Moriarty of AintItCool.com read the script and seen the trailer before it was released. Some excerpts:

[spoil]
[align=left]I'm not sure I want to write a script review for SUPERMAN RETURNS, since it's too late for the film to change at this point. Our script reviews are typically written to be able to impact the development process in some way.

But if you guys want to talk about why I was bummed out by the script, I'd be willing to do that here.

Let's try a quick answer first.

It's not a sequel. It's not a remake. It's some freaky hybrid.

Yes, Bryan Singer has created the RE-Quel.

It bothers me that this movie is structurally a beat-for-beat rehash of SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE. It bothers me that Lex Luthor is involved in another land scam, which seems ridiculous considering how long he's been allegedly working up his revenge on Superman.

But what bothers me more than anything is the fact that there are two action sequences in the whole script. And neither one really blew my skirt up at all. There's the much-discussed plane crash. There's the creation of New Krypton. And that, my friends, is it.

There's a lot more to it than that, but when I say I'm bummed out, it all comes back to the idea that we've seen a lot of superheroes on film now, and with Superman coming in at this point in the cycle, Warner Bros. needs to step up and show us why he's the biggest and best hero of them all, and instead, we're getting a mopey Superman who seems more concerned with what Lois has been doing with her cooter for the last five years than anything else. He doesn't seem particularly super, and that's a problem for me.

As crazy as this sounds, I would have preferred the JJ Abrams draft. At least that had supervillains and a giant robot battle.



Certainly not, but I'm not sure hanging around Lois's house and spying on her family with his x-ray vision because he's the sullen jilted boyfriend really makes him "super" in my book, either.

Did I try to turn this into a giant headline on the site? Am I laughing gleefully about my reaction?

Nope. It's just the way I feel after finally reading the shooting script this weekend. I spent a couple of days digesting it, too, before really coming to my conclusions about it.

I hope the trailer's great. Sincerely.

In fact, I hope the film somehow manages to rise above the really flimsy script. But I personally hoped for the "evil" Lex Luthor they've been discussing in the publicity for this film, and not a guy with a wig fetish. I hoped for a real threat for Superman to face, not Lex trying to annex more land for himself. I hoped for a plot that dealt with whether or not we need heroes who are bigger than us, not a plot that reduces Superman to a petulant ex-lover.

Let's get a look at that trailer later today. Let's see what footage Warner elects to show us. If they sell it as an action movie, though, beware, because it's a fib. Even after they cut it back from three hours to a more-reasonable 2 1/2, that's still an awful lot of Clark moping that we're going to have to sit through to get to some flying.



I opened a can of worms here. This thing's getting linked to all over the place, and I've got angry fans e-mailing me death threats already. I suspect that if you strongly fetishize the original Donner film... and I don't mean "sort of enjoy it," either... I mean if you think it is the end-all-be-all of cinema experiences... then you might be the target audience here. I like the Donner film. I like SUPERMAN II. I sort of wish they were one big movie with my least-favorite parts cut out, but they both have given me plenty to enjoy, so no nitpicking.

With this film, the way it's a vague sequel rubs me the wrong way. There are references to events from the first film, but no mention of the Phantom Zone villains having been on Earth. Yet, according to this film, at least part of the second movie had to have happened because...

... the kid is his.

Isn't it a bad sign when they bring on a cute kid for a sitcom? Doesn't that normally mean it's pretty much the last season and they're desperate for ideas? To me, having Superman have a human son is a mediocre idea in any incarnation if only because of the biological "huh?!?" of it all. But then to write him as a wheezy little kid with allergies who barely goes outside... that's just silly. And of course, at the big moment,

... then suddenly picks up a piano and whacks one of Luthor's henchmen with it, proving his parentage.


And maybe that idea is awesome to you. Maybe that's what you want to see. I don't presume to speak for all of fandom.

There are a lot of jokes in this that seem to be a direct callback to the first film, and that concerns me. Yes, many people have seen the first one. But it is a film from 1978. It seems to me that this movie needs to stand on its own if it's really going to work at kicking off a whole new franchise. Instead, the constant references to the Donner movie are almost suffocating after a point. It's like Singer and his team were afraid to invent anything.

