July 11, 2025 • 7 mins
Joe Neumaier joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about the new Superman movie that comes out today and why he isn’t on board with the reviews that have come in early on.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm a little fearful right now to go to Joe Neumeyer,
film journalist wl R Movie Minute host, because I know
he's seen Superman. We've talked about it this morning, and
I love Superman. I am not ashamed to admit that
that I do love Superman. I love all the iterations
of Superman. And I'm so afraid he's not going to
(00:22):
like it, and he's going to tell me that it's
not worth seeing.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Joe, You're on.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Oh, Larry, not to sound like Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor,
but you got a problem here Superman. Oh no, I
know it is. It breaks my heart as well. Okay,
so let's obviously get the first thing out of the way,
which is that, yes, that nineteen seventy eight Superman is
the greatest superhero movie of all time if you ask me,
I love it. This movie makes Superman three look like
(00:51):
Superman two, and it makes Superman Returns look like Superman.
I'm giving it one star. I actually think it's really awful,
and I'm kind of done that is getting the reviews
it is. It's getting more polite reviews. I really thought,
and for the first half of the movie, I was
sitting there with my jaw hanging open, like I kind
of can't believe they're messing it up this bad. You know,
(01:12):
they throw in lots of the basic plot for anybody who,
you know, kind of doesn't know the basic idea Superman
is is he's alive, he's here, there's other heroes around,
so that I'm gonna mix him in with the regular
DC universe. Of course, Lex Luthor is there, and he's
got a plan to get a you know, a country
and another you know that he's gonna become a king
of Lois Lane knows that he's Superman. That's from the
(01:35):
very early on that she knows that it's that Clark
Kent is Superman. But all of the charm, all of
the excitement, all of the innocence and sort of the
the like the grit and yet also the sweetness that
was there in previous varations is gone. Christopher Reeve if
there's a great documentary about Chris free by the way
that's on HBO Max called super slash Man, and and
(01:57):
it talks about his whole life story, but he brought
He says that when he was doing the Superman movie
in nineteen seventy eight, he knew that the character was
all about art and heart and like and that while
that sounds like kind of glib, it was really true.
Like what he brought to that character was a lot
of artfulness and there is none of that here. This
new actor who plays Superman is he's a TV actor
(02:18):
named David corn Sweat. He's not good. Look when the
best things in your Superman movie are Lois Lane and
Crypto the super Dog, you got a problem. You know.
That's so. I think it's really aimed at young kids
who will really kind of go for it. I don't
know whether they know the comics or not. I mean,
who knows. I stopped reading them in the seventies. But
(02:40):
but you know, that first Superman movie and Superman two
are terrific, and there's even some good things about Superman Returns,
the one that they did like in two thousand and six.
But I would rather watch that two thousand and six
version than this one. It's better than the gritty ones
that they did Man of Steel ten years ago or so.
But I am disappointed in it almost from across the board.
Just very few things in it that I really like.
(03:01):
As I said, Rachel Brosnahan is fine as Lois Lane.
She's kind of doing a little bit like Margo Kidder
and uh and Crypto the Superdog is fine. But if
that's what you're really selling your Superman movie on, dude,
you got it. You rethink it. You know, go somewhere
and go to the Fortress of Solitude and really think
about what you've done.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Because second on your list was Crypto the super Dog,
as was worth seeing.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
That's right, it's just stunning. I was really shocked that.
And and there's you know, there's of course like a
few big giant monsters showing up, and there's it's it's
really a mess. Now. The director, James Gunn he did
the Gallic Guardians of the Galaxy movies, which I really like,
especially the first two, and he did one of the
Suicide Squad movies, which I think is really good. So
he's you know, he's got this is rebooting DC's big
(03:47):
thing of all their heroes, and they bumble it. So
they're like, it's like it's directed by Otis ned Beattie
from the from the Superman seventy eight. It's like they
let Otis do the movie. I'm really I'm stunned and shocked.
And I'm shocked that it's actually getting the polite reviews
from some critics that it is. It's really disappointing. And
and like you right, Superman. I'm not a huge Superman fan,
but when it's done right, like that seventy eight movie
(04:09):
or Superman two, which is also great, uh it can
those movies can sore. This one just flops, goes, it
flies right into the ground.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
That is such a shame. It is such a shame.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I had all the DC comics and the Superman was
my favorite superhero growing up. I loved Adam West when
he was Superman on television.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I love Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Well, Adam Adam West was Batman. But George Reeves was.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Oh, you're right, Sorry, I got that. I got that wrong.
