DVD : Superman Returns [HD DVD]

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Rating:

- I LIKE SUPERMAN BUT NOT LIKE THIS
Frist thing is first Lex Luthor is back yet again after I don't know how many defaets by Superman. Will Lex ever give up. I don't understand why Superman doesn't jut break Lex's back so he can never walk again or put him into a coma so he can't come up with another evil plan. Also there is a catch there is a superboy in this one who kills a henchman with a piano but can't break out of a pantry. Did i mention the boy threw the piano at the henchman. Anyway Kevin Spacey does a good job as Lex. Lois Lane is her same old self like in all the rest of the movies. Why can't Superman get a villain who he can actually fight. Kitty Lex's clueless henchgirl pulls off her role. Brandon Routh as Superman I like. The movie is to dramatic though. Barely any action but good effects. So it was a movie I can watch when there are no other choices. Yeah, it is that bad.

Rating:

- If you still have HD DVD, this is STILL the DEFINITIVE version of the movie.
For those of you who (like me, were format neutral, as in bought both HD DVD and Blu-ray.) still have HD DVD get this version! It's that the Blu-ray is missing special features, or the visual quality is worse (Most dual-format movies have the same encode.) but the audio quality is perfect! That's because it comes with a Dolby TrueHD track (which the Blu-ray version lacks.) and it is astounding. As of right now, it's the only version to contain this soundtrack, and it's well worth it.

For those that don't know what a TrueHD track is, it's a lossless version of the soundtrack, which means it's master quality! Believe me, it makes a difference! This is a great movie with a great visual look, and with the HD DVD version, the definitive version of the audio.

Rating:

- Close to the first SUPERMAN, but. . .
Bryan Singer did a pretty good job with SUPERMAN RETURNS, and what could have been a simple cash-in on the resurgent interest in the Man Of Steel became something more. The only thing the movie is missing is Christopher Reeve. Brandon Routh gives a yeoman's performance as Supe and Clark Kent, but without the sparkle that made Reeve a perfect Kal-El. Hey, Brandon had big shoes to fill, and I'm not sure if anyone currently in the acting biz could have done it. Chris, we miss you. . .

Everything else in SUPERMAN RETURNS is top-notch. The script, by Singer, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, is tight, well thought out and literate. The editing and music are, of course, by John Ottman (and John uses the original John Williams themes well), and the effects, by several different computer imaging companies, are spectacular. Once again, you will believe a man can fly.

And the supporting cast is excellent, too: from Kevin Spacey as a truly serpentine and vengeful Luthor to Kate Bosworth as a Lois Lane with a young son and a new love in James Marsden (from Singer's X-Men) to Eva Marie Saint (nice casting!) as Kal-El's adoptive Mom to Frank Langella as a very different kind of Perry White.

A lot has been written about SUPERMAN RETURNS, so all I will conclude with is: I enjoyed it immensely.

The Two-Disc Special Edition of the DVD includes, on the first disc, the feature, crisply letterboxed in 2:35 to 1, with great sound and color. Watch this one on a big screen TV with 5.1 sound! Surprisingly, Singer does not contribute commentary to this presentation, as he did to great effect on both X-Men films. Too bad.

Disc Two offers THREE HOURS of documentary material, mostly filmed on set and very candid. Fascinating. Also, there is a short how-to presentation on recreating Marlon Brando's Jor-El, a group of deleted scenes which, for the most part, I wish were not cut out. These additional scenes added depth to the characters and situations. Finally, there is a teaser trailer and the original theatrical trailer, as well as a promo for the Christopher Reeve Superman Collection and promos for two DC video games.

If you liked SUPERMAN RETURNS, I recommend the Two Disc Edition. The three hours of documentary material are well worth your time.

Rating:

- We dont want him back!
No, its not that I didnt want to like this movie. I loved Superman and Superman II but the series went downhill with Superman III and IV: The Quest For Peace putting the nail in the coffin. But even though Superman 3 and 4 were awful they were more entertaining in their badness than this movie. Bryan Singer made X-Men and X2-X-Men United sizzle on the big screen. But where he succeeded in X-Men he fell on his face here. The whole plot is that Superman(played by Brandon Routh) returns after searching for some so-called remains of his home planet. He comes back a bitter Lois Lane(played by Kate Bosworth)who is upset that he left without saying goodbye. In the meanwhile Lex Luthor(played by Kevin Spacey) finds Superman's hideout and steals his crystals with a peculiar scheme in mind: use the crystals to create a land mass that is practically inhabitable(as you find out later in the movie).

