 "Super Reader" | 2008-08-07 |
| - Reviewed By bluetyson |
Too much Lois.
That is basically the problem with this story, in the majority. For something that carries the title Superman Returns, it lives up to that for not quite the first third.
After that it is 'what Lois Lane thinks about Superman Returns, along with being married, having a kid, and not wanting to interview him'. This probably works better in book form than movie, where it is considerably more tedious, though.
The other problem is that it is almost the same story again, Clark goes to Metropolis, gets job, and Lex Luthor hatches crazed real estate devastation plot. In 20 years or so you'd think a different story would be achievable. Or at least adapt one of the good ones already out there.
None of that is Wolfman's fault though, and he does a pretty fair job with pretty ordinary material.
Around a 3.25 I think.
3.5 out of 5 |
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 "Supes" | 2007-12-26 |
| - Reviewed By pilgrimspride |
| When I was a kid, I went to Our Savior's in town here a church that worships Superman as a living god. The whole idea is that you take care of the kids all day and get fat and depressed. My friend and cousin still goes there and we almost got into a fight every time. The idea of Superman returning after over a decade of absence sold movie tickets and once again returns Supes to his origins as a gothic character. From what I recall, he had lost all his powers and all he could do was fly. Doomsday was Lex Luther, and he beat him up so bad he was retarded in The Death of Supermam, both Supes and Doomsday kill each other. Then four imposters appear claiming to be Superman. The cyborg WAS Superman. THEY teach you how to be successful. It's very serious because it's expensive. Pilgrim teaches you how to be smart. That's how wars are started- one person doesn't get another's other religion even if it's just a different branch of Lutheran. But I went there in the early 90s and one day they said I was too old for this. I don't know about the idea of worshipping Superman as a god but that mode of thinking is 50 years behind and it has a lot of good Christian values. The whole concept of Superman is a Christian moral lesson. It's really creepy. |
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| "I Gave the Movie 5 Stars and the Book was Even Batter!" | 2007-09-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: ATKQLQ3NLFW1H |
| People are going to say I'm wierd, but I they shouldn't bother. I already know and I'm not troubled by it. I own the novelizations of a lot of my favorite movies so I think I'm enough of an authority to say that they're hardly ever any good. If nothing else, a book of a movie should do what the movie can't and relate exactly what the characters are thinking and feeling. My copy of Superman Returns is worn out through use. My brother's read it, my sister's read it twice, and, though I almost never read a book more than once (unless it's a comic and therefore not really considered READING), I read it four times. (I'd read it again but I have a stack of unread books on my dresser) For me, this book really hit the spot and here are some of reasons why. For the sake of length, the movie couldn't really go into what exactly Superman found on the other end of his trek into space or give you more insight into Jor-El and Lara as they prepare to make their son Krypton's only refugee on that fateful last day; this book does that and more! Here, Superman is unsure and vulnerable. But he is also strong and you see why he inspires people. It was great to see Martha Kent's reaction to her son's return and Superman's bewilderment at the changes in the world. Some of the highlights, though, are Superman's reaction to Lois' fiance, Richard White, what Richard thinks of him, Kitty Kowalski's meeting with Superman, and the confrontation with Lex Luthor toward the end which was a bit rougher than in the movie (PG-13 rating) and all the better for it. Another plus was that the story was still interesting to me even after seeing the movie, partly because the story was slightly different. Between the issues with Martha Kent and the farm, the only subtle hints about the origin of Jason White, and Lex Luthor's intensity as he does his own dirty work toward the end (and enjoys it--thoroughly) the book manages to slightly surpass the movie in suspense via the changes. I can't decide which version I like better but I'm glad the movie played out the way it did. Still, this review, like all of mine, only reflects MY opinion which seems to be consistently wierd so buy it and see for yourself. Enjoy! |
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 "Different from movie-SPOILERS" | 2006-10-29 |
| - Reviewed By biffbifferman |
| This is better than the movie because it does not establish that the kid is Superman's son, it is Lois' husband. Unfortunately, this forces Lois to be the killer of her brute assailant using leverage. This unabridged version gives all the characters back story, even the ones you already know all of their back story. It retreads the same ground for those just starting to follow this franchise, so there, it drags. It gives Luthor proper due. It's revealed he was the one who baited Superman to go in search of Krypton where he was supposed to die. Good audio, great for long car trips. |
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| "Superman redeems himself once again" | 2006-10-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3G5TBQBG9HQ16 |
When I heard about a new Superman film, I just hoped that it was able do better than Superman 3 and 4. To tell the truth, I've never seen the movie, but wanted to. Wolfman's writing was gripping and the character depth he put in gave more to the story. This novelization adds to the legendary Superman mythos.
This is a must-have for film novelizations readers and Superman fans
PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| "Bonus scenes & differing plot points from the film make for compelling reading" | 2006-08-29 |
| - Reviewed By joepauljr |
Marv Wolfman writes fast-paced, involving comic-book stories, so I expected his paperback adaptation of the new Superman film to be solid and enjoyable. And it generally turned out to be so. Here are a few notable aspects of this fast, entertaining read:
The sequence depicting Superman exploring the remains of Krypton, excised from the film, is here in all its glory, and it's a nicely realized bit. With luck, we'll eventually get to see it in a future extended cut of the film.
