El retorno de Superman

Turkish filmmakers, it seems, have little respect for copyright laws. They tend to rip off Hollywood blockbusters with no compunction, yet what results is reminiscent of what Jack Black and pals threw together in "Be Kind, Rewind."

"Supermen donuyor" (Superman Returns), filmed not long after the first Christopher Reeve epic, retells the familiar story of the Man of Steel, here played by an actor who looks like Charlie Sheen with acromegaly. Krypton, and its place in space, is represented by undisguised Christmas-tree ornaments. Clark Kent, here called Tayfun (pronounced Typhoon), tearfully parts with his adoptive parents after he finds a sea-green paperweight and, in a cave, discovers the spirit of his dad Jor-el (played by an actor dressed like Marlon Brando in "Superman: The Movie"), who informs Tayfun he is ready to fulfill his destiny as Superman, complete with the wisdom of Solomon, strength of Hercules... wait a minute, folks, you've got your Shazam in my Superman! Tayfun suddenly finds himself in the familiar Super-uniform (looking spectacularly un-buff) and takes for the sky. Oh boy, does he! I can't contain my laughter as his flight is represented by a Superman doll dangling in front of a rear projection screen.

Mild mannered Clark, er, Tayfun finds employment at what is apparently the Istanbul Daily Planet, attempting to get to first base with Lois, er, Alev, while using his X-ray vision to check out the underwear of random ladies in the hall. The while, a downright colorless villain plots to steal the "Krypton stone" (what they call Kryptonite) and use it in a machine that transforms objects into gold. Said stone, in possession of a scientist (who happens to be Lois/Alev's father), is identical to the paperweight Tayfun has.

I won't spoil it for you - this must be seen to be disbelieved.

Forget about "Sweded" films - I love 'em "Turked"!

Oh The Return of Superman, how can I express in words how truly wonderful and glorious thou art? This is less a film and more a glorious, timeless tale of humanity, weaving an intricate, twisting narrative with spectacular visuals. My theory is that Shakespeare has actually been reincarnated and he came down and wrote this. Many have said to me "But isn't it terrible?" I like to hit people that say this, as they don't understand the true artistry that is displayed through subtle nuances, such as the plagiarised music or it not making sense. To conclude, this is truly the greatest thing ever made by a human and it has changed my life forever.

Gang of thugs are after the mysterious piece of green, glowing rock known as "Krypton stone", which is the last remaining piece of Planet Krypton, and which this film tells us can turn any ordinary metal into gold when used in the correct formula. It's up to 1979 Turkish Superman (in a surprisingly well made costume) to foil their plans.

1979 Turkish Superman is technically inept, and obviously filmed on no budget, (the opening uses Christmas lights and decorations against black curtains to simulate planet Krypton and deep space, while an off-screen narrator tells us what we've missed: "gasses that mixed suddenly caused explosions and wiped it out of the Universe.") and that's a shame, because I think this film has the best story out of the trio of Superman ripoffs I've watched lately. It has a fun, Z- movie vibe to it, which elevates it, and at only 65 minutes, it's over and done with quickly, compared to the other films' 123, and 135 minutes run time. Toward the end, there is also a good showdown on a viaduct, a confrontation which results in one of the villains plunging to his death.

Tayfun Demir does fairly well as Turkish Superman, he has a good build, and handles himself well in the action scenes, intently staring at people with his cold, piercing blue/ grey eyes, before kicking massive amounts of ass. Seriously, this guy seems more like The Terminator, than Superman, and he looks a lot like B.J.Turner, from 1988's Scarecrows.

I genuinely enjoyed this one, and not in a "so bad it's good" way.

Really don't know why they are "trying to" copy the originals but it was very common in Turkish cinema.

I didn't have the opportunity to watch this "SUPERMEN" but frankly I have to see it. I know for sure that it will almost look, sound and feel like crap when I watch it.

Also there is another one. The copy of "The Woman In Red" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088414/) was shot by us (Turks). In fact, I have to tell the truth, I almost liked our version better. Again it was a copy but some of the scenes and especially the attitudes of people has been made compatible with our culture. This way, it feels closer if you are a cheater or have been cheated :) (I still know that it is disrespectful to the original)

Anyhow, the "SUPERMEN" is E.T. living in Metropolis and a comic hero which anyone even shouldn't try to apply for other locations or origins. I have seen many movies (but not this one) similar to this copy and they are mostly full of dirt.

Yes, this film is so bad in so many ways it's hilarious.

I don't want to delve to the already mentioned special effect or the craptastic actors / editing / everything. Suffice it to say that this film excels in absolutely nothing and looks more of a home video filmed probably in the film makers' homes and offices with zero budget.

What interests me more was the blatant disregard for copyrights: Not just the use of Superman character, but also the soundtrack which consisted of the original Superman theme with a couple themes ripped from James Bond films. The best part (for me) was the use of Giorgio Moroder's Oscar-winning theme from "Midnight Express", a film which portrayed Turks in a bad light. Were the film makers unaware of that and they just liked the song? Funny, whatever the answer is! If copyrights were not a problem, why didn't they just show a bootleg and dub it in Turkish? Of course the original didn't have actors with Turkish amounts of mustache, but I can't really come up with other reasons.

This film also raises the questions whether it had wide release in Turkey, what did Turks think of it (then and now), and whether it was aimed for children - little kids' films can be flimsy efforts and some of the criticism would thus be moot.