Opinion: I dont know where to start when criticizing this movie but here goes nothing. Brandon Routh is bland as Superman/Clark Kent. Christopher Reeve brought some type of charm to his role as Superman while Brandon Routh is just there. Another mistake is Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. She's bland and doesnt have the spunk that Lois Lane is known for. On a positive side Kevin Spacey is perfect as Lex Luthor(he's no Gene Hackman but he'll do). Parkey Posey's brainless character "Kitty" provides some laughs which break the moments of boredom this movie causes. When they're not on the screen, the movie just drags on and on which brings me to my next point: Superman Returns moves at a really slowwwwwwwwww pace. There's hardly any action and even though the special effects are good and Metropolis is nice to look at the movie still feels longer than it has to be. Another complaint is the movie insults the intelligence of its viewers and leaves them with a lot of questions to ask like: If Lois Lane's son was strong enough to kill one of Luthor's goons with a piano than why couldnt he get himself and his mother out of the pantry? How can Superman lift a whole island made up of kryptonite(his Archilles heel)when he had trouble handling Luthor's henchmen on this same island? Why would Lex Luthor, Superman's clever foe come up with such an idiotic idea such as making an island no one can live on? Why would Superman leave withou saying goodbye to Lois Lane? Wasnt he the same one who was willing to give away his powers to be with Lois Lane? Who's bright idea was it to cast Harold of Harold & Kumar fame as one of Luthor's henchmen. You get the drift. This is an incredibly dull superhero flick that just looks good visually but is a bland soap opera that is 154 minutes longer than it needs to be.

Rating:

- It's All About Nostalgia
It sure can't be easy to live up to audience expectations set by movies generations have grown up with like Star Wars. However, I think Superman Returns succeeds where the new Star Wars films failed. After languishing for what seemed an eternity in development hell, Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer, is a credit to Singer and his crew, and quite a marvel to behold.

Like with Star Wars, audiences have had more than twenty years to process, scrutinize and savor every moment of the 1978 movie version directed by Richard Donner and starring the unpretentious Christopher Reeve. In fact, I found myself at once nostalgic hearing the familiar score by John Williams and from watching the flying blue credits preceding the film. And for but a brief moment, I even expected Christopher Reeve to appear on the screen--just as he was remembered.

Though Christopher Reeve did not appear, his presence was definitely felt. A relative unknown, Brandon Routh had an uncanny knack for capturing that which audiences loved about Reeve and adding some of his own personality to the dual roles of Clark Kent and Superman. Even Kate Bosworth brought her own to the role of Lois Lane, made famous on celluloid by Margot Kidder. Her Lois Lane appeared more conflicted than frazzled the way Kidder's Lane always appeared, and it was a welcome and fresh approach. Equally notable was the continuity of a story line from the second film of the original movie run; a perfect segue to this updated rendition. And as the CGI effects of this version dazzle and amaze, the third and fourth installments of the former franchise are easily dismissed like a bad dream.

While in recent years iconic comic heroes have been brought to the screen with flair and heart, I think for the updated Superman franchise, the best is yet to come. Though it's clear the film is an homage to the director of the1978 version--with everything from the visual to the spoken echoing its former incarnation--Kevin Spacey's characterization of Lex Luthor was tiresome, trite, and just plain distracting. It was especially disappointing considering the complexity Michael Rosenbaum has given the television version in the Smallville series. That Lex Luthor would have been a wonderfully frightening addition, considering the heart and soul of the Superman Returns script; one in which takes pride in its portrayal of a more complex protagonist, and could have had an equally complex adversary. Instead of wondering what other scheme Luthor might concoct in future installments, I found myself wishing for an indefinite reprieve.

But where this movie succeeds in revisiting the celluloid version introduced nearly thirty years ago is the wonderful marriage of special effects and storytelling. This relationship invokes a welcome nostalgia for the old while appreciating the new, complete with a story full of layers and action. Though the length of the movie may turn off some movie-goers, running at 154 minutes, it's well worth viewing for two reasons: first, for fans of the Christopher Reeve Superman, it will leave them feeling nostalgic for the kid who first sat before the giant screen hearing the resounding musical score and watching Reeve fly effortlessly as no one had done before. Secondly, even if you're not a fan of the original movie series, the ease with which Routh's Superman defies gravity, and the impossible task of stepping into roles made cinematically famous three decades ago handled capably, it makes it all too easy to get caught up in the Superman lore.

Here's hoping this Superman stays a little while longer. And unlike the last set of films, only gets better with age.

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