Look! Up on the screen!
I had the chance - well, actually, I had two chances - to see Superman Returns this weekend. The movie doesn't officially open until the 28th of June, but I begged and pleaded with the kind folks in my office for premiere passes and lo and behold, I got two sets. Two! So I woke up early this Saturday to make it to the Paramount for 9am, and then went to the Cinesphere at Ontario Place for a 5pm screening. Double Yay!
In case you've been living under the only rock that the people at Warner Brothers' marketing department haven't been able to project the "S" shield logo onto, this is the fifth Superman movie, but we're asked to forget that Superman III and Superman IV ever took place. If only. The story picks up five years after the end of Superman II. Supes has disappeared for half a decade, and he returns to Metropolis. Which means, of course, that Lex Luthor won't be far behind.
In many ways, I am the wrong person to be writing about Superman - or at least the wrong person to pretend to write about him objectively. Superman is my favourite hero of fiction; the central conceit of a man who is so much more powerful than humanity but wishes to be one of us is a terrific lesson in heroism, I think. And the idea of an orphan who learns to construct his own identity is a big theme in children's literature - whether it's Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, Anne Shirley, Frodo Baggins, or Batman. It's a neat device, in that orphaned children are often more free from the usual prosaic constraints, but it sets up themes of identity and belonging, as well. Who are we modelled after, if not our parents, and how do we fit in where we are if we don't even know where we're from? For a guy who can do everything we can't, Superman is bereft of some of the simplest things humans cherish the most.
I remember seeing the first and second movies in theatres (I was given a super-kiss that made me forget III and IV, thank God); I remember owning action figures, Superman Underoos, hundreds of comic books, and all sorts of other merchandise; and I also remember running down the street as fast as I could with my arms stretched out in front of me, a makeshift cape tied around my neck. Um, in case I haven't made this part clear, all of that occurred was when I was a kid. With the possible exception of the underoos, but what I do in my own time is none of your damn business.
So, the movie: contain your shock when I tell you that it's really good. It's a little long, in my mind, which makes the last twenty or so minutes feel kind of draggy, but there is an awful lot of business going on. There are a few other flaws, too. I feel like Parker Posey's whole character was taken out of another film and spliced into this one, and we could have used another bravura action sequence somewhere along the way.
But what we do get more than makes up for all of that. There is a great, beating heart (shaped like a big, red S) in the middle of this movie. What the director, Bryan Singer, does here (and as he did with his previous two X-Men movies) is find the core of the icon and build a theme around it. This is a movie about one amazing man's quest to find out where he belongs, I think. Bruce Wayne sinks into the role of Batman to accomplish something his human side can't (a common enough theme in comics - especially DC Comics) and Spider-Man spends his time learning to deal with the demands his super-heroing places on his regular life (a common enough theme in Marvel comics), but Superman chooses to be human. He wants to be one of us.
At the same time, Singer understands that characters as renowned as Superman have dedicated fans, and he plays to the mythology that we have all grown up with. There are the small touches: Superman assumes the exact pose that was on the cover of Action Comics #1 (his first appearance); he literally outraces a speeding bullet; and there are references aplenty to the first two Superman films, like Lois' continued inability to spell or the style of the opening credits. And, of course, John Williams' original music, which still makes my heart swell, is sprinkled throughout the film.
So, yeah, the story makes the film, but the other great thing about watching a big-budget super-hero film in the year 2006 is that fact that the effects freaking rock. You. Will. Believe. A. Man. Can. Fly. There is an airplane rescue scene that is so flawlessly executed it's tempting to think that an actual Krytonian was brought in to do all of the heavy lifting. And Superman racing through the city of Metropolis, catching falling people, falling signs, and falling planets is a terrific thrill.
I think that we need Superman. Detractors complain that he is without flaws, or fascist, but I don't think so. He hears cries for help, and knowing that he is in a unique position to do so, he answers them. And while his abilities make him different from everyone else, his feelings - his confusion over his place in the world, his inability to show those closest to him who he really is, his desire to fit in - these mark him as one of us. And while this is the most spectacular of the Superman movies, it's also the most human.
