Oceania Gush over Superman Returns here.

Was this not the best movie of all time!!?!?!?!

My pic from the premiere: (yes I'm wearing red undies and an ages 5 and up electronic cape)
[image=http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/JOHNNAGE_THE_BRAVE/smallersup.jpg]
[image=http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/JOHNNAGE_THE_BRAVE/superdickhead.jpg]

My review:

SUPERMAN RETURNS

One thing we?ve found in recent years is that generally, a director with a love for the property they?re filming come out with the most exciting and respectful films.
We?ve seen Sam Raimi?s Spiderman thrill audiences and critics in two films, Guillermo Del Toro?s Hellboy was an underrated gem, and most evident is Peter Jackson?s love of King Kong in his 2005 remake.
It seems only natural that Bryan Singer?s Superman should soar higher than most anticipated.

Hot off two perfect examples on how to make an X-men film, Bryan Singer brings experience and a highly visible respect and dignity to Superman.
Set after Superman II, and pretending Superman III and IV never existed, the film has a surprisingly smooth transition in the series, considering that Superman: The movie was made almost 30 years ago in 1978.
With such respect as maintaining many design concepts for the fortress of solitude, to the opening credits (which are the most spectacular thing you could ever see on a cinema screen) and the Iconic John Williams score, fans will be delighted to see that the films are woven together with tidbits, homage?s, the cast performances.
They are performances that are not only an improvement on what was set before, but are respectful to the previous artists and are completely feasible.

Kevin Spacey?s Lex Luthor is a perfect example on how this is achieved in this film.
He is more psychotic and frightening- as he should have always been; yet he is still the same Gene Hackman Lex Luthor that we remember.
This slight change is also explained in that prison life has changed him and awoken a nasty streak not seen before in Superman and Superman II.
Brandon Routh?s Clark and Superman are perfect.
He is more downplayed and disciplined in his role as Clark, whilst still being eerily similar to Christopher Reeve in many ways.
Kate Bosworth also does very well to overcome her young age in portraying a mother of a five-year-old child, and is effective in making us believe that she is a successful career woman and a mother.

The film has a great mix of story and action- and edited well by John Ottman, who also composed the films musical score, and the visual effects are thrilling and eye- popping.

Ultimately the film is not about Superman fighting Lex Luthor, but rather effectively about ?the ultimate immigrant? finally feeling at home in his adoptive world- some scenes will even seem like the Norman Rockwell five Freedoms paintings- another indication of Superman?s old fashioned value system which is one of the bravest things this film has to offer to a cynical world.

*****/5

neehay Glaben!

 

Wo ye hen xihuan zhe xin de Bryan Singer pian zi, "Hui Lai de Chao Ren". Shi yige hen hao de dian ying, he Brandon Routh kan qi lai Chris Reeve! Zhege dianying you hen duo jun de yi ren.

*****/*****

E_S

 

^ Indeed!

 

Best movie ever? Umm, maybe not, but a great movie none the less. 4/5.

Next up, Pirates!!

 

I said GUSH boy!

 

Superman Returns was pretty awesome.

4.5/5

 

Personally I thought it was pretty average.

Lois and Luthor's characters were just plain dull and the film's pacing just didn't feel fluid at all. Other that. The mise en scene was a contorted mess and the story had instances of dwelling on things that were completely unessecary (Like the cornfield flashback).

I liked some things though. Brandon Routh was spot on with his performance and the opening credits and music score were a nice tribute to the 1978 original. Parker Posey, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen were also quite good.

I'd like to see a director's cut with the Krypton footage reinserted. THat was the one scene I was most interested to see in this new film and it irked me that it was all cut out, leaving the audience with the questions of why does superman have a silver suit and a spaceship and where did he get them from.

 

D.V.D. ...

 

The flashback to the cornfield was used to demonstrate how the sun invigorates him- When he throws the ball after that scene, he's only just got his powers back from being away from our yellow sun.

If anything the Krypton scenes would be irrelevant because he know all we want to know from both the opening text and his conversation with Martha Kent. If anything the Krypton scenes would be unneccesary (cool but uneccessary- hence showing it on dvd!)

And how did he make his ship? Did you not see that when Lex accessed the crystals in the fortress of solitude that there was one missing?

I saw the film to see Superman's journey and finding his connection to Earth and those he loves. Not to see him building a space ship and scenes to explain everything that is eluded to. It's called efficient storytelling focus.

 

Speaking of, did anyone else spot what appeared to be a cameo role by Richard Brandson (you know, the Virgin guy)

 

yeah- in the Nasa control centre right? I was more interested in Noel Neill and Jack Larson's cameos though!

 

I think he was in the space ship itself.

 

It was ok. I guess I am getting used to the PG style of comic-book filmmaking out these days. Spacey has nothing on Hackman though.

 

I thought spacey was better, to be honest. Hackman was good, but spacey adds a nice dark undercurrent to the character, more like the comic book version I remember.

 

It was good. Lois Lane didnt show enough cleavage however

 

Ah, Marv, I see your subscription to "Aussie Post" has run out and you're busily scanning major Hollywood films for a hint of boob. Well done.

I think filming it in Sydney was (gasp) a poor choice, since Sydney will never be mistaken for a major metropolitan city a la New York...

E_S

 

Well it fooled me.

 

Yeah he was a shuttle pilot.

He is also in Casino Royale

 

Have you been to New York? One thing Australia has is space. New York as more people living in it as a city than New South Wales does a state. The population density is such that there's simply lots more buildings packed together in NY for both commerce and residence, and they tend to go up to conserve space.

E_S