy I know, I liked it more than Batman Begins but then I like Superman more than Batman (and Clark much more than Bruce).
I don't think it's nearly as good as Superman I or even II but I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. Routh was (shocking to me) fine if not exceptional, and he was very easy on the eyes which didn't hurt. He had a nice soulful earnestness and channelled some of Reeves Superman quite well although he lacked much of CR's charm and humor as both Superman and Clark Kent (who was very underserved as a "character" in this film).
I actually liked Richard. Marsden who was so wooden and frankly awful as Cyclops in the X-Men films was rather charming and good here. I liked that the other man wasn't some cliched bad guy but instead a rather appealing and worthy man. And while I usually hate children in these kinds of films I like him because he wasn't "precious" like most children in films. He looked so soulful and sad and rather matched Routh's Superman. I also laughed when it was said he got a D in gym and then I knew who's kid he was.
Spacey was very good as Luthor even if his real estate plot was more than a bit warmed over from Superman I. I really enjoyed Parker Posey here (I think she'd have made a much better Lois) even if Kitty is a ripoff of Valerine Perrine's Miss Teschmacher.
Lois was the real casting weak link and not because Bosworth did a bad job acting she was just miscast and the character was miswritten. She's not a patch on Kidder's Lois. Bosworth's Lois is so sad and bitter and lowkey. Yes that's part of the story but it's a complete butcher job on what was once a driven, fiery, wry, witty character. And she's just too bloody young to be a Pulitzer Prize winner with a five year old kid. It's hard to understand why Superman or Richard wants her so much.
The film like almost all big films now is about 1/2 hour too long. But I didn't feel bored during it; the pacing was pretty good even if some of the larger action set pieces could have been shortened, I cared about and enjoyed most of the characters, I liked most of the humor (yes including the dogs) and the visuals and stunts were spectacular. It felt like a much bigger movie than any of the X-Men, even X-Men 3 that openned it up a bit from the prior two. It certainly was more vibrant.
MBE
Unfortunately,I can see it now:Zod killed the real Richard and cunningly took his place all the while biding his time until Superman returned to Earth.He's out for revenge and having placed everyone under a particulary powerful hypnotic trance for 5 years,Lois has been tricked into thinking she has a son, when all the while Jason is merely a figment of everyone's imaginations.Fiend that he is,Zod has romanced Lois with the sole purpose of putting a dent in her relationship with Superman/Clark Kent.
Hey!Could work:anybody else remember Superman's rebuild-the-Great-Wall-of-China-vision?
Zod's goal,of course,is to free Ursa(now played by Lucy Lawless)and Non(now played by The Rock)from the Zone,so this terrible trio can then run amuck on Earth,beginning with Metropolis and extending to the Arctic Circle and the Fortress of Solitude,with a brief stopover at a roadside diner.Maybe they'll bop Perry White on the head along the way, while kidnapping Lois.Oh,and they'll spring a continually quipping and incredibly "hilarious" Lex Luthor from prison so he'll talk more about land-- all the while donning a variety of colorful wigs.Kitty will appear only to suddenly vanish along the way. What fun.
It'll be a thrill.It'll be original,and most importantly,it'll be something Richard Donner might approve of, so Singer'll love it.:v
(Damn!I should be writing this stuff professionally...)
You guys should load up the truck and moooove to Beverly...Hills that is.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
You might be sued for plagerism -- then again if it's OK for Singer and company...
MBE
Superman is spending a quiet afternoon playing with junior when, as he runs his hand thru the boy's hair, he notices a ... 666
YES! I can hear the OMEN theme chanting now! And let the kid have a Rottweiler in the house with a Kryptonite collar for good measure.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I had a feeling you might like that one. Brian Singer's ears must be ringing right about now.
Donner's too with an idea that souped up.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I found that to be a big alteration and I wonder now if making Jason Superman's son was a last minute decision on the part of Singer.
That's a shock to me but I think you've just answered your own question on that one regrettably... 8-)
He just couldn't/wouldn't stick to the plan...Man, everyone wants to force THEIR vision down our throats.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Hope this wasn't read by someone who hasn't seen the movie yet. . . 8-)
Anyway, novelizations tend to be based on early versions of the scripts, so there are likely to be major differences between what's been filmed and what's been written.
HB, as I hope you know I don't treat spoilers lightly, but a quick perusal of the past few pages will quickly show that that little piece of information has been thrown back and forth many many times already. Besides, it's pretty common knowledge as even a lot of critics have harped on it.
