The Death Of 'Superman Lives' : What Happened?

THE DEATH OF 'SUPERMAN LIVES' : WHAT HAPPENED?

Director : Jon Schnepp
Year : 2015
Genre : Documentary
Rating : ****

Ever since an extremely grainy picture of Nicolas Cage in a Superman costume was leaked on the internet a few years ago, fans and cinephiles alike have been eager to uncover the truth behind 'Superman Lives', the failed 1998 Tim Burton/Kevin Smith project which was cancelled just two weeks before filming was set to begin. Now director Jon Schnepp, best known for his entertaining work on AMC Movie Talk and Collider.com, goes behind the scenes and interviews key players including producers, production designers and screenwriters to discover how and ultimately why 'Superman Lives' never came to be.

Crammed full of artwork, costume designs and script readings, 'The Death Of 'Superman Lives' : What Happened?' paints a very clear picture of what a strange movie experience Burton's film would have been. Complete with giant spiders, multiple iconic villains and even the demise and resurrection of Kal-El, 'Superman Lives' would have been an over-ambitious affair that may have been a blockbuster smash but more than likely would have been a box office bomb. Listening to the interviews from producer Jon Peters, screenwriter Kevin Smith and Tim Burton himself, it is obvious that 'Superman Lives' was destined to be doomed from the start anyway - destroyed by the kryptonite that is budgeting problems and onanistic self-fulfillment. It is interesting to note that in this day and age of superhero movies making billions at the box office, there was a time when a superhero film could actually financially cripple a studio.

'The Death Of 'Superman Lives' : What Happened?' is a fascinating and consistently entertaining documentary that was clearly made with passion and love for the medium. There is no doubt in my mind that 'Superman Lives' would have been a completely unique film and it is a shame that Burton came so close and was shot down right at the last hurdle. Cage, contrary to popular belief, would have made a great Man Of Steel in my opinion and the designs and settings by regular Burton collaborator Rick Heinrichs would have produced one of the most visually exciting blockbusters ever to be put to celluloid. 'Superman Lives' may not have come to be but 'The Death Of 'Superman Lives' : What Happened' is a fitting epitaph. It chronicles the rise and fall of one of the most ambitious motion pictures never to be made as well as serving as a staunch reminder of how ruthlessly cutthroat the business of film production really is.

'The Death Of 'Superman Lives' : What Happened' is available VOD from www.tdoslwh.com/