56 thoughts on “John Reviews Superman Returns

  1. Here’s my review of Superman Returns. I wasn’t excited about this movie. But i’m the kinda guy who loves sperhero movies. So I did liked this movie. The acting was incredible. Kevin Spacey stole the movie. Kate Bosworth wasn’t too bad. The action was great. The special effects were great. I di not like the part where he’s on the roof and the guy fire’s a hundred bullets a minute at Superman. Then he pulls out a gun and shoots him in the eye. If i didn’t kill him with a hundred bullets a minute, I wouldn’t pull out a gun. I would start crying and fill my pants with some urine. Overall this is a good movie. 9/10

  2. Nowhere near what it could have been.

    I like what the director did with X-Men, he stayed true to the comics but added his touch – and it worked. But he should have either stayed well away from Superman OR spent a lot longer on a better more credible script. You really let the side down.

    Lex Luther was well casted but the script/story let him down. Where is the technlogically advanced Lex?

    Lois Lane’s casting was a complete joke. Routh wasn’t. Perry White – bad choice again.

    Great effects, new ideas, WEAK character depth, WEAK story. Even the characters on Lois & Clark had more depth to them (martha, jimmy and perry too!)

    I am a man of solutions though – I think Singer should NOT try to continue with this cast or this style but instead keep Routh, Spacey and drop the rest and redeem himself with an amazing script/more focus on characters.

    Having said all this there were some great moments (plane scene, the falling shots after throwing the rock into space at the end, the moment with his son…). I’m not against new ideas (introducing his son) but dude PLEASE do better on the next one….

  3. I was SOOOO disappointed!!! Supes was great. Spacey, a bit campy. Bosworth, good , but way too young.. The main plot was decent, but the kid? What the *&%^*(^*^#@!!!!! Where do they get off taking such liberties whith this iconic legend? I think the next one needs to be Superman just kicking some serious Evil Villain ass! Metallo would be awesome and visually spectacular. And please let Lex be the badass we all know and love. Donald Trump with a murderous streak.
    I wrote a song about Superman , called Heart of Steel. My friend Darrin Lapointe made a little video to accompany it. Please check it out and tell me what you think. go to http://www.youtube.com
    type in Heart Of Steel Remo Cino.. Thanks , Love the movieblog..

  4. Seen the film twice now just to make certain.

    It’s a fantastic film. Actually warmed to Kate Bosworth as can’t picture Margot Kidder as a mother.

    Brandon Routh is as good as Christopher Reeve and I actually prefered his portrayal of Clark Kent.

    I enjoyed this more than Pirates of the Carribean – which is still a great film as well (my kids enjoyed it more than Supes though)

  5. I just wanted to agree with those who made the comments about Kate Bosworth being a poor choice to play Lois Lane. Unfortunately I think her very ordinary portrayal of this previously strong, opinionated and interesting character was the film’s only downfall. A shame really.

  6. Nice Review. Disagree with your opinion on Kate Bosworth. I thought she was great. Also, I disagree with your view that Routh makes a better Superman than Reeves. Routh is great, actually he’s brilliant – but Reeve’s cemented himself through history as “the” best Superman.

    9/10 for me.

  7. i know there is a difference john…..I am just pointing out that on the first day of its release to the public fantastic four made more than superman. that is a fact. wednesday schmensday…..spin it anyway you want but it is a fact.

    and remember spider-man 2 took in 40 million on a wednesday. nearly twice the superman take.

    21 million is a lot of money but for a film of this size you bet you ass warners were wanting and expecting more. if you think warners are happy with a 21 million opening day on a film they have spent close to 300 million on you are crazy.

    …i thought superman returns was this film that people were hanging out for for 19 years?

    some people have even claimed it could do phantom menace numbers….

    again you can spin it anyway you want. after all the hype…the “super” reviews etc etc 21 million is disapointing. men in black 2 made 18 million on a wednesday…just 3 mill less…..men in fucking black 2.

