Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Superman Returns



I am not going to give a (yet another) review for the film. In my humble opinion, I dont think any two people in the universe can have the same experience watching the same movie. As some one has so beautifully put it - Two persons can look at the same thing and see two completely different things. ( I think I am in danger of sounding like myself in the DaVinci Code post) Even then, reviews are good in a way as they give us an option to know how other people felt about a movie. As long as they dont preach us what to watch or not, I guess they are ok. So back to business. And lets get straight to the point. For those of you who are in a hurry - yes, the film is good. And, if you love Superman, you will be delighted with the movie. Well thats done. Now for a little more detail.

The Good :
The movie is about the most loved super heroes of all time. In a greyed out world, Superman stands in sparkling white; and he doesnt lie ( source : Louis ) Ofcourse nobody will ever perfect the role like Christopher Reeve did. That said, Brandon Routh is eminently likeable, if only for the reason that he looks and acts like Reeve. And since the last movie came out, the technology has improved so much that, Brandon 'flies' much better, faster and believably than Reeves. The movie has been crafted with care by Bryan Singer, and it shows. The space shuttle rescue scene in the beginning of the movie is among the best action sequences I have seen. All action sequences in the movie are good, but the surprise package is the emotional side of the superhero. You may be the strongest man on earth, but that still doesnt mean you get your girl ( aha ! ) One of my personal favourites is the scene where Clark uses his x ray vision to watch Louis as she gets on the elevator and follow her with his eye all the way up. Then the roof top meeting between Louis and Superman is very tender and very well executed and I think Brandon did very well in that scene. Louis tells him -
" .. the world doesnt need a saviour. And neither do I"
"Louis, will you come with me ?... "
Silence.
"...Please"
He then proceeds to take Louis with him high up in the sky. He tells her that he can hear people crying out for help all the time. And then drops her off at home, after a romantic fly past.
There is more, but I wont spoil the fun.

The Bad :
I was wishing that Superman will have a grand entry on screen, considering what he is capable of. But it was the feeblest of entries, crashing back to earth like he did when he was a baby. May be they did it on purpose. After that we are treated to some Kent farm shots and Clark remembering his childhood at the farm. And the space shuttle scene. So far so good. But then begins a long wait, as the director sets up all the pieces required to carry us towards the climax. The result is a rather long period in the film where nothing really seems to happen. Except Kevin Spacey as Luthor plotting to make 'the only thing that they are not making any more', and Clark bumbling about Louis. And the kid. Oh I forgot the kid. There was simply no need for that kid. I dont know what they are gonna do with the kid in the sequel ( ofcourse there is gonna be a sequel) And the most cruel thing to do, they substituted Louis/Clark/Superman love triangle with Louis/Richard/Superman. Richard who? And where is Clark? Not in the picture. Sad.

The Ugly :
I wish I didnt have to write this, but it is hard not to notice that the director has made a deliberate attempt to draw a parallel between Superman and Christ. There are references to Father and Son, and the Father sending his only son to earth. When Superman falls, his arms are outstretched, like on the cross. Even the Kryptonite stab is all too obvious. That is so sick.

Final Word? I am glad he is back.
And one more thing, all the opinions expressed are my own. I may have some other motives for writing this review. In fact I do. :-) And just in case you want to read some good reviews, I suggest Rotten Tomatoes (it is better than it sounds, trust me)

2 comments:

KK said...

Still sounds good enough for next saturday. :)

Moving to another media: If you havent seen so already check out Project Gutenberg at http://worldebookfair.com/

Sandee said...

yes ofcourse.. u wud believe a man can fly :)

thx for the link..