You'll believe a man can fly... Again. Superman Returns!

But SR takes place in 2006! (The newspaper headline that has Superman Dead on it says this) that's more than a few weeks after Superman II.

 

You are right, it does not take place a few weeks after Superman II. He left to Krypton a few weeks after Superman II, then arrived back on Earth five years later.

 

Thought I would revive this thread.

Been a while since I've seen the movie (not since I bought the dvd in Nov.) I think I'm well over due on watching it again. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to find some time over the weekend.

Okay so here's a discussion. What were your thoughts when going to see this movie for the very first time?

I still remember mine. The only reason I was going to see it was because it was Superman. So I had not read any spoilers or seen any movie trailers. In general I had no hopes for this movie. I only thought that Kate Boswoth would pull off the role of Lois but I had no hopes for Brandon Routh.

I remember watching the movie and being so mesmerized by it. Like when Lex waved the kryptonite cylinder to Jason and him looking weak, I had the feeling that Jason was Superman's son. And then I was proven right when Jason killed the guy with the piano! I couldn't believe it.

And then in the scene where Richard, Lois, and Jason are trapped in that half of the boat, with the water rising I just thought, 'oh no, they're going to die.' Luckily I was proven wrong on that point. Another part I was mystified with!

I'm really glad this movie ended up being much better than I thought it would be.

And let's not forget the music. John Ottman added so much feeling into it.

Now I'm really looking forward to the sequel of this one.

 

This was the first Superman movie I've seen on the big screen. So it was quite an experience. I loved Ottman's take on the themes already established by John Williams. One of my favorite parts w/ the music was the plane/space shuttle sequence.

 

I feel old (I mean, older) now.

Now imagine yourself as a five year old kid in 1978, and that John Williams music with those flying titles comes across the screen. That was me almost 29 years ago. I was nearly standing in my seat when my mom took me to see this.

It really was an overwhelming experience; especially, at that age.

 

I was looking forward to this. I had only got to see Superman III and that was at the drive-in. I wasn't disappointed in the film in the slightest and still cannot understand how people think that the film dragged.

 

Yeah, I loved that part! [The music with the plane sequence]. The music that Ottman conducted for that scene was just perfect. It was filed with emotion and heart ache.

Some other great music scenes were the Lois & Superman flight sequence. That song was filled with so much magic. And then the scene with the song, "I want you to know" where Richard, Lois, and Jason had saved Superman's life and then Superman was on his way to go back and get rid of New Krypton. The music was heartwrenching and I loved it!

This was my first Superman theater experience also. So it was a blast. I'm really glad that I ended up being wrong about this movie because now I can't get enough of it.

 

I had a question:

How did Lois find out that Jason was Superman's son?

Did she automatically know? Did she find out when Lex showed Jason the Kryptonite cylinder and he started getting weak? Or did she find out when Jason killed the guy with the piano?

 

Kinda all of the above. The real clicker was when Jason shoved the piano to save Lois from Brutus. The Kryptonite and the timing of the pregnancy, she could dismiss as coincidental. But the piano is undeniable. Especially given the speedy at which it flew across the room. Not to mention that the piano would be bolted down like the pool table and other heavy furniture.

 

Okay thanks.

Man, after all this time I still can't believe Superman has a son! And it's really great that they gave him a biological child instead (unlike that of the Adventures of Lois & Clark where the child was adopted.)

Part of the main reason as to why I'm looking forward towards the sequel.

 

Oddly, Jason's presence in the Superman film continuity is one of the few reasons I am queasy for the sequel.

 

Really? To each is own I suppose.

I just really love the fact that Superman now has a son. That's something I've wanted for a long time so it's great that it's finally happening.

 

A similar scenario is going on in the comics, with Chris Kent.

 

Chris Kent? I take it in the comics that the MOS son?

 

at first I was queasy about it but i'm more concerned about the action in the next one and the villains they're bringing in and how they'll look

 

That's another issue...but Singer has a way of making over-the-top villains appear practical. They actually look like they could exist in the world where the story is set so I have faith that the villains will work out. I still wish that Darkseid would be one of them but from what I've heard, it doesn't sound promising.

 

Since they are just now reviving the franchise, they have to treat it as if they are starting over because of the elapsed time between S2 and SR. They were pretty much obligated to stick with Lex only for SR because they needed to refamiliarize the public with the characters and the basic story. Darkseid in the very next movie would not be a smart marketing move just yet because older fans don't really know who Darkseid is. There are several villains like Braniac, Bizarro, etc that, not only dedicated fans know about, but also the general public like my parents know about them. They need to deal with, at least, one or two of those first to establish a larger fanbase for the story, and then, introduce someone like Darkseid. I agree that Darkseid is a cool villain, but introducing him, at this point, would have been like bringing Venom into Spiderman 2, and have the older fans saying things like, "Where's Doctor Octopus?" Bringing Venom into the third installment was smart timing, and having Sandman there as a side issue is smart as well. You've got to deal with older, but still important villains which the newer and older fans know about.

