Thomas Drufke
I've been a fan of Jon Schnepp for a long time. I've watched him on AMC/Collider Movie talk for years now. In the world of comic-book "sweaties", he is the cream of the crop. The man's knowledge spans decades and just about every comic-book character you can possibly imagine. But he also has background knowledge in filmmaking and animation, so I trust him his ability in more than one area. The fact that he made a documentary about the failure of one of the most mysterious superhero projects of all time, "Superman Lives", was immensely intriguing.I'm not entirely sure why it took me so long to sit down and check it out, however. I preordered the blu-ray the day it became available, but I just kept forgetting to watch it. Well, I'm glad I finally did. "The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?" is one of the most fascinating films I have ever seen. Schnepp devoted years to figure out what kind of a film this was going to be and why in the world it didn't happen. The final product definitely gives you a visual and thematic idea of this film, but perhaps more time could have been taken to tackle why it didn't happen.The amount of information that Schnepp was able to gather whilst delivering it at a brilliant pace is uncanny. Chris Rock as Jimmy Olsen? Courteney Cox, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, or Sandra Bullock as Lois Lane? Not to mention the legitimate casting of Nicolas Cage as Superman? This is information that the casual comic-book fan probably didn't know, and Schnepp covers it all. But it isn't just the obscure casting, it's the enormous spider, the version of Lex and Brainiac combining, or the idea of Superman not flying are all things that were considered by producers for the failed film. Pretty much everything about the comic was flipped or altered for this film.I think this documentary is important to keep in mind, especially considering how lucky we are in this age of superhero films. A film this strange and this much of a departure from the comic, would never be made today. At the same time, this documentary made me immeasurably interested in how big of a bomb this movie could have been. I want to see this film. I know it will never happen, but I would totally be down to see this insane project. Ultimately, practical reasons, including a spiraling budget, ruined the film's chances. But this could have been an all-time guilty-pleasure. 3 weeks from production!Overall, I learned a ton of random knowledge with Schnepp's documentary. I also learned that just because someone is in position of power (Jon Peters), doesn't mean they know what's right. I'm sorry but some of the decisions that Peters and some of the other higher-ups were going to make, were horrendous. But in the end, it serves as a fascinating tale of "what could have been". Sure, there are so many questionable aspects to this film that taint the idea at first thought, but man this could have been something special. Special props to Jon Schnepp for making a kicka** documentary.+Schnepp and Kevin Smith kill it+Insightfully insane ideas+Not your ordinary DOC9.0/10
MovieHoliks
I have been after this movie FOR-ever, and FINALLY get to see it off Showtime over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend! First off; with movies you have such high anticipation for, you generally think you're going to be let down. Let me tell you right now, this was even better than I hoped it would be!In 1996, a chain of events took off that would lead to everyone from Kevin Smith (as a screenwriter), Tim Burton (as the director), Nicolas Cage (as the "Man of Steel" himself), etc.. attempting to create what would've been the next big Super hero franchise following in the aftermath of the mega-successful Warner Bros. Batman series. But low & behold, we all know now it didn't happen; well, at least, not for another decade, and with a whole other group of folks involved. I was mesmerized by this film from beginning to end, and was reminded of two other recent documentaries I saw about failed attempts at film-making (behind the scenes)- "Jodorowsky's Dune" and "Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau". In fact, Stanley himself is one of the major interviewees in this film, as he was in the "Dune" film. After watching this film about what described could've been one of the most amazing super hero films ever made, I think to the more recent "Superman Returns" and "Man of Steel" and think to myself- bleck! Oh well, at least we have THIS film we can now all watch and think about what could've been, as maybe something more creative future film-making endeavors can strive for..?? On a side-note: One thing though about this film. Maybe a little bit of a *SPOILER* alert? There is mention of Courtney Cox playing Lois Lane, Jim Carrey as "Brainiac", Michael Keaton making a cameo as Batman; however, when all these events were unfolding I "thought" i had heard that Jack Nicholson was in talks or being considered to play Lex Luthor- ?? There is no mention of him in this film; in fact, Kevin Spacey, who would of course ultimately play him in the 2006 film, is being considered for the role.
ironhorse_iv
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.
