Lets me tell you a story:
"Superman Returns" came out in 2006. It was the long awaited return of the worlds most iconic and powerful superhero, the absolute greatest of them all Superman. It had been a 19 year long hiatus since "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" came out in 1987, a film which was neither a critical nor a commercial success at the box office. The Superman movie franchise had finally become comatose, however it was not without movements.
Warner Bros was very keen on finding a way back to the critical reception and box office success of the first Superman movie. They wanted the audience to be amazed once more and believe that a man could fly, and with Tim Burton's Batman being an incredible financial and critical success, they tried to return the american iconic to the big screen.
During the 90's there was several proposed films. The first proposed film was to have Superman die and resurrect in the shrunken, bottled city of Kandor, it was named "Superman: The New Movie" and was written by Ilya Salkind who brought Superman to life on the big screen in 1978. It never came to fruition.
The next proposal film was named "Superman Reborn". Based on one of the best selling graphical novels of all time "The Death of Superman", it was
was to feature Lois Lane and Clark Kent with relationship troubles that are only resolved after Supermans epic battle with Doomsday and apparant death. It had some really silly parts but they were rewritten. The rewritten verison could've been a good Superman movie but the updated script just wasnt good enough.
Warner Brothers then gave Kevin Smith the chance to make his vision of Superman come to life and Smith pitched to film producer Jon Peters. Peters said Smith needed to change three things: Superman was to wear an all black suit, Superman was never to fly and the third act had to involve a giant spider. Peters also wanted Sean Penn as Superman. Smith changed the script against his own wishes to fit Peters vision, but that was not enough, Peters instructed him to include a robot sidekick for Brainiac, a fight scene between Brainiac and two polar bears, and a space dog like pet for Lex Luthor.
Once again Smith did what Peters wanted him to and wrote them into the script. Fortunaly the project was abandoned and the script discarded. Smith did a couple of different drafts for the script named "Superman Lives". It was eventually dropped. After the success of Batman, Warner Bros and Smith wanted Tim Burton to direct "Superman Lives". Burton was signed on but the film never happened. In later times pictures of Nicolas Cage in a Superman has surfaced and the whole package looked really strange. Incredible, huh? Just think about that, think about how we almost had Nicolas Cage portraying Superman! I mean, NICOLAS CAGE!?
After this some small occurances happened but Superman was still comatosed. Then there only two proposed Superman films left, one was called "Batman vs. Superman". They wanted Christian Bale for Batman and Josh Hartnett for Superman. The last one was called Superman: Flyby. It was to be an origins story, once again nothing happened.
Then finally, Superman wakes up. Bryan Singer got on board, and things actually happened. As most of you already know, Singer's story tells of Superman returning to earth after 5 years searching for survivors of Krypton. In his absence Lois Lane gets engaged and also has a son. When Superman returns, he finds that the world has moved on without him and that the love of his life also has. The movie was called fittingly "Superman Returns".
Singer had continued the Donner tradition of choosing the somewhat unknown Brandon Routh to play the titular hero. A choice that has been praised and critized, just as the film itself.
It is here my case for Brandon Routh begins, I believe that Brandon Routh was the right choice for Superman, furthermore I believe he is the modern day Superman and to not have him play Supes once more is a bad idea. I thought "Superman Returns" to be a decent and entertaining movie, which I'll explain why.
I'll try to go through as much as I can but I cant possibly going through everything. There is probably a lot I forget to mention so please be a little bit on the forgiving side.
As some of you might now know, or knew from the start; prior to Routh's casting as Superman, Warner Bros had spent over 19 years developing a plan to relaunch the Superman franchise. Several drafts and scripts were made, with actors like Nicolas Cage, Josh Hartnett, Brendan Fraser, Paul Walker, James Marsden, Ashton Kutcher, Keanu Reeves and Will Smith. Even directors like Tim Burton, Wolfgang Petersen, McG and Brett Ratner was involved at some point. Nothing ever happened.
