23
votes
‘Superman’ faced major changes after test screenings — Reshoots, less humor, shorter runtime, new editor and composer
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- Authors
- Jordan Ruimy
- Published
- Aug 19 2019
- Word count
- 304 words
I think this rumor mirrors people's worries about Gunn's humorous style when applied to Superman.
I'd say Superman, as a character, can be lighthearted but not entirely comedic, and that was why I was worried about Gunn's direction. The Krypto sequence and clip with the robots that has been released didn't really have me feeling good about the tone.
Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for the Fortress of Solitude bots and a more comic accurate take on Superman, but the tone just wasn't fitting just right.
We'll see though, I am optimistic. At least optimistic that it'll be a good movie, not optimistic it's going to be a box office hit.
I've really enjoyed the new cartoon My Adventures With Superman - I think it manages to hit the tone just right while still being pretty funny. Superman needs a bit of levity, in my opinion. We've seen what happens when we get a dark, gritty Superman (a la Man of Steel/BvS/Justice League) and while I still managed to find enjoyment in those movies, they're missing the wholesomeness that comes with a good Superman adaptation.
I think if Gunn went as funny with the original cut as he did with Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, or Peacemaker, trimming ~20 minutes of jokes could still manage to leave us with an uplifting movie that has a reasonable amount of laughs.
I fear that Gunn is going to do the same thing as Marvel movies: out-of-place quips that try too hard to be quirky. Marvel's beaten that horse to death about 10 movies ago. Please don't do this to me, Gunn. I just watched Superman 1978 for the first time in preparation for this and I want a return to something in that vein.
Speaking of Superman 1978: I am against the theory that the Earth is spinning in reverse as a visual indicator that Superman is flying so fast that he's going back in time. It's just not a satisfying theory because he then starts flying in the opposite direction that he was spinning. Like.. what? The "he reversed the direction of the Earth's rotation, thus moving time backwards" theory might actually be more supported by what's seen on screen. I know I sound like a crackpot, but there's no good explanation otherwise for why he flies in two different directions.
Superman makes a lot more sense once you accept the fact that he's not science fiction. He's magic.
Do people take it as sci-fi?
I always viewed "superhero" as its own genre and ya, more fantasy than sci-fi.
As the stakes naturally escalate, anything central to the plot gets explanations and lore (whether it's necessary or not), powers or other fantasy elements develop a library of mechanics that people are expecting to remain consistent... Once it goes down that route the fantasy soft-hard spectrum starts to look exactly like that of sci-fi, and I would say in a modern setting the boundary blurs a lot.
Magic powers are, after all, indistinguishable from sufficiently advanced technology :^)
I think DC needs to forget about their core of Superman, Flash, etc, unless they're going to grow a pair and do Flashpoint properly with Thomas Wayne.
They have so many other excellent properties they could focus on. They did a great job with Doom Patrol, Peacemaker etc -- I really liked Watchmen (the movie and also the series.)
If they insist on it, I think they should change it all and get a director like S. Craig Zahler and let him go to town :)