By now most (if not all) of you have seen it, and the reaction thus far has been pretty positive. I think A LOT of people have realized that despite the online petitions of “Get Tom Welling to play Superman” (which I signed incase you were wondering) Brandon Routh, aside from NEVER being able to REPLACE Chris Reeve, has definitely carried on his legacy as the Superman for our generation.
Anyone who knows me knows three essential things about me (1) I love cheese (2) I’m a perfectionist and (3) I am a HUGE Superman fan. Ever since I was a kid I’ve had this fascination (some call it an obsession) with the character of Superman. I mean let’s face it, he’s got the greatest origin story of all time, his costume is sheer perfection, and every kid wishes they had his power. For me no one will EVER personify the character of Superman more than the late, great Christopher Reeve. Watching him portray Superman/Clark Kent in the films, was like watching someone play themselves. If there has ever been an actor born to play a role, it was Christopher Reeve.
Like most of you, I’ve stomached all of the years of BS rumors once WB decided to resurrect the Superman films. I’ve lived thru the horrid Cage/Burton designs (I love Burton, but he needs to stick to darker films like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice). I’ve screamed in agony when it was announced that “Charlie’s Angels” director McG was taking on the film (Beyonce as Lois?? what the hell is that?), and I’ve finally sighed in relief when I heard that Bryan Singer of “X-Men” fame OFFICIALLY landed the directing gig.
I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed to hear that Singer wouldn’t be doing a restart like what was done with “Batman Begins”, but doing a loose continuation of the Donner films. I will out myself right now and say that I’m NOT a fan of the way Krypton was portrayed in the original films...the whole “ice planet” thing was just lame in my opinion. Ideally, I would have LOVED to see Superman’s origin re-imagined with modern technology, and a new director’s vision...who knows we still might get that right?
After is was announced that newcomer Brandon Routh was chosen to play the Man of Steel in the new version, a lot of us (myself included) were hesitant to accept him as the “NEW Superman”. The role of Superman/Clark Kent is a challenging role to say the least, because essentially you’re playing two different roles...at least that’s the way it should be. Personally I’ve never seen Routh act in anything before, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt because at least he’s a lot better than some of the other candidates (Josh Hartnett...shudders). Rounding out the cast is Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, Kate Bowsworth (who I think is a HORRIBLE choice) as Lois Lane, James Marsden as Richard White, Eva Marie Saint as Martha Kent, Frank Langella as Perry White, and Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen.
I was in attendance during the “Superman Returns” panel at the 2005 SDCC, and I was also one of many who was treated to a first look of footage from the film. The best way for me to sum up what I saw is “WOW”. After seeing Singer’s presentation and UNFINISHED footage I felt as if all of my worries and doubts had been completely washed away. FINALLY, after all the crap speculation and lame internet rumors we were witnessing the return of the greatest hero of them all to the silver screen.
Fast forward to November 2005, and I like many, many people am waiting in line to see the 4th installment of the Harry Potter films, and like some people it’s not the movie I am looking forward to, it’s the “Superman Returns” trailer at the beginning. Once we got in, the lights dimmed and that unforgettable voice track by Marlon Brando hit, I IMMEDIATELY sat up in my seat. I grabbed my girlfriend’s hand, and said “this is it!”. We (meaning I) sat there breathless as images of Superman’s return to Earth flashed on the screen...then it was over. I caught my breath, turned to my girlfriend and said “holy sh*t, THAT’S Superman!” to which she rolled her eyes and told me to shut up so we could watch the actual movie we paid $20 to see (ha! jokes on her, I was ready to leave right after the trailer).
By now most (if not all) of you have seen it, and the reaction thus far has been pretty positive. I think A LOT of people have realized that despite the online petitions of “Get Tom Welling to play Superman” (which I signed incase you were wondering) Brandon Routh, aside from NEVER being able to REPLACE Chris Reeve, has definitely carried on his legacy as the Superman for our generation. The teaser was great, it gave you just enough to leave you begging for more, and it set up the timeless feel of the film (think Sky Captain, but in modern times) nicely. The shot of Superman flying into the sky against the bright sunny background made him look like an angel (or like he was trying to catch a moments rest), and the ending shot of him rocketing towards Earth made my jaw drop.
Needless to say, I will be the first person in line on June 30th 2006 to witness the return of Superman....or Superman Return, however you want to put it. Oh, and to those of you that continue to say “what kind of trailer was that!? it was too short”...get a clue, it’s called a TEASER for a reason, it’s meant to TEASE you until the film is released or at least until the full trailer hits which I believe is sometime in Feb 2006. If you’re anything like me, then you’ll admit that the years and years of waiting for this film has FINALLY paid off!