Superman Doesn't Return

[filkertom]

I am finally watching Superman Returns. About a half-hour in.

There is a lot of goodness in this film. A surprising amount. Kevin Spacey absolutely rocks. Parker Posey as Teschmacher II. The sequence of saving the plane. The elements of the earlier Superman movies integrated and updated. (Although, again, I really wish they'd done something, y'know, new.) A lot of goodness.

But not Kate Bosworth.

And not Brandon Routh.

I want to buy it. I want to like him. And I simply can't. It's as if they know how to write all the other characters, but not Lois and Clark/Superman. The kid playing Jimmy Olsen has way more charisma. And I am sick to the teeth of the Clark Kent Oppressed And Yet Ignored By Everybody riff.

But, mostly, he's just... bland. The warm smile Reeve pulled off so effortlessly completely eludes Routh. He's stiff. Uncomfortable with his character, his clothes, and his own body. And he still looks like a frat boy in a Halloween costume.

This guy is no more Superman than I am.

And this is one of those times when I'm really annoyed I was right.

Update: All done.

Never bought him as Superman. Not once. A couple of long shots looked good, but nothing, nothing close. Never bought Bosworth as Lois. Thought the plot with the kid was completely unnecessary from the git-go. Bluntly, we could've collectively done a Mad-Lib and come up with a better script. I can think of a dozen stories right off the bat that would've been better than this.

They committed the ultimate movie crime: they made a boring movie.

About Superman, no less.

Comments

[avt-tor.livejournal.com]

I think Kevin Spacey only looked good in this movie relative to the other actors. Spacey has been so much better in most of his other movies. I think he has the potential of playing a great Lex Luthor, but I think we only saw a small amount of what could have been in this movie.