Should WB reboot or carry on? The answer is simple for me. Give the reboot idea a boot out the window! “But 'Superman Returns' was horrible!” I hear you all whine! Well here's a few home truths. We have yet to see an unflawed Superman on the big screen. The 1st Reeve movies were great but even more flawed than the Routh showing if you look closely enough and kick the pedestal out from under them! In fact, "Superman Returns" is the LEAST flawed Superman movie to date, yet we still bring it down.
Just a few bad points of Superman movie outings:
Superman 1 - Spinning the Earth backwards to reverse time?! Even taking the "reality" of superpowers into account, this just shatters any illusion of a credible universe. There is just too much wrong with this for anyone to sit and think “with a stretch of imagination, that could happen."
Superman 2 - Throwing the "S". Yes, from out of nowhere Superman has unlocked the mysteries of fresh sandwich packing and uses his new found knowledge as a weapon?! Where does this “S” come from? Does his suit have rip-off layers like a race driver’s visor? And how exactly is this intended to stop a super villain?
Superman 3 - Actually there is no one major flaw as far as concepts go on this movie. The machine that makes Kryptonite, the evil inducing manufactured kryptonite/tobacco? While far fetched, these at least have some merit in the comic universe.
Superman 4 - Moving along!
Superman Returns - The boy! My god the boy! As terrible an idea as this was, it was nothing when you compare it to the floors of the other films. Don't even mention the kryptonite island because if you think that was wrong, then you have the observational skills of a blind mollusk! Rorschach01 and I have been on here explaining that scene more times than either of us should have to. The scene MAKES SENSE!!! And if you don't think it does, I suggest you think about Superman’s powers, where he gets them, and how kryptonite affects him. Then watch it again, and this time, actually WATCH it!
So why do we accept these major flaws in the 1st two movies but we hammer the coffin nails down on "Superman Returns" for giving us a much more believable universe?
1 - The release dates. Reeves' Superman was ground breaking, nothing like that had been done so convincingly. While "Returns" was visually stunning, we have grown to expect that level of fx work on any movie these days.
2 - Villains. The Reeve collection had a fantastic Zod and even one or two other villains but Lex Luthor was everywhere. By the time Routh came along we wanted something new, but once again Lex got in the way of that, proving he is not only the nemesis of The Man of Steel, but also ours! Is this reason to hate "Superman Returns" just because we got the same villain as before? I don’t think so.
3 - Action. Well, we all have a go at "Returns" for not having enough of it. Well, newsflash, there is far more action in "Returns" as there is in "Superman 1," but again, we gloss over that! Our moaning is another sign of the times. We have grown to enjoy mindless smashing and if it’s not everywhere, then we must be watching a chic-flick! There is such thing as a compelling story people!
4 – Cast. We all know Reeve was one of the best fitting actor/character matches ever to grace our screens. Margot Kidder was a great match for Lois and Gene Hackman doesn’t often put in a bad performance! In short, the cast was fantastic. So was "Superman Returns" lacking? Yes it was, when you compare it to the original saga, but not where you would think. Routh was nothing short of brilliant! If you didn’t like him please just here me out. We talk about how hard it must have been for Heath to follow Jack and now how hard it will be for anyone to follow Heath. Roth’s job was so much harder than any of those. Reeve was not only the perfect embodiment of Superman, his tragic personal life made him one of the most loved celebrities the world has seen. His death cemented his place in the hearts and minds of all old enough to remember Superman and/or understand his situation. How can anyone match that?! Routh was asked the impossible, but he still pulled it off! Given the chance to put his own stamp on the role and not just imitate Reeve, we will see a new Superman as enjoyable as ever. So where are the weak links? Spacey was good but a little too hammy for my liking. I would still keep him on for any future Lex roles but I’d want him to bring his A-game. The major let down was Kate Bosworth. Although nicely acted, her character just wasn’t Lois.
To conclude – We are all guilty of asking too much from today’s Superman while accepting too little from yesterday's Man of Steel. "Superman Returns" was not quite what we wanted, but it was an enjoyable movie with good performances, good action, and a more complete story than any we have seen. It fell at a few hurdles but it is a good basis for a strong and compelling franchise, if only we would wake up and admit it. The only thing I ask, KILL THE BOY! Not only does this solve the only major floor of the movie it will provide a very deep emotional storyline that results in mind blowing action. And that may just be the kick this franchise needs.