I am taking a slightly different direction and I have created a new blog called Superhero Archetypes which I will use to explore the role our superheroes and villains play in our society from my humble perspective.  If you would like to continue this conversation, go on over to Superhero Archetypes and let’s see where it takes us.

Inspired by so many before me (and in need of something to do with all my blogs), I have formed a network called the GeckoMedia Network. This blog is a member of the GeckoMedia Network which I hope to expand to include podcasts in the near future. At the moment the members of this network are the following blogs:

• Grouchy Blogger
• chilibean
• Neuvo
• Superman Returns fansite
• Paul’s Vox blog
• Jacobson Attorneys and
• LAAW

Technorati Tags: blog, blogging, chilibean, geckomedia network, grouchy blogger, jacobson attorneys, laaw, neuvo, vox

I recently saw Superman Returns twice and it was brilliant.  Brandon Routh quickly proved himself to be a excellent choice to succeed Christopher Reeve and some of my friends remarked that at times, he sounded a lot like Reeve.  For the most part I thought this movie was brilliant and agree with many commentators that this is the movie we have been waiting for since Superman 2 all those years ago.  Of course one of the benefits of waiting so long is that the crew who made this movie possible had technology available to them that simply wasn’t available in the late 70s when Superman 2 was made.  The effects in Superman Returns were excellent and it was often difficult to see where reality ended and where the effects began.  A good example of this is a video on YouTube revealing the Superman who sent the shuttle off on its flight near the beginning of the movie was, in fact, computer generated.

There were many things about the movie I really enjoyed and prefer to the way Clark Kent and his abilities are dealt with in Smallville.  For one thing, when Superman flies, there is no noise like the one Clark makes every time he goes off somewhere in Smallville.  As you would expect, Superman is virtually silent when he flies.  All you really hear is the flapping of his cape or the occasional sonic boom when he goes supersonic.  The one thing that I initially thought was a little silly was that when he used his x-ray vision he wasn’t looking at things the way Clark Kent in Smallville was but was rather using what has been referred to as “see through vision”.  My wife pointed out that he can see through things in layers and it occurred to me that in the comics, this is one of the ways he can see through things.  In fact, towards the end of the movie when he rescued Lois and her family, he used something like x-ray vision to scan her for injuries.

A few people complained about inconsistencies in the storyline and pointed to things that seemed unrealistic even given the nature of the movie.  These included how he was able to lift the island into space with kryptonite coming at him for every direction when, 15 minutes before, he couldn’t muster the energy to fend off Lex Luthor’s thugs.  Of course he did rise up and get a quick charge from the sun before he did that but it does detract a little from the storyline a bit.  At the same time it wasn’t so implausible that it couldn’t possibly happen in the world of Superman.  He is Superman after all.  The major storyline change has to do with Lois’ son and that was a whopper.  I don’t know how that is going to pan out in what I hope will be future Superman movies with Routh.  It will be interesting to see how that is dealt with.

On the whole, this movie was excellent.  Routh was amazing, as was Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.  Everyone was great and the movie was just what I have been waiting for.

(this is a cross post from my Vox blog)

Technorati Tags: brandon routh, christopher reeve, kevin spacey, smallville, superman flying, superman returns

I know I am a bit behind with my posts given the subject matter of this blog and the fact that I saw Superman Returns twice last weekend.  I have been meaning to post my thoughts about the movie and I’ll do that.  In the meantime, did you know that the Superman that sent the shuttle off (if you haven’t seen the movie this is a spoiler of sorts) is a CG Superman and not the real thing.  Anyway, check this out, it is brilliant.

Technorati Tags: superman flying, superman returns, superman spoilers

John C Dvorak, known cranky geek, asks whether Superman has become a “Christ allegory”?  In other words, has Superman become a modern day version of a long line of saviors who have rescued us when humanity has reached those low points in our history.  According to CNN:

Now, for many Christian moviegoers comes another gospel.

As the hype machine shifts into high gear for the upcoming release of “Superman Returns,” some are reading deeply into the film whose hero returns from a deathlike absence to play savior to the world.

“It is so on the nose that anyone who has not caught on that Superman is a Christ figure, you think, ‘Who else could it be referring to?’ ” said Steve Skelton, who wrote a book examining parallels between Superman and Christ.

As one of society’s most enduring pop-culture icons, Superman has often been observed as more than just a man in tights.

I think this is a good question.  We may be tempted to think of Superman as yet another comic book hero but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that, in the past, humans have given archetypes human form and have even worshipped those personifications of our archetypes as gods among us.  This may be the 21st century but Superman represents some of our greatest qualities.  He is a symbol of what we can become and I believe he and other superheroes like Batman, Spiderman and even the X-Men have become our equivalent of the demigods of the ancients.

Technorati Tags: archetype, christ, spiderman, superman, x-men

Bluetights.net has posted a spoiler free review of the movie.  Bottom line:  Its all good!  Here is a taste of the review:

Superman fans – he’s back. This film delivers on all fronts. We all know that the action is through the roof, but the big question on everyone’s mind is the acting, so let’s start with the Man of Steel himself. Brandon Routh is my Superman. I really think he was fantastic in this film, and he was particularly strong in his Superman scenes with Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane. There’s something very interesting going on in Brandon’s performance. He’s not simply cloning what Reeve gave us two decades ago, but he is exuding the same sort of aura that Reeve did back then. The best way that I can describe it is to say that these two are cut from the same cloth.

Technorati Tags: review, superman, superman returns, superman spoilers

Alienware has released special edition notebooks and desktop PCs emblazoned with Superman artwork for the real fan!  According to CNET:

In this age of Hollywood-branded gadgets, it’s no surprise that Alienware has come out with a series of limited-edition Superman PCs to coincide with the caped crusader’s big-screen return. The individually numbered Area-51 desktop and notebook systems capture the Man of Steel mystique through case artwork, as well as desktop themes that incorporate touches from the Superman universe. Think green Kryptonite and Clark Kent’s glasses.

The site dedicated to these beautiful machines is worth the visit alone.  Just be warned, there are limited numbers available!

Technorati Tags: alienware, area-51, superman

Yahoo! Movies has some pretty good coverage of Superman Returns.  There are trailers, images, information about the upcoming movie and even links to other Superman movies.  I battled a little to play movie trailers on the site through Quicktime but there is an option to play Windows Media videos too.

Technorati Tags: Yahoo! Movies, superman returns, Yahoo!

The official Superman Returns website has been revamped somewhat.  There are TV spots and trailers in a variety of formats, not to mention the usual stills and other downloads.  It is well worth checking out.  You can even subscribe to the video feed in iTunes and receive new video as and when it is published.

I love the new TV spots.  We don’t get these here in South Africa so it is great to see all the new footage.  Love the Web!

Technorati Tags: iTunes, superman, superman returns

A new trailer for release in the US market (I think) has been released.  This one gives even more info on the storyline of the movie which is looking better and better.

(via Bluetights.net)

Tags: superman returns, new trailer, lex luthor, superman, trailer not teaser, trailer, lois lane