I still believe a man can fly.
Jun. 28th, 2006 04:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiI pretty much knew that Superman Returns was going to be at least a decent movie the second I saw Manohla Dargis's pan of it in the New York Times (Dargis, who has somehow made a career out of writing the sort half-wit criticism that might be found in lesser junior college weekly newspapers, has been known to smoke up to three heaping bowls of crack while watching movies), but there were enough mixed (or, more accurately, semi-enthusiastic raves -- think "B+" level reviews if you feel that such things are meaningless without a letter grade) reviews that I wasn't sure I'd love it.
No worries.
This is up there with Batman Begins and the two Spidey flicks.
Or, more accurately, this is up there with Superman.
In fact, the biggest weaknesses in the film -- Clark's milquetoast character and Lois's, well, annoying character -- are basically legacies from that film. But once you push past the slightly slow build those characters offer, the movie opens up and kicks about twelve kinds of ass.
This will be a spoiler-free review, btw. No worries, and nothing in the next paragraph takes place more than about fifteen minutes into the flick..
The plot's as basic as they come -- Superman's been gone from Earth for give years, and he, well, returns*. Meanwhile, Lois has moved on, living in sin with Cyclops (James Marsden), and giving birth to a rugrat. Luthor has wined and sexually gratified a rich widow into using her influence to get him out of jail, and then leaving him her money in the will. With that dough, he finds the Fortress of Solitude and the Jor-el Crystal Computer from the previous flicks. Needless to say, knowledge is power, and Lex now knows some nifty stuff.
The ensuing two hours will disappoint anyone who walks into the flick hoping for nothing but an extended fight scene; they deserve it. Luthor is an evil genius, not someone who can hold his own in fisticuffs with the Man of Steel. What we get is a face-off on multiple levels, with heart, character, and brains all coming into play. More significantly, we get to see how Superman touches the lives of everyday people, and (more importantly) how important they are to him. Early on, we learn that Lois has won a Pulitzer for an op-ed piece entitled, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." Although it shouldn't come as a shock that the article's thesis is proven wrong, the real point of the flick isn't that the world does need Superman, it's that Superman needs the world. This is, at its core, a damned fine film about humanity.
Don't worry, though. We do get action sequences. Oh, do we ever. It's just not a film built around them. But there's a sequence about two-thirds of the way through the film, with Supes** rushing through Metropolis trying to avert about six disasters at once, that's just unbelievable. And his first appearance as Superman in this movie had me on the edge of my seat. So there's plenty of stuff for those folks who can't get past the whole Summer Blockbuster thing.
Obviously, Bryan Singer gets a ton of credit here. Unlike some directors of super-hero movies***, Singer (along with the X2 writing team of Harris and Dougherty) recognizes that what makes a super-powered character interesting isn't the powers; it's the reaction to the powers, and how he or she chooses to use them to help (or hinder) humanity. But he avoids navel-gazing; Superman (unlike Spidey) isn't worried about whether to use his powers, or about his personal life (which he'll gladly sacrifice in a heartbeat); he's only concerned with how best to use them. It seems obvious (when you're Superman, you can do anything, right?), but when you can hear and see every disaster, major and minor, at once, how do you not freeze up? Singer isn't afraid to rush right up to a cliche, but he'll swerve at the last minute, letting us know he's aware of the traditional path a plotline should take, but doesn't feel any obligation to go there himself (the character of Richard being a prime example, but one I can't talk about without spoiling).
The cast deserves major props here. As Superman and Clark Kent, Brandon Routh really does seem exactly like Christopher Reeve. Kate Bosworth goes one better, recalling Margot Kidder while showing, frankly, a hell of a lot more talent. James Marsden shows that he's a solid performer as long as he has a good director behind him instead of a hack****. Frank Langella and Sam Huntington are fine as Perry and Jimmy, as well.
But huge props have to be given to Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey as Lex Luthor and Kitty Kowalski. They manage to be over the top and brilliant at the same time. Pretty much every scene with the two of them just lights up the screen. In a movie about humanity (whether Superman's or that of the folks he protects), these caricatures provide a perfect contrast. Spacey has one scene opposite Bosworth that had me nearly in stitches with laughter.
So, yeah. I'll be getting the DVD of this one, no question.*****
No post-credits bump, so feel free to leave when the movie ends (but, realistically, you should stay for the first three or four minutes of the credits anyway, because John Williams themes from the late '70s are as good as they come). Me, I stayed through the entire thing. I needed that much time to recover. For two hours this afternoon, I was eight again. Damn, it felt good.
*If you couldn't figure the latter part out from the title, you might be aredneck New York Times Movie Critic.
**Fuck you, John Byrne. I respect the guy more than you ever have.
***Yes, I mean Brett Ratner.
****Yes, I still mean Brett Ratner.
*****This footnote intentionally left non-insulting.
No worries.
