This is what the next Superman will look like, courtesy of Brian Singer's upcoming film Superman Returns.
I looked at this picture for a bit, wrote some fan-boy entries on a discussion forum about comics, came back to the picture, wrote some more, couldn't figure out why I really, really don't like it, but then I finally figured it out. See, body types go in and out of style. We can see that really clearly with women's bodies. One decade, we want big boobs and hips, the next we want waifs, the next we want muscled warrior-babes. The trend in men's bodies' right this second is the gymnast-going-on-ballet-dancer look. It's muscled, fit, and totally without body fat, but it's also boyish. Thin neck, not too-wide shoulders, and definatley not the barrel chest of yesteryear.
Too bad that's not what Superman looks like and has neer looked like. Too bad Singer has decided to go with an actor who has the (let's face it) almost androgynous look that oh-so stylish right now. 'Cause, you see, the Superman costume is designed, consciously or not, for the "big, strappin' lad" body. Without the thick neck and the huge chest and shoulders, he's just some skinny kid in tights. The reason that the iconic S-sheild look so dinky in that shot is that it's sitting on a chest that's too small. Routh isn't just too young for the role (especially so considering that the plot is that Superman returns to Earth after several years absence and finds that the whole planet has moved on); he's just too damn little.
Posted by orion at April 24, 2005 4:38 PM