As quite possibly the biggest fan of the original Superman films, I was expecting huge things from the new one. Judging by the first forty minutes, I thought I was going to get it. I suppose that, inevitably, was my downfall. How does the old proverb go? "Never expect too much, because you'll always be disappointed." Something like that, I think.
Yes, Brandon Routh does look and act very much like Chris Reeve but is that the be-all and end-all? I think not.
To begin with, the dialogue from all characters seems very forced and contrived. There just doesn't seem to be enough substance to the film. Enough...girth. Superman, Clark, and everyone else for that matter, seem very one-dimensional. You just don't care about the characters enough to really get into the film.
Secondly, the casting is a bit off, I think. I wouldn't have picked Kate Bosworth. Someone who looks like Lois Lane, "a raven haired beauty" according to the comic books, should have been chosen. Someone who could bring the required level of emotion to the role. Margot Kidder may not have been a stunner, but she made us believe.
I must admit though, the action sequences are incredibly well done. The plane sequence took my breath away, especially the way he puts the plane down in the baseball stadium and then flies around it to open the door. You also get swept away in the hysteria that emerges when people realise he's back, but this soon disappears when you see what they've reduced him to.
To summarise, the film starts off very well, but soon descends into a shambles. The bad-guy plot is extremely ropey too. A Kryptonite continent? We can do better than that, can't we? Doesn't give Spacey much room to shine if you ask me.
Everyone involved with this film had a duty to the people to make it amazing; a film that people would talk about for years. They didn't produce. I really like all of Singer's work, but I think he was out of his depth here.
As stated earlier, he occasionally gets it right. However, more depth of character and a meaty storyline were absolute essentials for a film of this magnitude. These are the fundamental failings, in my opinion.
Yes, Brandon Routh does look and act very much like Chris Reeve but is that the be-all and end-all? I think not.
To begin with, the dialogue from all characters seems very forced and contrived. There just doesn't seem to be enough substance to the film. Enough...girth. Superman, Clark, and everyone else for that matter, seem very one-dimensional. You just don't care about the characters enough to really get into the film.
Secondly, the casting is a bit off, I think. I wouldn't have picked Kate Bosworth. Someone who looks like Lois Lane, "a raven haired beauty" according to the comic books, should have been chosen. Someone who could bring the required level of emotion to the role. Margot Kidder may not have been a stunner, but she made us believe.
I must admit though, the action sequences are incredibly well done. The plane sequence took my breath away, especially the way he puts the plane down in the baseball stadium and then flies around it to open the door. You also get swept away in the hysteria that emerges when people realise he's back, but this soon disappears when you see what they've reduced him to.
To summarise, the film starts off very well, but soon descends into a shambles. The bad-guy plot is extremely ropey too. A Kryptonite continent? We can do better than that, can't we? Doesn't give Spacey much room to shine if you ask me.
Everyone involved with this film had a duty to the people to make it amazing; a film that people would talk about for years. They didn't produce. I really like all of Singer's work, but I think he was out of his depth here.
As stated earlier, he occasionally gets it right. However, more depth of character and a meaty storyline were absolute essentials for a film of this magnitude. These are the fundamental failings, in my opinion.
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