 

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No, he's their son. General Zod and Ursa's. They've used him to get out of the Phantom Zone and come to Earth. Clark and Lois don't know that yet, but they've adopted him. Mostly because Clark felt a kinship with the boy that he hasn't quite felt yet with Kara and with Kon-El dead, this is the next best thing to Kryptonian familiy he has.

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Chris Kent.


As to the villian, I'm confident that it'll be Brainiac and that there will be more action than in Returns. WB has wanted to do Brainiac for a while, as did Ilya Salkind and Richard Donner.

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Thanks for the explanation on Chris. Wow, the son of Zod; the son of Jor-El's worst enemy and the son of El ends up taking in the son of Zod. Cool!

As for the new villian, I'm hoping it will be Braniac too. I like him.

 

At this poin they have no excuse and no choice BUT to show Superman as a lean, mean, fighting machine. We've already esteblished he's emo.

 

But the problem with the Man of Steel is that its hard to provide a villain commensurate with Superman's abilities. Brainiac and Darkseid are the best options, imo.

 

Why is Lois not the last bit surprised that Superman is Jason's father being that at the end of "Superman 2" (the Richard Lester/theatrical/canon version) he erased her memory?

 

I'm sorry, but that's a ******** excuse. All of Superman's rogues are worthy of challenging him. Not all of them have to rely on physical strength or Kryptonite to beat him. Mister Mxyzptlk forces Superman to use his brains in order to get him to go back to the Fifth Dimension. Either by tricking him into saying, writing or spelling Kltpzyxm, which is his name backwards. Other times he has to come up with something such as getting him to tell the truth. Mxy's magic can have devestating consequence which Superman has to often clean up. You've got Kryptonite Man who does rely on Kryptonite since it comes from his whole body. Same with Metallo. You've got Bizarro who is on his power level, only he's totally messed up mentally with his backwards thinking. Parasite who can kill Superman by touching him and draining him of his power. Toyman who can create various toys that are lethal to others, forcing Superman to try and rescue his victims. Lord Santanus and Lady Blaze who are demons that want his soul. That's just to name a few.

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She is surprised when Jason shoved the piano. She just didn't dwell on it too much, since they had to survive being locked up and then nearly drowning.

 

It's not an excuse for those of us with limited exposure to the Superman universe. The problem has been rendering those villains on screen and making sure they are developed enough to make lay audiences feel some sort of involvement in the story line. I am not going to challenge the extent of your knowledge, d-s, about the Superman universe. It's far superior to my lay understanding but I think there's a big problem in making the villains actually seem like a threat to an almost immortal Superman. At least that's the Superman that has been displayed on-screen.

 

Well, Superman isn't immortal. He's invulnerable which is different. However, there are plenty of foes that can give him a challenge as I've said.

-Super strong foes: Bizarro, Mongul, Doomsday, Massacare, Zod, Ursa, Non, Jax-Ur, Darkseid, Kalibak, the Female Furies, Maxima, the Eradicator, Dev-Em, Magog, Gog, Black Adam, Perus, Atomic Skull, Khyber and a host of others. All with powers that can match or rival Superman. They don't need Kryptonite to take him out. They can and have beat the snot out of him. Lobo, a non Superman rogue, has kicked his ass a few times without breaking a sweat and even once while drunk as a skunk.

-Kryptonite foes: Lex Luthor, Metallo, Kryptonite Man, Bloodsport, Gog and Conduit. Their weapons of choice are Kryptonite. Lex has various ways of employing Kryptonite. Metallo is powered by it. Kryptonite Man and Conduit are literally infused with it. Bloodsport has Kryptonite bullets. Gog uses an artificial Kryptonite that ages Superman and causes his powers to go wonky.

-Magical foes: Mxyzptlk, Santanus, Blaze, Asmodel, Neron, Silver Banshee and Ruthven. One is an Imp from another dimension. Three are demons from hell. One is an angel. One is a vampire and one is a banshee that if she knows your real name, will kill you instantly. Superman is susceptible to magic just like anyone else, unless they're resistant to it.

-Technological foes: Lex Luthor, the Cyborg, Brainiac, Mokkai (sp), Simiyan (sp), Intergang, Ruin, Master Jailer/Death Trap, Prankster and Toyman. Foes who use technology that can harm Superman or annoy him to no end.

-Deadly on their own: Parasite, who can drain Superman of his powers and use them temporary.

-Mental attackers: Brainiac, Maxima, Eradicator, Manchester Black and Maxwell Lord. All have either bent or tried to bend his mind to their will. Black caused Superman to have a massive stroke.

So there are plenty of foes out there who can beat him in a variety of ways. As I said, they can all be translated one way or another. And as I said, Superman isn't immortal. Doomsday killed him in 1992, Gog went throughout history starting from the 853rd century and worked his way back killing anyone from the house of El & in a future that is destined to pass, he is killed by Khyber.