Official 12" Hot Toys Superman returns Image Thread!

[VintijDroidGutzz]

In most Superman stories, it's like the explanation in Kill Bill, i am sure you have all heard it.
Superman is the antithesis of most Superheroes. He wears his own clothes as Superman, and his disguise is Clark Kent(Spiderman is Peter Parker's disguise, to view the "normal" way that a Superhero has a disguise), and the way he can do anything as Superman, but is bumbling and clumsy as Clark Kent speaks volumes for Superman's view of Humanity.
But Superman Returns was the time when that got turned on it's head and presented him as vulnerable and able to be hurt(And not just by Lex with a Kryptonite dagger), and not just an immortal god who helps out and views humanity as a flawed creation who need his help all the time.
I love Superman Returns for that.
And although i have high hopes for Cavill as Superman(And i will SO have that HT figure on pre-order as soon as it's announced), Routh is my favourite Superman. Because he portrayed the strength, but also the weakness.

Yeah, good post.

I love the film - more & more with each viewing actually, & I totally admit it's a flawed movie at the same time.

Routh was unbelievable casting - to say he was just a rip off, is being rash & dismissive. In the continuity context, the guy NAILED the role. To find someone out there, that has the ability to so lovingly pay homage to Mr Reeve's iconic portrayal - & do it scarily well.. is phenomenal to say the least.

Bosworth - CRAP! Utter crap. Utter, utter.. crap.

I've said this in other threads, but Parker Posey should've been Lois. Keeping with the continuity thing, she would've mirrored Margot Kidder's portrayal to a TEE - & transcended it! Not only that, but she's an excellent character actress, & all I can say is what a WASTED opportunity. I love Parker Posey.

Kevin spacey? Agreed - he had that duality that Gene Hackman didn't; jovial, yet unsettlingly sinister underneath - he was great with what he was given.

The story? It had merit, but was held back too. Singer was obviously so in love with the original films, that matching the feel & aesthetic for him, seemed to have taken precedence over developing the potential of what a modern day Superman film really could've been.

All in all - I'm still a fan, & I'd definitely be on board for an accurate update to the 2006 HT figure.

 

[Username]

Yeah, good post.

I love the film - more & more with each viewing actually, & I totally admit it's a flawed movie at the same time.

Thanks.
And i agree.
Although i liked the CR Superman movies when i was a kid, i can't really watch them as an adult. The visual of Reeves in still images is good, but the movies seem a bit hokey.
As for SR.
My personal view and subsequent enjoyment of any movie usually has little if anything to do with the movie itself. It's the general sense of the movie. The ideas put forth by the movie makers, even if only hinted at. For this reason, i love the Iron Man movies because Tony has access to super fast realtime manufacturing of even the tiniest parts(And an AI to take care of the donkey work of making sure the parts work first time).
I don't love Superman Returns because of what we got to see in the movie(There are some incredible scenes, and the visuals on this movie must have made Richard Donner wish he has access to these effects back in the day), but instead, i love Superman Returns for things that were merely hinted at or shown without explanation. The line about Superman zipping across the globe travelling at close to the speed of light. The visual of him floating in space listening to EVERYTHING happening on the planet(I often think about lines from the comic books when watching the Bryan Singer Superman, and nothing seems more poigniant than the "All Star Superman" line that Superman can see radiowaves, which helps him zero in on people in trouble), The ease with which he slowly drops a passenger jet on the diamond of a baseball field, but the several near-disasters of things he tried but which didn't work on the way down(Am i the only one who worries about where the wings fell to earth?), showing that, sure, he has super strength and can fly fast, but he can make mistakes like anyone.
These and countless other things are what makes Superman Returns something i will always have on my iPad for times of boredom.

Routh was unbelievable casting - to say he was just a rip off, is being rash & dismissive. In the continuity context, the guy NAILED the role. To find someone out there, that has the ability to so lovingly pay homage to Mr Reeve's iconic portrayal - & do it scarily well.. is phenomenal to say the least.

Yes.
The pain in his eyes when he's getting beat up, and also when Lois tells Richard that she doesn't love Superman(Which neither Richard OR Kal-El realise is a lie).
I put it to everyone reading this. Having the powers of Superman might seem to be something to be coveted but, if you could hear everything that everyone said anywhere on Earth, would you really want the powers?
It would really be a curse more than a blessing, and i got that feeling from Routh in his acting.
Anyway. I have rambled anough.
Suffice to say i do like the movie, and see Routh as my definitive Superman.
I just wish we had a decent Routh headsculpt.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Didn't know there's this much love for Superman Returns. Thought I was the only one

Yeah, good post.

I love the film - more & more with each viewing actually, & I totally admit it's a flawed movie at the same time.

