As Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating."
Posted on 06/28/2006 4:41:44 PM PDT by Para-Ord.45
So Lois Lane is a single mother . . . and a slut. That's the most disturbing part of "Superman Returns," heavily marketed to kids and in theaters tonight.
Or is that "Lois and Her Feelings," co-starring Supe? That's what this dull, 2-hour 33-minute long latest rendition in the Superman series seemed like.
A better version would have been more relevant. It's great that new Superman Brandon Routh saluted America's troops as "the real Super Heroes," a tie-in with Warner Brothers Pictures' effort to send a million plus postcards of support to troops overseas.
But put your money where your mouth is. In World War II, Superman's comic book inventors had him fighting the Nazis. Today, they won't dare show him fighting contemporary Nazis--Islamofascists. Lex Luthor working with Al-Qaeda terrorists, with both evil forces getting defeated--that would have been dynamic and exciting, a great plot. But, unfortunately, too politically incorrect, current, and exciting for the Hollywood culturatti.
Some have asked whether Superman is still relevant post-9/11. He would be . . . if he was fighting the post-9/11 enemy and being a man while doing so.
Instead, we got a dumbed down, girlie-man version of Superman in "Superman Returns." Like every sensitive, slacker metrosexual, Supe's gone off for five years to "discover himself." In the meantime, the dullest Lois Lane ever has a child out of wedlock. Nice message to send to your kids who will be begging to see this. No smoking lectures by Superman and plugs for tofu sandwiches got a lot of play though. Script-writers were more concerned with that kind of health than the splendid problems single motherhood brings.
In what is more reminiscent of a Maury Povich "Who's the Daddy?" show than a Superman plot, Lois apparently slept around and thinks the cutesy kid--very annoying and distracting in the film--is her fiance's child, not that of the other guy she was simultaneously sleeping with--the Man of Steel.
Hard to still call him that, because in this film he's far less muscular. Even the formerly bright red of his cape is now a muted, dingy brownish-burgundy. All masculinity is toned down, in favor of the testosterone of career woman Lois, who doesn't believe in marriage. Too busy riding the space shuttle.
That hardly makes her spectacular. Kate Bosworth has nothing on Margot Kidder (aside from her far-left wackoism) or even Terry Hatcher. Their renditions of Ms. Lane were far superior. Bosworth's is as ho-hum as the lady at the supermarket looking for her Clairol fix. The only thing that seems apropos is Lane's Pulitzer Prize for her "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." It's the work of unethical journalism--a "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" by a jilted lover against her boyfriend.
In the real world's Daily Planet a/k/a The New York Times, the "Pulitzer-level" stuff is "Why Al-Qaeda is Less Dangerous to the World Than President Bush."
And by the way, there's no Internet in this movie--a glaring absence when Lois' editor is lecturing about what sells newspapers. Uh, nothing sells newspapers these days. They're in rapid decline.
There are no memorable lines like the ones Margot Kidder's Lois uttered to Christopher Reeve's Supe: "You've got me? Who's got you?"
More like, who's got this movie?
With a $300 million budget, Warner Brothers must have a hit with this film. There's so much marketing hype and so many product tie-ins, it will be hard for it to fail. And with newcomer Brandon Routh's spot on impersonation of Christopher Reeve playing Clark Kent/Supe, he's not as difficult to adjust to as Bosworth's Lois. His imitation invites the comparison, and he doesn't live up to it. Christopher Reeve can smile from the grave that he died undefeated champion of Superman portrayals.
"Supe Returns" writers also paid too much attention to the accuracy of minute and unimportant details, such as the fact that Kryptonite was found in Addis Ababa. But who cares about those things?
Is that more important than the messages projected to America's kids--especially girls who may want to emulate Lois Lane? And is it more important than an exciting, believable, and relevant plot? Hardly.
Still, aside from it's dullness and the poor examples it sets for kids, "Superman Returns" is a fun, escapist film.
But nothing to write home--or even, Krypton--about.
She is not an unwed mother. Read my posts. In Superman 2 she marries Clark when he is human and has sex with him. Her memory of the events are wiped at the end of the movie.
Does she abort the child when she finds herself pregnant? Thats what liberals do. Nope she gets a man and gets engaged. That is the right course of action and the moral thing to do. She doesn't marry the man that is raising her child and maybe thats because deep inside she knows she is still married to someone else.
re: "She is not an unwed mother. Read my posts. In Superman 2 she marries Clark when he is human and has sex with him. Her memory of the events are wiped at the end of the movie.