In case you've been living under the only rock that the people at Warner Brothers' marketing department haven't been able to project the "S" shield logo onto, this is the fifth Superman movie, but we're asked to forget that Superman III and Superman IV ever took place. If only. The story picks up five years after the end of Superman II. Supes has disappeared for half a decade, and he returns to Metropolis. Which means, of course, that Lex Luthor won't be far behind.
In many ways, I am the wrong person to be writing about Superman - or at least the wrong person to pretend to write about him objectively. Superman is my favourite hero of fiction; the central conceit of a man who is so much more powerful than humanity but wishes to be one of us is a terrific lesson in heroism, I think. And the idea of an orphan who learns to construct his own identity is a big theme in children's literature - whether it's Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, Anne Shirley, Frodo Baggins, or Batman. It's a neat device, in that orphaned children are often more free from the usual prosaic constraints, but it sets up themes of identity and belonging, as well. Who are we modelled after, if not our parents, and how do we fit in where we are if we don't even know where we're from? For a guy who can do everything we can't, Superman is bereft of some of the simplest things humans cherish the most.
I remember seeing the first and second movies in theatres (I was given a super-kiss that made me forget III and IV, thank God); I remember owning action figures, Superman Underoos, hundreds of comic books, and all sorts of other merchandise; and I also remember running down the street as fast as I could with my arms stretched out in front of me, a makeshift cape tied around my neck. Um, in case I haven't made this part clear, all of that occurred was when I was a kid. With the possible exception of the underoos, but what I do in my own time is none of your damn business.
So, the movie: contain your shock when I tell you that it's really good. It's a little long, in my mind, which makes the last twenty or so minutes feel kind of draggy, but there is an awful lot of business going on. There are a few other flaws, too. I feel like Parker Posey's whole character was taken out of another film and spliced into this one, and we could have used another bravura action sequence somewhere along the way.
But what we do get more than makes up for all of that. There is a great, beating heart (shaped like a big, red S) in the middle of this movie. What the director, Bryan Singer, does here (and as he did with his previous two X-Men movies) is find the core of the icon and build a theme around it. This is a movie about one amazing man's quest to find out where he belongs, I think. Bruce Wayne sinks into the role of Batman to accomplish something his human side can't (a common enough theme in comics - especially DC Comics) and Spider-Man spends his time learning to deal with the demands his super-heroing places on his regular life (a common enough theme in Marvel comics), but Superman chooses to be human. He wants to be one of us.
At the same time, Singer understands that characters as renowned as Superman have dedicated fans, and he plays to the mythology that we have all grown up with. There are the small touches: Superman assumes the exact pose that was on the cover of Action Comics #1 (his first appearance); he literally outraces a speeding bullet; and there are references aplenty to the first two Superman films, like Lois' continued inability to spell or the style of the opening credits. And, of course, John Williams' original music, which still makes my heart swell, is sprinkled throughout the film.
So, yeah, the story makes the film, but the other great thing about watching a big-budget super-hero film in the year 2006 is that fact that the effects freaking rock. You. Will. Believe. A. Man. Can. Fly. There is an airplane rescue scene that is so flawlessly executed it's tempting to think that an actual Krytonian was brought in to do all of the heavy lifting. And Superman racing through the city of Metropolis, catching falling people, falling signs, and falling planets is a terrific thrill.
I think that we need Superman. Detractors complain that he is without flaws, or fascist, but I don't think so. He hears cries for help, and knowing that he is in a unique position to do so, he answers them. And while his abilities make him different from everyone else, his feelings - his confusion over his place in the world, his inability to show those closest to him who he really is, his desire to fit in - these mark him as one of us. And while this is the most spectacular of the Superman movies, it's also the most human.
2 Comments:
Hey Max. Your link to my blog doesn't work. One too many http's.
Would that be Victoria Street on which you ran up and down with your cape :-)
Ted Sherwood
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