I'm pretty sure, the majority of people on the Earth have either saw, readt, or heard of Superman, by now. However, I really doubt, that most of today millennium society, have heard of the late 1990s cancelled film version of Superman call, 'Superman Lives', starring the eccentric actor, Nicolas Cage, and directed by the peculiar, Tim Burton. So, what did happen to 'Superman Lives'? This documentary by director Jon Schnepp was made, to sheds light on that. Told by personal interviews with those who work on the doom project. The whole story of what 'Superman Lives' was meant to be, was told through them, intercut with scenes of incredible never-seen-before production concept art, cool visual/special effects, great use of archive footage, amazing reenactments, and last, but not least, tons of tons of props. Indeed, this was a documentary I've been meaning to watch, since I heard about it, at Comic Con, and I finally got to see it. I do like, how the documentary approach its subject matter, it reminds me in a way, how the 2013's film, 'Jodorowsky's Dune', approached theirs. There are tons of similarities between these two movies, in the way, it was made and how it was presented. While, the documentary isn't original in its style; you really do see that Jon Schnepp put a lot of work, into this film, to make this documentary, successful. Lots of impressive research. I was also really shock that Schnepp got some really big names to be, in this film, like Tim Burton. I really thought, Burton was a very introvert person, who wasn't really willing to talk about his work on his previous films; but I guess, I was wrong. It was very surprising to see, Tim Burton, not only smile & laugh, but also share his odd sense of humor, giving a lot to say. I really did, like Schnepp's interview with Burton. The only thing, I didn't like, about it, was the lighting. The room that they were filming in, was way too dark. I'm really hoping, it wasn't on purpose, but I think, it was. Burton has known for overdoing his Gothic director gimmick. It seem like something, he would pull. In addition, there were some other info given, from some of the other crew members working on the movie at the time, like writers, Kevin Smith, Wesley Strick and Dan Gilroy. I like, how they explain, how, some of the film elements in Superman Lives was supposed to work, but I really found, the lack of detail, to be, troublesome. I'm somewhat, still confused, on how Superman Lives was supposed to play out, and what made it, differ from all the original scripts after 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, had. I was really hoping, maybe, Schnepp would bring in, more of the pre- script writers to help solve this. Still, I have to say, the three writers, the film, did get to feature; were mostly, alright. I just wish, Wesley Strick & Dan Gilroy had more time to talk, it really seem like the film focus, way too much of Kevin Smith's influences. I found, his interview to be long, and draw-out. Very prideful. However, it wasn't the only one. Producer John Peter's interview; by far, was the most entertaining part of the documentary. The hairdresser turned incredibly successful producer is so outrageous over the top, and full of himself that you can't help, being drawn to larger than life persona. You want to believe, that the man has been in over "500 street fights", really do hate giant spiders, and knows, what, best for Superman. While, he can be a bit annoying; I love, every bit that he was on screen. Even, the awkward, pause, while, I take this call, and you drink water, scene. However, it sucks that the documentary couldn't get, all the key people for this film. It would be nice to see, how key actor, Nicolas Cage or 2006's Superman Returns, director Bryan Singer, thinks about Superman Lives, now, rather than what, they thought, back then. Overall: While, I don't agree with the whole, turn Superman, gritty approach, that they were, doing. I still found myself, personally fascinated with the "what could have been" scenarios. I love, what they did with the character of Brainiac, the most. I really do, hope, he gets to be, in a Superman film, one day. First and foremost, if you're movie enthusiast, you are in for a good time with this documentary! Lots of great inform for any film student. If you're a comic book fan. This movie is a must-have. Lots of crazy fun "point/counterpoint" worth debating about. Who knows, if the film was going, to work or not. It's easy to envision the final film, just being a mess, but 'what could, been great' is also inspirational to think about. Either way, this documentary shows great insight into, what it takes to pull off an epic of this scope, and the struggle of so many people, all working on that one main goal. This is a good 'What If' documentary for sure.
This documentary is indeed flying high! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's about Superman & it's worth watching.
6 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers