ROBBY REEDS REVIEW AT DIAL B

[Criadoman]

The review was pretty awful I thought - and the creds went straight down the tube when he chose the Atlas pose over the actual Action #1 scene.  Not that I cared anyway, but as mentioned before, a modem and a few bucks - and there you are.

I like the kid angle.  I think the comics should have really done this years ago.  Superman as a dad is a very cool prospect.

[Great Rao]

As much as I liked the movie, I think the review made some good points.

About 30 minutes into Superman Returns, I realized that it was a remake of the first two movies.  Even down to the expunged Krypton scenes that we won't see until the extended home-video release.  Unlike Bobby, I didn't think this was a bad thing.

The kryptonite knife scene bugged me, the lack of communication between anyone bugged me, the piano-murder of the henchman bugged me a lot, and Superman did seem pretty stupid throughout the whole thing.  I think a much better use for Brando's dialogue could have been found.  I like the idea of a kid, but I think it could have been handled a bit better.

I also think Superman spent a little too much time drinking in the adulation.

My take on it was that Bryan Singer loves Superman, truly "gets" the character, and can make an absolutely fantastic movie - he just needs a good script.

There was so much about this movie that I thought was wonderful and brilliant; and so much that I thought was horrible; that I can't even figure out whether I liked it or not.  I'll have to wait until the DVD.

[Michel Weisnor]

Last night after watching this movie, I agree with most of his review. He does make valid points if you sift through the sarcastic tone. Probably the biggest criticism of Robby's review, besides the language, was the Superman Action Comics #1 cover comparison that was actually a homage to Atlas carrying the world. While SR clearly depicts Superman holding the Daily Planet over his head in classic Atlas style, Robby should have written about the actual part in the movie where Superman does lift Kitty's car albiet Action #1. Heck, a kid's cell phone photo is even shown of this scene later in a humorous moment.

I disagree with Robby's initial response of Superman Returns is boring. No, Superman Returns is not boring. It just lacks heart and emotion. Aside from Jimmy Olsen and Perry White, the rest of the cast were bland and uninspired caricatures. As Great Rao wrote, this is not even a true sequel but a remake or as I prefer to call it a poor parody.    

** out of *****

[Klar Ken T5477]

Pastiche may be the word we're looking for as opposed to parody or remake.

Something that sort of resembles trhe orginal product sort of in the style and manner of that original and yet clearly isn't.

[JulianPerez]

Being someone that has rather unpopular opinions myself (HERCULES UNBOUND = thumbs up, Steve Englehart's FANTASTIC FOUR = thumbs up, Marty Pasko's WONDER WOMAN = thumbs up, Mark Waid Flash= thumbs down, KINGDOM COME = thumb way, way down) I can sort of sympethize with some piker on the internet that doesn't like something that a lot of other people like.

And by the way, Frank Langella as Perry White turns in the ONLY really great acting job in the movie. Much credit goes to veteran stage and screen actor Langella, who alone in this film has the gravitas and experience necessary to convert a scant few lines of dialogue into a real character.

You mean Mr. Whoopi? Skeletor and Dracula himself? I find it ironic he's being said to be the only one "above" this material. That guy's more of a comic book veteran than anybody else. Though it is true, his performance was pretty good.

The next “homage” in the film, which is to say the next SCENE, has Superman rescuing Lois from a damaged jet plane. Just like he rescued her from that helicopter in 1978. The 2006 jet rescue is one of the VERY few bright spots in Superman Returns. The effects look great, Superman looks great, and it really IS action packed... all three minutes of it.

Also great is a scene where a gattling-gun is fired at Superman, point blank. This provided another good minute, including a fun shot of a single bullet bouncing off Superman’s eyeball. I also liked the Action cover homage scene, although holy frig, ANOTHER homage!

Wouldn't you love to just be a fly on the wall when this guy discovers AVENGERS FOREVER?

Look, homages, references and things of this nature do not automatically make a movie bad, at least for that reason. They can be used to conjure up things with a lot of dramatic power. Brian Singer was right, you really can't do a Superman movie without that music. It would be like STAR WARS without the music.

Lois is played by gorgeous Kate Bosworth, who is a superfine smoldering sexpot. She is! Unfortunately, Lois Lane isn't. Margot Kidder, intelligent, engaging and sexy -- but not too sexy -- fit the part much better. In fact, most of this movie is terribly cast. Bosworth comes off as a supermodel stuck in print journalism when in real life she'd be an anchorwoman on CNN.

Ha ha ha ha ha...now THIS, I've got to agree with.

But sadly, this is the MODERN age, and this is a movie (supposedly) rated PG, (supposedly) for kids. Or, alternately, for parents who don’t mind their kids seeing children their own age being kidnapped, abused, almost drowned, put in horrific danger, and then they murder someone to get out of it. A great life lesson for little Johnny!

Next, Luthor drops his zany comedy persona and becomes a sadistic killer. How will kids handle this sudden, swift change? Well, who cares. Not the people who made this dreadful movie. They know nothing of kids.

"Won't someone PLEASE think of the CHILDREN?"

Oh, c'mon, compared to a movie that nearly the entire universe agrees is kid friendly (Dick Donner's THE GOONIES) Son of Superman has it a little easy, don't you think?

And this is truly tame compared to all the brawny he-man action in supposedly "kid-friendly" works of classic literature like TREASURE ISLAND, SHE, KING SOLOMON'S MINES, and GIANT SIZED AVENGERS #2.

But hey, as with INFINITE CRISIS, it's easy to call something "not family friendly" if we don't LIKE it.

The best part of Superman Returns? Seeing the couldn’t-be-better trailer for “Spider-Man 3,” which comes out next summer. How sad is THAT?

Now this was the moment I said "Oh, you've just got to be kidding me." Never mind that, if Spider-Man's comic book history was a big fat juicy steak, the alien costume story would be the bone and gristle left behind after you eat it. Never mind the total cluelessness of the Spider-Man movies thus far, which have been poorly edited, and have tons of scenes of Spider-Man staring off into space or buying an ice cream cone, the lack of humor or warmth, and the near endless Aunt May monologues. Every single crack this wiseass gives about SUPERMAN RETURNS could be applied to Spider-Man...and even better there, in fact.

On the other hand, I look forward to this film just as much as I enjoyed LESS THAN ZERO, because LESS THAN ZERO answered a question I always wanted to know: who'd win in a slapfight, James Spader, or Andrew McCarthy?

Hey, who'd win in a fight: the punk from THAT 70s SHOW, or Tobey MacGuire?

Next Summer...WE'LL FIND OUT!

[Michel Weisnor]

Pastiche may be the word we're looking for as opposed to parody or remake.

Something that sort of resembles the orginal product sort of in the style and manner of that original and yet clearly isn't.

Naw, I mean parody.   :cry:

a feeble or ridiculous imitation

[Super Monkey]

No, Spaceballs was a parody of Star Wars.

Superman Returns was not a parody no matter how much you didn't like it.

[Klar Ken T5477]

SUPERDUPERMAN is parody via classic Mad.



Webster's Dictionary defines pastiche as ......A dramatic, literary, or musical piece openly imitating the previous works of other artists

and that would be SUPERMAN RETURNS