Man, I hope they didn't f*ck up Superman

[Stevendsmith]

It looks like they're using the great John Williams theme, so that's a good start.

[Swede]

1. Did they have some kryptonite?

That stuff fucks him up,bad.

[Stevendsmith]

3. LOL! (n/t)

[Phillycat]

2. Me too. Brian Singer directing, that's hopeful.

[TomPainesBones]

4. They didn't fuck it up

It's gonna be great.

Let's see...

John Williams score - Check.

Richard Donner's Fortress of Solitude - Check.

Chris Reeve's interpretation - Check.

They took the best parts of the 1978 film and updated the rest.

The only people who thinks this sucks are the people who don't like this approach in the first place.

And to those I say... too bad for you.
I got mine.

"Neener neener"

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ2Ko_MwD8k

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Oh, I liked that approach in the first place.

but I'm not sure why I'd want to see it again.

[TomPainesBones]

6. People who 'really' like that approach

WANT to see it again.

Can't wait to see this.
Been watching the progress for years.

I got tix three weeks ago for the advanced IMAX 3D showing tomorrow night.

Superman Returns is gonna surprise a lot of people.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. I "really" liked Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

But I didn't particular care for that Anne Heche version.

[TomPainesBones]

8. That was a remake.

This isn't.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. No, it's not a remake.

But they've got John Williams' score...

Richard Donner's Fortress of Solitude...

Christopher Reeve's interpretation...

...not to mention Marlon Brando.

[TomPainesBones]

10. That's right

Woooo hoooo!

Bring it on!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. OK

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078346/

[TomPainesBones]

12. Yup.

A continuation of Superman I & II.

Can't wait!

HAHAHA

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. Oh

You mean this...

[TomPainesBones]

15. Nope

Not that shyte.

They disregarded III & IV.

[LostinVA]

25. That wasn't a remake -- it was a facsimile, a clone

Word for word, shot for shot... an exercise in "see how pretentious and hip I can be."

Yuck.

And yes, this is NOT a remake, it's a brand new movie.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. I'm not holding my breath. I fear a rancid bomb.

I hope for a wonderful movie, which is also totally possible - but seeing previews and teasers, there's a part of me that wonders if maybe they haven't fucked it up, like the Christopher Reeves ones, or worse yet, like The Incredible Hulk.

[Beaverhausen]

16. "That's why it's beyond Super. It's superb."

"O.K., O.K.," we hear you saying. "The thing is profound. But is it a good movie?" You bet. Made with precision and vigor, the film never forgets to entertain, packing its 2-hr. 33-min. length with cool visions (like Krypton's crystal cathedral) and spectacular set pieces. Want some pure exhilaration? Check out Superman's midair wrangling of an Air Force jet, maneuvering it back to terra firma to make a gentle belly flop onto a baseball field during a game. And for an intimate intensity not often found in action films, stick around for the creepy encounter involving Superman, Luthor and a stiletto of kryptonite.

The best Hollywood movies always knew how to sneak a beguiling subtext into a crowd-pleasing story. Superman Returns is in that grand tradition. That's why it's beyond Super. It's superb.

http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1205367,00.html

[Scout1071]

17. I heard it's great.

Howard Stern, diehard comic book fan - especially Superman - was wary, but he said that it is truly awesome. He said that out of 5 stars, he'd give it a 4.5, and that he left the theater thinking "I cannot wait for the next one."

[Broken_Hero]

18. I hope so too!

I'm going to see it tomorrow night. I have been waiting for years, and years for this movie, and when Singer got onboard, I was more than delighted...granted, I had some issues with costume and what not, but thats my inner geek mind speaking...but the trailers/tv spots, look GREAT! :) Also, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor....main, a match made in heaven...;)

[Placebo]

19. And using Marlon Brando's voice!

Which I think is a great touch.

[Frank Cannon]

20. Advance word is good

The only complaints I've read about the movie from some critics pretty much amount to Superman not being "comic booky" enough, and that Lex Luthor isn't the funny jokester villain that Gene Hackman was.

These are the same sort of complaints I read about Batman Begins, and they just made me want to see the movie more. I wasn't disappointed then, and I don't think I'll be disappointed now.

I can't wait to see it.

[TomPainesBones]

21. People need to know how close we got to having

a really BAD Superman movie.

