Let's start at the very premise. Superman Returns. Can anybody my age remember caring about the old Superman franchise? Those movies are pretty weak and instead of trying to carry that storyline forward, they should take a cue from Batman Begins and just start from scratch. This makes the film accesible to non-geeks and excites people like me who want to see how a more mature film industry can handle the story.
Secondly, let's talk about the dude. I understand the reasoning behind casting an unknown (poor guy is gonna have the Harry Potter syndrome and never get another role in his life) but why does he have to look so sucky? Superman is supposed to be, well, super. He's supposed to be huge! This guy couldn't beat Christopher Reeves in a fair fight (who never looked that tough either...) Here's what I want to know: Why wasn't the casting of Superman made into a big deal? When Gone with the Wind was being made, the casting of Scarlet O'hara was an epic nationwide search. Let's be honest, Superman is one of the most recognizable characters in the US. Why wasn't the casting of Superman made into a huge publicity deal? A failure on the part of the moviemakes, certainly.
Finally, my biggest complaint with the film so far may be its uber-lame preview. Anyone who knows me or nerds like me knows how we get when a good preview comes on. I still vividly remember the teaser for Jurassic Park II: A puddle of water, rippling as something approaches with slow heavy steps, the camera pulls out to reveal the puddle is a footprint of a dino and the text reads "Something has survived" That's freaking genius! Remember how the Lord of the Rings previews made your skin tingle and your hair stand on end? A good preview makes people like me who should be anticipating the movie into anxious wrecks, unable to function until we see it again. Let's break it down, a killer preview can make me go see a bad movie (Matrix sequels, anyone?) but a bad preview can doom a good movie. The Superman Returns preview is a bunch of plotless unrelated scenes of Superman hovering around and shit, with some boring voiceover providing some dumb morality context. I want to see a preview where Superman stops a fucking train.
So in conclusion, while the new Superman movie may turn out okay, the marketing for it is not. There's a little sadness in all my complaining though; as the bard would say, herein lies the rub: I'll still go see it. On opening day. At midnight. And whether it was good or not, I've still contributed to that monster opening day that'll only encourage them to do it all over again.
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