Now if somebody had told you about the part of the movie where we find out Lex is really Superman's long lost Kryptonian brother...DOH!!!...just kidding.
I was a huge Superman fan as a child, so I anxiously awaited this film. Here are my problems with it.
I know Budweiser probably paid them a pretty penny, but to have squeaky-clean Clark Kent in a bar drinking? Not to mention, this is SUPERMAN! He doesn't even lie, but now he drinks??? And it was JIMMY'S idea?!?!? Out of the whole cast, those are the two least likely candidates to be drinkers. I'd rather see Martha Kent shooting Jim Beam at the farmhouse.
Also, Superman doesn't need to chase taken women. He should know better. If SHE fell for HIM again and he played it down, it would have been more like the Superman I remember. Instead, he's stalking her and using his X-ray vision to spy on her at her home at night. CREEPY!!! It's a good thing she wasn't taking a dump!
Then he shows up on the rooftop figuring that taking her flying will make her fall in love with him again. He actually cocks off that Richard needs a plane to fly and he doesn't! You're SUPERMAN for crying out loud!!! You shouldn't need to plead your case!!!
Richard was a hero in the movie, and Superman is trying to take his woman. He also broke their family picture which was a nice touch. Use your heat vision and FIX THE GLASS you disrespectful psycho!
As for the rape part, that's not exactly true...but isn't Lois a little creeped out that she has Superman's child, even though he wiped out any memory she had of the relationship with Clark Kent/Superman? She must REALLY think he's faster than a speeding bullet.
Otherwise, I liked it
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I hear you; I'll try to be even more cautious in the future.
And as an FYI, the novelization was quite close to the book although it obviously expanded on a lot of things. In particular, the early chapters where Superman is...
It was a good read and recommended to anybody looking for something to do over a lazy couple of days.
Rogue, the guy in your spoiler post does make some very good points; I felt the same way when watching those scenes he mentions (though obviously not as strongly as he or you did).
C'mon,I'm a genius--and I'm at least as imaginative as Singer.If he's happy simply reheating the contents of the first Superman movie,with a few minor alterations(Tom Mankiewicz should be getting a check from Singer and Co.),then surely a slightly revised version of Superman II would also appeal to him.I've read that Spacey is signed for at least one more Superman movie(this was in Starlog if I remember correctly).
To paraphrase Arsenio Hall,that kind of information makes me go,"Hmmmm....."
For now, it's just speculation...
Hopefully if Singer's displeased enough with WB's arm-twisting on this stance, he'll walk away and let a director(Cameron) in here to whitewash this little incarnation like Marvel is doing with the Hulk franchise at the moment.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Well it won't be hard to cut costs for the second one since a huge chunk of the costs on Superman (like Terminator 3) come from all it's failed attempts to get off the ground with previous directors, writers and actors. The film costs tens of millions before Singer shot frame one. Nic Cage (what was someone thinking?!) had a pay or play deal and got $20m not to star as Superman in the film. Routh got $1m to actually act in it.
Ah Hollywood.
WB seems to have done well though selling all related Superman DVDs from the 70s films to the 50s show to Lois & Clark to the Animated series - from the look of things on Amazon. So they have reason to want another film (at a more reasonably priced budget) because new films help to drive sale of the back catalogue.
They'll probably wait and see how the film does on DVD to see if they want to change the tone /director etc. Not to mention the worldwide numbers. It might do better than Batman Begins.
I don't think WB did the film any favors by positioning it just 9 days ahead of Pirates, and not even being able to open it immeadiately worldwide because of the World Cup, especially when you see how barren so much of the rest of the summer is when it comes to spectacle.
MBE
Hard to say.Frankly,I think Wolfman leaves it up to the reader to decide if Jason is Superman's son or not.One could always argue that Jason is, and the boy in the novelization--being the son of the completely powerless Superman--thus wouldn't have been able to inherit any of dear ol' Dad's unique abilities.And then that was changed,however slightly, for the movie.
I've looked in the SR novelization and haven't found a statement anywhere in the book where Wolfman says in no uncertain terms whatsoever that Jason isn't Kal-El's kid.
And there's this sequence in Chapter 37,page 323--
Lois is near Superman and:
She walked to his side and took his hand."There's something ... something I need to tell you."
She bent low,whispering in Superman's ears,her eyes filled with tears which she tried,fruitlessly,to wipe away.
Lois could be saying anything but my guess is that she tells Kal-El that she loves him and that Jason is their son.