    It will more than likely make 100 by monday but even then this ia a film which has cost nearly 300 mill…it has to make at least twice that to break even……

    this film is going to be a huige disappointment….especially since it is hardly a kids film….way to serious, long and lacking in action for the kids to want to go back again and again.

    for the record john…..I fucking loved it. and as you know i was totally expecting to hate it but i thought it was fucking amazing.

    anyway…..superman is out and we have all seen it now…

    time to tell us what you thought of pirates?

    for some reason I have a feeling you didn’t like it…..

  8. Ummm… Carter…

    You do know there is a difference between a mid-week opening and a Friday opening right?

    At $21 million it is the 8th all time largest non-Firday opening day boxoffice in history. And even if you included Friday openings, it’s still 29th all time. On A WEDNESDAY!

    Yeah… this thing is gonna blow the doors off of $100 million by the end of the weekend for sure.

  9. I actually enjoyed the movie much more than I thought I would. Granted my expectations weren’t very high. It was nice to be pleasantly surprised and entertained for 2+ hours. AND it kept the solid attention of my 10yr old daughter.

    I didn’t particularly care for the Luthor “big scheme” plan; it felt below Lex, but Spacey was excellent in his role. I was a little disappointed with Park Posey’s performance, but not because of her acting more from the writing and direction of the character. I felt like she was rather worthless and no where near as funny/annoying as the original Miss Kitty.

    Kate Bosworth was a fair Lois, honestly I just don’t think she filled the shoes properly, at least Kate is a talented actress, so you weren’t cringing from her performance.

    Routh surprised me as Superman and though Reeve will always be fondly remember as Superman I am happy with the casting of Routh. Not only is he sexy in that suit, but he wasn’t half bad in his acting talents.

    Speaking of the suit….I don’t like it…I think its flat and the “underoo” pants come down too low, it bugged me to see his hip bones stick out in a couple of scenes.

  10. Routh was no where near as good as Reeve’s Superman. I have no idea what makes you think that. You look at Reeve as Superman and you just instantly trust the guy. Routh as Superman kinda creeped me out with his staring and stalking and his jealousy. Routh did an adequate job of filling in for Reeve, especially with the sparse dialoge he was given, but he came nowhere close to the warmth, dignity, and power that Reeve gave Superman.

    Another thing that bugged me about the movie is the main plot, Luthor’s big scheme. Luthor, the world greatest criminal mastermind, thinks he’s gonna create a new continent and sell the real estate to other countries. He and what army? How is he gonna secure land rights and defend his new continent against other nation’s armies? With a yacht and a helicopter? Not only is it absurd, it’s been done before.
    The whole idea is a silly rip off of the first Superman movie, which was the weakest part of that movie in the first place. Luthor uses kryptonite to stop Superman while he creates real estate which he will somehow claim ownership of and sell. He dumps Superman in the water with the kryptonite and writes him off. Superman is rescued by the girl and comes back to stop Luthor. Same damn story.
    Now if Luthor had used the 5 years of Superman’s absence to make himself into a multi-billionaire industrialist with fabulous technological weapons (like he is in the comic books), readying himself for Superman’s invevitable return, that would have made an interesting movie.
    Superman vs. a giant rock is not very interesting.

  11. Watched Superman last night here in the Philippines and it was amazing! Singer’s passion and love for the story of Superman was evident in every shot.

    I agree this is not a mindless action film but a marvelous film. I don’t know what Ebert was talking about. I thought Bosworth was OK. Routh was superb as Clark Kent/Superman.

    I didn’t find the last 10 minutes dragging at all – in fact I barely felt the 2 1/2+ hours pass.

    This is one movie I’ll be seeing again.

  12. Mixed review here, kiddies.

    I loved the plane/shuttle sequence. I loved the John Williams themes and the homage to the first two film’s title sequences (always did). Kevin Spacey was great as Luthor. Routh was excellent. I even warmed up to Kate Bosworth..and you know something? The Jack Larson bit rules (the nod to Batman, however, does not) . I also liked the fact that Richard White (Marsden) was a nice guy and not cliched. It’s easy if the other guy is slime. It’s tougher to root for a Superman/Lois Lane rekindlement if the other guy isn’t a mean spirited fellow.