And despite what people on other message boards are saying, it is indeed all about a land scam. Lex wants to use the crystal technology from the Fortress to make a new continent out of Kryptonite-powered crystals, and by building it on a fault line, he'll destroy much of the rest of the world.

Of course, money would be useless after such an event, and since Kryptonite is highly radioactive, everyone who lived on New Krypton would have giant tumors and be sick or dead. But otherwise... great plan.

And there are little action moments in the script other than those two set pieces, but they're basically dropped in as montages, a pet peeve of mine. I don't want to see a few quick shots of him picking up cars or getting shot in the eye during a bank robbery. I want well-built sequences that show us why Superman is special... his decency, his code of ethics, his dedication to helping people, and his genuine love of the world. That's Superman in my book, and I don't see much of him here. He's essentially a selfish character, taking off to Krypton on a whim, spending most of his time worrying about Lois.

It's just not my cup of tea. Beyond that, I'm not going to harp on it, and I'm not telling anyone anywhere "YOU WILL HATE THIS FILM." I have no idea how you'll react. Me, personally, though... I was bummed, as I said in the first place, and that's never any fun.
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not sure what to say of that script review.

The whole "not much action" thing doesn't really bother me. I think Spider-Man 2 showed us that character can be just as good as action if you play it right. But the whole Lois' child thing. Wow. That kind of blows. Does what with a piano? Although I've always thought that Lois Lane shouldn't know who Clark Kent really is and they should never have had a relationship.

I guess this just goes to show me that Bryan Singer really doesn't know much about Superman except what he learned from the Donner films (Superman: The Movie and half of 2). I firmly believe that the guy at least had X-Men enthusiast surrounding him when he made X1 & X2 to at least make them mostly like the comics. I don't see that in this script, if Moriarty's script is indeed word for word the shooting script.

Thanks for the post Obi-Wan Starkiller. I forgot the trailer was coming out.

Hi-Res (21.2 Mb)
High-Def 480P (47.2Mb)
High-Def 720P (110Mb)
High-Def 1080P (187Mb)

Direct links to the Superman Returns theatrical trailer:

god i hope this doesn't go down the toilet.
& the lex wants land is a pretty weak rehash.
& don't even get me started on kids in movies.


if you're going to take from any previous superman movie then do so from number 2.

You've probably all seen this already (this is Millennium Falcon after all), but AICN says that Moriarty review was based on an early draft and doesn't represent the actual movie. This is what they believe is an accurate early review:

Edit: Uh... actually this "review" pretty much mirrors what Moriarty said earlier. And I have to admit that the plot, from what I've read, isn't really what I was hoping for. In fact, I have to say it sounds more like something from Smallville, or any other WB clone, than a movie about a galactic superbeing and ultimate hero of the Earth.

The first REAL early review of SUPERMAN RETURNS!

I can't really take seriously a review by someone who says "ya know, I'm not dumb" and then writes as if he hasn't quite made it out of sixth grade.

I had a suspicion that this was going to suck ass. I haven't really been too impressed with ANYTHING that Singer's done so far. The whole point of this seems to be to give the first two movies a closing third chapter, not to relaunch the franchise. It's the fannish "this is what I would have done" approach taken to a professional level.

I wonder how quickly the developments of this film will be written into the comic book. Both DC and Marvel seem to be trying to make sure that anyone who comes to the comics by way of the films won't feel lost.

I agree about the "reviewer's" writing style. I could hardly read through that piece of shit.

I don't understand a reason for trying to add to Superman 1 & 2. These movies were made 30 years ago. I mean at least Star Wars was telling a different story about different characters (or at least youthful versions of characters). This is suppose to be the Christopher Reeve Superman using Brandon Routh? C'mon, this is ridiculous. I'll go see it but if they get all campy about it like those movies tended to do (Lex Luthor and his dumb sidekick?) I'll walk out of this shit.

I had my suspiscions as well, and now I'm going to wait and Super-netflix this pig. Someone please tell me if I'm making a mistake once it comes out.

Honestly? I think that if you have even only a very tiny interest in an upcoming movie, you should see it at the theater. Films are made to be seen on a big screen with big sound. I've been disappointed by a lot of movies, but I don't think I've once said "I wish I'd seen that on home video first." Don't get me wrong -- some films I wish I'd never seen at all. But if there's ever a chance that I'm going to enjoy at least part of a film, then I'd much rather see it in the theater.

