Superman Returns
The 2-disc special edition of Superman Returns is worthwhile, but the extras are a bit of a disappointment for those really interested in the creation of the movie and the thought processes of Bryan Singer and his writers and editors. There is no director’s commentary, nor are there any after-the-fact interviews, so no one has a chance to take a step back and tell stories of particular scenes or particular creative decisions.
There is a lengthy documentary called Requiem for Krypton, whose five parts total about three hours of behind-the-scenes footage during the preproduction and filming. The footage of the various flying rigs used to make the movie work was interesting, and Singer’s personality and filmmaking style become very clear. There is some discussion of the script itself, but that quickly goes by the wayside as sets are built and costumes designed. And plenty of sets were built – Singer was not shy about spending the money to put actual physical sets together, going so far as to plant his own corn field in Tamworth, Australia.
What you do not see are any of the editing decisions – the documentary ends when principal photography wraps. Having read the shooting script and some of the press coverage, I know that there was an extensive sequence opening the movie where Superman takes a crystal ship to the remains of Krypton that was shot and finished (but which does not appear among this disc’s deleted scenes) – I would have liked to see some of the back and forth that went into that decision. I feel like the story isn’t quite complete here. (I may be overly influenced by watching so many documentaries about the Star Wars films, given how much of those prequels were developed during editing and reshoots.)
I also noted that Robert Meyer Burnett, who wrote, directed and shot the documentary, definitely made himself a presence felt during the shooting. The fly-on-the-wall footage is intercut with various members of the production taking a moment to explain to the camera what’s going on, and Burnett can be heard asking questions of the cast and crew. Singer and some of the crew invite him along to film a small practical joke they play on the production designer, and Brandon Routh noted that the DVD crew was filming his screen test and asking a number of questions that sure sounded like he was going to be playing the role – even though Singer hadn’t told him yet that he had the part. I’m not knocking Burnett for not keeping his distance – filmmakers these days know that in part, they’re playing to the DVD audience, so I see nothing wrong with making that clear up front.
There’s also a short featurette explaining how the effects crew used footage of Marlon Brando from the 1978 movie to create Jor-El’s appearance in 2006, and a number of deleted scenes. Some of these, especially those set in Smallville, would have been welcome back in the movie. They establish that even the Kent farm isn’t much of a refuge for Clark, since Martha is planning to move to Montana with Ben Hubbard, and show Clark’s initial discovery of the editorial Lois wrote to say that the world doesn’t need Superman. Given that in the theatrical cut, the only people not completely thrilled to see Superman return are Lois and Lex Luthor, these extra scenes might have done more to establish the sense of alienation that Clark feels.
Given the lack of a commentary, at least one significant deleted scene missing, and the absence of Bryan Singer’s video journals, I can’t help but think another edition of this movie will be out on a shiny round thing before too long – whether that will all wait for a high-definition disc, or another DVD, is anyone’s guess.