    And to Doug Nagy: the kid was fine.

    Yes, there are lots of things to like or love about the new film. Hwever, did I say ‘mixed review’? Why, yes I did. Three things nagged at me, and I film progressed…I HATED THESE THREE THINGS.

    In no order:

    1) The length of this Routh. Two hours and Twenty some minutes! I was fine at two. Fifteen minutes could have been taken out and I would not have missed a thing. The long winded ending, the entire bank heist/guy with the big gun, some other small diversions from the ‘A’ story and the ‘B’ story…

    2) While Luthor’s plot echoes close that of the Donner film, I was okay with it. I was even thinking that the “A’ story was a brilliant idea. There was, however, a story flaw which no one seems to mention. Here it is: “Superman was gone away for five years”

    Now, going into the film, it didn’t bother me. When the film progressed, it did, because the film does loosely embrace the Donner and Lester films. Now, my problem IS NOT “upping the timeline” or improving upon/creating new FX, so don’t go there. But what happened in Superman II? Superman “goes away” (he gives up his powers to be with Lois) after Luthor is recaptured and Zod defeated, he vows “what” to the President? That he’ll never “go away” again? Brando is still Jorel; Luthor’s been to the Fortress Of Solitude before, he’s met both Superman and Lois Lane before; but from where? Loosely, the first two films. We have the Williams score and the opening titles. So either the film is a continuation from these films or they are not. The former seems to be the case, just with an “upped” timeline (note: the James Bond pix have this element in them, where the times change, and Bond’s history -aside from the upcoming Royale- has never been changed) …so what it comes down to is, all the scenes that discuss this issue of Superman’s return, raises that question one too many times : “Where was Superman for five years?”, a question that for me, was pointless.

    3) The “island” of Kryptonite. It’s interesting, original, and nowhere near as exciting as the plane save. There, I said it. The second half of the film isn’t as “spectacle” and grand as the first half.

    I am not saying I hated the film. I am saying it’s not the masterpiece it could have been.

    -Sealer.

  13. I think Bosworth was great as Lois. People, this isnt the same Lois. She has changed a bit. She has a kid now. It’s not exactly the same as the original movie character wise. I thought she did a very good job bringing a new look and feel to Lois. But that is just me.

  14. Just got back from seeing it. I was kinda let down by it. It was a beautiful movie visually, to be sure. I can see where the 200 million dollars went. It’s just that the characters were so bland and the whole movie had a depressing tone about it. It’s like Singer took the Donner Superman films and sucked all the color out of everything, including Superman’s suit. Even the humor was dark. Maybe it was the odd pacing of the movie or the lack of chemistry between Superman and Lois, but this movie just didn’t have any zip to it, like a summer comic book blockbuster should. It was like an comic book movie on prozac. As much as a love Superman, it just wasn’t very fun.

  15. Oh man. Just when all of us in the UK are ready to start talking about it in two weeks the rest of you will have exhausted the topic.

    Stupid geography . . .

  16. Great review John. I’m going to see this movie tonight and now I feel a little better about the movie. Still, I can’t wait to hear what Doug thinks of the movie.
    I knew Bosworth was going to fail as Lois Lane and it’s too bad because she is a talented actress.

  17. By the way, did anyone else see that trailer for Lady in the Water that was attached to Superman. Half of the thing was all about how “wonderful” and inventive” M. Night was..

  18. Tahnk god, for some reason I thoguht I was the only one who thought Kate Bosworth as Lois was fucked up, even before there was a trailer and it was just a cast announcement I was like WTF!??!

    There is quite a long list of people who could have played Lois much better, Jimmy was poorly cast as well in my opinion and what about Marsden, Im sorry, all I see is Cyclops.

    BUT

    The casting made up for it with Routh, is he better than Reeve? nope, is he good? damn skippy he is.

    nord

  19. Reading a lot of reviews on other sites. Varying opinions that range from great to horrible! Some could not stand the kid and hated that story line, while others thought he wasn’t so much of a bother.

    Same opinion with regards to Bosworth. They either hated her, thought she was tepid or liked her.

