The Death of Superman Lives

Being a big Superman fan, “Superman Lives” was a movie that I followed along the making of as the news was breaking back in the 1990’s. Back then, the Internet wasn’t close to the force it is now and a lot of my info came from magazine articles. This was a project that I couldn’t believe was happening, because it had certain parties involved that I felt were totally wrong for this reboot. I had grown particularly disappointed with Tim Burton and his films, and the fact that he wanted to cast Nicolas Cage as Superman was something that I felt was a complete misstep with the iconic character.

Jon Schnepp’s new documentary goes deep into the production process to find out exactly what was the plan for this big screen, giant budget superhero epic. What direction were they heading in, where were some of the problems they faced, and ultimately, why was this movie never finished?

Schnepp asks the right questions that are not too hard hitting or “inside baseball” for the casual viewer, and you can tell that he’s a true fan of the property, and it’s stunning how much access he was able to get his hands on. The behind the scenes footage is absolutely amazing. Kevin Smith manages to repeat the story he’s told hundreds of times, but still keeps it amusing Jon Peters and Tim Burton also provide fantastic insight into their process of trying to bring this story to the screen.

Theres not a lot of dramatic elements to the story, but this is great look inside the blueprint for putting together a blockbuster superhero franchise. It also shows the struggles of an artist to strive for thier vision while having to satisfy multiple different factions in the Hollywood movie making machine. It’s shows that Marvel Studios are practically pulling off miracles with their successes, and why some filmmakers may not want to play in the superhero sandbox.

A fantastic behind the scenes documentary about what could’ve been within the Superman legacy.