I don't remeber any marriage in Superman II. However, if she and Superman didn't get a divorce before he left then they are still married, whether she remembers it or not. Thus, Superman certainly remembers, so his failure to acknowledge and address his responsibilities simply represents another variation of the ongoing deconstruction of the traditional moral and ethical foundations of the character. If Hollywood would simply play it straight instead of trying to be cute and clever, all these problems could have been avoided.
I'm not condemning the movie - I'm simply pointing out what I consider an unnecessary flaw that could have been avoided. I do plan to see and enjoy it.
I think your wrong. Superman left Lois in Superman 2 for the noblest of reasons... He did not believe he could be with her and still save the world and her safety was always in doubt if she was with him. It is very obvious to anyone seeing the movie that they need to see Superman 2 and refresh themselves on the story before seeing this. Also my words are from no fan site this is from my memory of the second movie and from IMDB.
Geoge Reeves was the best of them all.
The TV series, "Smallville" is the best thing done in some time and it is very uneven. I do like Tom Welling and Rosenbaum. The black haired Lana Lang is unusually pretty but she just doesn't remind one of the Lana in the comics books.
In Superman 2 Lois and Clark get married..."
I don't remember that at all, but then, I haven't seen the movie in years.
Leni
Superman is an odd character. I've always wondered if the original character was based on the premise of Nietzsche's superman, but haven't been able to make myself wade through Nietzsche enough to make the connection. However, you can access a version of the original film done in thirty seconds by bunnies here.
When Lois makes a speech about the wonders of unwed motherhood in the movie, I'll believe that they are glorifying it, otherwise they're just dealing with a changed world.
"The creators of Superman intended and conceived..."
Superman has been evolving since the day the character was created, and most people get stuck in the Superman that was around whenever they were growing up. My father's Superman was a rather one dimensional individual, black and white not only on the screen, but in its absolute lack of depth of character.
My father's Superman would have never exhibited the doubts we saw in Christopher Reeve's Superman...Superman never exhibited doubts about anything then. Then there was the barely-under-the-surface sexuality between the Dean Cain/Terri Hatcher relationship in TV's "Lois and Clark"...there was NOTHING of the sort going on between the George Reeves and Phyllis Coates characters. Or Tom Welling's angst-ridden small town, confused Clark Kent...no glasses or Superman suit.
This is not your Superman, it isn't even mine, it's a new generation's Superman...you don't have to like it.
Superman will continue to evolve, as will the characters in the story.
It happens...Christian Bale neither looked or acted like Adam West.
Thank God for that!
Try addressing the topic at hand.
Or are you incapable of doing anything other than throwing insults around?
"I'm here to fight for Truth, and Justice, and all of that stuff." - Superman (2006)
Well Perry White isn't a real newspaper editor, just a made up one. However he can't spout the term American way because it disgusts him (without people for the prefixing it). Even the words Truth and Justice are just...stuff. Therefore the portrayal of a top newspaper man is fake but accurate.
Courage.
Superman is the only Superhero who IS the Superhero, and the regular person is the alter ego.
Bruce Wayne's alter ego is Batman, Peter Parker's alter ego is Spiderman, Tony Stark's alter ego is Iron Man...but Clark Kent is Superman's alter ego.
Well, Sentis and I actually saw the WHOLE movie, not just spoiler lines from people with an agenda.
If you want to make up your mind without even watching it go ahead, but don't pretend to be an expert on something you haven't even seen.
That having been said, it was a very conservative movie in its message and I applaud all those involved in it. It was terrific.
There was something mentioned like this in Kill Bill Vol. 2. Bill was talking to the Bride and gave a similar speech about superhero mythology. Peter Parker has to put on a costume to become Spiderman. Superman wakes up as Superman. His costume is Clark Kent and that is how he views us.
There is a scene wherein Perry White is directing his staff to find out all they can about Superman. He fires off a series of questions they must find out. Chief amoung them, I'm paraphrasing- "Does he still stand for truth, justice, AND ALL THAT". Would it kill them to have PW say AND THE AMERICAN WAY?
And only one 007.
I love that movie but I don't recall that speech.
Time to see it again.
Overall, I thought the movie was good. Not great nor even super. Just good. The special effects were great. As for the conservative message in the movie, I missed it.
Here is an excerpt from the movie-
As you know, I’m quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating.
Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology… The mythology is not only great, it’s unique.
Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone.
Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S” - that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us.
Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak… He’s unsure of himself… He’s a coward.
Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.
– Bill’s Superman speech from Kill Bill
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