Superheroes
Jul. 3rd, 2006 04:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizziebelleI just saw Superman Returns, and I loved it. It isn't perfect, and I think Kate Bosworth isn't nearly feisty enough to be Lois Lane, but there was some really good stuff in there. It's definitely a chick flick, which I've heard is what the director was going for, but there's plenty of great action to satisfy. I'm not going to give away anything major, because I was pissed that a review I read gave away a major plot point, but I'll hide the rest behind
I'm not a Kevin Spacey fan, but he was perfect as Lex. Just the right combination of evil and humor, and way more perceptive than most cartoon villains. Here, his huge ego serves the character well. Parker Posey was great as his moll, and her performance was very reminiscent of Valerie Perrine.
Brandon Routh was pitch-perfect as Superman, and really close with Clark. He channels Christopher Reeve a couple of times, I swear. Not only does he resemble Reeve, but he *sounds* just like him. I can't wait to see what else he can do. He wears the cape and blue tights without an ounce of self-consciousness.
The emotional pitch of the movie was very well done. I actually had tears in my eyes a couple of times. Yes, I cry at movies. I get wrapped up in the story, and when that happens, I know they're doing it right.
I was thinking about why that was on the drive home, why Superman affects me so. It goes beyond the fact that I grew up watching the show and the movies. Then it hit me that Superman, and all comic book superheroes, really, are our modern mythology. The parts of the movie that affected me most were the mythic stories, analogous to the ancient stories of the gods that echo over many cultures. Kal El and Jor El are like Zeus and Dionysus, or maybe Hercules. These stories, while modern in the details, resonate with us because we *know* them already..
So, if you loved the first (and maybe even the second) movie, you'll like this one. You might even love it.
I'm not a Kevin Spacey fan, but he was perfect as Lex. Just the right combination of evil and humor, and way more perceptive than most cartoon villains. Here, his huge ego serves the character well. Parker Posey was great as his moll, and her performance was very reminiscent of Valerie Perrine.
Brandon Routh was pitch-perfect as Superman, and really close with Clark. He channels Christopher Reeve a couple of times, I swear. Not only does he resemble Reeve, but he *sounds* just like him. I can't wait to see what else he can do. He wears the cape and blue tights without an ounce of self-consciousness.
The emotional pitch of the movie was very well done. I actually had tears in my eyes a couple of times. Yes, I cry at movies. I get wrapped up in the story, and when that happens, I know they're doing it right.
I was thinking about why that was on the drive home, why Superman affects me so. It goes beyond the fact that I grew up watching the show and the movies. Then it hit me that Superman, and all comic book superheroes, really, are our modern mythology. The parts of the movie that affected me most were the mythic stories, analogous to the ancient stories of the gods that echo over many cultures. Kal El and Jor El are like Zeus and Dionysus, or maybe Hercules. These stories, while modern in the details, resonate with us because we *know* them already..
So, if you loved the first (and maybe even the second) movie, you'll like this one. You might even love it.
