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-   -   "Superman Returns"...the reviews thread. (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/468316-superman-returns-reviews-thread.html)

Derrich 06-30-06 10:28 AM

The kid is a murderer. Did Superman go around killing bad guys when he was young like his son is doing?

D

Artman 06-30-06 10:42 AM

Thought it was overall very good. I don't think I can say anything that hasn't been said... looking forward to (hopefully) more sequels.

A real shame though that the writers don't think America stands for truth and justice anymore. Thumbs down guys.

Groucho 06-30-06 10:44 AM


Originally Posted by Artman
A real shame though that the writers don't think America stands for truth and justice anymore. Thumbs down guys.

:hscratch:

Zodiac_Speaking 06-30-06 10:45 AM

I know some real die-hard superman fans who were kinda dissapointed by SR. They wanted a real villain, like I've mentioned before, like Brainiac or Darkseid.
This movie in my opinion is good, atleast see it in the theatre, but not a (like mentioned before by others) Batman Begins, Spider-Man 2, or Superman (78). But it has some good going for it, a lot of potential for a future series. I'm really excited for that possiblilty.
I think people get to hung up about BO intakes. Look at how Fantastic four made a little more than this opening day and $10 mil more than Batman Begins!!! but look at it now...trust me WB knows comic fans will rewatch SR and BB and even Fox knows their Xmen franchise is highly rewatchable over FF, hell I liked Elektra better.

So Superman did return in fine form but not classic form. There was a lot wrong with it, but hey, it could've been worse, not everything can be Batman Begins.

For fun, I thought its only fair to compare SR with other DC movies:

1-Batman Begins
2-Superman
3-Batman
4-Batman Returns
5-Superman Returns
6-Superman 2
7-Batman Forever
8-Superman IV
9-Superman 3
10-Batman and Robin

Its really sad when you compare DC movies and its a battle between Batman/superman. Hopefully, Wonder Woman will rock and inspire them to make a Flash, Green Lantern, and (would be cool) a Justice League.

MBoyd 06-30-06 10:52 AM


Originally Posted by Giantrobo
I know you're joking but Krypton was far more advanced so I guess much of what we knew scientifically was probably old news to them. :p

Yeah is see what you are saying, but they were going thru Earth's history and named Einstein. But we cant' dwell on every little thing . . . well yes we can! Giantrobo and I read comic books.


Originally Posted by rennervision
Mboyd - I've also always wondered if Krypton is that far away, how is it fragments of the planet have managed to reach Earth in Superman's lifetime?

Same here! I guess the pieces of rock somehow got carried along with the spaceship in it's warp or whatever. :lol:

As far as Truth and Justice and All That Stuff - I can agree with the writers with their decision that Superman is a citizen of the world etc etc . . . but they probably should have just left it alone in interviews knowing the climate today in the media and the conservative talking heads that want to jump on every little thing. I completely believe that the lines of dialogue fit with Perry White's cynical gruff character.

Link for Groucho

Doughboy 06-30-06 11:10 AM


Originally Posted by Artman
A real shame though that the writers don't think America stands for truth and justice anymore. Thumbs down guys.

If their concern was offending audiences overseas(and to that, I say the hell with anyone who hates us), then why not just have Perry say "all that stuff" in the foreign dub and leave it as "the American way" in the English version?

Superman is part of American culture. Any true fan of the character(which Singer, Dougherty, and Harris all claim to be) would know this and pay tribute to it in the movie. This smacks of political correctness at its worst. I don't think those guys are anti-American, but they're appealing to anti-American sentiment overseas, which is the next worst thing.

rennervision 06-30-06 11:34 AM


Originally Posted by NitroJMS
She was played by Noel Neill, who was the Lois from the film serials and the 2nd Lois on TV opposite George Reeves. Maybe you were just thinking of her from there. ;)

That's interesting. But man, just close your eyes and listen when she speaks - and tell me that doesn't sound like Margot Kidder!!! Oh well, maybe it's just me. :)

Kal-El 06-30-06 11:47 AM


Originally Posted by Doughboy
If their concern was offending audiences overseas(and to that, I say the hell with anyone who hates us), then why not just have Perry say "all that stuff" in the foreign dub and leave it as "the American way" in the English version?

Superman is part of American culture. Any true fan of the character(which Singer, Dougherty, and Harris all claim to be) would know this and pay tribute to it in the movie. This smacks of political correctness at its worst. I don't think those guys are anti-American, but they're appealing to anti-American sentiment overseas, which is the next worst thing.

