Superman Returns

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Superman Returns' classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Superman Returns completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 28 June 2006.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

Extract from the OFLC decision about classification

The Classification Board report on the film, which follows, contains useful information about content.

Synopsis

Following a mysterious absence of several years, Superman comes back to Earth. An old enemy plots to render him powerless, while he faces the realisation that the woman he loves, Lois Lane , has moved on with her life.

Reasons for the decision

When making decisions the Classification Board (the Board) follows the procedures set out in the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 (the Act). The Board also applies the National Classification Code and the Classification Guidelines, while taking into account the matters set out in Section 11 of the Act.

In the Board's view this film warrants an M classification as, in accordance with Item 5 of the Films Table of the National Classification Code, it cannot be recommended for viewing by persons who are under 15.

Pursuant to the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games, this film is classified M as the impact of the classifiable elements is moderate. Material classified M is not recommended for persons under 15 years of age. There are no legal restrictions on access.

The classifiable element is violence that is moderate in viewing impact.

Violence

Throughout the film the majority of violence is mild in viewing impact however; there are scenes of violence that are moderate in viewing impact which are justified by context.

At approximately 94 minutes a henchman grabs Lois by the hair and drags her across a room. He then slams her forehead into a piece of furniture. Lois collapses to the floor.

At approximately 114 minutes Lex and his henchmen fight Superman. Superman receives an implicit kick to the stomach, he falls over and Lex then kicks him directly in the face. Riley then grabs his head and begins to grapple around his neck, choking him then throws him across the ground. Superman then tries to crawl away from the henchmen, but as he crawls away they kick him in the side repeatedly. Two henchmen then pull him to his feet and hold him on either side, as another man punches and kicks into his stomach region. The men let him fall and he tries to crawl away again, but Riley grabs him and forces his face into a puddle. There is a close up of Superman's head being forcefully held into the water with him struggling to free himself.

At 116 minutes Lex then implicitly stabs Superman in the back with a ‘kryptonite' shard, sound effects revealing the stabs. Superman then falls from a high cliff into the ocean, apparently unconscious.

Decision

In the Board's view the above scenes are moderate in viewing impact and can be accommodated at the M level of classification with the consumer advice of moderate violence.

YMA review

This review of the movie Superman Returns contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

After scientists discover traces of his homeland, Superman (Brandon Routh) goes on a personal odyssey to find Krypton. He returns five years later, with a clearer understanding of his purpose, to a much changed world, in as much in need of his help as ever before. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) is now a Pulitzer prize winning journalist, and is engaged to Perry White's (Frank Langella) nephew Richard (James Marsden). She also has a young son, Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu). Superman discovers that his alter ego, Clark Kent , has only been missed by Jimmy Olsen at his former workplace, The Daily Planet.

In the meantime, Lex Luther (Kevin Spacey), who during Superman's absence got out of jail on a technicality, has been busy using technology from Krypton to harness energy and create land masses for real estate. Furthermore, he ensures that Superman won't interfere in his schemes by developing a stock of Kryptonite. During Lex's first attempts to create a land mass, there is a widespread power shortage in Metropolis, creating chaos and putting Lois and a shuttle mission in peril. Superman is able to save the day in spectacular fashion and has his first re-encounter with a less than impressed Lois.

Back at the Daily Planet, the competing news stories of the city-wide power shortage and Superman's return become the focus for Lois, Jimmy and Clark. Following a lead and taking her son along with her, Lois correctly finds Lex Luther at the centre of the energy crisis plot and once again, is caught and at his mercy. As Lex's grand plan unfolds, risking the lives of millions of people, Superman must again face his old adversary and save the woman he loves, no matter the costs to himself.

