Wherein it really wasn't his fault...
Having just rewatched Superman Returns again on GO! over the weekend (that in itself was a surprise; when was the last time you watched a movie on free-to-air TV?!) I came to a number of conclussions.
Firstly, it wasn't all that bad a film; yes, director Singer got far too nostalgic for the Donner/Reeve predecessors, and yes it was a little too disjointed plot wise, and yes Superman should've been dubbed Stalkerman, but overall, still an enjotable film for a popcorn flick.
Secondly, I realised that I'd given the lead Mr Routh far too much grief when I first saw his portrayal...
One of the reasons I didn't like the film the first time I saw it was I couldn't empathise with Supe; Routh's protrayal seemed cold and unemotional. Mind you, this of course was offset that he was a nicely toned young man dressed in a full body spandex suit, but not by much.
On the second watching I relaised that I had been harsh. It's very easy to blame an actor for a bad portrayal, but sometimes you have to remind yourself that they are sometimes under direct instruction to act in a particular way; anyone who saw the Star Wars prequesls knows that the actors are all that bad!
When next I saw him, Mr Routh is one of Scott Pilgrim's foils, and (despite the bleach job) I liked him much better. I think the direction for this was far more relaxed, and the gravatis of the role he played before was non-existant, and he got to enjoy the job. I think Mr Routh is far better suited to the comedic roles, which I think he's also realised. By the look and feel of his next film, Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, he seems to be a lot more comfortable in a role that is the straight man to the classic comedic dichotomy.
And of course, there's the bod. Not exactly the mass that I prefer, but I guess you can't have everything. Not that I'm complaining; I just wonder if he got to keep the suit...
