07-03-2006, 06:18 PM
***SPOILERS***
Well, I can't say it was a let down, but that's only because I didn't have any expectations for it beyond "popcorn movie." I was hoping for more depth of character, but I didn't really expect it.
Supes is Kal-El, the last surviving being from an alien world. But he was raised as Clark Kent. Is that who he is on the inside? I don't know, and that part of the movie bothers me. All I saw was Kal-El flying around as Supes most of the time -- largely because that's the only way he can get Lois to pay him any attention. But then, I guess everyone reacts differently to finding out the object of their affection is unavailable. It usually hits me pretty hard and it feels bad, but damn if Supes didn't just throw that to the wind and go spy on Lois instead. Now, I don't fault Superman for dealing with the situation very poorly. He was away from all human contact for five years, and I bet he spent a large chunk of that time daydreaming up a fantasy about him and Lois. So when he comes back, I can imagine him having a lot of trouble letting go. And a bit of voyeurism is hella creepy, but Supes is so out of it he apparently doesn't even notice, and what's more, the writers don't want us to notice!
It's a very human thing for emotions to get the better of you sometimes. But if the writers are going to turn Supes into a creepy voyeur, it should be emphasized how creepy that is! I like flawed characters. I don't like their flaws swept under the rug just because "Oh, he's Superman. It's fine for him to scope out Lois with his x-ray vision several times throughout the course of the movie. And it's further justified because she had Supes' kid in the first place." I would've liked it a lot better if Supes had a moment where he realized, "Whoa, I'm getting totally obsessed with a married woman. I even spied on her FAMILY." Then maybe he could go have a supertalk to his mom, cry into his superpillow, or spill his superguts to random folks at the bar, on AIM, or something. (Why doesn't he have any friends?) Unlike Spiderman, we get no glimpse of his life outside of being Superman. Is there anything there, or is Clark just a shell?
And in a mythos with so many people with superpowers, why isn't there a superheroes.com dating service? It'd be so much easier to share yourself with someone who's gone through the same thing, wouldn't it? Something like:
You did great work outlining the good/bad points of the movie (Spacey's perfomance was the highlight for me), but one last thing I'll add is about that damn kid. The Kid's development you called "sporadic." To me, it seems just as inconsistent as the kryptonite. One minute he's on an inhaler, the next he pushes a big-ass piano into a thug, and a moment later he can't (well, won't) even pry open a door. It makes me wonder: if Superman hadn't found the yacht, would he have drowned, or would he have watched his parents die while his super-genes kept him from drowning? He's damn lucky. SuperOrphan just doesn't have the right ring to it.
-Lem
Quote:OK, I admit it, I can now be accused of being un-American. I did not care for the latest Superman movie.
Well, I can't say it was a let down, but that's only because I didn't have any expectations for it beyond "popcorn movie." I was hoping for more depth of character, but I didn't really expect it.
Supes is Kal-El, the last surviving being from an alien world. But he was raised as Clark Kent. Is that who he is on the inside? I don't know, and that part of the movie bothers me. All I saw was Kal-El flying around as Supes most of the time -- largely because that's the only way he can get Lois to pay him any attention. But then, I guess everyone reacts differently to finding out the object of their affection is unavailable. It usually hits me pretty hard and it feels bad, but damn if Supes didn't just throw that to the wind and go spy on Lois instead. Now, I don't fault Superman for dealing with the situation very poorly. He was away from all human contact for five years, and I bet he spent a large chunk of that time daydreaming up a fantasy about him and Lois. So when he comes back, I can imagine him having a lot of trouble letting go. And a bit of voyeurism is hella creepy, but Supes is so out of it he apparently doesn't even notice, and what's more, the writers don't want us to notice!
It's a very human thing for emotions to get the better of you sometimes. But if the writers are going to turn Supes into a creepy voyeur, it should be emphasized how creepy that is! I like flawed characters. I don't like their flaws swept under the rug just because "Oh, he's Superman. It's fine for him to scope out Lois with his x-ray vision several times throughout the course of the movie. And it's further justified because she had Supes' kid in the first place." I would've liked it a lot better if Supes had a moment where he realized, "Whoa, I'm getting totally obsessed with a married woman. I even spied on her FAMILY." Then maybe he could go have a supertalk to his mom, cry into his superpillow, or spill his superguts to random folks at the bar, on AIM, or something. (Why doesn't he have any friends?) Unlike Spiderman, we get no glimpse of his life outside of being Superman. Is there anything there, or is Clark just a shell?
And in a mythos with so many people with superpowers, why isn't there a superheroes.com dating service? It'd be so much easier to share yourself with someone who's gone through the same thing, wouldn't it? Something like:
Code:
I AM A SUPER: hero/heroine
SEEKING A: hero/heroine
FOR SUPER: friendship/dating/sex/anything I can get/comic or movie crossover
OUTNESS: no one knows I'm a superhero/to family/to friends/at work/everywhereYou did great work outlining the good/bad points of the movie (Spacey's perfomance was the highlight for me), but one last thing I'll add is about that damn kid. The Kid's development you called "sporadic." To me, it seems just as inconsistent as the kryptonite. One minute he's on an inhaler, the next he pushes a big-ass piano into a thug, and a moment later he can't (well, won't) even pry open a door. It makes me wonder: if Superman hadn't found the yacht, would he have drowned, or would he have watched his parents die while his super-genes kept him from drowning? He's damn lucky. SuperOrphan just doesn't have the right ring to it.
-Lem