Of course it's all up to conjecture.If you don't want Jason to be Superman's son--then he isn't.But then again,he could be.Personally,I find it passing strange to think that Jason is anyone other than Superman's son by Lois when he was briefly mere mortal Clark Kent.He's 5 years old--exactly the right age to have been born while Superman was away.
Perhaps Lois is beginning to remember isolated portions of her romantic evening with the depowered Superman- just enough to know that Jason is the Man of Steel's kid-without recalling all of the particulars about Supes also being Clark Kent.That famous Amnesia Kiss may not be as permanent as Superman originally intended.It may only be good for about five years,tops--after such time it has to be renewed.Assuming that this is the case,this also means that in time(probably sooner than later) Lois will eventually realize that Clark and Superman are one and the same.
Knowing that she has a child by Superman may have been the primary catalyst behind Lois writing that Pulitzer Prize winning article,"Damn you Superman!You left me behind while you just flew away without so much as a by your leave,you irresponsible jerk!Take this!" also known as "The World Doesn't Need a Superman".
[end of spoiler]
Just an opinion.:)
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Just words.A prose novel by Marv Wolfman based upon one of the final drafts of the SR screenplay.
That said,I believe Singer's written(or at least authorized) a couple of special comic books designed to accompany this movie,and there may even be a special comics adaptation as well.There was for Batman Begins.
Check Amazon--if these things exist then you'll probably find them there-in their Graphic Novels/Comics sections.
In fact,I went over there and found some stuff you might like.
Here you go:
The comics adaptation of SR is called,Superman Returns and Other Tales of the Man of Steel,By Martin Pasko.(I'm old enough to remember when Pasko was a regular letterhack in DC comics-primarily the Superman and Justice League titles.Editor Julie Schwartz called him,"Pesky Pasko")
The Singer comic book is called:
Superman Returns--the Prequels.This'll be available in October.
Thanks.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
You're welcome Rogue.Check the previous page--I've added the titles of the books you might be interested in to my earlier response to you.;)
I think that Routh handles himself very well with questions on this and I think that's just his nature. Afterall I can't blame him for this. Singer,on the other hand, doesn't sport a good poker face at all. Well that's the way I see it. I hope you all can pull this up.
Enjoy:
http://www.tmz.com/2006/07/12/pirates-are-supermans-kryptonite/
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
No argument on that point; the book definitely doesn't hit you over the head with it either way. I came to my conclusion based on the fact that Jason never exhibits any manefestations of super abilities and Lois never explicitly mentions it to Superman.
Hopefully, we'll be able to find out some day when in the movie's life cycle that whole angle was decided upon. I'd love to know if it was part of Singer's vision from day one, a last minute creative inspiration (and I use the term loosely) or something in between.
Also, as an FYI to anybody who may be curious, I chatted with some folks who saw the Imax 3D version of the movie. The verdicts were somewhat mixed on the quality of the 3D effects (some compared it to looking at a Viewmaster 3D slide) and there is no additional footage shown. There were rumors that Singer was going to reinstate the Superman visiting Krypton sequence, but alas it was not to be.
BTW, I also like your alternate title to Lois' essay much better than the one she used.
If you're talking about James Cameron, well personally I think that would be an even worse choice for a director. His movies can be very heavy handed and long winded and if anybody could outdo Singer on the budget, it's Cameron. Besides, these days he likes to focus on his own original ideas rather existing IP's (he walked away from Spiderman for pretty much that reason). He'd probably want to insert a scene where Superman raises the remains of the Titanic.
Personally, I think a good workmanlike action director like Johnathan Mostow or even (dare I say it) Brett Rattner could do a good job. At least they know how to pace their movies and bring them in at a reasonable length, although I doubt they'd get the job because they're not as "sexy" as some of the more hip directors.
As to the budget, as MBE astutely pointed out SR was weighed down by all the money spent on the aborted attempts to revive the franchise. With everything now in place (I even think a lot of the sets are still standing in Australia) any followup should not be nearly as expensive to make.
Personally, I hope they do make another movie, sans the kid and Richard White. And Kate Bosworth has to go; they need an actress not a borderline model.
See, we do agree on something. {[]
I too would love to see a follow-up to this; just reboot it.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
We agree on a lot of things, like Aunt May has to go.
My only problem with another reboot is that there were a lot of things in this movie that I liked and would hate to see them go. I liked Routh, I liked Langella as Perry White, I liked Jimmy Olson, I liked Lex and Kitty. Maybe instead of a reboot they should just leave Lois and Co. behind for the next movie and bring in Lana Lang instead.