I think its sad that WB was not able to pull a Superman film together before 2006. Yet I understand WB was so slow, so hesitant. It is the most revered superhero of all time, they had to tread carefully. Its a franchise which makes up a lot of WB's cash flow. I would claim the long wait produced one of the best Superman films so far. Sure, its a stale claim to say that since Superman III and IV was utterly terrible pictures. There are not alot of Superman movies to compared Returns to, but I am still right in my claim. Superman Returns is a far greater film both in plot, filming and acting. Gene Hackman is a legendary actor, Marlon Brando is too, no one is disagreeing that but Richard Pryor in Superman III is not a good performance and appearance, he is a legendary comidian however.
The third Superman film was for a fact less successful than the first two both financially and critically. The picture is just plain and utter ridiculous and the worst part is that there is probably someone out there in the world who truly believe Superman III to be the greatest movie of all time, I believe it isn't. We have different meanings, different opinions.
This is where I talk about relativity and how our opinions always are different, but its not so simple. Though hard to measure, films can be measured to a degree. Its a form of art, that's what makes it hard measure but we still can. The problem is simply how we measure it. This is where people differ, I think we just have to follow the standard set by selfproclaimed experts, some don't. Now I realize that IMDB is not exactly the most honest and unpartial "expert" site to compare movies but at the top 2 you'll find The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather. Positions I have no quarrel with. Would you? If someone would claim The Godfather or The Shawshank Redemption to be terrible movies I would simply point and laugh at them, and can you really blame me? They are rich in everything cinematographical and depth. Both are everything Superman III and IV isn't. Both TG and TSR have also become the standard which movie greatness are measured. This is my personal opinion. I am no Robert Ebert and Gene Siskel but I know what I like....I like rich movies. Movies that contains some depth. Movies that has stories that makes me angry, glad, sad, shocked. Superman Returns did this to me. Superman III and IV did nothing. Oh yes, they did one thing: make me wish to get those hours back.
Superman Returns was filmed in a clean, new age retro kind of way, it was a beautiful film cinematographical, it had great effects, it had depth, it had drive, it had a lot of those things I enjoy in a movie.
From Bosworth to Spacey, from Routh to Frank Langella, they all did good.
The problem with Returns was not that it was a returns story, it was that they bothered to forget Superman III and IV and make a sequel to Superman II. They did a halfway reboot kinda thing and gave him a son. Thats Superman Returns greatest fault. It has others, sure but I cant understand why they gave Superman a son, that makes Superman too wierd, too ridicoulus, like every story in every religious text. It just doesnt seem right. It didn't seem as the right choice, it wasnt the right choice. It took away the whole godlike heroic persona of him. He shouldn't be a father before he is finished fighting for us, at least in the movies, also he seemed too young to be a father. There is more I could say about the father/son story in Returns but it will be too much. The point of the matter is that that was its greatest fault. Superman should have a relationship with Lois Lane but a child only makes it kinda wrong, and Lane having a fiance the mean time and him raising Supes child is just strange.
Kevin Spacey did what he could with what he was given. So was Bosworth and Routh.
I think Spacey did a good job, so did Bosworth and Routh.
Routh was chosen because he resemblance to Reeve. His mid western roots was perfect for the role. As well as his vulnerability and confidence. I couldnt agreed more, this was Brandon Routh's big role. Perhaps one of the biggest one can play? I believe this is one of the things anti Rouths complain about, the role was way too great for him, that he was unexperienced. For any actor, playing Superman is not a walk in the park, it is a almost sacred role. Routh had some experience in acting. But when you play Superman in film of this magnitude and anticipation there will of course be critics. Just remember there had not been a Superman film for 19 years! 19 fricking years!!! Christopher Reeve is the Superman of the 20th century. Brandon Routh is currently the Superman of the 21st. He understood that its not a role one takes lightly, and he knew he would be compared to Reeve as he could only be compared to Reeve.
Now what I believe to be the greatest argument against anti-Rouths is that "Routh did what he could". He did the best he could with what he was given. Every anti Routh seem to forget he had to do and say what was written in the script. He was under the guide of Singer and co. The writers; Dougherty and Harris had written six drafts of the script(!) They wrote the Superman of Superman Returns. I HIGHLY doubt WB and Singer would've chosen him alone if he hadn't any potential and didnt have any sense for acting. He can act, he does act and acting only improves with years. Has anyone seen Chuck? I think he is quite good.
I'll repeat this one more time: Routh has to say and do what the script says, and he follow instructions from Singer. If he didnt, well, he wouldn't played Supes I guess.
