Supermen Dönüyor

THE BEST: How shabby it is. With an endless list of unforgettable notations: Soundtrack taken directly from the original "Superman", including the James Bond theme. Retro-projections made with the doll Ken (Barbie's boyfriend) replacing the actor; fights more false than Maya the Bee's memories, the new powers she has: Telekinesis, Zoom View, Ability to see girls in their underwear, See the past and Deconcentrate their enemies; and a long etcetera that I recommend to everyone.

THE WORST: That being a Z series movie, it is hated by many. Being so bad that it deserves its own thesis.

WHAT IS IT: Made exclusively for Turkish export because at that time in Turkey, American films were prohibited from being released; For which reason these "remakes" of budget 0 were made to be shown to the public. A real "suecada" as they already did in "Rewind please". This time the argument is as follows (extracted with the help of English subtitles): The only Survivor of a race of Supermen who live on the planet Krypton is sent to earth. There he is welcomed by an old couple who ends up calling him Tayfun. When he is an adult, his parents tell him where he really came from, and give him a green stone (a square) that leads him to a cave. The square shows... his father of him? And he tells him his real origin and what will be his destiny: to become the last of the Supermen. Curious fact, the stone that came with him is Kryptonite, and here it does not cause death, but having it next to him has no powers. After becoming Superman, a professor (it is not known how) has obtained the Kryptonite to study it. One of his group of colleagues is the Turkish Lex Luthor (who is called Ekrem here and is not bald) intends to get the stone because he has discovered that the Kryptonite material connected to a device of his invention could turn any material into gold. That's when this story begins in which our Turkish Clark Kent gets involved, and his companions; Alev (Turkish Lois Lane) and Nazi (Turkish Jimmy Olsen, and yes, he is called that in Turkish) and Ekrem's henchmen. Will they get the stone?

ONLY FOR: Those who dare to see it. Obviously not in Turkish, there are already subtitled versions. It has no waste (that's why I give it a 6/10). Plus it only lasts 67 minutes!

This was, hands down, one of the most unique and indescribably special viewing experiences I ever had in my life. I was familiar with the fact that Turkish directors/producers bluntly imitated the biggest blockbusters during the 70's and 80's, but I've never actually seen one. I laughed quite hard over the sight of such titles like "Seytan: Turkish Exorcist" and "Last House in Istanbul", so I was very enthusiast when a buddy of mine told me he got hold of the one and only "Turkish Superman". You can tell right away from the opening sequences that this will become a non-stop spitfire of hysterical laughter and stomach aches, and you don't even have to be drunk or intoxicated! It begins with an allegedly mysterious voice-over whilst the camera atmospherically browses through space. The galaxy, however, exists of second-hand Christmas decoration. When we witness Superman flying for the first time, he looks like a Ken Barbie doll hanging by a thread in front drawn clouds and people waving at him from the deck of a ship. It's brilliant, truly brilliant! Clark Kent, named Tyfun in Turkish, is a tremendous dork with a spectacular pair of glasses and he walks around like there's a cloth hanger stuck in his suit. His nemesis isn't bald like Lex Luthor is, but actually looks a lot like the Turkish version of Lee Van Cleef. The most striking thing about "Turkish Superman" is how very anti- spectacular it is! Our hero hides behind trees, doesn't bother much to hide his double identity and conducts the lamest rescue operations ever. Superman stops an out-of-control truck descending a mountain road, NOT by jumping in front of it, NOT by pushing it back up a cliff and NOT by pulling the rear end like he's an anchor… Superman stops the truck by taking place behind the wheel and using the brakes. Oh, how heroic! I guess the budget didn't allow them to wreck the truck. That's also the same reason why the lead actress drives a Lada instead of a real car. The fight sequences are hilarious as well, since they look like a bunch of heavily mustached men group-hugging each other. The creators of "Turkish Superman" didn't just steal the plot of "Superman" but also the soundtrack of James Bond. The scene where Superman single-handedly prevents a train collision from happening is perhaps even the ultimate highlight of the film. According to the most rudimentary rules of physics his rescue act is just impossible, I don't care if you're a superhero or not.

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.

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.