Which is why I went to see M:I-3.

Yeah, I'll see this film regardless of what I read here, same with X3.

I just love the summer-movie experience. Retreating in the afternoon from the heat all day long and spending two or three hours being entertained by special effects and loud noise.

Well, I can agree with that. But I sure as hell ain't waiting in an opening day line to see it, thats for sure. And my expectations have dropped considerably so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. I do enjoy the whole theatre experience, I just hope theres enough *super* in Superman this go around.

I liked the first 2 films, but 3 and 4, not so much. Hopefully this one is worth the ticket.

I agree. I probably won't see it opening weekend. I'd like to get a feel for the reaction of the fans first. I'm not a huge Superman fan anyway, so I need to know whether I will be rolling my eyes at this movie or can really get into this movie.

I think this could could be the best movie of the year....it definately has the potential/feel to be.

http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/708/708946p1.html
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23351


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The second TV Spot aired tonight.

SR message boards around the web say it played during Thursday night's OC season finale. It definitely appears to be aimed at the teenage girl audience.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reBoT2tkShE

Downloadable version (AVI file): SR TV Spot #2

Here's a new trailer (from the UK):

pdl.warnerbros.com: supermanreturns superman_returns_tlrf3_qt_500.mov

the trailer's a bit too whiney for my taste, but the bullet to the eye is sweet. still on the fence for this one.

Definitely some cool-looking stuff in that trailer. But I don't think Superman should look like I can beat the hell out of him.

AICN: on the Superman Trailer that showed before X3


youtube.com: Corrected Aspect Ratio Superman Returns X3 trailer
rapidshare.de: Downloadable Superman Returns X3 trailer avi

Looks intense.

Hm, looks cool. I forget is this movie supposed to take place between Superman's I and II, or what?

After II

Are they disregarding the fact that III and IV were made? I heard they were not very good.

This is supposed to be Superman III.

You are supposed to disregard the Reeve Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

In Superman Returns, Superman is upset since he realizes he can't really be with Lois (end of Superman II) and because of the fact that the only other Kryptonians he has ever seen were evil and tried to kill him (Zod, Ursa and Non).

Supes is lonely, somewhat depressed and feeling like more of an outsider than ever.

A scientist using new technology believes he can see the remnants of Krypton from Earth. Since Kyptonians lived underground on their world, Superman believes it may be possible that some of his people may have survived.

He grows a crystal ship inside the Fortress of Solitude similar to the one that brought him to Earth. He leaves Earth in the ship and goes back to his star system (I forget how many galaxies away Krypton is from The Milky Way) in hopes of finding survivors.

When he gets there, he finds nothing. So he comes back after being gone five plus years. Lois is now engaged to Perry White's nephew and she has a five year old son named Jason.

Superman IV is one of the worst major releases ever made, no lie. Watch it and you'll understand why it was nearly 20 years before another Superman movie was made.

Superman III is just kind of stupid, and suffers mainly from the attempt to turn Richard Pryor into some kind of family-friendly black Jerry Lewis. Lana Lang is introduced into the series and is played by Annette O'Toole, who now plays Martha Kent on Smallville. It's worth watching if you want to understand the joke in Office Space.

This is pretty much the movie...

Major (if not complete) spoilage from the official novel.

It's not from me. I haven't read it. This was posted on a Superman website.


Superman Returns


Plane Scene

[spoil]The problem with the plane was that the shuttle couldn't separate from it because of some blackout Lex starts that causes problems at mission control. The shuttle ignited its boosters and was dragging the plane into space. While in Metropolis, Superman looks across the country with his telescopic and x-ray vision, seeing Lois in the plane from something like 1,000 miles away. When he is flying to the plane, people viewing radar can't figure out what they're seeing. When Lois sees him from the plane window she can't decide if it's real or just wish fulfillment. The plane falls after Superman rips at the shuttle, separating it from the plane. This scene is the first appearance of Superman since coming back and he ends up landing the plane in the middle of a pro baseball game. Soon the whole world sees that he's back. After he rescues the plane, he says, "I hope this doesn't put you off flying since statistically speaking it is still the safest way to travel." A nod to Superman I.[/spoil]

Lois/Clark/Richard

[spoil]Lois won a Pulitzer Prize for her article titled, "Why the world doesn't need Superman." At the end, she is writing another article titled, "Why the world needs Superman."

