Requiem for Krypton: Making 'Superman Returns'

This documentary was amazing. It's really long and in depth and covered just about all the aspects of shooting Superman Returns by going to almost every set and showing a lot of the behind the scenes people, not just the main cast of actors. Plus, since director Rob Burnett has worked with Bryan Singer before, he got to go even further behind the scenes of the movie, bringing us to the preproduction meetings and the casting calls. Burnett was also able to ask questions to Singer and Routh about their thoughts regarding the movie, which never seems to happen in documentaries.

This is perfect for anyone that really wants to know what went on during production of Superman Returns, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

In a word, boring. Requiem for Krypton is a behind the scenes look at Superman Returns, that at times seems like a carpenters instruction manual.

The lack of post-production material really lets this down, and it doesn't have the same insightful and entertaining material that you could find in Episode 1: The Beginning, or Empire of Dreams. It starts off pretty well, and there are a few great moments, but that's all they are, moments.

Too much time is spent on certain aspects of the production, such as set-building, and not enough is spent on what people most like to see in behind-the-scenes features - the people. while there are a few nice moments with the cast and crew, for the most part, their reactions to the camera seem stale and the makers of the documentary seem content to just go back to set-design over and over.

Even those who like the "technical" style featurettes found in DVD's will find this disappointing, with many interesting subjects getting brief mentions and nothing more and as I said at the beginning, the lack of post-production footage is a real letdown.

Overall, the doc is alright, but too many boring and tedious moments overshadow the interesting and insightful parts, and it feels like the stuff that didn't make it into the final cut was a real loss and should have featured, much like the deleted scenes in the actual Superman movie itself.

"Requiem for Krypton" is one of the best DVD making-of documentaries ever made. Film-maker Rob Burnett was there for the entire process of making Superman Returns--there is even footage from before Bryan Singer was signed for the movie. You get to see the major moments of the production, including a great bit where Brandon Routh is getting ready for his screen test, and he is the only one who doesn't know that he already has the role. Other hilarious bits include Eva Marie Saint's (Martha Kent) lecherous reaction to Routh in his body suit ("*gasp* My boy! That's nothing to sneeze at"), and Kevin Spacey riding around set in his Kryptonite-inspired Super Buster. And because Burnett was a regular presence on set, the cast and crew are completely comfortable in front of his camera, joking around with him just like he were another member of the crew. The result is a "you are there" feel that I have never experienced in any other making-of doc. If I were to meet members of the cast or crew from Superman Returns, I would have to resist the urge to behave as if they should know me, because after watching "Requiem for Krypton," they feel like old friends.

"Requiem for Krypton" can be seen on the 2-disc special edition of Superman Returns or on the 14-disc Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition.