# Superman Returns dvd



## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

So I picked this up at the local Blockbuster the day it came out. Wow,... totally underwhelmed! I was expecting a better film. Sound was very good, PQ was Ok, story, so, so,...but I think I was most disappointed with the characters and actors who portrayed them. I just kept thinking the Smallville cast with a budget this large would have made for a much better film. Especially Lex Luthor, maybe it's just me, but I find Micheal Rosenbuam to be a much better villain than the comically over the top Hackman, or the rather dull and predictable Spacey. Rosenbuam seems to be more devious and you (the characters that is) really don't know that he is as bad as he is. I guess for me Spacey and Hackman are just too black and white. I find all the characters in Superman Returns to be very bland. The music and FX were the only positives in this movie,... for me anyway.


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## Ayreonaut (Apr 26, 2006)

It had its moments. There were a few good action sequences, and a few enchanting moments, but overall the plot and characters were very dull indeed.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

You guys are making almost not even want to watch this one.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Oh, now,... it's worth a viewing :R ($2.99 rental from Blockbuster), dunno that I would purchase it. There are a couple of really good entertaining scenes, but in general the movie does not live up to all the early hype. At least not for me.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Well I said "almost"... lol... I'm sure I'll give it a rental.


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

I've been hearing it has some of the best LFE effects for a movie to date over on the IB forums.


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## bobgpsr (Apr 20, 2006)

^^^ Yes, if you have your volume a little bit over reference and are using the Dolby TrueHD lossless track on the HD DVD, you can bottom your sub when Lex causes the power outage. :scared:


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Okay... I watched this movie tonight. Other than the bass (it was awesome) and a few cool effects, I wasn't all that impressed either. I was hoping for more of something like what Batman Begins did to the Batman movies, but it definitely didn't happen. Maybe we need a Superman Begins.

While not terrible, it is only a rental for me and I doubt I'll watch it again... like all the other Superman movies I've seen only once.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

I've heard some good things about the LFE on this DVD. How does it compare to War of the Worlds?


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I'd say it would give it a run for the money.... there were a couple of real serious scenes that probably hit harder than WOTW. The very beginning was fairly impressive to me. I was shaken in my recliner several times... startled me good a couple of times. If I were collecting LFE movies, this would be one to collect.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

I like the sound of that, I hope the neighbours are going out tomorrow :hissyfit:


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## John Simpson (May 10, 2007)

Well, it *is* a Superman movie. How could you not want to own it? *grin*

My full review is posted on my website at www.ai2.com.au. I agree that Spacey is a great actor, but not a great Luthor; and the whole thing with acquiring real estate? Haven't we already seen that?

Director Brian Singer has acknowledged his failings and promises the next movie (pretitled "The Man of Steel") will be more action-focussed.


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## Ayreonaut (Apr 26, 2006)

johnson4 said:


> Director Brian Singer has acknowledged his failings and promises the next movie (pretitled "The Man of Steel") will be more action-focussed.


Got a link? I'd like to read what he said...


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

Sonnie said:


> Okay... I watched this movie tonight. Other than the bass (it was awesome) and a few cool effects, I wasn't all that impressed either. I was hoping for more of something like what Batman Begins did to the Batman movies, but it definitely didn't happen. Maybe we need a Superman Begins.
> 
> While not terrible, it is only a rental for me and I doubt I'll watch it again... like all the other Superman movies I've seen only once.


Maybe we need Donner back at the helm?

His movie was almost picture perfect. Each act had three distinct acts with in them. The one thing I really didn't like was him running next to the train when he was a kid. That just looked so bad to me.

I recently saw the Donner cut of Superman II, and I have to say it is a much better movie than what made it to the theater. The goofy comedic elements were removed or toned down and it was a much better fit and continuation from the first movie. Plus Donner could have prevented the mess that was Superman III and IV.

