Okay, peeps. I want to apologize about yesterday. I was just POOPED yesterday. So the Chachi is back and ready to roll!
So I saw Superman Returns of Friday and Saturday. First off, I have to say it is the longest of all the comic book movies, clocking in at two hours and thirty seven minutes. It really didn't get noticable until then last 45 minutes when there were about two scenes that could have been done without in my opinion, but I will leave that up to you. How was the movie you ask? Enoiugh of the suspense, you say? Well, here is the first ever (official) installment of...
MASTER CHIEF CHACHI GOES TO HOLLYWOOD!!!!
Well, first I will address the complaints about the movie:
It's WAAAAY Too Long: Well, I cannot argue with that. Some scenes were good and fit, but really didnt need to be in the final product. Someone who never watched or liked the original Superman was turned off about an hour and fifty minutes into it because it got really comic-book like (the ship scene, the fight scene, the plane take off, etc.) so fanboys loved it, casual watchers got bored. People who felt that a lot of the action was there solely to advance the plot was justified. However, people must understand that Bryan Singer (who has officially replaced Joss Whedon as my daddy) did a great job in building a movie around a guy that really has no weaknesses or flaws. Unlike Batman and Spiderman, Superman has no real good villians (aside from Luthor) that can give him a run, so he had to take more time building a story to create something that could hurt him and make a plot out of it. Which brings me to the second complaint...
The Plot Was A Reach: First off, it is a comic book movie. All of their plots are reaches. Anyone who expects to see a real life plot in a comic book movie (aside from maybe The Punisher) is insane. I honestly felt that the plot was pretty interesting. Using Kryptonite and crystals to recreate the explosion of Krypton was a good nod to Superman II and it also gave a foil for Superman to battle. Was it far-fetched? Yes, but no more far fetched than The Passion of Christ or Goonies. Which was like Highlander, a true story and filmed in real time. The last complaint that I heard a lot about in the theater was....
The Superbaby/Love Story: Okay, this pissed me off at first because I really didnt think a Superbaby was nessicary to make this movie work. Yet, it really added a third dynamic (after the Lex/Superman and Superman/Lois) to the movie because it tied in with the love triangle of Richard/Superman/Lois. Now the love story to me wasn't bad. It actually was done very well, better than other comic book movies (like Batman Begins with Katie Holmes) including the Peter Parker/Mary Jane dynamic. Although I am excited to see what they do with Gwen Stacy thrown into the mix. The big reason the love story works is because with all of Superman's powers, even he can have his heart broken. Even the Man of Steel can stand back and look at a child and not want to come between that. At no time was the story forced between either character and James Mardsen was KICK ASS as the husband that understood the bond between Lois and Superman yet loved her anyway. Didn't get all douchy like Jameson in Spiderman 2. Overall, the love story was well done and people who didnt like it came into this expecting an action comic book movie like X-Men 3. I knew this wasnt gonna be that.
Quite simply, Superman Returns was a movie that tried to do a little too much. With 11 years of development that crashed and burned, I think that Bryan Singer delivered a masterpeice of a comic book movie. Read those words again: COMIC BOOK MOVIE. Superman Returns was great as a comic book movie, but as a movie for the masses it DOES fall short. I believe it is the best Superman movie and better than almost all comic book movies sans Spiderman 2 and the first Batman. Batman Begins was an AWESOME overall movie, appealing to the masses (perfect length, just enough backstory to bring casual fans up to speed and a kick ass set of villians and plot) and to the core audience (nods to other DC characters and the atmosphere just FELT like Gotham. Metropolis felt like Detroit) to put it in the conversations for movie of the year for 2005. Superman Returns will not be in that discussion because it fell short in a few areas. However, the areas it did well in, it did REALLY well in. I believed that Superman was SUPERMAN. From the flying scenes (you have to see them) to the heat vision, it was like he was real. Brandon Routh was Clark AND Superman much like Christian Bale was Bruce Wayne and Batman. The performances were great (although Kevin Spacey should have been given more time as Lex Luthor because he was shining in that role for a bit) and the action sequences, albeit kind of forced, were awesome. All in all, Superman Returns is a great summer movie and well worth watching. Be prepared to sit, and in a way be prepared to cry. The scene where he finally goes face to face with Lex and his cronies is...surreal. You have to see it, and the music was AWESOME. Just hearing the opening theme made me squeal. So, on a scale of 1-10 I give this movie....
8.5 Chachis out of 10 (A great movie but a little long and can get tedious for a few minutes. Doesn't take away from the overall expereince that is the return of Superman. Well worth and a movie you won't forget.)
Well, that was fun. Next week, Pirates 2! Well, I was going to do the 'Douche of the Week' but I decided against it. It was gonna be Britney Spears because...well I just don't fucking like her. That and posing naked was just...special. I'm not against pregnant women posing nude, I'm against Britney Spears taking up air. So I will have a new douche of the week next week.
So the Chachi's are gaining a little steam. I have narrowed down the categories to Music, TV, Movies and Specialty. The Council of Awesomeness will be meeting soon and I will have the categories and tenative nominees up soon. I will have a selection post special and everything, then I will have the nominees up for about 15 days and then present them. More information soon!
Well, that is all for now. I will be back on Tuesday for the biggest birthday bash for the greatest country in the world! Go America, it's almost yo birf'day! Stay up, peeps.
Chachi out.
