I really like SR. I liked Routh's performance and I liked Bosworth's Lois Lane along with the kid being Superman's love child. However the part of the movie I disliked was the stalker aspect. What was Singer thinking!!!
Bryan Singer: Why 'Superman Returns' Didn't Work
- Thread starter Dream
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I really like SR. I liked Routh's performance and I liked Bosworth's Lois Lane along with the kid being Superman's love child. However the part of the movie I disliked was the stalker aspect. What was Singer thinking!!!
I've never understood the whole stalker thing. I never once thought of Superman as stalking Lois. At worst I've thought of it as eavesdropping. Just a guy making sure the woman he loves really is happening. It's not like she had a restraining order on the guy or anything.
Stalking may be too harsh of a word but even the eavesdropping makes me uncomfortable. I guess we're so used to the boyscout image of Superman that anything that may appear unethical can seem off putting to some.
Superman has always been a stalker. Just look at "Lois & Clark", where he flies into Lois' apartment through the window without asking in every episode.
And then, Superman is a dick.
And then, Superman is a dick.
Is it always a given that Superman is in love with Lois? I haven't seen all of the animated series, but based on what I have seen, it seemed like for awhile neither Superman or Clark had any romantic feelings for Lois. Clark and Lois were professional rivals, but friends who liked to affectionately tease each other both about competing and their personal lives (i.e. Lois joking about his farmboy background and calling him "Smallville"), while Lois had a crush on Superman, who didn't really return her affections until the last episode.
Did this really deviate from the comics a lot, or is it not the first instance of Superman having more on his mind than wooing Lois? I'm sure there have been many versions of the Superman and Lois dynamic in the various comic book and live action interpretations, but "Superman Returns" is the only one I've heard of where Superman pines for Lois and Lois tries to reject him because she has another man. Based on the way it played out in that movie, for my tastes this is the worst dynamic there could be between them.
Did this really deviate from the comics a lot, or is it not the first instance of Superman having more on his mind than wooing Lois? I'm sure there have been many versions of the Superman and Lois dynamic in the various comic book and live action interpretations, but "Superman Returns" is the only one I've heard of where Superman pines for Lois and Lois tries to reject him because she has another man. Based on the way it played out in that movie, for my tastes this is the worst dynamic there could be between them.
Both movies, Superman I & II depict Superman having feelings for Lois. The Adventures of Superman from the 1950s has no romance between them whatsoever.
I cannot remember the comics. I stopped following them years ago. But it was always implied that Lois Lane is Superman's girlfriend.
Saquist
Commodore
My expectations were huge in this film when I got of it , it seemed like a glossed and laminated version of the original. he copied Donner's opening title sequence. He copied Lex's plot, he copied his dimwitted accomplices. He copied the Hero sequences from the first film, he copied the LOVE FLIGHT.
Then added creep Superman with stalking and taking other guys girls. That's not the Boyscout I know. A modern superman is fine but don't change the personality, create a film that is uniquely your own, don't copy 50% of the previous movie just as homage because it's not going to come off like homage and honoring when you copy that much, it comes off as lazy, as plagiarism.
I have to say the movie as it was...was boring.
I went back and watched the original and it was exiciting and interesting and even convincing. The director seemed to have a better understanding of what he wanted to show us. His cinematography was better, the story was whole and complete (long) but complete, this guy really understood the Comic Superman story and told it.
What Singer made obvious is that his only consideration was the first movie. There is so much material to draw from with Superman, he could have matted in of it for his movie. Justice League, the Death of Superman, some very obvious avenues he completely ignored for reworking....
S
Stone_Cold_Sisko
Guest
Eavesdropping is when you happen to be in the same place and take it upon yourself to listen.
Lurking outside someone's (an ex-gf, say) house and watching/listening to what she's doing inside her house... is something else entirely, whether it's with surveillance equipment or x-ray hearing powers. If the "worst" you think of that is eavesdropping, then I'm not sure what to say about that...
There were two episodes - One in which Lois dreamed she was married to Superman; and one in which Superman pretended to marry a hot blond detective as part of a plan to catch some bad guys. Lois thought the marriage was real, and was clearly hurt.
Of course, it was pretty much a kids' show at that point, and it wasn't played at all seriously.
The "stalker" thing didn't bother me when I saw the film, but upon having it pointed out I can see why it's troubling. In fact in various ways in myriad stories I've read or seen throughout the years Superman has used his powers to monitor and even secretly interfere in the lives of so many people under so many circumstances that I was rather too used to the idea of him listening and watching folks through walls for it to occur to me. Once it's mentioned, you know, an awful lot of what Supes does is invasive and creepy. 
The "stalker" thing didn't bother me when I saw the film, but upon having it pointed out I can see why it's troubling. In fact in various ways in myriad stories I've read or seen throughout the years Superman has used his powers to monitor and even secretly interfere in the lives of so many people under so many circumstances that I was rather too used to the idea of him listening and watching folks through walls for it to occur to me. Once it's mentioned, you know, an awful lot of what Supes does is invasive and creepy.
And of course, Lois encourages the deviance, asking him what color her panties are in Superman the Movie.
I'm sure that most here are familiar with Superdickery, but that guy's done a fair job of documenting a lot of Supe's weird and abusive behavior toward Lois and others over the decades.
Yeah, now that's a wild 70s moment.
Yeah, to me it was simply a matter of him being so completely thrown and knocked off balance by all the changes since he was gone-- and the idea that Lois (of all people) was now a mother and involved with someone else-- that he felt compelled to doublecheck that it was actually all real and actually happening.
To me what really would have been strange is if he just shrugged it off and went "Oh she's engaged and has a kid now? Heh, ok, well if you say so. Now what's for lunch?" lol
And of course once they finally had their "breakup talk" on the roof, he took a step back, kept a respectful distance, and never made another move on her.
I would hardly call that obsessive or over the line in terms of behavior.
^This. Also, in the first episode, a few hours after Clark (pre-Superman) meets Lois for the first time, Clark hovers right outside her window and listens in on her personal conversation with her sister.
That's waaaaay more creepy than Supes' actions in SR.
Yeah, much of the movie was a bit melodramatic though I loved the music in it, the use of the music in the "Can you read my mind"-like scene was great and, as I said earlier, I loved the use of the theme when Superman lifts the boat and the "Power of the sun" scene is also great.
That's sort-of the problem though. S:R has these great little scenes and moments speckled in it but there's a lot of nonsense in between them.
John Ottman's complete score is fantastic. The commercial release did not do the score justice at all.
A
Amaris
Guest
Hell yes. That opening flourish still sends chills up my spine.
Seconded