The book doesn't mention Superman II specifically or the so-called "memory kiss." It doesn't specifically mention whether Lois knows Clark is Superman. At one point she is asked about Clark and Superman's height/weight. She says "Superman is 6 ft. 4 in., about 225 pounds and Clark is "Oh, 6 ft. 3 in. or 6 ft. 4 in., and maybe 200 pounds." She treats Clark like she always has in the movies, sort of as an afterthought. Superman is totally different to her. So if she still knew that Clark and Superman were one in the same (Superman II revelation), I think she would react when she first sees Clark. She doesn't.

Also, Lois never really breaks up with Richard. Maybe that's in the next one. However, she talks about falling in love with him and that it isn't just a sort of fling. They are engaged after all. Jimmy Olsen does mention that Lois won't set a date for the wedding. This is where he has the line that Lois is "still in love with you know who." Richard knows about Lois and Superman's relationship. He is hesitant to mention Superman near her. At one point he does ask her about that first article, "I spent the night with Superman." He flat out asks her if she loves him. She says no. [/spoil]

Lex/Kitty/Henchmen

[spoil]Lex is awesome and is portrayed as totally insane. He cons an old dying woman into giving up her estate and at one point throws his wig at her family saying, "Here, keep it. Everything else is mine. Now get out of my house." Lex takes the crystals from The Fortress of Solitude and tries to remake Krypton on Earth. His plan is to make a fortress-like continent that will seemingly kill billions in the process. Lex's cronies were mainly muscle and a scientist. They're not as goofy like in the first Superman movies. Kitty is supposed to be smart and beautiful. Lex met her in prison where she was visiting her boyfriend. Lex had a guard bring her to him for a visit…on the warden's pool table. Kitty gets upset over the beating Superman takes from Lex and his men. She wanted Lex to just kill him, saying that he doesn't deserve this. But Lex goes nuts, yelling at Superman over how people should have been bowing at his feet and worshipping him instead of adoring The Man of Steel. [/spoil]

Climax

[spoil]When Lex begins growing "New Krypton", there is an earthquake. Tons of stuff happens. The Daily Planet globe falls off and Superman flies right through the building and catches it, giving Jimmy a perfect picture of Superman looking like "Atlas carrying the Earth", he says. At one point, Superman was saving people so often he was just a red and blue blur - saving someone in New York, then almost instantly stopping a river in China or something. Jimmy gets depressed because he can't get any shots, but he finally gets that pic of Superman catching the Daily Planet globe. During these rescue scenes, Superman uses all of his powers (speed, heat vision, super breath, etc). When Lois is saved from Lex's boat which is being destroyed by the growing "New Krypton", she thinks it is Superman that is saving her but it is actually Richard. However, Superman does end up saving them. Later on, Richard, Lois and Jason go back for Superman when Lois finally wakes up and informs Richard that Lex has kryptonite.

On "New Krypton", Superman is nearly beaten to death by Lex. He is stabbed with kryptonite, and has his nose, legs and ribs broken. Lex leans down, grinning at Superman. "Why don't you get up and walk? Oh right, your once invulnerable legs are broken. I guess The Man of Steel is a little rusty, eh?" Superman is rescued by Lois and Richard who pick Superman up in his (Richard's) plane. Lois pulls the kryptonite shard out of Superman's lower back (near kidney) and Superman goes back to "New Krypton", gets underneath it (ocean floor), and lifts the entire thing from below and throws it past Jupiter. Apparently, it continues growing in space. Kitty accidentally throws out Lex's remaining crystals from the helicopter. Luthor ends up stuck on a deserted island with no gas for the escape helicopter. At the end, Kitty thinks about going back to her ex but is now stuck on the deserted island with Lex and his goons.

After getting rid of "New Krypton", Superman passes out, weakened and near death from the kryptonite. He looks like a burning meteor crashing into Metropolis. He is sent to the hospital. But all they do is put a heart monitor on him. The needles all broke. It doesn't appear that Superman has a pulse right away. They said that they couldn't find a pulse. Suddenly, it beeps. I don't know if he actually died, but it was close. While at the hospital, the supersuit was folded next to his bed when Lois arrives. At one point, Lois whispers something to Superman while he is unconscious in the hospital.