This is up there with Batman Begins and the two Spidey flicks.
Or, more accurately, this is up there with Superman.
In fact, the biggest weaknesses in the film -- Clark's milquetoast character and Lois's, well, annoying character -- are basically legacies from that film. But once you push past the slightly slow build those characters offer, the movie opens up and kicks about twelve kinds of ass.
This will be a spoiler-free review, btw. No worries, and nothing in the next paragraph takes place more than about fifteen minutes into the flick..
The plot's as basic as they come -- Superman's been gone from Earth for give years, and he, well, returns*. Meanwhile, Lois has moved on, living in sin with Cyclops (James Marsden), and giving birth to a rugrat. Luthor has wined and sexually gratified a rich widow into using her influence to get him out of jail, and then leaving him her money in the will. With that dough, he finds the Fortress of Solitude and the Jor-el Crystal Computer from the previous flicks. Needless to say, knowledge is power, and Lex now knows some nifty stuff.
The ensuing two hours will disappoint anyone who walks into the flick hoping for nothing but an extended fight scene; they deserve it. Luthor is an evil genius, not someone who can hold his own in fisticuffs with the Man of Steel. What we get is a face-off on multiple levels, with heart, character, and brains all coming into play. More significantly, we get to see how Superman touches the lives of everyday people, and (more importantly) how important they are to him. Early on, we learn that Lois has won a Pulitzer for an op-ed piece entitled, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." Although it shouldn't come as a shock that the article's thesis is proven wrong, the real point of the flick isn't that the world does need Superman, it's that Superman needs the world. This is, at its core, a damned fine film about humanity.
Don't worry, though. We do get action sequences. Oh, do we ever. It's just not a film built around them. But there's a sequence about two-thirds of the way through the film, with Supes** rushing through Metropolis trying to avert about six disasters at once, that's just unbelievable. And his first appearance as Superman in this movie had me on the edge of my seat. So there's plenty of stuff for those folks who can't get past the whole Summer Blockbuster thing.
Obviously, Bryan Singer gets a ton of credit here. Unlike some directors of super-hero movies***, Singer (along with the X2 writing team of Harris and Dougherty) recognizes that what makes a super-powered character interesting isn't the powers; it's the reaction to the powers, and how he or she chooses to use them to help (or hinder) humanity. But he avoids navel-gazing; Superman (unlike Spidey) isn't worried about whether to use his powers, or about his personal life (which he'll gladly sacrifice in a heartbeat); he's only concerned with how best to use them. It seems obvious (when you're Superman, you can do anything, right?), but when you can hear and see every disaster, major and minor, at once, how do you not freeze up? Singer isn't afraid to rush right up to a cliche, but he'll swerve at the last minute, letting us know he's aware of the traditional path a plotline should take, but doesn't feel any obligation to go there himself (the character of Richard being a prime example, but one I can't talk about without spoiling).
The cast deserves major props here. As Superman and Clark Kent, Brandon Routh really does seem exactly like Christopher Reeve. Kate Bosworth goes one better, recalling Margot Kidder while showing, frankly, a hell of a lot more talent. James Marsden shows that he's a solid performer as long as he has a good director behind him instead of a hack****. Frank Langella and Sam Huntington are fine as Perry and Jimmy, as well.
But huge props have to be given to Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey as Lex Luthor and Kitty Kowalski. They manage to be over the top and brilliant at the same time. Pretty much every scene with the two of them just lights up the screen. In a movie about humanity (whether Superman's or that of the folks he protects), these caricatures provide a perfect contrast. Spacey has one scene opposite Bosworth that had me nearly in stitches with laughter.
So, yeah. I'll be getting the DVD of this one, no question.*****
No post-credits bump, so feel free to leave when the movie ends (but, realistically, you should stay for the first three or four minutes of the credits anyway, because John Williams themes from the late '70s are as good as they come). Me, I stayed through the entire thing. I needed that much time to recover. For two hours this afternoon, I was eight again. Damn, it felt good.
*If you couldn't figure the latter part out from the title, you might be a
**Fuck you, John Byrne. I respect the guy more than you ever have.
***Yes, I mean Brett Ratner.
****Yes, I still mean Brett Ratner.
*****This footnote intentionally left non-insulting.
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oh why oh why do you do that...
Date: 2006-06-28 08:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-28 08:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-28 08:44 pm (UTC)But I can't wait to see it again.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-28 08:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-28 08:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-28 08:53 pm (UTC)And it isn't that she wasn't okay, it's that everything else was superlative.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-28 09:22 pm (UTC)R-E-S-P-E-C-T?
Date: 2006-06-29 02:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-29 02:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-29 12:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-29 02:39 pm (UTC)