What I didn't like about Superman Returns was it was more of a remake, but it wasn't a remake. They were smart and knew there was no need to redo the first movie and the genesis of Superman, so what did they do? They redid the first movie but said it was after Superman II. I just didn't like the whole land scheme all over again, and what was the deal with Kal Penn? Did he even have one line in the entire movie? I think that's the first time I have ever seen a movie with characters that were written as *less* than 1 dimensional.

Routh was good and pulled it off, but I didn't feel he really was given much to work with. I don't see any mention of another Superman movie yet, but I did hear rumors of pretty much redoing the second movie???! Zod and company return, and Jude Law was actually mentioned for the role of General Zod. Now, this is all rumor mill, but based on some of the screwball things Hollywood has done and put out recently, it wouldn't surprise me at all...


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Been tempted to pick up the Donner cut of II a couple of times,...but I want a new Donner cut of I to go with it. A Donner set of I&II if you will. Wonder how slim the chances of that happening are? :no: Could care less about III and IV and Returns. On the other hand,... Smallville is a guilty pleasure :bigsmile:


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## Woochifer (Oct 19, 2006)

I was frustrated by _Superman Returns_. I thought bits and pieces were in place, but overall it was just a forgettable effort. While I thought Brandon Routh did okay in the lead role, I thought that Kate Bosworth was miscast. For one thing, Lois Lane should be in her 30s by this point, and Bosworth just doesn't project maturity very well. 

Warner spent close to $200 million, and it seems like a wasted effort. 



wbassett said:


> I recently saw the Donner cut of Superman II, and I have to say it is a much better movie than what made it to the theater. The goofy comedic elements were removed or toned down and it was a much better fit and continuation from the first movie. Plus Donner could have prevented the mess that was Superman III and IV.


I think the key to making that version work was the tighter relationship between father and son. It lent considerable weight to Superman's decision to become a mortal. Too bad Donner never had a chance to finish up what he'd started. Where Donner left off, and where Lester picked up is now very apparent, and coupled with the mediocrity of _Superman III_, it's sad to think how the franchise could have made better use of Christopher Reeve when he was still with us.

Seems like Bryan Singer saw this before embarking on _Superman Returns_ because that whole father/son angle is prevalent there. (though that subplot with Lois' child is easily the weakest thread in that movie)



nova said:


> Been tempted to pick up the Donner cut of II a couple of times,...but I want a new Donner cut of I to go with it. A Donner set of I&II if you will. Wonder how slim the chances of that happening are? :no: Could care less about III and IV and Returns. On the other hand,... Smallville is a guilty pleasure :bigsmile:


The director's cut of _Superman: The Movie_ on both the original and latest DVD releases is pretty much Donner's definitive version. The latest DVD set just adds the original theatrical cut into the mix. The Donner cut for _Superman II_ is worth viewing just to see what could have been. Overall, it's a stronger storyline, but don't expect it to be a totally polished product, since a lot of it was assembled from screen test footage and other sources that did not have benefit of reshoots during post production.


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

Good review and assessment Woochifer. 

I kind of got the impression on the special features that Donner was a bit hurt by everything that happened. He made a comment that he had so many ideas and visions for the future story lines.

It would be great if he would step in for the next Superman movie. I think Routh has potential but just wasn't given anything real and tangible to work with.

Superman Returns was more of a nostalgia movie to me made for all the Superman fans that wanted to see him again. I hope the lack of any talk of a sequel doesn't mean it's done... then again maybe they are waiting for Kate to get a little older.  I agree, she was way too young for the part, and lacked all the spirit Lois had in the first movies. Parker Posey would have been a better choice for Lois in my opinion.

I'll have to dig up a couple of links I have... as much as I loved Batman Begins, if anyone wants to see what Superman and Batman are supposed to look like, I have a mini trailer that is incredible!


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## Woochifer (Oct 19, 2006)

wbassett said:


> Good review and assessment Woochifer.
> 
> I kind of got the impression on the special features that Donner was a bit hurt by everything that happened. He made a comment that he had so many ideas and visions for the future story lines.
> 
> ...


