Superman Returns- Research Task

Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film based on the DC comics character superman.

Media Representations

In this superhero film Superman returns depicts a life of a man born with supernatural powers in a small town and was raised by humans, however after disappearing for 5 years he returns to his hometown and since he's been gone crime has risen in the city of Metropolis and beyond.Coming back to see his arched enemy using superman;s technological secrets for his own personal gain and glory. The representations of the characters within this film is very clear using Vladmir Propp's theory as it indicates superman being the hero as he saves lives and protects his loved ones. He is presented in a manner which allows people to look at to him for instance children would be able to adapt to an idol which causes good rather than bad.
Another character which is part of Vladmir Propp's character theory is Lex Luthor, he plays a vital part in this film as he is represented as a villain and an enemy towards the hero as he struggles against the hero and tries to take over from him. He is represented as a powerful, deceiving as he sets people in the wrong path to get what he wants. The third character being represented is Lois Lane who is superman's ex-girlfriend and swears to protect her and her son from Luthor's evil plans, and she is represented as the princess in propp's character theory.
The representations of the 3 characters connote stereotypical views upon the way they are represented for example superman is the protagonist and this shows a patriarchal view as men as regarded as hero's and protectors. As well as him being represented as a white middle class male it shows he has authority and this can be seen through the film using various cinematography to create a superior look towards the audience which allows them to be able to relate.Lex Luthor is represented as a villain and plays a deuleragonist character as well as an antagonist as he opposes the protagonist and tries to kill him. He is also a male and from the same class as superman and this gives the storyline more stereotypical view as it showcases the good vs evil storyline and entices the audiences to watch more. Lois Lane is represented as the femme fatale character as it connotes her to be inferior to superman as she protected and she is regarded as side-hand of the protagonist and stays with him throughout his mission.

Media Languages and Forms

Superman is shown as very powerful through the way he is portrayed using various camera angles which connotes different emotions and conveys a meaning to the audience. The setting is shown as a busy city which connotes importance as it is a place where the hero saves them from the evil of Lex Luthor.
The director conveys different messages through using high key lighting when showing superman thus connoting his power and being the hero and when the villain is show (Lex Luthor) low key lighting is used to connote the evilness thus creating an enigma . The camera angle used within this film varies as most of them indicate and connect superman being superior as they show in a high angle looking down at earth making him look powerful, which works with his body language as he is positioned as being a high status rather than the villain who is portrayed as weak.
The costumes used within this film are very unique for example superman's costume can only be seen him wearing it and this shows his individuality and importance which allows the audience to notice who the protagonist. Lex Luthor's costumes unlike superman's aren't so bright and stand out rather his are quite dull and dark which shows his character being the villain and the evil one thus showing he's less significant to superman.
Within this film both diegetic and non-diegetic sound can be heard for example and both create suspense towards the audience which creates an enigma for example when superman flies with Lois the music becomes mellow, however whenever Lothor is shown the sound becomes dark which emphasis on the evil character and creates an atmosphere. This allows the audience to create their own prospective of the characters as the sound allows them to notice the good and bad people. The language used within this film is quite formal for example as Lex Luthor is rich the way he speaks to other people is quite snobby and looks down at them which makes him look powerful, however this is not true and giving him that status allows the audience to see his evil character.

NarrativeIn Superman Returns the narrative is structured in a way that the audience is able to understand for example using Tvzentan Todorov theory of narrative this film is well organised as it begins with the return of the glorious superman (the hero) in the city of Metropolis and at this moment the narrative starts with it being in a state of equilibrium as the city doesn't have any disturbances even thought whilst superman was away for 5 years the city was full of chaos, furthermore when Lex Luthor (the villain) starts to create his evil plan to destroy the city and uses krypton so that superman doesn't spot him, the narrative changes to a disruption of the equilibrium by the evil plan of Luthor (the villain) . When Lois (the princess) informs superman (the hero) then the narrative continues as "A recognition that there has been a disruption" and then moves to superman( the hero) attempting to repair the disruption and stop Luthor's (the villain) evil plan and saves everyone and then superman promises the city of Metropolis that he will never leave them and all will be peaceful thus the narrative turns to "a reinstatement of the
equilibrium. The way the audience are positioned in relation to the narrative is by them identifying themselves with the characters even though they are fictional the audience might be able to relate to the narrative as their lives might be able to reflect the storyline for example they might be able to notice some parts of the narrative reflects their life. The primary audience (children) might be able to look up to the character like superman as an idol and the secondary audience might use it as a source of escapism and place themselves in the position of the character superman and try to alienate their own lives and live a fictional lifestyle.