From the book:

"Can you hear me?" she said, softly. "They say sometimes when people are..." She stopped and turned away. "Never mind." The room was silent again with just the slow beeping from the heart monitor keeping her rooted to the moment, to the place. She walked to his side and took his hand. "There's something....something I need to tell you." She bent low, whispering in Superman's ears, her eyes filled with tears which she tried fruitlessly to wipe away.[/spoil]

The Kid (Jason)

[spoil]It doesn't officially say who the father is but only hints at it. At one point in the book it says Lois considered raising the kid alone when it was born, so it doesn't seem to be her fiancé's kid. They may be leaving the big reveal for the movie. Also, it doesn't look like the kid has powers. He is portrayed as weak and fragile. During the much rumored "piano scene", the kid is actually cowering in the corner unable to breath because of his asthma. It is Lois who is the one fighting the "piano guy."

Near the end, Superman visits her at her home.

From the book:

Superman looked to the house. Lois followed his gaze and saw Jason watching them from the window. She turned back to see Superman looking at her, so handsome…so perfect. What a super man. "Will...we...still see you…around?" Superman replies, "I'm always around. Good night, Lois."

It doesn't seem like Superman is being treated as a "dead-beat dad". The kid called Richard daddy and it seems Clark thinks that it is Richard's kid. When Lois is writing her article at the end about why the world needs Superman, she hears, "Thank you, Lois." She says, "I...I wanted...I'm..." Then Superman says, "It's all right." But the way it was said and with her stammering, well, it seems like Jason is Superman's kid. After reading this novelization, I feel the movie needs to be a lot clearer.[/spoil]

Miscellaneous

[spoil]- It is kind of odd that Clark and Superman come back on the same day and no one thinks anything. At one point in the book, the kid was about to remark that Superman looks like Clark but Superman cuts him off.

- Superman left Earth because of reports that Krypton was spotted and may have life on it. He uses his spacecraft and travels to Krypton for about 5 years. When he got there, it was a burned husk with no life. The report of life was a plant by Lex to try and make him leave. Lex whispers in Superman's ear that he is the one who caused the hero to leave Earth. How Superman took five years of Lex's life so he wanted to return the favor!

- At one point Superman does forget his suit and does a shirt rip only to find a white undershirt. So much has changed (Ma Kent/Ben, Lois/Richard) that he wonders if he just should stay hidden. That is until he sees the airplane crashing on TV with Lois in it. Then he starts to change, doing the shirt rip and realizes that he only has a white shirt underneath, so he has to go get his supersuit.

- Superman was upset him that people were seeing him as a savior, that he was better or something. The book talks about cops, firemen and even Richard saving people without having powers. Superman thinks that he should be seen just like them, only he just happens to have superpowers.

- When Superman is flying with Lois, he asks, "What do you hear?" She says, "Nothing, it's quiet." He smiles and says, "Do you know what I hear? I hear everything." His smile fades. Then he says, "You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but everyday I hear people crying for one."

- After five years of not using his powers, Clark threw a ball for his dog and it just keeps going and going…and going. At one point, he whistles a cab for Lois and some dogs screech a block away. (See next)

- The book talks about how rescuing the plane wasn't second nature to him anymore and that he had to relearn right during the rescue. This explains why he goes for the wing. He is just out of practice/feeling when it comes to his powers.

- The only mention of Jor-El is in the beginning where he and his wife sort of a recap sending Kal-El off the planet. Other than that, he appears briefly with Lex when Luthor comes back to the Fortress of Solitude.

- The part where Superman is floating over the city is early on when he returns after the plane rescue scene.

From the book:

"He heard the noises of Metropolis coming from far below him. He heard its cries for help. He opened his eyes. He was home again and Metropolis needed him. At least he was certain someone did."

- The kid has a lot of medical issues. He has asthma, unusual weakness and he was born premature.

- Ben Hubbard doesn't seem to know that Clark is Superman.

- There is no talk about the supersuit changing from the previous design.

- There weren't any train rescue scenes in the book as rumored.[/spoil]

The trailer looks really nice, indeed. The new villain (Mr. Spacey) seems pretty freaky... and the new actor for Mr. Clark seems quite fitting, too...

