quote:
"To say Bryan Singer hit a home run would also be an understatement. He knocked the friggin' ball outta the park like Redford at the end of The Natural. Lights exploding and shit."

I wonder if these positive reviews will help the movie with general audiences, or if they will just blow it off as "gushing geeks?"

i don't think the public could discern "Superman" geekdom like they could with the obvious "Star Wars". i think any good is good and everyone will see it that way.

First incredibly negative review:

MovieCityNews

A tad spoilery but here's a snippet for you:
Now, I dunno about that.

Damn, I didnt know Mission Impossible 2 came out this summer. MI3 was better.

That review seems more like a "stand out from the crowd"-wannabe opinion than anything else.

That MovieCityNews review is just ridiculous. He takes the ages of the actors, not the characters they are playing, and using it against the movie. And according to him, brainstorming ideas for a movie is somehow a silly and childish thing to do nowadays.

That should be the quote put on the advertisements. I'd love to drive down La Brea and see a huge billboard advertising Superman Returns with "Lights exploding and shit."

if the actors are cast in a way that seems age inappropriate to the characters they are playing, that seems a very valid criticism to me.
Just as valid as saying "the cgi was poorly done and took me out of the movie every time they used it"

and Polands complaints are shared by others who have had problems with the film but haven't outright panned it
- Lack of much action commensurate with the 2.5 hour run time
- lots of direct swipes from the original film

I think peoples affection for this one may be in direct proportion to how much less conscious they are of the first film.

Not sure if it was already the case when I posted this review, but there's 2 more added at the end of this one on the same page. Still spoilery, but both still leaning towards very positive.

i just saw the A&E special...really good and so in-depth. i hadn't realized he was around so long and really transcended the eras and people...giving them hope and adventure to get lost in for even brief moments in time.

can't believe it is still 1.5 weeks till this thing comes out.

There's a preview screening this Sunday at a local Century Theater. I didn't know about it 'til this morning and by the time I checked online and called, it was already sold out.

BTW, there's 2 more reviews for the film on AICN. Spoilery though so I won't even link to it. And over at iesb, there's a 13-minute behind the scenes featurette. No voiceovers, much like "The Beginning" from TPM DVD. More like a collection of shorts but still nice to see how Singer works and stuff.

You know, I try not to be peeved by spelling errors, but as I'm reading reviews and news stories from critics, fans, and fansites, I've come across several instances of Christopher 'Reeves'. And it's not just once in an article (which I can then ignore as being a typo); it's in the whole write up.

those writers should be shot to death!

7:30-9:00pm if anyone is interested in checing this out. Voices of Tim Daly and Dana Delaney. I'll probably tape it.

3 more positive reviews:

Hollywood Reporter

Newsweek

Variety

Was anybody able to go to any of the Charity Screenings they had today?

Just got back from a sneak preview.

It. Fucking. Kicked. Ass!

Wow wow wow... Superman comes back in a big way. From the opening credits to the final shot it's a great ride. The crowd was into it also, as evidenced by the audience applauding several times during the movie. It's been awhile since I've heard that. We gave the movie a big round of applause when the credits rolled. A lot of satisfied people filed out of the theater after 2 1/2 hours of fun.

Routh did a great job as the Man of Steel. I was worried he couldn't pull it off but he did it. All the actors were in fine form. The only reservation I have is the casting of Bosworth. She just seemed out of place a tad... but it's a minor quibble that I can forgive.

Kudos to Bryan Singer. He put a lot of heart into this movie and it showed. I can't wait to see it again. x 100

Oh, I've never seen such tight security for a sneak. Not only did we get the wand on our way in but there were at least 4 security personnel positioned around the audience keeping an eye out for cameras. But we did get nice Superman t-shirts.

Those are all great reviews. The 28th cannot come soon enough!

I bought my June 27 10 p.m. ticket yesterday while at the theaters. I could have done the midnight showing, but on a work night, Tuesday, it'd be too late for me to fully soak up everything and still get to sleep at a decent hour for work the next day.

Oh, forgot to mention:

They also had a sneak preview at the Marine Corp base at Miramar at the same time. Anyone with a valid military ID could get in. As a bonus, Superman himself (Routh) stopped by to present the movie to the troops and their families.

Sneak this Saturday at the Little Creek Amphibious Base in Norfolk, 7 p.m. followed by a sneak Sunday at the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach (just across town). May have to catch it twice!

Time Magazine Review

Glad to see the "official" publications are echoing the same sentiments of the earlier reviews.

Harry from AICN's take

I can't wait for this...especially hearing John Williams theme the way it was meant to be heard - opening and closing credits from what i've heard

movietickets.com has adjusted the running time to 2 hours, 34 minutes. Still, that's plenty of story.