Superman I vs. II
Okay, so now that SR is upon us (I'll be seeing it on IMAX on Sunday), it's time to look back on the schizo goodness that is Superman: The Movie and Superman II.
To start off, I'll say that unlike Jeff and my good friend Tom, I love Superman: The Movie. I think the action set pieces are more cinematic than the ones in II, I like the majesty of the first act, I like Superman's first appearance, I like the dialog ("This is no fantasy!" -- What an awesome first line for a superhero movie!), and I think that Lex -- while buffoonish -- is also genuinely funny.
But, it's not like I is heads and shoulders better than II. In fact, there are many things I like and hate about both movies. So without further ado...
Things I Don't Like About Superman: The Movie
That Brando pronounces it "Crip-ten" as opposed to "Crip-tahn." (I was four and this infuriated me)
That Jeff East's Young Clark doesn't look that young. And that Reeve loops his lines.
That Lois looks AWFUL the first time the camera shows her up close.
That Lex has no discernible backstory or motivation other than he's "eeeeeevillll"
"Just fly. Don't look. Just...fly."
That Lex is a businessman, real-estate dude. Bore-ring.
That Hoover Dam blowing up sequence blows in retrospect.
That Superman has the power to turn back time.
Things I Don't Like About Superman II
The dual Russian-American lunar mission. The only thing lamer would be a "World Unity Festival," but no superhero movie is corny enough to put one of those in.
Oh, wait. Dammit. Sigh. Anyway...
That Superman and Zod have a "blow off." (I'm sure this idea was cooler on paper.)
That the U.S. Army uniforms and equipment look like they came from some shitty TV shoot.
That Superman walks to the Fortress. As Clark Kent.
That Superman can lose his powers without any sort of gold kryptonite. (Although frankly, I think the idea of Superman gaining and re-gaining his powers is always stupid.)
That "Jaws" dies by falling into cloudy void.
That Superman can create clones of himself and turn his shield in cellophane.
That Superman can give Super-Kisses.
To start off, I'll say that unlike Jeff and my good friend Tom, I love Superman: The Movie. I think the action set pieces are more cinematic than the ones in II, I like the majesty of the first act, I like Superman's first appearance, I like the dialog ("This is no fantasy!" -- What an awesome first line for a superhero movie!), and I think that Lex -- while buffoonish -- is also genuinely funny.
But, it's not like I is heads and shoulders better than II. In fact, there are many things I like and hate about both movies. So without further ado...
Things I Don't Like About Superman: The Movie
That Brando pronounces it "Crip-ten" as opposed to "Crip-tahn." (I was four and this infuriated me)
That Jeff East's Young Clark doesn't look that young. And that Reeve loops his lines.
That Lois looks AWFUL the first time the camera shows her up close.
That Lex has no discernible backstory or motivation other than he's "eeeeeevillll"
"Just fly. Don't look. Just...fly."
That Lex is a businessman, real-estate dude. Bore-ring.
That Hoover Dam blowing up sequence blows in retrospect.
That Superman has the power to turn back time.
Things I Don't Like About Superman II
The dual Russian-American lunar mission. The only thing lamer would be a "World Unity Festival," but no superhero movie is corny enough to put one of those in.
Oh, wait. Dammit. Sigh. Anyway...
That Superman and Zod have a "blow off." (I'm sure this idea was cooler on paper.)
That the U.S. Army uniforms and equipment look like they came from some shitty TV shoot.
That Superman walks to the Fortress. As Clark Kent.
That Superman can lose his powers without any sort of gold kryptonite. (Although frankly, I think the idea of Superman gaining and re-gaining his powers is always stupid.)
That "Jaws" dies by falling into cloudy void.
That Superman can create clones of himself and turn his shield in cellophane.
That Superman can give Super-Kisses.
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