(no subject)

[i_kender]

I saw Superman Returns with spintrian last night and I have to say that on the whole I really enjoyed it.

First, things I didn’t like:

The costume. It’s just too dark. I understand this is an attempt to get away from the bright primary colours and the campness of former lycra/underwear costumes, but it doesn’t work. The dark blue just about works. The dark red/burgundy does not, at all. I’ll admit that in some scenes (particularly the space scenes, with Superman lit up in dark shadow and highlights from the sun) do work, in an Alex Ross/painted cover way- iconic and dramatic both. But I think overall it removes something integral to the character- the bright colours of the costume are important. Superman is a symbol, and his costume should reflect that. Darker colours to reflect a gritty and grim Superman and his world do not work, because that’s not what Superman is about. Unlike Batman.

The tone. As I said above. I’m not advocating more comedy- Superman has always been a serious character, and it’s right to have good strong human drama in a Superman movie. But does it have to be so grim and ponderous? Bits of the film are far too moody and slow and long. You could easily make the same points without lingering on them quite so much. It’s ok to make your audience feel strongly for and empathize with the characters. Just don’t make them depressed too much of the time. Not in a Superman film, and not in a summer blockbuster. Having said that, I don’t think the film was too bad on this point. Just needed to be a little… snappier. In the editing room.

Not enough Clark. One of the strengths of Brandon Routh’s performance, I think, is that he does Clark Kent very well (he also does a remarkable job of impersonating Christopher Reeves, but that’s by the by, and not necessarily a criticism) But where was Clark in the film? Relegating to minor glimpses and minor scenes. Clark is an important part of the character, not merely a quick and convenient façade for Supes to wear in the daytime, which it what he seems to be in this film. (Cut from the film is the good scene in one of the trailers where Lois and a bumbling Clark are crossing a busy Metropolis street, and Clark clumsily knocks into a passerby, thus saving him from being hit by a car)

Lois/Kate Bosworth. I’m not going to belabour the point, because other people have said it better, and because I don’t feel as strongly about this as others clearly do- that is to say, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the film- but Kate Bosworth is simply not good enough as Lois Lane. She is too young and pretty, and not experienced enough, and feisty and driven and bossy and razor-sharp, all of which Lois Lane should be. She does bring a certain warmth and vulnerability to the character, which is welcome, but not enough of her vitality and grit.

Now on to what I liked, and what I think worked well:

Bryan Singer. How fantastic is it to have a director who is so clearly a fan and loves the character and the source material? Some would say that his clear reverence for Superman (and for Christopher Reeves iconic performance and Richard Donner’s first two films) goes too far.

It does at times slow things down - some of the lingering shots of Superman in flight or floating in space simply go on for too long, and the Messiah/God parallels are drawn out to an excruciating degree and take up too much of the film. (Yes, we understand that Superman is an Icon. And a Legend. And a God Among Mortals. And an Alien/Loner/Outsider. And a Saviour. Now stop it with the poster and catalogue shots and get on with the plot already! Sheesh!) Similarly, much of the Marlon Brando dialogue is unnecessary and meandering and doesn’t make much sense and *should* have been shortened, if not cut.

On the whole though I can forgive Singer a lot. He doesn’t do superhero films by the numbers. He picks iconic images, storylines, and character aspects from classic comics and translates them well. Witness the great scenes of Superman as a young boy discovering his powers, the proud spectacle of the Daily Planet building, the weird crystal structures of the Fortress of Solitude and Luthor’s atoll, the throwaway mention of Gotham in a news report. And he’s not afraid of changing things to suit him or mixing things up in a way that might offend diehard fans – one of the best moments of the film is the scene that involves Lois fearfully watching her son playing piano with a menacing Luthor rent-a-henchman, and what happens next.

Brandon Routh. It just works. He’s got the look, he’s got the feel of the character down- the power, the gravitas, the responsibility of being the World’s Finest Boy Scout. A bit less Reeve-worship next time, mmm-kay? You’re doing fine on your own.

Kevin Spacey. It’s a different take from Gene Hackman’s, and at times it’s more glee than evil genius. But it works. I like the fact that he comes across as an opportunist, and a coward, and slightly unbalanced by his jealousy, rage, and obsession with Superman. (And yes, the supervillain master plot was fairly weak. But the bit with the Kryptonite shiv was inspired)

But the highlight of the movie for me, strangely enough, was:

Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski. Can I just say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE Parker Posey and what she does with what could be a very slight and incidental part? She’s superb as Luthor’s moll. She’s funny. I couldn’t take my eyes off her every time she was on screen. She gets some of the best comic moments too: with the dog/s, with the runaway car, with the obligatory Luthor’s-girlfriend-fancies-Superman scene. I wasn’t a fan before. I am now.

Also I am delighted that at one point Lex Luthor says, "To the primitive mind, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," which is of course a paraphrase of the Arthur C. Clarke quote.

Ok, I’ll stop there as I should really get back to work!