Tho I think it's weird they skipped two movies, no matter how bad they are....

ok, this has sorted out a few issues/queries I had with this movie since the trailers have come out. Someone pls answer these (if possible):

does the movie kick off straight after II i.e Zod/Valorum has just been banished but has left an awful taste in mouth of people in Metropolis.

does Supes start on Earth - then go to Krypton - then back to Earth OR is he simply gone at the beginning and then comes back to Earth.

The five television spots thus far.

All QuickTime. All saveable.

SR TV Spot 1

SR TV Spot 2

SR TV Spot 3

SR TV Spot 4

SR TV Spot 5

I'll try and find out, SI.

EDIT: I got this off of someone.

[spoil]It starts off with Superman in the spaceship almost back at what's left of Krypton (it's basically giant asteroid chucks of kryptonite floating in space now) just waking up from suspended animation like in the Alien movies. In the book, they make reference to the last act Superman performed before leaving was stopping a meteor shower from destroying Metropolis. But it is only referenced, it is never really described visually, so don't expect to see it.

Superman was supposed to testify at Luthor's trial. So you have to figure it's probably around a year after the end of Superman II when he leaves Earth, but he leaves without telling anyone...including Lois. It pisses her off. And sincee he was the prosecution's star witness against Luthor, the case against Lex falls apart.

The childhood memories seen in the trailers are flashbacks done in the same way they did it in Batman Begins.[/spoil]

I figure the movie could still be different in some ways. One of the rumors I've heard about the novel is that it was written using an earlier script draft, not the final.

And I wonder about Singer. He may be holding back some stuff. If memory serves, Jean didn't die in the X2 novel. I think she is actually in the president's oval office at the end of the novel which of course is a big difference from the movie.

Singer is known to do pretty extensive rewrites on set (he even keeps the screenwriters standing by for this purpose), so it's safe to assume there will be a few differences between the movie and the novel.

Well, that's funny, because

[spoil]Lex was already in prison at the start of II before he broke out. I'd figure his escape attempt would just have bought him more time than he already had.

Maybe Singer will provide a scorecard to theatergoers instructing them as to which parts of earlier movies they're allowed to remember.[/spoil]

Dead Men's Chest is looking like the Summer movie to beat.

I know. I thought the same thing. In S:TM, the guy steals two missiles and tries to sink half of California. All he really does in the second movie is help Zod find Superman.

As to POTC, well, I wasn't a fan of the first one so I have no real interest in the sequel. IMHO, the trailers are making it appear ridiculously stupid.

But I agree about SR. I think it's a train wreck waiting to happen. I think the big fans of Supes are just so happy to be getting a new movie after all these years that many of them are in serious denial about a lot of it.

serious..?? I think this is going to explode on the B.O not just because of the hype, but because it will be a good movie.

I rate Singer highly as a director and cannot seeing him fucking this up.

Thanks Darth Hade for the TV Spots... I like the third one the most... "It's a bird... it's a plane... no look..." and then Mr. Clark comes in...

And btw, I just found a cool poster for Superman.. it's Taiwanese, but looks frickin' cool:

You're welcome, Altair. The part you like in the commercial is also in the second domestic trailer at the end.


Here's my take, SI.

1. Money. This thing supposedly hit 200 million in cost. Even Legendary pictures is rumored to be pissed about that as they are partnering with Warner Bros. on this like with Batman Begins.This doesn't even factor in the marketing costs.

2. The story. It's basically S:TM with a kid. Same villain (Luthor), same obstacle (kryptonite), and same problem (earthquake).

3. No supervillain to fight. Now I'm not saying I agree because I love Luthor. I'm just saying that moviegoers today are used to Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Magneto, Mystique, etc. Lots of flash, lot of bang for the buck. Either the villain flies, has some other superpower or can do both. Look at the Batman Begins approach. Great movie with low key villains. I loved it. However, it made less than Warner predicted...or wanted. It's worldwide take was less than 400 million. That's not much more than the abysmal Fantastic Four.

4. Routh. A serious unknown. Supposedly fired from a soap opera for poor acting, but the new rumor points to problems with the bosses on the show. Also looks too young to be playing an older version of Reeve.

5. Bosworth. A 24 year old playing a longtime veteran reporter with a 5 year old kid? She's hasn't sold me in the trailers thus far.

