I am including some major plot spoilers here. Be warned.
Overall impression: I'm much happier with the movie than the book! I was in tears when Superman saved the plane. It's probably the only plane-in-distress sequence I can watch without anxiety, since I knew Superman would save the day! Some of the cheesy dialogue from the book never appeared on screen and I'm glad for that.
Details:
There are still some plot holes that bother me- I.E. In Superman II, the Superman destroyed the fortress. At least it sure looked like that to me! It was after the authorities left with Lex Luthor, and right before he and Lois talked about how they could see each other, but not like before. Maybe that scene wasn't in the theater version, but I saw it on TV, and it makes sense. Why would Superman keep the Fortress when his mortal enemy and the authorities all know where it is?
The flight with Lois still felt contrived and forced, just like in the book, but I did enjoy it. Maybe it was supposed to feel contrived, since Superman himself was just itching to get her alone in the skies!
I’m very concerned with the fact that Jason killed that guy with the piano. I sincerely hope they don't go the route in the sequels where Jason grows up to be a villain. And even though it was accidental, I'm still concerned they made that choice in the plot. Wounded would be better, in my opinion, unless the WANTED to damage Jason… setting him up to go to the dark side? I sincerely hope not!
OTOH, I ADORED the fact they had a "thug" with obvious piano skills. It was great to see that thugs have no culture/education/intelligence stereotype broken.
What kindergarten gives letter grades in specific subjects? Mine never did, neither did my brother's. And my son just finished kindergarten… they don’t give letter grades and are not graded in specific subjects like science! Not sure who let that goof through in the movie, but it did distract me to reality for a few minutes.
I was a bit puzzled by Lex's "insistence" that Richard wasn't Jason's father. I didn't see Jason suffering from the kryptonite exposure, so I don't see why Lex would come to the conclusion that Superman is his biological father. But that does set us up nicely for future plotlines involving Lex and his determination to get his mitts on Jason!
For me, the deal breaker to the book was the decision to have Lois take her SON to snoop on a boat. In the movie, the way it was set up, she wasn't as deliberately reckless, but I still think it was a poor character choice on her part. I also disagree with the reviewers that call her OVERprotective. She's not smothering with him, just on top of things like a good mom should be.
The bad science wasn't as bad as it seemed in the book. Water seemed to be more of a catalyst and not the reactant in the crystal growing reaction that used the minerals from the ocean floor. I can live with that.
The vinyl tablecloth cape didn’t move as badly as it seemed to in the short clips and stills I'd seen. But I do miss the brighter color! And I deeply miss the yellow S on the cape. But the costume worked better in motion than I had hoped… so that was a plus.
Kate as Lois worked for me. She's not Teri Hatcher, but that's okay, as Teri sometimes seems to ditzy to me. I liked Margot Kidder as Lois, and I must say I like Kate as well. She's tough, strong, and also sensitive and capable of deep feeling. I'm amazed at her ability to shake off all bumps and bruises, though. As badly as she got knocked around, she never seemed to have sore ribs or even a black and blue mark! WOW!
Lois's son Jason needs a haircut. Honestly, his long unkempt hair was a major distraction to me!
Richard was totally likeable. I really felt for him as the movie progressed. You could see him seeing Lois slip away in some fashion. And even so, he hung in there with her, helping her get to the hospital, for example. He's a great guy and I hope he is treated well in the future movies. It was a big mistake for Lois to deny loving Superman…. lies like that are never good for a relationship. And now with Jason's parentage established as fact, she's got some coming clean to do! I can see Richard handling that, though. As long as he has Lois' love in the present, I think he will continue to be a good father to Jason and a good fiancé to Lois. I sincerely hope they don't make him evolve into the resentful, then vengeful guy who becomes a villain in the future! I'd rather see him stay true to the caring guy he was in this film and have Lois come clean with him. A tragic death would also be cheating, but I'll take that to having Richard cross to the dark side. (Bad thought… what if Richard and Jason both turn evil??? EW!)
Kevin was a fantastic Lex, and not as "comic" as Gene Hackman. That, too, was okay with me. This movie was serious, not campy. And I enjoyed watching Kevin's portrayal of Lex. I'm still trying to figure out how the chopper got from the Atlantic ocean off the east coast of the USA to a tropical island complete with palm trees and coconuts…. Even a super genius should know a chopper cannot fly THAT far without a few refills!
Brandon was awesome! At times, he really looked or sounded like Chris Reeve, but it was in a good way. I always liked Reeve's Superman better than Dean Cain's. I still think DC has the best portrayal of Clark Kent, but that is partly due to director's choices. This Clark was not totally dorky, but not as "real" as what Dean Cain's. I hope that changes in the future. Brandon did a good job showing Clark's struggle to return to duty before going to save the plane. And I thought the bedroom scene with Jason was quite touching.
Brandon WAS Superman in this film, and he was Clark Kent, too. Well done job when he had very big shoes/boots to fill!
Overall, it was a delightful afternoon. If Brian Singer directs the next one, I'll absolutely be in the theater for it. It's good to have Superman back on the big screen! I definitely want to see it again, and IMAX would be nice for the second viewing!
Jackie