I've been reading that a sequel is very much in the works, if for any other reason because _Superman Returns_ still made money for Warner -- albeit a lot less than they had counted on. An article in the Washington Post last year cited Warner charging ahead with a sequel to a less-than-well-received movie as another example of how risk averse studios have become, since Warner owns the Superman franchise and stands to make money off of it by simply keeping whatever momentum going.

I know that one of the early concepts for reviving Superman involved JJ Abrams, which would have competely rewritten the origin story (I think some of the ideas leaked out included having Jor-El and the planet Krypton still alive, starting the movie with Superman getting defeated by some alien foe and then working the rest of the movie as flashbacks). Another concept was _Superman v. Batman_. 

You're right, Parker Posey would be an absolutely brilliant Lois Lane. She's got the right energy, maturity, and look.


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## Richard W. Haines (Jul 9, 2007)

I thought the CGE effects made it look like a live action cartoon. Very disappointing and it had
none of the epic feel of the original Donner film back in the seventies.


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

I grew up a huge Superman fan... Supe and Spidey where tops! (Sorry Batman, I guess it was that whole Adam West image when I was a kid that didn't bring me in as a fan until Michael Keaton donned the rubber muscle suit!)

We took our grandson to see Superman Returns at the drive in. At the time I found it 'okay' but wasn't thrilled like I was with Donner's. Still I chalked it up to the typical less than stellar movie images that drive ins have, and figured at home on DVD or HD and running through a good sound system and better screen, I'd be swept away again. Sadly it wasn't so.

I've seen Donner's movie literally 30 times or more since I was a kid, and I still love throwing it in from time to time. I only watched Superman Returns twice, once at the theater and once at home, and I have to admit I got side tracked and distracted when I was watching it at home.

I don't think it was a bad movie and I certainly don't blame Routh, but it was emotionally flat to me. I think it could have been the story line too... part sequel, part remake, part rehash... but the whole land acquisition thing just made me want to put in the first movie again. I think they should have gone with a different plot line.

I'd love to see Donner back at the helm for the next one and I think a lot of the fans would too. I think he would bring back the fun and excitement again, which to me were very much missing in this one.


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## Richard W. Haines (Jul 9, 2007)

While the Donner film was very entertaining (especially in 70mm) and had an epic feel as I mentioned above,
it had a lot of problems too. There were too many screenwriters with different approaches and
the film shifted tone as soon as Ned Beatty appeared and become campy. I wish the film
had continued with the earlier style throughout that was realistic and believable. I suspect that the first half of the film was written
by Mario Puzo (The Godfather) and the latter parts by Benton and Newman who had previously created a
stage spoof of the character. 



Also, while I didn't like the CGE effects in the new one (too cartoony), the Donner flying sequences weren't convincing either. As crude as the they were, I still prefer the George Reeves flying sequences in the TV show. In fact, that's what I was expecting that in the Donner film and was disappointed that Christopher Reeve didn't jump and propel himself through the air like a missile, he just floated around. 


I guess there hasn't been a wholy successful Superman movie yet. I like the first one in general and the Donner cut of the sequel with reservations but don't like anything that came after that including the new version. I agree that Donner would make a good director for any future Superman movie, providing they can come up with a decent script that has a consistent style and approach to the story.


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

Richard W. Haines said:


> In fact, that's what I was expecting that in the Donner film and was disappointed that Christopher Reeve didn't jump and propel himself through the air like a missile, he just floated around.


Going to show my 'geekness' 

I too don't like the 'floating'. Originally Supe really didn't defy gravity, he could jump for incredible distances and basically 'flew' in the same way a sky diver can maneuver before they open their chute. So I never really got into the whole 'standing' in mid air thing, but again it's a comic book super hero so anything goes right? 