Themes

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Natural disasters, people in danger

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie including:

• a shuttle launch off a jumbo jet goes wrong during the power failure, resulting in the plane crashing. Lois is on this plane and is unable to get strapped into her seat. Consequently, she is thrown violently about the cabin.
• during a bank robbery, the thieves use a very powerful machine gun, targeting police men and security guards. No one is seen to be hit or die. Superman stands in front of the security guards and is unharmed by the hundreds of bullets hitting his body.
• Lex's current girlfriend, is upset with Lex and slaps him in the face. This scene is depicted comically.
• after being caught attempting to send a fax to the Daily Planet for help, Lois is grabbed by the hair and dragged across a room. Her forehead is slammed into a piece of furniture and she collapses to the floor
• the same man is killed by a falling piano, although his death is not shown.
• after exposing Clark to kryptonite, Lex and his henchmen attack a much weakened Superman. He is kicked in the stomach, and directly in the face, choked and thrown across the ground.
• Superman is held by two men and punched and kicked in the stomach by another. As he tries to crawl away, his face is forced into a puddle. He struggles to free himself as his head is held under the water.
• Lex stabs Superman with a stick of kryptonite. Sound effects accompany the stabs, and Superman is seen to be in a great deal of pain.
• Superman falls from a high cliff into the ocean, apparently unconscious
• a rockfall on Lex's newly created land mass crushes three of his henchmen. Their dead bodies are not shown.

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of eight, including the following:

• Mrs Kent is alone at home one night when her home begins to shake and she appears fearful. She sees a great fireball (Superman's ship) crash-land into her farmyard.
• a plane, full of terrified journalists, including Lois Lane , crashes in flames toward the earth. As it plummets, it appears to be heading towards a crowded baseball stadium.
• the scene in which Lex uses Krypton technology to create a new land mass in the basement of his home
• during the bank robbery, a machine gun is targeted at police and security guards, who all look very fearful and try to hide.
• Kitty, Lex's girlfriend is shown to be hysterically screaming in a run away car, as it ploughs through the crowded streets of Metropolis. People are shown to be diving out of the way.
• Lois and Jason are caught by Lex and guarded and menaced by his henchmen. They appear afraid, with Jason witness to his mother being assaulted by the guard.
• Lois, Richard and Jason are trapped in a sealed boat cabin as it sinks underwater. They appear to be struggling to keep their heads above water and are distressed.
• As Lex's land mass grows out of the ocean, it causes small tidal waves and earthquakes in Metropolis, with innumerable accidents, gas leaks and fires. Many people are shown to be afraid and running for safety.
• Richard attempts to fly a plane out of a very narrow canyon, nearly crashing several times. He appears very scared.
• As Lex's new land mass starts to fall apart, there are many earthquakes and rockfalls. Lex and his sidekicks appear worried as they flee. Lex's henchmen are all killed by a large rock collapse.
• Superman lifts and flies the kryptonite-infiltrated land mass into space. This exposure greatly weakens him and he falls unconscious and heavily to the earth. He is rushed to hospital, where efforts to revive ‘a man of steel' appear largely unsuccessful.

Aged eight to thirteen

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

All of the above mentioned violent and scary scenes could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, particularly the scene in which there are tidal waves and earthquakes in Metropolis, with innumerable accidents, gas leaks and fires.

Over the age of thirteen

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children over the age of thirteen years will cope better with the violence but could still be concerned by some of the more threatening situations and violence portrayed in the movie.

Product placement

None

Sexual references

There are a couple of sexual references:

• it is implied that Lois and Superman have slept together, by Lois writing an article called “My night with Superman”
• Lois states “I've done Superman” and the comment is taken out of context

Nudity and sexual activity

None

Use of substances

One scene in which Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent go to a bar and there are patrons drinking there.

Coarse language

There is very little coarse language in this movie, including:

• one of Lex's henchmen says “Holy Sh…”, without completing the phrase
• crap.

The movie's message

Superman Returns is an action adventure movie of good versus evil. Adults and older adolescents may enjoy the action sequences and special effects, the developing love triangle storyline, and picking up on the deliberate similarities between the current version and the 70s and 80s depiction of Superman.

The main messages from this movie are good triumphing over evil, and not being afraid to live up to your potential and purpose.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

• loyalty to friends and family
• being prepared to make sacrifices in order to fulfil responsibilities
• people deserve a second chance and it's never too late to make the right choice.
• characters all played a part in stopping Lex's plan and saving each other, regardless of their powers, gender or age.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as.

• lying and breaking the law
• using violence as a means to resolve a conflict.