We came THIS close to having:

A Superman who couldn't fly
A Superman who wore a black leather 'Borg' outfit
A Ninja fighting Superman with removable daggers on the S shield
A Superman who fights a giant spider (ala Wild, Wild West)
A Fortress of Solitude with sentry guards
A Krypton that never exploded
A Lex Luthor who was Kryptonian
A gay robot (literally) sidekick
A Tim Burton directed movie emphasising Superman's "murderous side" (WTF?)
A Superman played by either Nic Cage, Sean Penn, or Ashton Kutcher (Ugh!)

Check out this hilarious Kevin Smith video that explains some of the back story, and be grateful for what we ARE getting...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vgYhLIThTvk&search=kevin%20smith

[ContraBass Black]

22. That's amazing.

[TomPainesBones]

23. Yeah really

Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the word "Petty" for the very few people who are complaining about this movie.

[Radio_Lady]

26. Tom, why do you feel the need to put down people who disagree

with you -- or who come to a different conclusion that you did? Look into yourself for the reasons.

Clearly, you have devoted yourself to studying the history of Superman. You don't to cut other people down and call them names such as "petty" in order to build yourself up. Just sayin'.

[Cannikin]

30. I kinda like the costume.

[LostinVA]

24. Great reviews across the board from critics I respect

I'm excited about seeing it!

[Deja Q]

27. Not necessarily. I hate it when they can't do something new...

so they reuse the old that's been acclaimed.

A friend of mine, big on the Superman movies, and Superman in general, said it felt like a poor rewrite of the 1978 original theatrical version (horrible logic, poorly paced); only with better effects.

I'm inclined to agree with him.

[Radio_Lady]

28. The film got "generally favorable reviews" -- BUT look at the critics

who didn't care for the movie:

60 Slate Dana Stevens
The film's most striking repeated effect, in which the caped hero dangles dejectedly in space as the Earth turns below him, emphasizes the passivity and loneliness of the character: This Superman's version of flight seems almost indistinguishable from a helpless freefall. Fair enough, but what's he got to be so existentially glum about?

60 Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Star Routh's presence and the joys of flight keep Superman Returns alive, but all those missteps dog its heels, holding it back like little touches of Kryptonite in the night.

60 Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Singer draws heavily on the 1978 hit that launched the Warner Brothers franchise, with Brandon Routh dully impersonating Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel, Kevin Spacey getting all the good lines as the villainous Lex Luthor, and stock footage of Marlon Brando proving that death isn't always a good career move.

58 Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
A dull, uninspiring film that combines pedestrian acting, lackluster special effects and deadly pace with a pseudo-religious theme.

58 Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
Contains a dozen winning moments of humor, uplift or exhilaration. But are they enough to justify a 154-minute running time?

50 San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
The movie consistently delivers in lots of little ways, but in a big way only once, in a spectacular sequence that begins with a series of earthquakes and culminates in an airline catastrophe.

50 The New Yorker Anthony Lane
Picture my disappointment as I realized that, for all the pizzazz of Superman Returns, its global weapon of choice would not be terrorism, or nuclear piracy, or dirty bombs. It would be real estate. What does Warner Bros. have in mind for the next installment? Superman overhauls corporate pension plans? Luthor screws Medicare?

50 Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
When the hero, his alter ego, his girlfriend and the villain all seem to lack any joy in being themselves, why should we feel joy at watching them?

50 The New York Times Manohla Dargis
It's hard to see what the point is beyond the usual grandiosity that comes whenever B-movie material is pumped up with ambition and money.

50 Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
I wanted to like Superman Returns, but Singer and company are so concerned about doing justice to Superman’s past, they fail to generate much interest in what, if any, future the franchise might have.

40 New York Magazine David Edelstein
The bigger problem is that Singer’s weighty rhythms are disastrous for Superman, and the movie actually gets heavier in its last half-hour.

[JackDragna]

29. They did.

I hope you enjoy 2 1/2 hours of nothing happening, Lois Lane reduced to a foil for her schmuck husband and Superman getting caught in the most obvious deathtrap in movie history. :P

[fujiyama]

31. I enjoyed it overall

but I will say it did tend to drag at times.

I liked how they used the Brando voiceover and the Williams theme. It seemed like a nice tribute to the originals.

But I've never been a die hard Superman fan. I always preferred Spiderman, Batman, and the X-Men.