It was much more detailed story than the version I subsequent read in comic book form as a kid at school, but at least that was in color. And finding all the script/plot variations as detailed in that trek.. oops wrong tv series.. flight through the links Phil and others provided, I wonder if it is the same story.

One thing though, I noticed a big blunder in that first iteration of the Superman beginings. I wonder if it has been noted that when buildings on the the planet Krypton started toppling and really disturb the inhabitants, Supey’s dad exclaimed that it was the result of an ‘earthquake’! An EARTH quake! Not only once, but on subsequent occasions with increased urgengy. At least it started out as a tremor. All of this was in that first newspaper strip. A far cry from the version now served up to us.

Coincidently, I must mention that between reading all about Superman, being sidetracked to the Star Trek links, and their variations, and especially the parodies and other funnies, and writing this, I have had the pleasure of watching, LIVE, the view of the Shuttle ‘Discovery’ as the Astronauts scan the tiles outside for any damage caused during lift-off. This was as it passed over England. That I could have access to that kind of immediacy of events, is to me, outstounding. Prior to that it had come close to Sydney on the previous pass, but due to being early-ish morning, would not have been visible from here, in the dark. Pity about that. Guess we can’t have everything.

Ivan.

Anyway, I think what made this movie “not as great” was the fact that, based on screen time, the main villain of the movie wasn’t Lex Luther (Superman doesn’t even catch onto Luther until near the end), but the main villain was Superman’s broken relationship with Lois.

Oh well, the action was worth the ticket!

If your writings are high-flown and literary, but lacking in plot, throw in some of Teresa’s cheap theatrics to keep your reader turning pages. Playing with such scenarios is a great excercise for your plotting-muscles.

This process has been automated, so that one visit to this Web site will provide the aspiring author with one thing for the Evil Overlord to do (or not to do), one thing for the hero to do (or not to do), and advice for supporting characters as well. As a bonus, there are Murphy’s Rules of Combat thrown in, to help create twists in the plot. Random example:

Advice for the Evil Overlord:
If an attractive young couple enters my realm, I will carefully monitor their activities. If I find they are happy and affectionate, I will ignore them. However if circumstances have forced them together against their will and they spend all their time bickering and criticizing each other except during the intermittent occasions when they are saving each others’ lives at which point there are hints of sexual tension, I will immediately order their execution.
Advice for the Hero:
If my Mentor tells me that I am not yet ready to confront the Evil Overlord, I will quietly accept his judgement and remain to complete my training.
Advice for the Bad Auxiliary Character (Evil Overlord’s Accountant):
Keep a fifth set of books, listing the locations and passwords for a small portion of the Evil Overlord’s loot, in the form of unmarked and untraceable cash. Use this information to set yourself up for retirement after the Evil Overlord is overthrown.
Advice for the Good Auxiliary Character (Good Guy’s Sidekick):
If the Hero calls for me from some dark place I did not expect him to be, I’ll hit the place with some manner of illumination, ask for the password, and proceed with the utmost caution.
Further Evil (Advice for the Evil Empress):
My slinky sorceress’ robe will have a chain mail foundation garment, at minimum.

* When you have plenty of ammo, you never miss. When you’re running low, you can’t hit the broad side of a barn.

You must read this:

http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html

I have seen way worse movies made from DC heroes and lets be honest, after Superman II the franchise went down hill fast.

And they kept the music! They respected the Superman as portrayed by Chris! I so didn’t expect that from Hollywood.

4 Stars (out of 5) from me.

There’s a spoof comics character named Ambush Bug who, as far as I recall, knows he’s a character in a comic, and wants to get his own title… when he does, there are spoof features too, which I presume are like comics actually used to run. This one went, “Science Sez: If a man from a red sun travels to a yellow sun, …” I suppose that probably comes into a review of the science in the thing??

Oh, and apparently his super-strength is because his body stores sunlight – this is from the comics too – so if you calculate the energy he absorbs every day, or in his entire life, and how much he expends… I think heat-vision is probably the big one, but flying should be up there too.

In the comics they also gave him a specific super-power of making things that he picks up stay in one piece instead of breaking apart – a building, a cruise liner…

And, BA, don’t compare Spiderman with Superman – instead compare Superman wth Spiderman II, which was that rare thing, a sequel better than its predecessor.

Also, since judging movies is very subjective, no-one can actually be wrong as such, they just have different opinions. So, you’re wrong there, Phil.

The guy who gets forgotten is Kirk Alyn, the man who made the movies in the 40s and early 50s…

http://www.cooljerk.com/comiccon2005p1.html

OK, that’s it, I got it off my chest and I can sleep peacefully tonight without any “… I should said…” thoughts on my mind.
Move along nothing to see here.

But, alas, you’ll still be wrong.

I’m wrong about my own opinion? Now who’s being the poor critical thinker? =P

And Thomas, Lex was bald in both movies. At the end of the original, he takes his wig off (when he was making his speech on the prison gorunds).

Especially considering the end of Superman: The Movie. You know … the “flying really fast will not only reverse the rotation of the Earth, but reverse time” trick.

Sometimes you have to leave reality behind when you go into that darkened theatre. Sure, laser fire wouldn’t make sounds in space, a lost ark probably doesn’t have mystical powers and a man can’t fly… But would you really want to be watching Star Wars without the sound effects, follow along as Indiana Jones looks for a lost empty chest or Superman tries to rescue Lois in time by jogging as fast as he can?

However, I don’t think we can really compare Brandon Routh to Chris Reeve. For one thing, Clark Kent is barely in this movie. On the Farm, he’s Kal-El, not Clark. I think Clark gets 5 minutes of screen time and it’s mostly jokes. Look, he eats burritos funny!

But it’s a great movie, and the actual end scenes are touching (not the big muscle scenes). In tone, this one felt like X-Men 1, and here’s hoping we get an X2 out of the sequel.

But I’m worried, now. If we do decide to go, should we bring along Crow and Tom Servo?

—— there be spoilers ——-

As for the physics, they were much better than the original movie. Just when he tries to straighten the plane’s trajectory, its structure can’t take it and it breaks. Ok, stopping the plane by pushing on the nose, it shouldn’t have just buckled a little! But he definitely can’t hold the plane just by gripping the nose, so it fell on the ground in a realistic way, I think.

Of course forget about the shuttle. Five hugely powerful engines, with no apparent propellant reserves? BLACK exhaust smoke? I believe this is only possible with incomplete combustion, so it implies chemical engines, and so the need for a huge quantity of reactive mass.

Also, when Superman pushes the new kryptonite asteroid in orbit, he loses consciousness almost immediately, with a very small delta-v difference between him and the new mini-moon. So we’re supposed to believe the asteroid will stay in orbit while he reenters the atmosphere only a little time after?

I like the bullet smashing against his cornea though…

——- end of spoilers ——–