My thoughts on…Superman’s not so triumphant return
July 7th 2006 -
Superman, the greatest superhero of all time (no matter what those Marvel freaks think). He’s my favourite superhero. Not because of that truth, justice and that American way crap. Because of his superpowers. Most superheroes have one, two if they’re lucky, but Supes has a ton of ‘em, all useful ones, and in the days of my youth, I’d daydream about what life would be like with them. It’s been about 20 years since he last graced the silver screen. So when I heard about Superman Returns, I was excited. Not fanboy excited, as I approach everything with a cautious optimism. I wondered whether Brandon Routh could fill the big red boots left vacant by Christopher Reeve, and if Kevin Spacey could play a convincing Lex Luthor. So did many other fans of the franchise.
Now that the movie’s out, what’s the verdict? Well, fans are divided. Some say that it was fantastic, action-packed and filled with breathtaking scenes. Others say that it was boring, and that Kevin Spacey’s portrayal of Lex Luthor was weak. So the consensus is “good, but not great.” And it seems to reflect in its box office haul. It made $52 million in its opening weekend, a measly take considering the hype. In fact, Box Office Mojo says its opening was the 46th biggest of all time. Ouch! Guess that 300 million dollar budget wasn’t such a good idea, was it Singer?
What caused its poor performance? Maybe X3 tapped out moviegoers’ pockets. Maybe fans have lost their passion of the franchise. Or maybe moviegoers didn’t have enough faith in Singer’s re-imagining of the franchise. Whatever the reason, the movie had better pick up soon, because Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest opens today, and it just might be the Kryptonite bullet that sends Superman Returns to Davy Jones’ Locker. In the battle of great superhero movie directors, which I like to call “Ratman vs Singerman,” it seems that Ratner won this round. As for me, I can’t really give my opinion on it, because I haven’t seen it yet. But knowing my habit of procrastinating, I’ll probably wait until it reaches cable.
Related Posts:
- My thoughts on…the divinity of Superman
- My thoughts on…the Snakes on a Plane hype
- My thoughts on…the return of the Reggae Boyz
- My thoughts on…Ghost Rider
- My thoughts on…the Spiderman 3 hype
Mad Bull Says:
July 7th, 2006 at 10:56 pm
Not sure if I’m going to Superman, but I will see Pirates of the Caribbean…
Reel Fanatic Says:
July 8th, 2006 at 8:36 am
I mostly enjoyed Singer’s take on the Man of Steel, and he definitely knocked out Ratboy and his excremental third X-Men installment … However, you can’t keep Johnny Depp down, and I am sure Pirates 2 will blow away Superman this weekend .. I’ll be doing my part to help it later today
Jenna Says:
July 8th, 2006 at 9:24 am
I think I’m with you, I will wait for it to hit the movie club. Enjoy your weekend.
Jenna
Shaman Dandulla Says:
July 8th, 2006 at 10:07 am
same here, yes to pirates and no to Superman..
I still have some great memories of Sup. and don’t want to ruin’em..
enjoy your WkEnd mate.
Abeni Says:
July 8th, 2006 at 11:59 am
Haven’t seen it yer.I thought Pirates would have premiered here this weekend since it was partially filmed in Svg but doesnt appear to be happening.Last one premiered same time so I guess I was hoping for same.Anyway,I’ll definitely be looking for Capt Jack
Angry Dog Says:
July 8th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Well, I have to say my yute, I enjoyed Superman Returns…it was interesting though, because it made me see Superman in a completely different light (i.e. think Superman = Jesus).
Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was seen last night as well, definately a good movie with much more action (and less acting) in comparison to the first. Definately had some good plot twists.
Maritza Says:
July 8th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
I’ve heard such bad review of Pirates that I’ve lost interest in seeing it. This weekend, my daughter tried to see Pirates and it was sold out. She saw Superman again though and she liked it.
I’ll wait for it to come to Netflix. Movies are $10 here so I try to only see those that have 5 star reviews.
Have a good weekend!
jayne d'Arcy Says:
July 8th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
I will go see Superman, just to give it a fair break. Christopher Reeve will always be Superman for me, so that’s a tough one to follow. We went to see Pirates today and the theatre was packed - this was the third showing at 11:45am. Pirates was given three theatres at our AMC 20, and Superman, only one - that doesn’t bode well at all for the super hero.
Violet Says:
July 9th, 2006 at 11:31 pm
I’m not big on superhero action flicks in general, so I usually wait to hear what everyone says about a movie before I shell out the cash to go. I will say that Superman Returns is one that I will probably wait to see on DVD.
Ricardo Says:
July 11th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Unfortunately the box office numbers fall by 50% each week the films in the movie theater. That’s the usual trend. So they will make money off the film but not what they wanted. I’m a big spider-man fan but I loved the first 2 superman films, especially in 2 with the fight scene in times square. Good stuff. Superman is always going to be known and loved but he’s too perfect. There does not seem to be a villain out there that really has a good shot at knocking him off. This makes it hard to generate suspense at times. I still plan on seeing Superman none the less. Singer is a great director.
MrManuel Says:
July 12th, 2006 at 12:44 am
Your reasons for liking Superman are the same reasons why I hate him. He is just too much. Too many powers, too strong, too predictable. I mean, in the preview of the movies you see him just walking straight at a minigun while it is firing and stopping a bullet with his eyeball. That just leaves no suspense for me. Unless you have a special rock, you can’t stop him. And good luck discovering his secret identity as he has these amazing glasses that somehow blind everyone to who he is. Yeah, hate him…