Routh was unbelievable casting - to say he was just a rip off, is being rash & dismissive. In the continuity context, the guy NAILED the role. To find someone out there, that has the ability to so lovingly pay homage to Mr Reeve's iconic portrayal - & do it scarily well.. is phenomenal to say the least.

Bosworth - CRAP! Utter crap. Utter, utter.. crap.

I've said this in other threads, but Parker Posey should've been Lois. Keeping with the continuity thing, she would've mirrored Margot Kidder's portrayal to a TEE - & transcended it! Not only that, but she's an excellent character actress, & all I can say is what a WASTED opportunity. I love Parker Posey.

Kevin spacey? Agreed - he had that duality that Gene Hackman didn't; jovial, yet unsettlingly sinister underneath - he was great with what he was given.

The story? It had merit, but was held back too. Singer was obviously so in love with the original films, that matching the feel & aesthetic for him, seemed to have taken precedence over developing the potential of what a modern day Superman film really could've been.

All in all - I'm still a fan, & I'd definitely be on board for an accurate update to the 2006 HT figure.

Couldn't of said it better! This is exactly how I feel. Bosworth was probably the only real issue I had with the film ( and the kid). She was a terrible choice for Lois but Routh was excellent!

 

[jedijim3002]

I can't get enough if these discussions. I don't have HT Reeve but I do have HT Routh Superman. Not because I hate the original movies or the actor but because of love Superman Returns more. The look of the costume is far superior IMHO. I just look at the old suit and see a comic book not a realistic version of my favorite DC character.

Now I know some people will probably disagree with me but I hope my opinions won't be nit picked. I think the progression of these from comic to film is metaphoric and chronological.

Batman and superman literal comic interpretation is 60's batman and superman the movie. Same campy cheesy characterizations.

Batman 89 and superman returns gives the characters a depth and a real grounding.

Dark Knight Trilogy and hopefully The Man of steel gives a darkness and brooding level of realism to these great characters worlds.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Fair enough - but I see the Reeve suit as the quintessential Superman look. It's timeless.

It doesn't need to be jazzed up with a smaller neck line, smaller S chest emblem, an 'S' on his belt monkey1), moon boots, & dulled down red sections, to be any more valid - honestly.

The Routh suit is cool - hence me wanting a 2.0 HT figure.. but I don't see it as an improvement by any stretch. I'm having a hard enough time trying to get my head around the new Cavill outfit.

 

[Gipetto0812]

anything Superman, I flatout love it!

I do live the Returns suit besides the S emblem on the belt. But Reeve's suit is the classic all around Superman suit so you gotta love it. I even love the Dean Cain suit.

But I did have to get use to Cavils suit no doubt but after seeing the trailer, the SDCC footage, and the displayed suits of Superman, JorEl and Faora at the Lisencing Expo, I love the designs!

But Superman Returns was my first theatrical Superman experience and it was a great one. my GF at the time said that I had this look like a kid seeing superman for the first time. it had that kind of impact on me while watching. For those reasons, right now, Routh is my superman...could change with Henry Cavil though...have to wait until next summer to find out

 

[jedijim3002]

That's awesome bro. I saw superman the movie in the theatre when it came out as a kid. I was blown away. It was my favorite movie forever. Then I grew up, a bit, and saw all the cringe worthy moments. Then I thought, I'll share it with my kids. "This is boring" They said. Blasphemy!

 

[**16k**]

I've never understood the hate for Superman Returns...

... so you can count me among the ones who like it, though I'm certainly biased as Superman kicks all the other super heroes IMHO.

So sure, the movie has flaws and all the points that have been made above sound valid to me.

What's funny is when I saw Bosworth had been cast as Lois, I was totally happy because I thought "finally, they give us a gorgeous Lois Lane"... and in the end, ended up hating her: beautiful but bland.

For me, the greatest flaw in the movie was the atmosphere. They wanted to give it an out-of-time look so that the period couldn't be exactly pinpointed I guess, but the result was that the movie looks grey and depressing when Superman should be hope.

Yeah, Routh and Spacey wre good though it's gotta be hard to play those parts after Reeve and Rosenbaum who will be Superman and Luthor in the mind of people for a very long time.

When I saw the direction they'd chosen to go for MOS, my first feeling was: fail, fail, fail! Bad outfit, bad Lois, fed up with the Nolan style, but come to think of it, making it radically different is probably the only way to go if they want people to forget the Donner Supes...

... so whether they fail or not, I know I'm still happy Singer had his take on this, and I'd have hoped he might go to the end of his vision. There was a synopsis of what he had in mind for the sequel (must be somewhere buried deep in the MOS thread) and if that was legit, that would have made a hell of a movie, making Jason an interesting plot twist and all. Too bad it'll never get made.