Richard I am like you in the sense I consider myself a true movie buff. I'm green with envy that you actually have film projectors! I love my big screen projector setup but I think I use it and have it set up very differently than a lot of people. Most seem to want their projectors to look like a gigantic HDTV, and movies aren't saturated and that bright. Unfortunately a lot of people seem to want to judge a projected image against a very bright, vivid, and in my opinion over saturated HDTV. I have mine setup to where I think it looks closer to film than TV and I like it that way just fine. 



Richard W. Haines said:


> There were too many screenwriters with different approaches and
> the film shifted tone as soon as Ned Beatty appeared and become campy. I wish the film
> had continued with the earlier style throughout that was realistic and believable. I suspect that the first half of the film was written by Mario Puzo (The Godfather) and the latter parts by Benton and Newman who had previously created a
> stage spoof of the character.


One thing I do like about DVDs are the special features. My take on the change in styles from Donner's comments was it was done intentionally. I can't say if that was really true or not, it just seemed that way to me. He did say that he built out each act as almost a stand alone three act mini movie that all tied together to tell one story. I didn't mind the campy shift that much personally. I think though that they were able to get away with doing that because of such a solid beginning and setup. It did though seem to set the tone for the future sequels, especially Superman III. I think with the recent success of Batman Begins, and the very human story and drama Sam Rami introduced with Spiderman, the Superman movies won't follow the same path that II, III, and IV did or worse... become the convoluted campy mess that Batman and Robin was.

Hackman was over the top, but in a maniacal, devious way. Spacey did say he didn't want to just mimic Hackman, so he made Luther a little darker and tried to make him 'more dangerous' but in the end it felt like Hackman's Luther having a bad mood day.

What I really disliked about Superman Returns were the totally undeveloped characters. As I mentioned Kal Penn didn't have one line in the whole movie, and the 'henchmen' were borderline Batman and Robin villian caricatures, by that I mean completely one dimensional. I still am debating about Kate Bosworth. She not only seemed too young for the part of Lois, she just didn't have the sass and spunk Lois has always shown. Normally I hate recasting the role of any main characters, but in this case I think the next movie could use it... either that or Kate needs to do a little more than brood.

All in all I don't consider Superman Returns as a bad movie, I guess I was disappointed and expected it to be so much more, and it really could have been.


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## Richard W. Haines (Jul 9, 2007)

wbassett,

Well the other reason that I have 35mm film projectors is that I'm a film producer/director and need them to screen my answer prints and other check prints. That's primarily why I bought one back in 1985. I purchased a 35mm DeVry (old Navy projector) for $500 which was cheaper in the long run than renting screening rooms which cost about $200 per showing. After screening three check prints I came out ahead. I started collecting 35mm that year too when I discovered "The Big Reel". It was a good era to purchase actual release prints cheap since the revival theaters were folding like dominoes due to the usurping home video formats and all the prints I have (even the ultra-rare Technicolor copies) were slated to be demolished since the distributors couldn't make any money renting them. You can log onto www.filmthreat.com for reviews of my last few features ("Soft Money", "Unsavory Characters" and "Run for Cover") along with an interview with me and there's a complete listing of the movies I made and/or worked on at www.imdb.com. You can log onto the McFarland website for info on my books, "Technicolor Movies" and "The Moviegoing Experience 1968-2001" if those subject matters interest you at www.mcfarlandpub.com

I'm currently in post-production for a 35mm horror film we just finished principal photography on entitled "What Really Frightens You". The proposed poster art is
my avatar.

Regarding the original "Superman" script, I did meet David Newman at my screening writing class while I attended NYU in the late seventies. He discussed his contribution to the script which seemed to be adapting his old Broadway spoof which was at odds with Puzo's concept. It did seem as if Donner was making separate films and just spliced them together. Entertaining but rather uneven. As a number of fans have suggested, the ideal Donner "Superman" film would be to keep everything from the first film until Hackman is introduced, and then leave his character out and cut to the three villains in Part II which were far more sinister and threatening.


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