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elsajeniSo, Superman Returns.
Wow.
Yeah, I know, I have a habit of irrational glee about movies that, on later reflection, are actually kind of lame (see: Star Wars prequels). Nevertheless, I think I'm actually right about this one. It's by far the most human and affecting superhero- or comic book-related movie I've ever seen, and it might be the best.
I still have issues with the way Lois Lane is portrayed in this movie, because I feel strongly that she's a stronger and more complex character than that, and I have a few minor complaints about issues like, oh, exactly how long it takes for five years to pass in this world (Clark: *is gone for 5 years; returns* "OMG, Lois has a kid?" The Kid: *is definitely at least 8 years old*), but the time-and-space issues are basically irrelevant, and even if they weren't, I'm sure some nerd somewhere could make up an explanation involving, I don't know, Superman traveling at the speed of light and kryptonite and some stuff that I won't go into specifics about for fear of spoiling plot developments, so I'm not too bothered about that. (The issue about Lois's character still bothers me. But I can cope. Superhero movies: not so much the place to look for half-decent characterization.)
One of the things that bothers me about a lot of superheroes, and superhero movies in particular, is the angst levels. I can put up with angst; I can put up with a lot of angst, really, depending on the character and the basis for the angst in question. It's only when the reason for the angst, frankly, makes very little sense that it starts to bother me. (I have this problem with the Spiderman movies. Just quit whining and tell MJ you're Spiderman! She'll do you! You have actual problems you could be angsting about and you're wasting your time on this crap!) This movie, at least, has a handle on the angst, and even better, Bryan Singer's habitual obsession with making everything a metaphor for homosexuality doesn't really make an appearance. (Okay, you could argue that Superman is really, really gay. But there's none of that "Hi, I'm Iceman, these are my parents, and this scene presents being a mutant as a metaphor for homosexuality. No, come back, I'm not done hitting you over the head with it yet." nonsense.) This movie gets it. To the extent that there is angst, it is very, very human angst. These characters -- at least, most of them, most of the time -- come across as real people who have gotten mixed up in situations that don't have an easy answer, and that is what they worry about.
I'm overanalyzing this movie. But whether I'm overanalyzing it or not, I loved it. Could have used more Lex Luthor, more cannibalistic Pomeranians, etc., but overall, I loved it.
Wow.
Yeah, I know, I have a habit of irrational glee about movies that, on later reflection, are actually kind of lame (see: Star Wars prequels). Nevertheless, I think I'm actually right about this one. It's by far the most human and affecting superhero- or comic book-related movie I've ever seen, and it might be the best.
I still have issues with the way Lois Lane is portrayed in this movie, because I feel strongly that she's a stronger and more complex character than that, and I have a few minor complaints about issues like, oh, exactly how long it takes for five years to pass in this world (Clark: *is gone for 5 years; returns* "OMG, Lois has a kid?" The Kid: *is definitely at least 8 years old*), but the time-and-space issues are basically irrelevant, and even if they weren't, I'm sure some nerd somewhere could make up an explanation involving, I don't know, Superman traveling at the speed of light and kryptonite and some stuff that I won't go into specifics about for fear of spoiling plot developments, so I'm not too bothered about that. (The issue about Lois's character still bothers me. But I can cope. Superhero movies: not so much the place to look for half-decent characterization.)
One of the things that bothers me about a lot of superheroes, and superhero movies in particular, is the angst levels. I can put up with angst; I can put up with a lot of angst, really, depending on the character and the basis for the angst in question. It's only when the reason for the angst, frankly, makes very little sense that it starts to bother me. (I have this problem with the Spiderman movies. Just quit whining and tell MJ you're Spiderman! She'll do you! You have actual problems you could be angsting about and you're wasting your time on this crap!) This movie, at least, has a handle on the angst, and even better, Bryan Singer's habitual obsession with making everything a metaphor for homosexuality doesn't really make an appearance. (Okay, you could argue that Superman is really, really gay. But there's none of that "Hi, I'm Iceman, these are my parents, and this scene presents being a mutant as a metaphor for homosexuality. No, come back, I'm not done hitting you over the head with it yet." nonsense.) This movie gets it. To the extent that there is angst, it is very, very human angst. These characters -- at least, most of them, most of the time -- come across as real people who have gotten mixed up in situations that don't have an easy answer, and that is what they worry about.
I'm overanalyzing this movie. But whether I'm overanalyzing it or not, I loved it. Could have used more Lex Luthor, more cannibalistic Pomeranians, etc., but overall, I loved it.