Thou art more fair and more temperate
So...Superman Returns
I don't think I've ever seen such a big, expensive movie that is as far from being a crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster as this one.
When walking out, I heard snippets...."boooooring. Two hours of drama, and only a half hour of action"..."It was so LONG"...."Wow, that was gay"
This will probably be the general concensus.
However, the movie is brilliant. In my own humble opinion anyway.
The thing is, it's really a very adult film. Always a dangerous proposition when the vast majority of the film-going population breathes through the mouth. The film is issue laden and relies much more on mood and character building moments than on the next big action scene. Not to say that there aren't any, just that the film doesn't fall back on them because it doesn't have anything to say.
Far from it, it has a lot to say. It deals with abandonment, owning up to your mistakes, facing the past, doing your own part in bettering the world whether you have superpowers or not. And most of all, it deals with loneliness.
Superman is ALWAYS alone. He's the last of his kind. He'll never fit in anywhere. Despite the adoration of millions, his innate desire to do good, to be the shining light for mankind he was meant to be, he can never truly connect with anyone. They'll always be in danger, and more than that, no matter what he tries, he'll always be an alien. An outsider.
Lex Luthor quips in the film that Superman is a selfish god, one with both power and technology he isn't prepared to share with the world. However, it's painfully obvious that mankind isn't prepared for that kind of power and technology. It has to be earned, and cannot....should not....be given. That's one of the things that sets Superman apart. The painful realization that he has to make a judgement call on the whole of humanity. Be the judge of what they are capable of.
The film is big and filled with iconic imagery. Shots that are just lyrical and beautiful and poignant. However, it's also one of the most intimate films I've seen this year, and one of the most personal. It never feels to me that Singer is making the film for a huge audience. It always feels that he is making it for himself. As all art should be made, it's made from the desire of one man to express himself. To make a statement about something. To tell the world how he feels.
Superman Returns makes a statement. Unfortunately, it's not the one that people want to hear right now. I suspect that it will take many years until people slowly begin to realize the subtle genius of this film. It is this years Blade Runner.
In conclusion, I can only say...."KNEEL BEFORE ZOD". Kneel indeed.
I don't think I've ever seen such a big, expensive movie that is as far from being a crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster as this one.
When walking out, I heard snippets...."boooooring. Two hours of drama, and only a half hour of action"..."It was so LONG"...."Wow, that was gay"
This will probably be the general concensus.
However, the movie is brilliant. In my own humble opinion anyway.
The thing is, it's really a very adult film. Always a dangerous proposition when the vast majority of the film-going population breathes through the mouth. The film is issue laden and relies much more on mood and character building moments than on the next big action scene. Not to say that there aren't any, just that the film doesn't fall back on them because it doesn't have anything to say.
Far from it, it has a lot to say. It deals with abandonment, owning up to your mistakes, facing the past, doing your own part in bettering the world whether you have superpowers or not. And most of all, it deals with loneliness.
Superman is ALWAYS alone. He's the last of his kind. He'll never fit in anywhere. Despite the adoration of millions, his innate desire to do good, to be the shining light for mankind he was meant to be, he can never truly connect with anyone. They'll always be in danger, and more than that, no matter what he tries, he'll always be an alien. An outsider.
Lex Luthor quips in the film that Superman is a selfish god, one with both power and technology he isn't prepared to share with the world. However, it's painfully obvious that mankind isn't prepared for that kind of power and technology. It has to be earned, and cannot....should not....be given. That's one of the things that sets Superman apart. The painful realization that he has to make a judgement call on the whole of humanity. Be the judge of what they are capable of.
The film is big and filled with iconic imagery. Shots that are just lyrical and beautiful and poignant. However, it's also one of the most intimate films I've seen this year, and one of the most personal. It never feels to me that Singer is making the film for a huge audience. It always feels that he is making it for himself. As all art should be made, it's made from the desire of one man to express himself. To make a statement about something. To tell the world how he feels.
Superman Returns makes a statement. Unfortunately, it's not the one that people want to hear right now. I suspect that it will take many years until people slowly begin to realize the subtle genius of this film. It is this years Blade Runner.
In conclusion, I can only say...."KNEEL BEFORE ZOD". Kneel indeed.
posted by Völundur at 3:04 am
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