A little awkward are the flashback scenes fleshing out Superman's parents' life on Krypton in the days before they rocketed their son to Earth. We see Lara negotiating her salary to work as an assistant to Jorel (before she fell in love with him), and, later, her painting and decorating baby Kal-El's bedroom. Those scenes were a little too mundane and Earthlike to me, not like a strange alien culture at all. And how in the world do you paint a bedroom made of crystal, anyway? While most of Mr. Wolfman's added background scenes were fine, these and a few others were a little off.
The novel adds a very interesting plot point showing clearly that it was Lex Luthor who tricked Superman into going on that five-year jaunt to explore the remains of Krypton. As described in the novelization, it was Earth's scientists who discovered the remains of Krypton, but it was Luthor who planted false information in the press that there was a chance that some life still existed on the planet's burned out remains. It was Luthor's false information that made Superman have to see for himself what was out there across the galaxy. That makes the tragedy of Superman losing Lois to Richard even more, well... tragic, as Superman leaving Earth for all that time was essentially needless. I don't know whether this plot point was originally slated for inclusion in the movie or whether it was a Wolfman addition to the novel, but I thought it was terrific and effective.
As pointed out by others, the movie's big revelation about Lois' son Jason is not in the novel, making me think it was a last-minute addition to the movie story and there wasn't time to add it to the novelization. Otherwise, it's kind of cheesy that the information was held back from book buyers. This plot difference makes the novel even more tragic than the movie, as the novel's story depicts a Lex Luthor who tricks Superman into leaving Lois Lane, who eventually goes off and has a child with someone else. In the movie, Superman will, at the very least, always share the "Jason" connection with Lois.
The rest of the novelization follows the movie pretty closely, with some odd exceptions (I'm thinking here of Jimmy Olsen's heavy drinking and public drunkenness in the book-- I'm not kidding!). In the end, though, those who enjoy reading the occasional movie novelization either before or after seeing the film in question will likely find favor with this pleasantly engaging book. |
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| "SUPER!" | 2006-08-26 |
| - Reviewed By rachanasar |
| My only objection to it is that it didn't follow the movie in some places. Example: there was never given any reason for the boy to be Superman's son. |
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| "Superhero Novels just don't land..." | 2006-08-25 |
| - Reviewed By rcj67 |
| Superman Returns is "OK"...but frankly, it's like reading a comic book without the pictures. I've read the Batman series and other Superman/Superhero stuff. Some are pretty good but most just don't hook me. Especially screen play adaptations. Superman comes off a bit too human and vulnerable in this current edition. Lex Luthor is done well. Typical wack-o who's once again going to take over the world but doesnt quite pull it off. Lois Lane is still the high strung outta-my-way ace reporter..this time with a twist. Jimmy Olson is still a goofball. Perry White still has a temper. Its fun to read and not at all strapped with long winded dialog and conversation. Lots of opportunity for visualization. |
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| "An extremely fitting continuation for the man of steel!!!!" | 2006-06-15 |
| - Reviewed By padawan23 |
| Compared to the garbage of Superman 3 and 4, this is a great story and does keep the essence that is Superman intact and takes it to a bit more serious level. Finally, a story with heart, just like the original 1978 film. Highly recommended!! |
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| "Good but not great" | 2006-06-06 |
| - Reviewed By philmcompany |
This book is easy to read. I finished it in a day and overall I enjoyed the story, though there were a few things that I didn't think worked too well. I really enjoyed the history pieces about Krypton. That'd make a fascinating story in itself.
Here are my initial reactions: (WARNING! Spoilers ahead...)
1. I was surprised that Superman and Lex Luthor have so few scenes together - and that all of their time together was clumped in just a couple of chapters near the very end. I thought it was obvious that Luthor planted the fake story about Krypton still having life in an effort to divert Superman away from Earth.
2. There were a lot of pieces of dialogue that appear as direct quotes from the 1978 movie. This is not bad. In fact, it's a nice touch in a lot of ways but after a while I started wondering if the writers were afraid to create new "classic" lines instead reusing the old ones. I don't know how many of those lines will make it into the final release of the movie.
3. I expected some closure with Superman and Lois Lane but the story really only progresses their relationship a small bit. The stuff with Jason (where I think it's pretty obvious that he's really Superman's son) goes unresolved - though they hint at something that should be continued in the sequel. I'm referring here to the scene where Lois visits Superman in the hospital and tells him something private but we as an audience don't get to read what she tells him.
4. I was surprised at how little there was of Superman actually in action. Sure, there are a few great action scenes, but for the most part Superman/Clark Kent is a bystander, watching the story unfold. The story seems to be more of a soap opera about the world he lives in and not so much a character-driven piece.
With that being said, I'm looking very forward to the movie. I'm sure that the few action pieces described in the novel will look fantastic on the big screen. I know not to expect very much from the "love story" now. When Bryan Singer was making the movie he described it as a love story but after reading it, I found very little love in it. I would describe it as more of a story about Superman wanting to reclaim his life after going off on a mission to find where he fits in with the universe. I think my wife will be disappointed that it's not a love story when she sees it next month.
So overall I'd say it was a good story but not great. Nothing really surprising happened in the story for me but it felt great to return to that 1978 feeling. In a lot of ways the story felt like you just finished watching SUPERMAN 1 and 2 and then picked up with this. More than anything, this movie feels like it's setting up a lot of plot lines that will be resolved in the next movie.
I hope with future stories they take some chances and throw some surprises. This story feels like a transition piece - serving to bridge the old movies with the sequels that will come out in a few years. |
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