I think the point they're trying to make is that Superman is not just part of American Culture only anymore.

Groucho 06-30-06 11:59 AM

Meh. There's plenty of rah rah America stuff out there. I don't care if its part of some Superman movie or not.

Doughboy 06-30-06 12:14 PM


Originally Posted by Groucho
Meh. There's plenty of rah rah America stuff out there. I don't care if its part of some Superman movie or not.

I don't need a rah rah pro-America Superman movie either. Neither of the first two films were that way. Superman tells Lois "the line" in his interview to which she responds cynically about corrupt politicians(Perry White also mentions politics and corruption earlier in the film). The 2nd movie has him fly the American flag to the White House. But that's extent of any pro-America material in the original movies. Hell, the beginning of II shows Superman saving Paris, so clearly he's not just about helping Americans.

My problem is the comment made by Singer and Co. when asked why they replaced "the American way" with "all that stuff". Their not-so-subtle answer is that they understand a lot of people around the world hate America right now and they changed the line so as to not piss them off even more(i.e. risk box office returns). I lost a lot of respect for them after reading that.

Not to mention that Superman has always been a metaphor for immigrants coming to this country and living out the American dream. Why SHOULDN'T he stand for "the American way"?

rennervision 06-30-06 12:18 PM

Question: Why was young Clark Kent (in the flashback) wearing glasses?

Groucho 06-30-06 12:25 PM


Originally Posted by rennervision
Question: Why was young Clark Kent (in the flashback) wearing glasses?

Not sure if I should spoilerize this or not, so I will:
Spoiler:
To illustrate that he had some weaknesses in a boy (bad eyesight) that went away as hit puberty and his powers appeared. It ties into Jason and his asthma inhaler later in the film.

Kal-El 06-30-06 01:02 PM


Originally Posted by Doughboy
My problem is the comment made by Singer and Co. when asked why they replaced "the American way" with "all that stuff". Their not-so-subtle answer is that they understand a lot of people around the world hate America right now and they changed the line so as to not piss them off even more(i.e. risk box office returns). I lost a lot of respect for them after reading that.

If you can link me to a video or interview text where they say this, I'll take back what I said. But if this is something you're just inferring from their statements, then I think you're seriously interpretting it wrongly.

majorjoe23 06-30-06 01:35 PM


Originally Posted by rennervision
That's interesting. But man, just close your eyes and listen when she speaks - and tell me that doesn't sound like Margot Kidder!!! Oh well, maybe it's just me. :)

I thought the same thing when the film opened and we just heard her voice. I was pretty sure it was Margot Kidder.

Doughboy 06-30-06 01:49 PM


Originally Posted by Kal-El
If you can link me to a video or interview text where they say this, I'll take back what I said. But if this is something you're just inferring from their statements, then I think you're seriously interpretting it wrongly.

"We were always hesitant to include the term 'American way' because the meaning of that today is somewhat uncertain," Ohio native Dougherty explains. "The ideal hasn't changed. I think when people say 'American way,' they're actually talking about what the 'American way' meant back in the '40s and '50s, which was something more noble and idealistic."

Ok, first of all I don't know what the hell he's trying to say here? America was more noble and idealistic in an era where there was still racial segregation? I heartily disagree with that notion.

"So, you play the movie in a foreign country, and you say, 'What does he stand for? -- truth, justice and the American way.' I think a lot of people's opinions of what the American way means outside of this country are different from what the line actually means (in Superman lore) because they are not the same anymore," Harris says. "And (using that line) would taint the meaning of what he is saying."

He's basically saying they removed "the American way" out of consideration for what people in other countries feel about the U.S. I'm not inferring anything. It's right there in print.

Kudama 06-30-06 02:19 PM

I really liked, no loved this. A lot more than I expected and I had high expectations. It really worked as a continuation from the first two for me. And the strategy of Luthor's nefarious plot was awesome. To me it is totally logical that if you had a brilliant scheme with a nuclear bomb and failed, why not try again if you get your hands on technology a billion years in advance of nuclear bombs? He even explains his obsession with real estate in the movie. The plan in this one is also way superior and still in character from the first movie. And this movie had an awesome pace it goes from total awe to romance to really good comedy (I was rolling at the guy playing the piano duet) and back to awe. The part near the end when Supes doesn't realize Luthor has turned the tables untill...Ka Smack! Man! I felt those kicks and punches. I can't wait to see the 3D sequence.