GenreThe genre this text belongs to is a hybrid of genre's as its Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi and Fantasy. This is because within the film there is a lot of action when superman fights with Lex Luthor or when he is trying to save the world from Lex to kill billions of people. The adventure and Sci-Fi within in this film is when superman travels to places to help people or when he flies over the world thus intertwining with the ScI-Fi genre as the universe is shown and the fantasy would be when he uses his supernatural powers to destroy things, i.e. when he chucks the krypton in the sky so it doesn't kill people.
The major generic conventions within this text is the typical stereotypical views upon this certain genre for example within this text there is a binary opposition which is the good vs. evil i.e. meaning Superman vs. Lex Luthor and this is very popular within the audience as they like that bit of action in films. Other major generic conventions are the characters using Propp's theory by having different character types which would usually include a hero, villain and a princess and these type of characters are used so that the audience can use it as a sense of identification.
The final major generic convention with this type of genre is the use of having the protagonist being male and his lover by his side and having an arched enemy is very common within this genre and it creates more suspense and enigma's, even though the audience know the story ending with the hero saving the day and the enemy losing or dying.

Media Institutions The intuition of Superman Returns is Warner Bros. Pictures and mostly produces fantasy films like Harry Potter. The film is distributed many ways a below are some examples:

Trailer: By the institutional company distributing the film using trailers helps because it allows the audience to see bits of the film and make up their mind whether to watch it or not from looking at the clip. It also allows the audience to make their own opinion of how the trailer might look like and whether or not the film will be good through the way the trailer has been advertised. For example the Superman Returns trailer is fast and keeps the audience anticipated to watch more thus creating an enigma and enticing them to watch the film, which shows that the institution company has high status in producing high quality trailers and films and attracts more audience.

Posters: Using posters to advertise helps attract more audience because it allows the audience to make their own judgment of how the film will be by creating an eye catching image which draws them in and want to know more about the film. With the Superman Returns poster it gives both a lot of information to the audience as well as creating an enigma and making it more mysterious to the audience and makes them question what the film will be about. The poster can be advertised anywhere and everywhere thus appealing to a wide audience.

Official Website: The official website allows the audience to look more further into the film and within the website it gives the audience to look at the synopsis, trailer, pictures and it even allows the to purchase merchandise's off the website shop for example with the film they can buy the DC marvel comics or the toys etc, which shows that it appeals to both a primary and secondary audience.

Media Values and Ideology

The ideologies pinning behind Superman Returns was because it was created for the purpose of renowning the comic of superman. It was very popular amongst the secondary audience as it was used for entertainment purposes. It gave way to the rivalry of comic book X-men as this was a major hit in both the US and UK. However this did not stop the producers and directors of superman as this gave them a chance to redeem the original superman through creating the present day hero. The concept of having a man that saves earth was in fact something that appealed to the wider audience as it was something they enjoy or used as a source of escapism.

Media Audiences

The certification given to this film in the UK was 12+ and the reason as to why they had chosen this was because it contained scenes that weren't suitable to children younger than 12. The target audience for this film was both primary (children) and secondary (adults) this was because of the genre of the film and that it appealed to both target audience as well as the certificate being 12+. Having appeal to this target audience it allowed the film to become as successful as it was, and due to the advertising on all 3 media platforms the film was able to target a wider audience.

The use of new actors like Brandon Routh it gave the audience a chance to have a new insight and experience the work of Routh in the brilliant superhero film. The film was able to target families as this would appeal to them and they would be able to relate as the merchandise would become popular with children as they would be able to play with the superman toys ect.

As an audience member I think that choosing a film like superman would appeal to me because of my age and my gender and they targeted both genders whilst advertising the film. The characteristics of the film appealed to me as it had a storyline that both entertained me and well as kept me informed of political issues which were risen with the film i.e. superman creating a controversy upon his arrival. Overall I believe the film was successful and I gave it 10/10.