HE DID WHAT HE WAS SCRIPTED TO DO! Get it into your heads! - I have to repeat this again: HE DID WHAT HE WAS SCRIPTED TO DO!!
There are so many arguments from the anti-Rouths that are so lousy, one of the lousiest is YourNakedMom's:
"All this love for Routh is so GAY! HE SUCKS BALLS! Superman Returns was a shity ass movie and Routh has proven he's a shitty ass actor. LEEE has got to be the fruitiest mother [frick]er around! Does this guy get any? I'm embarrassed for you! My only hope is that you're 11 and you will soon discover women. Welling will convert more fans if Smallville's writers do as good a job on S10 as they did with S9. Enjoy!"
This has to be one of the most idiotic comments of all time on this page, he then presented a picture of Routh in a body suit, where he zoomed into his crotch as if his reproductive area has anything to say for this role. I was more confused by his comment than I was by David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. And thats saying something! I dont need to comment on his comment because its so absurdly dumb.
Some claim he looks like a girl, can you believe that? Some people on this page actually have said this, and they have probably less muscles than girls the second grade. I am serious!
Routh weighed about 215 lbs for this role, now thats not bad! He'd probably kick everybody's asses on this site without dropping a sweat too. Who really wants Superman to look a bodybuilder just like in the comics? I dont want him to have Jay Cutler muscles, I sure as hell don't! I want Superman to be graceful yet powerful, he can have some muscles but not overdo it in a desperate attempt to attract people like YourNakedMom who calls others gay but has probably some homo erotic thing for Superman.
Superman is super charged, he is an alien who gets his powers from the yellow sun! He doesnt need to look like a monster. Routh could probably get a little bit bigger but I don't want Superman to have the thighs of a horse and neck of Kilowog. I'd rather have him as he was in Returns and if he was chosen for the Nolans reboot he would've done a Christan Bale workout so he'd weigh 240 lbs and lean.
For those who claim he doesn't look strong enough for Supes, just look:
Just look at him and tell me he doesnt look graceful and strong!
Someone said something like this:"Who the [frick] cares what Reeve did?!
Looking like Christopher Reeve does not give you grounds to play Superman!"
- stop and analyze this comment for some seconds. This person has no respect for the rich history and tradition of Superman and Christopher Reeves enormous impact on the role of Superman as he defined so many years ago. Everybody after Christopher Reeve will automaticly be judged to his standard, is this wrong? Naaah, not really. Its a different superhero we are talking about, Superman is a delicate subject, I want somebody who was graceful as Reeve and could be humble and kind like... Brandon Routh is just that. People always think pro Rouths thinks he look exactly like Reeve; well he doesn't! He looks a litte bit at some angles but he has the same feel to him. They both were unknown, they both played gracefully, Brandon Routh is his successor, and his role in Returns was a good one.
Now, about Tom Welling, I have no valid arguments against him except my own opinion. Tom Welling cant translate to the big screen. it would be a total flop. You want a TDK effect which is not possible with his image in Smallville and with Brandon Routh it is possible because he has no image by except Returns. Its been four years, Smallville has been on air for ten. People has "forgotten and forgiven" Returns and his role in Chuck wont stand in the way for a serious reboot.
I seriously think Tom Welling to not be anywhere near Superman, he never was and never will because he has tried and he has failed. A man in his late 20's playing a teenager at highschool is just wrong. Smallville series have bastardized the Superman mythos in a more harmful ways than the son plot in Superman returns. I watched two seasons and then I just couldn't anymore. They've reduced Superman to a mix between One Tree Hill and Home & Away (soap) that is just horrible, and I've heard that Aquaman and Flash has been in some episodes, even Martian Manhunter. I dare not think what they have done to him. However this is not Wellings fault,its the producers of the show. All I really can say against Welling is that Mr Bean could probably do a better teenage Superman than him, he does not feel like Superman, he just doesn't in my opinion. The only reason to why he is so much more popular is because of Smallville, and thats it. I highly doubt either Routh or Welling being cast in the new Superman movie but if I had to guess rationally I doubt Welling would get it. Think about who Nolan would have:
Would he take Welling who is in a teenage drama television series playing a strange version of Superman or Routh who played Superman like Reeve? He himself has said that the Donner film is a great one. But probably neither will be cast. If thats the case I'd cast my lot with Rick Malambri or Henry Cavill. Both seem like to be good candidates, Brandon Routh is the perfect candidate, he did a good Clark Kent and an even better Superman. He looks and acts like Superman!