Seeing the bullet to the eye part in context (thought it was a little cheesy in the preview)...AWESOME!!! I can't stop thinking about this today. I've even laughed out loud a couple of times. :) (happy)

And I'm not even a big Superman fan usually. It really depends on the writer/artist as to whether or not I'll pick up an issue (read: Morrison and Quitely) and in this case all the writer/ artists pulled through in spades. For me at least.

PopcornTreeCt 06-30-06 02:20 PM

Interesting about that line being taken out of the movie because of that and then still releasing it near the 4th of July. Very hypocritical.

Dr. DVD 06-30-06 02:20 PM

FWIW, CNN This Morning with Soledad O'Brien gave a good outlook on this movie's $21 million take for Wednesday. They said that it was good for a Wednesday opening and that it bodes well for its weekend. Interesting how CNN spun it as a success while Fox tries to trumpet it as a failure.

chess 06-30-06 03:18 PM


Originally Posted by Doughboy
My problem is the comment made by Singer and Co. when asked why they replaced "the American way" with "all that stuff". Their not-so-subtle answer is that they understand a lot of people around the world hate America right now and they changed the line so as to not piss them off even more(i.e. risk box office returns). I lost a lot of respect for them after reading that.

rotfl

Amusing that the same folks who would presumably espouse open markets and free trade begrudge business people for making marketing decisions.

Kudama 06-30-06 03:36 PM

Some thoughts on the omission of "And the American way.":

That phrase was coined in an age when it was us and them. The U.S. and Commies. This Superman is in a more global age. They made a point of referring to him saving people all over the globe. As cool and dark as it was when Frank Miller tied superman into the government in Dark Knight, this is the good guy Superman. He nobody's whipping boy, he makes up his own mind about right and wrong.

Also, in this version, he literally is a God to us (with magic tech to boot). He sits on high until he decides to intervene. In this case, we lucked out and got a God who's compelled to save the lives of his people when they are in danger. Gods just don't do politics in this day and age.

I'm not trying to get all political. I'm talking about the movie. That phrase would have been jarring and completely out of sync with the character they were portayiing. If you think truth and Justice is "the American way', well there ya go. If not, the same.



Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt
Interesting about that line being taken out of the movie because of that and then still releasing it near the 4th of July. Very hypocritical

:confused: I do not think that word means what you think it means. How were the film makers hypocritical? Were they denouncing others who failed to mention the theme of proximate holidays in their film only fail to do so in theirs?

adding Nevermind. I didn't realize you were talking about the line about offending other countries. Still, the fourth of July is about indepence not a celebration of offence. Also I don't think they released it near any holiday intentionally. But I do concede that you know that word means what you think it means. :)

Kal-El 06-30-06 03:42 PM


Originally Posted by Doughboy
"We were always hesitant to include the term 'American way' because the meaning of that today is somewhat uncertain," Ohio native Dougherty explains. "The ideal hasn't changed. I think when people say 'American way,' they're actually talking about what the 'American way' meant back in the '40s and '50s, which was something more noble and idealistic."

Ok, first of all I don't know what the hell he's trying to say here? America was more noble and idealistic in an era where there was still racial segregation? I heartily disagree with that notion.

"So, you play the movie in a foreign country, and you say, 'What does he stand for? -- truth, justice and the American way.' I think a lot of people's opinions of what the American way means outside of this country are different from what the line actually means (in Superman lore) because they are not the same anymore," Harris says. "And (using that line) would taint the meaning of what he is saying."

He's basically saying they removed "the American way" out of consideration for what people in other countries feel about the U.S. I'm not inferring anything. It's right there in print.

Hmmm, never read that. But I see how you could take from that what you did. I still don't. :D

Shannon Nutt 06-30-06 04:09 PM


Originally Posted by Dr. DVD
FWIW, CNN This Morning with Soledad O'Brien gave a good outlook on this movie's $21 million take for Wednesday. They said that it was good for a Wednesday opening and that it bodes well for its weekend. Interesting how CNN spun it as a success while Fox tries to trumpet it as a failure.

I heard it made roughly $11 million on Thursday. That's about a 47% drop-off...not sure that it means anything though - today's numbers are much more important to the ultimate success of the film.

MBoyd 06-30-06 04:35 PM

It will have about an 18 million Friday and a 22-25 million Saturday I betcha.

RichC2 06-30-06 04:35 PM

Batman Begins had $15m on Wednesday, $9m on Thursday (down 40%), and made about $47m over the weekend. My guess is about $55 - $60m for Supes.

MBoyd 06-30-06 04:40 PM

It should be huge Monday and Tuesday as well.


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