NeoNsMoKeJaZz

Superman Returns! Singer has done it! He has brought Superman back to our screens! The way Supe flies is just awe-inspiring and there were many small details of the flying that just blew me away. His cape steals the show! Brandon Routh is very good as Superman, he knows how to hit the right notes and looks great in the suit. He has the 'Superwalk' and the 'Superpose' down! Kate Bosworth looks a lot better compared to Margot Kidder who I never thought was that great looking but saying this, Bosworth's performance isn't a touch on Kidder's. She doesn't do very much with the little she's given. The action sequences were handled very well and Routh makes a formidable Man of Steel, his performance is at times a sensitive one. Considering this is a sequel to the Reeve's films of the 70s I can be forgiven for making comparisons to those films and I think the biggest let down is Routh's and Singer's handling of Clark Kent. Kent is pretty much inconsequential and they've gone down the Clark Kent as the alter ego route which takes away much from the Daily Planet sequences which may have humorous moments but seem empty in comparison to the original films. Clark Kent doesn't get enough screen time for my liking and is far too two dimensional as there is literally ZERO tension between Kent and Lane which shouldn't be the case this far into the relationship. I think Kevin Spacey makes a great Lex Luthor taking away much of the cartoony buffoonery of Gene Hackman's performance which I always found was a little too ham-fisted for Superman's arch nemesis although Spacey still suitably has fun with playing the bad guy. This film is definitely worth seeing just for the Superman sequences even if some of the liberties taken with the story would annoy some comic book fans... Personally it was such a pleasure to see Superman in action again that I was able to ignore some of the slightly dodgier plot areas particularly with regards to the fruits of Superman and Clark Kent's labors... I think the biggest advantage of following through the films of the 70s is that Singer got to keep the score of the original two which still shimmers and brings goosebumps even to the hardest of film going hearts. Its may not be perfect but is certainly worth a look.

So I sit down one night (this night actually... geddit... I actually said actually...) and considering the cast, the writer and director I was expecting something at the very least... good. What I got was a well below average Romantic Comedy, it was crap frankly. There were a few almost decent moments but on the whole I just wasted about two hours of my life (so why not waste a bit more time lambasting it on the internet). The comedy was barely funny, the romantic parts were full of sap. Now don't get me wrong, I am not one of these guys who doesn't like Romantic Comedies... I do when they are done well. Give me His Girl Friday any day of the week... This was sentimentalist, unfunny crap filled with clichés and the direction was very heavy handed. I did think of a drinking game for it though, take a shot of something strong every time someone says (with as much wit as how I started this comment) "actually" in the film and every time a crap song comes on the soundtrack...

This film is a classic but then all of Bruce's completed films are classics. There are strong anti-Japanese messeges (including one Japanese guy having a tash similar to a certain German dictator) in the film but it has been over 33 years since the film was made and so this can be put down to it being dated. Ultimately it is a film about injustice and Revenge. The Bushido School's general evilness, the injustice against the Chinese in Shanghai and Bruce's (called Chen in this one) hot headedness create a circle of violence which escalates completely out of control. This is an intensely gritty Kung Fu film unlike Bruce's later films which were more escapist in nature and Fist Of Fury has the highest body count in terms of Bruce actually killing people with those fists. The legendary 'Sick Man Of Asia' scene is amazing and the end of Kill Bill clearly homage's this so any Tarentino fan's will get an added joy out of watching this beautiful sequence. DO get the uncut version.