I did enjoy this documentary. It interviews some great visionaries, craftsmen and filmmakers and it was a treat to see how they think and their creative process. The issue I had with it though, is that after watching the documentary you end up wanting to know more, much much more. Instead of taking a proper dive into what really killed 'Superman Lives' it merely scratches the surface and goes on (a lot) about the art and design of creatures, monsters, costumes and that famous S on the chest. The documentary maker had all these amazing people at his finger tips - but yet the audience gets none the wiser to what actually happened, and what a Super gem of a movie this could actually have been! We're being slightly teased.
The Superhero movie that could've been sounds quite extraordinary and very 'out there' - actually it sounds absolutely bonkers! And with the team ready to start filming there must have been a proper storyline and interesting character arcs. A whole other level to build on for the documentary. But unfortunately the it sticks to talking mostly about design and the production of monsters and suits. Waste of potential. We get to know a little bit about which actor/actress were planned for some of the parts. And we get to see glimpses of an outstanding Nic Cage, owning the movie entirely through archive footage. I give the movie a 6/10 because it is slightly above mediocre. Listening to Tim Burton and Kevin Smith is always a pleasure. And all of the people being interviewed brings something worthwhile to the table. The old footage of Cage trying on suits is worth the movie alone. But in the end the film kinda drags on, and I really don't feel like seeing more creature designs or hear about spiders.
Along the way you get a feeling for this flick and starts imagining how cool it could've been, you suddenly have so many questions. But the documentary answers a mere few. Which in my eyes is such a fail. It is obvious that everyone involved had a vision and a great passion to make this movie. When the end finally comes it's a bit of a let down. The death of this weird Superman project deserved more than a 5 minute round up at the very end - just quickly letting us know why the plug was pulled, and sort of by who.
The 'what happened?' at the end of the documentary title suggests it will spill the beans once and for all. But it fails to deliver on this promise. If you are into art and design, and specially movie fan art - watch this and you shall be happy. If you're into documentaries about movies and also want to see entertaining behind the scenes with the one and only Nicholas Cage (with superb hair it has to be added) - then watch this and you'll have a good time. Just don't expect to learn much more than the simple fact that someone in Hollywood made us all miss out on a Burton-esque hell of a Super ride! I think we already knew that....
The Superhero movie that could've been sounds quite extraordinary and very 'out there' - actually it sounds absolutely bonkers! And with the team ready to start filming there must have been a proper storyline and interesting character arcs. A whole other level to build on for the documentary. But unfortunately the it sticks to talking mostly about design and the production of monsters and suits. Waste of potential. We get to know a little bit about which actor/actress were planned for some of the parts. And we get to see glimpses of an outstanding Nic Cage, owning the movie entirely through archive footage. I give the movie a 6/10 because it is slightly above mediocre. Listening to Tim Burton and Kevin Smith is always a pleasure. And all of the people being interviewed brings something worthwhile to the table. The old footage of Cage trying on suits is worth the movie alone. But in the end the film kinda drags on, and I really don't feel like seeing more creature designs or hear about spiders.
Along the way you get a feeling for this flick and starts imagining how cool it could've been, you suddenly have so many questions. But the documentary answers a mere few. Which in my eyes is such a fail. It is obvious that everyone involved had a vision and a great passion to make this movie. When the end finally comes it's a bit of a let down. The death of this weird Superman project deserved more than a 5 minute round up at the very end - just quickly letting us know why the plug was pulled, and sort of by who.
The 'what happened?' at the end of the documentary title suggests it will spill the beans once and for all. But it fails to deliver on this promise. If you are into art and design, and specially movie fan art - watch this and you shall be happy. If you're into documentaries about movies and also want to see entertaining behind the scenes with the one and only Nicholas Cage (with superb hair it has to be added) - then watch this and you'll have a good time. Just don't expect to learn much more than the simple fact that someone in Hollywood made us all miss out on a Burton-esque hell of a Super ride! I think we already knew that....