DC Extended Universe (POST NO SPOILERS HERE!)

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Superman Returns was not better. It was uninspired, resting almost purely on nostalgia, and took the character nowhere new. In fact it arguably harmed the character by steeping him in the same tropes and refusing to delve into the many ways the character lives in the pages of the comics. If it takes some rotten scores to expand these characters beyond what the 70's and 80's had to offer then I'm all for that.

Can we really say that we’re taking them beyond what they were in the 70s and 80s? I don’t think so. Those Superman movies from the 70s and 80s still hold up decades later. Some of the modern DCEU films can’t hold up in the same year they were made. We shouldn’t mistake different for better just because it’s different.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

What's crazy if not Synder's bold attempt at making a sequel to MoS have Batman a shared DC universe wouldn't have been a thing, we'd probs be wrapping a thrid solo Superman film before moving onto a new rebooted Batman. Instead Justice League will open tomorrow and the next DC film will be Aquaman... Dreams.

[Buried Alien]

Superman Returns was not better.

Indeed. SUPERMAN RETURNS did not elicit much excitement or acclaim here at the CBR Forums when it was released in 2006, and the intervening eleven years have not improved at least this community's view of that movie. JUSTICE LEAGUE is already engendering more approval here upon immediate release than SUPERMAN RETURNS has managed in over a decade.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive)

[Lightning Rider]

Can we really say that we’re taking them beyond what they were in the 70s and 80s? I don’t think so. Those Superman movies from the 70s and 80s still hold up decades later. Some of the modern DCEU films can’t hold up in the same year they were made. We shouldn’t mistake different for better just because it’s different.

Many of us here can say they're better and show different valuable sides of the character. You're free to disagree as I'm sure you will.

Indeed. SUPERMAN RETURNS did not elicit much excitement or acclaim here at the CBR Forums when it was released in 2006, and the intervening eleven years have not improved at least this community's view of that movie. JUSTICE LEAGUE is already engendering more approval here upon immediate release than SUPERMAN RETURNS has managed in over a decade.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive)

And I don't even dislike Returns all that much. There are some great scenes in it. But as a work of art, as a character arc, as story, it's very hallow. It's not ambitious and doesn't try to tell us anything other than "The World Still Needs Superman". And the effect on modern audiences was probably the opposite conclusion. Do we still need this "outdated" moral example? And Superman needs to retain that classic sense of good and optimism and hope without feeling like an ancient artifact. This movie didn't help with that project.

[byrd156]

Apparently Jake Gyllenhaal is who Matt Reeves wants to replace Ben for the Batman solo movie.

[Lightning Rider]

Apparently Jake Gyllenhaal is who Matt Reeves wants to replace Ben for the Batman solo movie.

That's the rumors. Not my favorite pick but he can probably be serviceable.

Still love muh Batfleck.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Many of us here can say they're better and show different valuable sides of the character. You're free to disagree as I'm sure you will.

Cant really say I can see it that way when most people I know IRL now refuse to see DC movies thanks to the DCEU.

[Buried Alien]

And I don't even dislike Returns all that much. There are some great scenes in it.

The jet-saving scene was one of the finest cinematic Superman moments, but RETURNS didn't have much to offer beyond that exciting ten-minute (or so) sequence.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jokerz79]

What's crazy if not Synder's bold attempt at making a sequel to MoS have Batman a shared DC universe wouldn't have been a thing, we'd probs be wrapping a thrid solo Superman film before moving onto a new rebooted Batman. Instead Justice League will open tomorrow and the next DC film will be Aquaman... Dreams.

"Snyder's Bold Attempt" That always felt like WB executives being like hey MoS made money but not as much as we wanted so let's put Batman in the next one.

[Lightning Rider]

The jet-saving scene was one of the finest cinematic Superman moments, but RETURNS didn't have much to offer beyond that exciting ten-minute (or so) sequence.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Exactly. And it's curious that nobody complained about the movie being depressing when Superman is depowered, stabbed,and literally waterboarded before being thrown off a cliff against a stormy gray background.

Cant really say I can see it that way when most people I know IRL now refuse to see DC movies thanks to the DCEU.

I'm sure that would affect my view of the franchise as well but many of us have different real life experiences with other viewers.

[Buried Alien]

Exactly. And it's curious that nobody complained about the movie being depressing when Superman is depowered, stabbed,and literally waterboarded before being thrown off a cliff against a stormy gray background.

There was also that slightly embarrassing matter of Superman siring a child out of wedlock.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[TooFlyToFail]

Even Superman Returns was better than the current state of the DCEU. It’s not the best Superman movie, but it’s still passable as such. I didn’t mind Man of Steel, but yes I think we need to have a more hopeful, colorful, and inspirational Superman movie. One that embraces traditional Superman mythos in all of its hokey glory and doesn’t try and put an edgy spin on it just because. It should also follow a more traditional story structure. Henry Cavill is a fine Superman but the films he appears in need to start being better.

Your first line makes little sense.

[Carabas]

Donner's SUPERMAN very blatantly influenced SUPERMAN RETURNS, and the results did not set the world on fire.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I doubt that's it.

Superman Returns was to Superman The Movie as The Force Awakens was to A New Hope: a sequel that tries very hard to be a remake, and TFA made loads of money.

It's just that Superman Returns wasn't very entertaining.

[Ascended]

The jet-saving scene was one of the finest cinematic Superman moments, but RETURNS didn't have much to offer beyond that exciting ten-minute (or so) sequence.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Agreed.

I saw that sequence on some talk show or other before the film came out, and I thought Returns was going to be amazing. Regretfully that was the best part of the movie. But damn was it good!

But having a kid out of wedlock? Embarrassing? Come on Buried, this isn't 1950 anymore. I mean, I know that's still shameful in some neighborhoods but I'm pretty sure the majority of society has gotten past that whole thing.

[Buried Alien]

But having a kid out of wedlock? Embarrassing? Come on Buried, this isn't 1950 anymore. I mean, I know that's still shameful in some neighborhoods but I'm pretty sure the majority of society has gotten past that whole thing.

For us ordinary mortals in the real world, certainly. Superman, however, is held to a higher standard because of what he represents to many people.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)