Superman Returns... and noone seems to care

Lois Lane's Pulitzer Prize-winning article 'Why the World Doesn't Need Superman' may be a little closer to home than Warner Bros. is comfortable with...

There was a point a few years ago where the idea of a new Superman movie had been tossed into the arena so often it barely raised an eyebrow. At some stage from 1990 onwards, every commercially dependable director had been coupled with every reasonably attractive actor between the ages of 20 and 40; James Cameron directing Keanu Reeves. Nicolas Cage stuffing socks down the red trunks for Tim Burton. It would've been no suprise to hear that in the latest development Jon Lovitz had signed on for David Lynch's exploration of the effects of parental abandonment on Superman's psyche... So when the project was greenlit in 2004 for a Summer '06 release, it barely blipped on the 'Hot Hollywod' radar. There wasn't even a director attached. Then Brian Singer, the wunderkind who arrived with a bang with The Usual Suspects and injected a healthy dose of credibility into the superhero genre with the X-Men movies, signed on and the publicity machine grumbled to life. A set that was so closed even Miranda Priestly couldn't gain access fuelled the growing anticipation; an unknown filling Christopher Reeves's shoes? Was this a prequel? A sequel? A rumoured budget of $250 million? And - sweet Jesus! - sugar-coated Kate Bosworth sucking back the cigarettes as Lois Lane? The fan-boys were up in arms from the moment Variety announced the project, and the knives only got sharper as the release date drew closer.

So, the movie has opened and the stats are in. Did The Man of Steel rocket to the top of the charts faster than a speeding bullet? Did he leap box-office records with a single bound? Er, not exactly. Nowehere near a flop, by any stretch, but neither has Superman Returns been the juggernaught that Warner was hoping for. And now that the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel has swashed-and-buckled its way into theatres with close to three times Superman's opening weekend box office, it seems that Singer's interpretation of the Man of Steel will be going the same way as Jackson's King Kong; a respectable-if-forgettable haul and a rushed-out DVD to maximise waning interest.

I find it, simply, bewildering. It's ironic that Singer jumped ship on the third X Men movie to make Superman Returns and X3 helmer Brett Ratner turned in a dumbed-down version of Singer's vision - and ended up making more money than the first two, vastly superior, installments of that franchise. Meanwhile Superman Returns will struggle to hit $200 million domestic. If any other film turned in $200 million, it would be a mega-hit. When Superman or King Kong post that figure... let's just say that despite the smiles and "we're happy with the finished product" comments, heads will roll. Just when Sam Raimi's Spiderman movies seemed to suggest that insanely successful superhero movies could also be smart, funny and challenging the relative failure of Superman Returns reminds us rather crudely that that isn't the case at all.

It's sad, because Singer has turned in one of the most skillfully crafted, visually gobsmaking and purely entertaining action-adventure movies of recent years. Like Peter Jackson, Singer has an almost unhealthy passion for his craft and that passion leaps off the screen to create truly unique cinematic experiences. Whilst the detractors are busy comparing the performances of the leads to the original movies or whether or not it was realistic that Superman would be admitted to hospital, they seem to be missing the point of what has been produced: a retina-scalding reminder of all that is great about cinema. Jackson's majestic King Kong suffered a similar fate; the sheer genius of the finished product being buried under an avalanche of nit-picking and post-hype analysis.

The problem faced by Singer (and Jackson) is that unlike Spiderman or Batman or the X Men, his protaganist has a previous cinematic incarnation that is dearly treasured by fans the world over. Fully cognisant of this, Singer has crafted a two and a half hour thrill ride that somehow manages to update the franchise whilst still holding true to the original concept. The performances are pitch-perfect and the balance between action and character development is spot-on; critics have complained about the lack of action set-pieces but when you look at the messy character development (or lack of) in X3 it's clear to see that by focusing on story and character (much like Raimi's Spiderman movies) the overall product is far superior.

I'm always sad when a fantastic movie fails. I look at this year's other big box-office loser, Poseidon, and I think 'well yeah, no wonder it tanked. It simply wasn't very good'. The critics agree, bemoaning Poseidon's style-over-substance format. But when a big-budget epic like Superman Returns arrives, the lack of action seems to be the main thing that people can comment on.

Mr Singer, you are an incredibly talented artist working at the top of your game and I take my blue lycra tights off to you.

TUFC

Let's start at the very beginning - a very good place to start...

Why have one blog when you can have two? Greedy? MOI???

Not at all. Blog #1 is a place where I can witter to my heart's content about the ins and outs of my inconsequential life. A way to keep my friends abreast of the goings-on in Juan's world. Some might even say a modern masterpiece crammed with a wry and witty view on this crazy world. Not me of course. I'm far too modest for that.

Blog #2 is my attempt at being a little more sedate. It is also a tiny step forward, an attempt to flex my creative muscles and actually write down some of the movie-related stuff that is constantly trying to fight its way to the surface, only to be beat back by more pressing matters such as making the bed or watching 'Canada's Next Top Model'. I am always writing my own movie reviews. At least, in my head I am. If I am ever going to interview Madonna for a feature in 'Rolling Stone' or be a 'Devil Wears Prada'-stylee force to be reckoned with in the crazy world of media publications then I guess I gotta start somewhere. Nicky Clarke started by crimping the hair on his sister's Malibu Barbie and look at him now...