While everyone else is trying to figure out how Superman shaves his beard (seriously?) let’s examine one of the best scenes from Superman Returns.
Supes is rushing to save Lois Lane and the rest of a group of reporters after the plane they’re on fails to detach from the space shuttle it was transporting (due to one of Lex Luthor's schemes). Superman successfully separates the shuttle from Lois’ plane (and takes a weird amount of time making sure that it gets away safely) but it’s here that the scene gets interesting.
A lot of people might not like Superman Returns as a film, but I don’t think anyone can argue that this isn't one of the best action scenes in any superhero flick. From the triumphant Superman theme at the beginning to the thunderous applause at the end, the scene really, really works. Director Bryan Singer and his team really know what makes Superman cool power-wise - he can fly and he’s super strong. Combine that with a crashing airplane and you’ve got movie magic. Few superheroes can pluck a plane out of the sky. (Side note - Singer must have a thing for superhero airplane action sequences, because there's another one in X2 featuring the teleporting mutant Nightcrawler. I’d like to talk about that scene at a later date because it absolutely blew me away when I first saw it.)
There’s a great sense of peril throughout this scene as Superman tries to stop the plane in time. Singer keeps things moving fast but it doesn't feel rushed or disoriented. The ending is a little silly (a baseball diamond packed with fans - what are the odds?!) but appropriate.
Man. This scene. It gives me all the goosebumps. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you have a great weekend. Tune in next week (and every Friday this month) for another Superman scene in celebration of the release of Man of Steel.
Too much Kate Bosworth in that scene. Lois Lane she is not.
ReplyDeleteYa know, there's a few things wrong with this scene and they're all pretty much confined to what's happening inside the plane. Kate Bosworth is one of them. She didn't really bring much to the role and in this scene she's mostly useless. Just flails around in the plane, has an awkward few seconds where she's just kind of stuck on the ceiling in front of a stranger, and tries to grab a pen out of the air in zero-G instead of trying to save herself. I guess that's the fault of the writers as well, though.
DeleteThe scene I used cuts it off, but I'm sure you'll recall that she passes out at the end of the scene and falls off the plane. Good thing the emergency slide was deployed. That would have been pretty terrible if Supes went to all that trouble to save her and then she falls out of the plane after it's on the ground.
Hopefully Amy Adams does a better job in the role.