 

[Rorywan]

The only thing I dislike about Returns is Bosworth and some of the FX are awful. Especially as its such a recent movie.
Routh was amazing. Spacey was ok.

 

[a-dev]

The only things I like about it are Routh, the plane sequence and the reuse of John Williams theme. Everything else Do Not Want. Used to be OK with the suit but I went off it and started to agree with the criticisms in the end - the opposite course that others took I'm sure.

 

[**16k**]

The only things I like about it are Routh, the plane sequence and the reuse of John Williams theme. Everything else Do Not Want. Used to be OK with the suit but I went off it and started to agree with the criticisms in the end - the opposite course that others took I'm sure.

No, same here about the suit. First I was "what's the fuss about it" but now I realize I like the original too much to go with any modified suit. That's the reason why I have so much trouble with the snyder suit

 

[a-dev]

No, same here about the suit. First I was "what's the fuss about it" but now I realize I like the original too much to go with any modified suit. That's the reason why I have so much trouble with the snyder suit

I like the texture of the Returns suit, even the colours. But the symbol-resizing, the different cut of the suit overall was unnecessary.

The Reeve suit given the texture and colours of the Returns suit might have been better. I love the Reeve suit but it might look a bit too 'Fathers For Justice' pyjama-type for a modern film if it were kept exactly as it is/was

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Tasteful changes are fine.. but trying to reinvent the wheel?



Russ-El's outfit for instance - looks MOTU-ish.

 

[jedijim3002]

The new suit is growing on me. Jury is still out. It's hard to let go of the things we hold dear. I still cling to the original even though its way dated and the underwear is too high.

 

[Iceberg66]

Very nice. Good thinking.
I might try that.
Have you had your face repainted? the paint app on mine looks nowhere near that good...

Thank you, Username.
Yes, I repainted the face, but involved numerous of tryout to achieve this.
I repaint the eyebrow, had the eyeball bigger & thicken the lip.
I am still not satisfy the eyebrow, but I told myself not to touch the face again.

 

[Username]

Thank you, Username.
Yes, I repainted the face, but involved numerous of tryout to achieve this.
I repaint the eyebrow, had the eyeball bigger & thicken the lip.
I am still not satisfy the eyebrow, but I told myself not to touch the face again.

Well done. It looks incredible.
I have *never* seen that sculpt look so much like Routh.
Do you have any pics of the WIP?

 

[Iceberg66]

Well done. It looks incredible.
I have *never* seen that sculpt look so much like Routh.
Do you have any pics of the WIP?

No pics, pal .
I am not that skillful, so didn't prepare any WIP pics. As I said, I tried out many times. I was hoping some custom company like headplay or Cian toys to produce this Routh superman sculpt soon. I wish

 

[Username]

No pics, pal .
I am not that skillful, so didn't prepare any WIP pics. As I said, I tried out many times. I was hoping some custom company like headplay or Cian toys to produce this Routh superman sculpt soon. I wish

Actually. I have both of the "Routh" Headsculpts and till i saw that one of yours above, i would have sworn blind, in a court of law, that it looks NOTHING like Routh...
Saying that, yours is a dead ringer.
Also, the other sculpt, from the 2-in-1 version, i have on the top shelf of my detolf and the way the light hits it there, it looks a fair bit like Routh.
It's just a matter of angles.
If i could work out a way to get an accurate sculpt of Routh, i reckon it would sell like hot cakes.

On a slightly different subject, has anyone reading this ever removed the 2-in-1 version's suit?
I just picked that body up and wanted to stick a TTM19 body in there with thigh pads.
and when i flipped the cape up i found that the suit is two-piece instead of a zip up the back.
I don't want to damage it.
Has anyone ever removed the suit?
Can it be done?
Info would be very handy.

 

[jedijim3002]

Yes. There are several of us up here who have successfully removed the suit. My way wasn't the most pretty. I cut mine from the belt to the middle of the shoulder blades. I was then able to fold the body and slide it out of the suit. Once I replaced the body with a reeve superman I glued it back together overlapping the seam. I would like to go back and put snaps in for easy removal.

 

[Username]

Yes. There are several of us up here who have successfully removed the suit. My way wasn't the most pretty. I cut mine from the belt to the middle of the shoulder blades. I was then able to fold the body and slide it out of the suit. Once I replaced the body with a reeve superman I glued it back together overlapping the seam. I would like to go back and put snaps in for easy removal.

I recall seeing yours before. The larger thighs on yours were an inspiration to me to do the same on mine.
I have to say i can't bring myself to cut it. But it looks like the top and bottom of the costume are already separated.
Does the belt come apart easily enough?