Well, I agree this movie ultimately failed. And with each day that goes by since I saw it, it seems to just keep dropping in my personal estimation of it.
But there are *some* allowances (and even more disallowances) I could point out:
The "Supes boozing" thing--remember Jimmy invited him, and Clark tends to conform to what people expect of a 'human'. Superman's physiology isn't affected at all by alcohol--his digestive system is powerful enough that alcohol doesn't hit his bloodstream like it does for the rest of you (us, I mean 'us,' not 'you,' oh who am I kidding, I can't get drunk either).
If this is considered a direct sequel, then you can't go to S-3 with that whole "drinking evil version" bit to counteract.
No, I don't think this is nearly as bad as Batman & Robin (I have to give credit for respect for the core material and love/effort in trying to really do it justice--for which Schumacher can burn in directorial hell and at least Singer tried). But yeah, it has big problems.
Superman *did* do this before in the comics, this leaving Earth deal. BUT he did it for one express reason: his shame over having to kill the 3 Criminals (General Zod and company) and Earth's blaming him for the damage they did before he stepped in (not to mention running away in front of everybody during that battle). Now THAT was the same thing that everyone kept hinting at in their interviews--that this was also going to be mirrored in the film, to explain why he left and why the world seems to have gotten used to dealing without him.
Instead, they give us this crappy "soul-searching" about going back to see if there's anything about Krypton left. They have him symbolically crash-landing at the Kent farm in a giant geode-pod like when he was a baby...let's never mind that if he needed the thing to fly back, then that meant he was de-powered by being around Krypton again...which wouldn't make sense if he was able to fly out there in the first place (there's no more 'red sun' to depower him, after all).
Also...they made it clear in the first film...the ship he was sent in had to traverse hyperspace. By the time he landed here, Krypton had been blown up for hundreds of Earth years. But he's out and back in...five? I guess Einstein can do a few grave-yard revolutions on this one.
Lex Luthor gets off because Superman never showed up in court to testify...great...Superman KNOWS that he left Luthor for a short while right IN FRONT OF THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE but doesn't think anything of safeguarding it when he flies off...ugh...so basically, "Superman Returns" and everybody loves him again, like there's no explanation needed for why Super-douche flew off on a rock-hunting holiday?
The kid that Lois had isn't her boyfriend's kid, it's secretly Superman's...great. Apparently nobody ever read Larry Niven's classic "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" about the biological difficulties therein. Or better, let's throw all that out...doesn't anyone else remember how he did the whole "kiss and make her amnesiac" bit from the second film? So if the kid could've only been conceived when they had sex ONE TIME, said time now being ERASED FROM HER MEMORY...isn't this saying that she's going to have to discover via her child's developing super-ness that she was...what? Super-roofied? Krypto-raped or something?
Routh was hired because he could ape Chris Reeve--he does that fine. There were moments I closed my eyes and heard him speak just like Reeve. Of course, as Clark...he just looked like Jason Schwartzmann (Tenenbaums, Rushmore, etc.). Kate Bosworth is a better actress than Katie Holmes--but Katie Holmes was a new character with no expectations...Lois Lane is at best a tough woman to write (strong and independent but always needs someone to save her ass when it's convenient to the plot?).
This movie was a good TRIBUTE to the fun things about the 'classic' elements of Superman that people loved. But it is no sequel, nor should it be seen as a worthy revitalization of the character. It was kind of like the ultimate fanboy's effort to be shown at a convention. That's it. The proof is in the one scene where he hoists a car in DIRECT re-creation of the classic cover-image of Action Comics #1.
But there are *some* allowances (and even more disallowances) I could point out:
The "Supes boozing" thing--remember Jimmy invited him, and Clark tends to conform to what people expect of a 'human'. Superman's physiology isn't affected at all by alcohol--his digestive system is powerful enough that alcohol doesn't hit his bloodstream like it does for the rest of you (us, I mean 'us,' not 'you,' oh who am I kidding, I can't get drunk either).
If this is considered a direct sequel, then you can't go to S-3 with that whole "drinking evil version" bit to counteract.
No, I don't think this is nearly as bad as Batman & Robin (I have to give credit for respect for the core material and love/effort in trying to really do it justice--for which Schumacher can burn in directorial hell and at least Singer tried). But yeah, it has big problems.
Superman *did* do this before in the comics, this leaving Earth deal. BUT he did it for one express reason: his shame over having to kill the 3 Criminals (General Zod and company) and Earth's blaming him for the damage they did before he stepped in (not to mention running away in front of everybody during that battle). Now THAT was the same thing that everyone kept hinting at in their interviews--that this was also going to be mirrored in the film, to explain why he left and why the world seems to have gotten used to dealing without him.
Instead, they give us this crappy "soul-searching" about going back to see if there's anything about Krypton left. They have him symbolically crash-landing at the Kent farm in a giant geode-pod like when he was a baby...let's never mind that if he needed the thing to fly back, then that meant he was de-powered by being around Krypton again...which wouldn't make sense if he was able to fly out there in the first place (there's no more 'red sun' to depower him, after all).
Also...they made it clear in the first film...the ship he was sent in had to traverse hyperspace. By the time he landed here, Krypton had been blown up for hundreds of Earth years. But he's out and back in...five? I guess Einstein can do a few grave-yard revolutions on this one.
Lex Luthor gets off because Superman never showed up in court to testify...great...Superman KNOWS that he left Luthor for a short while right IN FRONT OF THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE but doesn't think anything of safeguarding it when he flies off...ugh...so basically, "Superman Returns" and everybody loves him again, like there's no explanation needed for why Super-douche flew off on a rock-hunting holiday?
The kid that Lois had isn't her boyfriend's kid, it's secretly Superman's...great. Apparently nobody ever read Larry Niven's classic "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" about the biological difficulties therein. Or better, let's throw all that out...doesn't anyone else remember how he did the whole "kiss and make her amnesiac" bit from the second film? So if the kid could've only been conceived when they had sex ONE TIME, said time now being ERASED FROM HER MEMORY...isn't this saying that she's going to have to discover via her child's developing super-ness that she was...what? Super-roofied? Krypto-raped or something?
Routh was hired because he could ape Chris Reeve--he does that fine. There were moments I closed my eyes and heard him speak just like Reeve. Of course, as Clark...he just looked like Jason Schwartzmann (Tenenbaums, Rushmore, etc.). Kate Bosworth is a better actress than Katie Holmes--but Katie Holmes was a new character with no expectations...Lois Lane is at best a tough woman to write (strong and independent but always needs someone to save her ass when it's convenient to the plot?).
This movie was a good TRIBUTE to the fun things about the 'classic' elements of Superman that people loved. But it is no sequel, nor should it be seen as a worthy revitalization of the character. It was kind of like the ultimate fanboy's effort to be shown at a convention. That's it. The proof is in the one scene where he hoists a car in DIRECT re-creation of the classic cover-image of Action Comics #1.
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