Just see for yourself:
Now tell me that not Clark Kent/Kal El from Krypton!
I believe Christopher Nolan will let Routh screen test. I believe he wont screen test Welling but if he does its just as big act of kindness from him to give Welling a bigger ego and as for what the reboot will bring I have no idea. I would've loved a Doomsday arc. To see Superman release his powers and die for us. The public would've wanted to see that as many think Superman is impossible to defeat(He is 99,99999% invincible). I'd like to think Nolan would see past Returns and recognize that that film did its own and people has watched it and is now ready for more Superman. They rebooted the Hulk with great success, I hope they can to the same and in some way bring Routh with them.
As I've said the film had its faults, there was no action of Superman fighting or throwing a punch. The son plot, Lex Luthor once again, Lois Lane having a fiance, thats about it. There was this awesome segment with the plane, and when he lifted that island I was pretty impressed. Kevin Spacey did a good Hackman and Bosworth wasn't that bad either. The film is above average on my list. It missed some things, what movies doesn't? Brandon Routh was absolutely the best part in the whole movie, his portrayal was great! If only Dougherty and Harris had done a seventh draft and given him more room to explore it would've been probably one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. Brandon Routh has so much potential and we've not even scratched the surface.
Now I cant possibly address all the issues, there are so many arguments against Routh. A certain few is valid but the majority for Routh is absolutely the most valid ones. I don't think there can be an actor that can do Superman as good as Routh can, thats my main reason for holding on the the torch of Routh. He looks just like the Superman I pictured in my head ever since I opened my first Superman comicbook. He is modern and had some small resemblance to Reeve. He is a new but still traditional Superman. Brandon Routh is the last son of Krypton. I know that in the hands of Nolan Routh can and will surpass the stigma of Returns and leave his mark on the tradition and throne of Superman. Of course anyone with the guide of Nolan could do good but Routh could do even better.
I firmly believe so. Routh's acting has only gotten better. He still wants to show us that he can be the Superman we need him to be and I say we should let him. I've waited for a long time to see Superman on the big screen again. Last time was four years ago. Those four years ago I was in pure bliss, I saw an unknown actor doing the role of a lifetime. I also saw a movie that could've been better but was more than satisfying enough. I saw Superman come to life and once more we need him to return. Brandon Routh must return to Superman!
I guess by now as I am finished writing this that the Routh vs. Welling poll has turned in favor of Welling, but only so because of Smallville, and thats not a positive thing.
By now everybody also knows that Superman Returns is a Donner film at heart but it still is its own picture. It did what it did and it did it good. Its an entertaining picture that is certainly one of the best Superman movies to this date.
I should've maybe called this article for "My opinion about Routh." I honestly believe Brandon Routh is the right choice for Superman. And that Nolan could easily fit Routh into the reboot. Tom Welling is just posing as Superman in a series that is as serious as Jerry Seinfeld, if you'd ask him I doubt he would choose Welling over Routh. In the reboot I'd love Billy Zane as Lex Luthor and Zooey Deschanel as Lois Lane.
Its hard to stay 100% focused when writing this so I apologize for any grammar faults and incosistencies and repetitions I have. Its hard to "argue" such a thing as this. I guess I'll have a lot of comments raining down on me because of this article but as a bonus I have at least downloaded Superman Returns in blueray and cant wait to watch it this weekend. So no matter what you people think I can at least enjoy one of the greatest Superman films ever.
In the end I truly believe that Superman Returns is a good movie because it works. The script didn't allow Brandon Routh to do what he needed with Superman. The story regarding his son with Lois Lane was just too weird and didn't really bring anything to the story, but it works. The acting in this picture is very good and entertaining, the feeling that you are watching a true story is also a plus. Bryan Singer made his vision of Superman, a film dedicated to honor Donner and at least I can say he did so flawlessly. I hope some of you find some enjoyment out of this article. I hope Nolan sees what I and so many others see in Routh because he truly is the modern day Superman.
I once believed a man could fly. Why don't you believe with me? Believe in Brandon Routh!