6. What people seem to want (IMO formed by hanging around some supes websites, message boards, etc.). This looks like a serious Singer approach which is what I expected and wanted. But will the masses? Is there too much kiss kiss and not enough bang bang? An angst-filled Superman trying to find a place in our world after we've learned how to live without him? A jealous Superman, maybe even a little bitter? It sounds cool, very cool, but will people be yelling at the screen for him to stop whining and do something?

I want something respectful to the source material, serious, intense, emotional, visually stunning, well acted and well directed. I admit it is a tall order. But I think even if I/we get this, it fails because I not sure this is what the majority wants.

I see a very big opening weekend with a major dropoff. Throw in POTC2 a week later which looks like it's doing its best to attract a younger audience knowing that parents will have to tag along (which automatically means more $$$), and I think SR will underperform.

Here's a review of the soundtrack. It has clips from every track!

Review: http://www.soundtrack.net/soundtracks/database/?id=4335

Clips: http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=196

We need these magazine script scans:

http://www.bluetights.net/news.php?id=301

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Script Details
Posted by Justin on 05/30/06

So if you're like much of the Superman community, you've been scouring the web for months trying to find some sort of script leak for Superman Returns. Well, our first look at the actual script has finally come along, but it's not online. This month's issue of Details Magazine has 4 script pages scanned straight into the pages of an article. Be sure to get to your local newsstand to pick up a copy.

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Has anyone seen Superman or Superman II recently? They're basically unwatchable.

I think any fan of Superman the superhero will be thrilled for any type of update, let alone one by a famed director who has proven his worth with comic franchises.

Direct links to the 2nd US Superman Returns theatrical trailer, seen before X-men: The Last Stand:

Hi-Res (16 Mb)
Full Screen (26.2Mb)
High-Def 480P (39Mb)
High-Def 720P (83Mb)
High-Def 1080P (140Mb)

DC's Superman books are featuring Superman appearing like the new movie. Last weeks Action Comic #839 featured Superman with the darkened movie costume and 3D shield.

This came out today

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I wonder if this will have the story referenced in the novelization which says that stopping a meteor shower from destroying Metropolis was the last big thing Superman did before disappearing from Earth?

Well, I got the script pages. There are seven of them to be exact. (Pages 60-64, 64A and 65)

I got it from Men.Style.com. It seems the code name was Red Sun and it went through five drafts.

The top of some of the pages say Fifth Draft Locked. (Pages 60-63)

Along with those, there is one page each of the following:

3rd White revision
2nd Tan revision
2nd Cherry revision

It's a PDF file.

http://rapidshare.de/files/22596647/Superman_Returns_Script_Pages.pdf.html

Not sure if this was posted but right click and save as.

Check out the clip it's for the Main Titles.

I don't know if it was posted before, but eleven clips from the movie are on line.

Of course, spoilers.

This came out today. Of course it is UP.

WHAT?! Superman I is a fantastic movie! Superman II less fantastic, but still good. Are you sure you aren't thinking about III and IV?

When was the last time you watched them? Honestly.

They don't hold up, and that's a fact - not an opinion.

Haven't seen Superman II, but Superman '78 is an incredibly well structured film with a rich range of cinematography, and an excellent JW score. Despite the severe technical limitations of the last 2/5 of the film, it's one of the few successful comic-to-film adaptations in a long and continuing history of failed attempts.

JW's score is definately unbelieveable, probably the best aspect of the entire film. Reeve turns in a great performance as well, but the acting as a whole is poor (save for Brando's Jor-El). The best parts of the movie are in Smallville and Clark's quest to the fortress of solitude. The entire Lex Luthor/Superman story is like a joke, and the film is terribly grounded in the time period it was made - the retro look of the Krypton sets, the visual effects stretch further than what they can accomplish, the script is mediocre and the direction is just, well, average. There's practically no steady pace and no real climax. It's a jumbled mess of scenes.

I hate, I mean HATE Lois Lane in the Donner film and the sequels. She's the most aggrivating female lead in a sci-fi/comic film of all time and there's no close second. The Supes/Lois flying song scene is rediculous on every level.

It's one of those films that did alot for the genre, but if that same movie was released today it would be laughed at - plain and simple.