    Overall the movie has extracted a lot of different opinions. Now I know a movie can’t please all, but in some cases a movie can elicit opinions that are overwhelmingly positive.

    Right now it seems like a 50/50 split. Considering all the positive critics reviews I was hoping that the audience opinions would also be more unanimous.

    Boy Sunday can’t come soon enough. I am really curious!

  20. I absolutely loved this film! Actually, I was so sold on the film, that I actually enjoyed the last 10 or 15 minutes that dragged on for some people. This movie was amazing!

  21. Who cares how Routh is pronounced?

    Besides keep in mind they are canadians, they pronounce ‘ou’ different there than you do in America, right?

    NOTE: See “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut”.

  22. Saw the film last night…

    It was indeed superb. Not perfect, but close. It was obvious to me that there were many homage‚Äôs to the first two Donner films AND to Christopher Reeve. I think they both would have been proud. Routh was amazing. He had the same ‘tone’ as Reeve, both as Clark and as Supes, but added something more. Spacey was EXCELLENT! I had heard rumors that Spacey played his role too “over the top”, but I disagree. There were one or two lines that were over the top, but overall Spacey was great. Posey was no where near as annoying as I though she would be. She did well, and added some great little bits of humor to the film. Bosworth was OK. I didn‚Äôt dislike her as much as you John. She was… “adequate”. Singer directed this wonderfully. His similarities to Donner & Reeve were HIGHLY intentional. I don‚Äôt think he was in any way ‘copying’… he was using that prior work as a springboard to tell a great new tale. So many people complain when a new film comes out and completely ignores the past. Well‚Ķ this one doesn‚Äôt.

    The only small downsides I think were that the kid ‘story’ was a little too soap opera-ish. Didn‚Äôt LOVE that, but didn‚Äôt HATE that either. And, Luthor’s whole ‘evil scheme’ was a bit over the top. (But hey, he’s Lex Luthor…) So, very very minor complaints. Overall I would say 9 out of 10. A solid “Routh” on the scale.

    A friend of mine mentioned this on the way out of the theater last night: This is a great complimentary tale to the new Christopher Nolan Batman. If you are a comic fan, it works great. Batman is dark, gritty, suspicious, fights against the worst in people… Superman is the light, the sun, hopeful, optimistic, brings out the best in people. A “World’s Finest” film as the 2nd sequel to both of these films would be great, IF it could ever happen.

    *****INSIGNIFIGANT SPOILERS BELOW*****

    Some of the great tributes by Singer:

    The original music. (And I like the new stuff they added to it too!)
    Brando “back” as Jor-el.

    And my personal favorite:
    The scene where Superman picks up the car over his head. It is a GREAT tribute to the cover of Action Comics #1 FANTASTIC!

  23. can’t wait to see this movie!! I am seeing it on Imax on Sunday…and man that seems like months away.

    Nice review John. Sounds exciting, but does confirm my doubts about Bosworth’s performace as Lane. I suspected she would be a miscast, and not because she is a bad actress, but just a actress miscast. Singer has a tendency for either great casting or horrible casting with some of his movies.

    But I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed it. I hope I will too. Can’t wait to hear what Doug has to say!!

    Also on the audio edition can you compare Supes returns to Batman Begins? Would like to hear your thoughts.

  24. John and Doug,

    As we all know you guys have a scale of “NO, GO, or ROUTH” for movies. Where “ROUTH” is the actor Brandon Routh’s last name.

    Just an FYI, “ROUTH” is actually pronounced like “SOUTH”.

    Take care,

    – TM

  25. This movie WILL make $600 million. Remember, that figure will include domestic box office (which should cover half of the $600 Mil all by itself), foreign box office, DVD sales, and PPV revenue from cable and satellite TV. Too many people think domestic box office is the be-all and end-all of a movie’s revenue. Add merchandiding into the mix, and Warner Brothers will make a LOT of money from SR.

    Great review, John!

  26. Great review! Judging from it, it looks like the kid isn’t Kent’s (*whew* Thank GOD). I am a little worried about what you said about the last 15 minutes. BUT, if you’re right and this movie blows me away, it may not matter much.

    Now, I hope this movie does a great job in the box office.

  27. The movie rocks. But, a little disturbing factoid according to CNN-Due to a 200 million dollar budget+marketing costs, this flick has to make about 600 million JUST TO BREAK EVEN! This is a King KOng like situation where I fear this movie will make a buttload of money but still be considered a bomb because it costs so damn much to make and market.

  28. John—-good review, good job especially on pointing out this isnt an action film (its not really a superhero film either—in terms of it not being a flashy omnibus superpower showoff fest—, just a film who’s main protaganist is a superhero)

    I will disagree with you saying Routh is better than Christopher Reeves better than Reeve’s in Superman 3 and 4? FOR CERTAIN! Better than Reeves in Superman 2? Maybe on par…Better than Reeves in Superman 1? I don’t think so. Routh I think fails to capture the comedy behind Clark Kent. If you notice…Superman isn’t a man being a hero, he is a hero pretending to be a man (thanks Kill Bill vol2) and i think Reeves’s Kent was more a personification of that power behind the klutz and had charm and humor that Routh’s scaredy Supes doesn’t capture.

    Other than that I think your review was brilliant

    Oh…and just for a note…i never thought Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and I said it vocally.

    V

  29. Antonio: Stop the trolling…

    Superman vs. Brainiac wasn’t that good actually… If you want to see great Superman action, I would recommend the Superman: The Animated Series or Justice League. Supes vs. Brainiac felt like an extended episode of the animated series with surprisingly bad writing. Luthor was a joke and they even changed his voice actor (Clancy Brown in the series). At least Tim Daly was back as the voice of Superman, but actually I think I prefer George Newbern (voice in the Justice League series.) Just my 20 cents…

  30. I friends of mine also saw it yesterday. He wasn’t very positive. the only thing he enjoyed was Rouths performance and Kitty. He called Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane the worst miscast ever,, and the worst characterisation of Lois Lane ever.

  31. Dear Mr Campea, BLASPHEMY, BLASPHEMY, BLASPHEMY!!! How dare you tarnish the memory of Christopher Reeve by saying bradon whats his face is a better Superman…SACRILEGE!!! First hollywood defiles Richard Donner’s Omen with that unholy remake, now they produce an inferior sequel to Donner’s magnificent tribute to comic book heros Superman the movie. What do you mean thats it ok not to have enough action? WTF? Its SUPERMAN! A Superman movie can be action packed with out sacrificing the story. Take for example the excellent animated film Superman Braniac Attacks. Anyone wanting the true Superman experience should see that or the original movie. Stop defending the flaws of Superman Returns and just accept the fact that its a pile of Fat Bastard’s shit.

  32. I couldn’t agree more.

    I Live in South Korea and we had a simultaneous release. It was a sublime film. Iconic in it’s story and in the imagery. I would ultimately agree with you about Bosworth’s miscasing, She wasn’t bad, but she just didn’t really fit.

    I think I disagree about the last few minutes. They served to balance out the action of the film. A proper Denoeument to the film. If it had a too action packed ending it would be too sudden. I think the ending was perfect for what singer was trying to accomplish.

    Terriffic film. I was worried that all the positive reviews would have built it up too much, but it surpassed them.

    Ebert has no taste.

  33. Glad you enjoyed it John.

    Your comments about the last 15 minutes mirror the thoughts of the TagTeam review over at CHUD. They were much harsher on the film than you though, calling it a retread of the first Donner film.

    Looking forward to it.

    Great review!

  34. em, the scale is go, no or roath(???) Am I hearing it right?

    The Movie opens on July 13 here, and that time there’s nobody that could go see it with me!! Ah, hell. Maybe I will enjoy a movie alone for once :)

  35. Cool review. I’m dying to see this movie but I have to wait another two weeks because I’m British and apparently we’re not good enough to see it at the same time as you guys.

  36. This was on my list for this weekend and it’s now sitting a little higher. Good to hear your thoughts on it and particularly interesting are your comments on Bosworth. I really thought she could pull this off but it sounds as though I was mistaken.

    Again, great little review.

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