That's okay, yeah right, I love Adam West two as Batman.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
But thanks for correcting me, because, believe me, a lot
of other people would have corrected me on that.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Oh yeah, you would have got a lot of e mails.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
F Right.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
It's it's you know, and I right, you like me
that first, that first Superman movie, whatever it's on, it's
it's epic, it's magical. It feels like this American classic.
It's got a you know, the sort of sense of
Americana to it. You hear a lot of the score
in this movie too. You hear a little bit of
the of that great John Williams score. But it doesn't help.
It really doesn't help. It's it's a it'll make a
lot of money, but I don't know if that's a
(05:05):
barometer of success, right. I mean, it's gonna spawn all
these other movies. But it's really it's it's really it's
it's not good. It's really it's super bad. It is
unbelievable that that. I feel like they lost the thread
of what and they they wanted to make it like,
you know, he's his you know, he's kind of like
talking about often about you know, being a good person
is really sort of the real punk rock or a
(05:27):
sort of there's and there's this whole sequence where that
where Lex Luthor is commanding this other guy to fight Superman,
and and he's shouting out commands for him to fight
almost like his battleship. He's going like seven, you know,
a seven K four Z ten to control the guy
who's fighting. It's like you're watching him play battleship.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
It's it's just a terrible movie.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
I really one star for Lois Lane and for and
for Crypto the super Dog.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And I love that marvelous missus Masel was playing Lois Lane.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I I just love that. I love that actress, and
so I I great.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, she's charming in it. She's terrific. Right. But you know,
if you're going to Superman to see Lowis Lane, you're
going for the wrong reason, you know. I mean, that's a.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
No, I get it now. Listen.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
We did a story earlier that Dean Kane said that,
you know, he was dreading Superman because you thought it
was gonna be woke like snow White. Any any sense
of that that they tried to modernize it and make
it a little.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Bit more woke.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
No, No, I don't think that's in there. I mean,
since the character was created in nineteen thirty eight, there
has been this sort of sense of like he's he's
an other who comes here to kind of show us
our own humanity in a lot of ways. No, And
this movie has been in production for years. You know,
it's been, it's been. It was filmed a year ago,
year and a half ago or whatever. So it's sort
of anything that's sort of current. That's you might see
(06:44):
in it is just by accident. I think that that's
sort of There have been a lot of you know,
Superman actors. I think they always sort of have a
sense of you know, ownership over the role, and that's natural.
You know, they should sort of feel as if it's
really important, and obviously to him it really is. But no,
I didn't. I don't think that's in there at all.
I think I think the bigger problem is just that
it's a mess. The plot is all over the place,
(07:04):
and it doesn't have enough sort of real heart, or
real excitement and or a real sense of danger in
terms of the Lex Luthor character.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, so what do you believe, just real quickly, what
do you believe is the best superhero movie of all time?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well, super I do. I do believe Superhero Superman is
the best superhero movie of all time. That nineteen seventy
eight film. It really it hits all those big he
has to fly around the world to save Lois Lane.
I mean, it's got those He doesn't show up in
the suit until like an hour into the movie. It's
you know, partly written by the guy who did The Godfather,
it's a perfect superhero movie.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Oh I agree. You just redeemed yourself. That was that
was wonderful. That was really good. Thank you. And now
I have to try to redeem myself after the Adam
West mistake. But I'll get it. Thanks so much, Joe Numeier,
Movie Minted Host
I'm a little fearful right now to go to Joe Neumeyer,
film journalist wl R Movie Minute host, because I know
he's seen Superman. We've talked about it this morning, and
I love Superman. I am not ashamed to admit that
that I do love Superman. I love all the iterations
of Superman. And I'm so afraid he's not going to
(00:22):
like it, and he's going to tell me that it's
not worth seeing.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Joe, You're on.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Oh, Larry, not to sound like Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor,
but you got a problem here Superman. Oh no, I
know it is. It breaks my heart as well. Okay,
so let's obviously get the first thing out of the way,
which is that, yes, that nineteen seventy eight Superman is
the greatest superhero movie of all time if you ask me,
I love it. This movie makes Superman three look like
(00:51):
Superman two, and it makes Superman Returns look like Superman.
I'm giving it one star. I actually think it's really awful,
and I'm kind of done that is getting the reviews
it is. It's getting more polite reviews. I really thought,
and for the first half of the movie, I was
sitting there with my jaw hanging open, like I kind
of can't believe they're messing it up this bad. You know,
(01:12):
they throw in lots of the basic plot for anybody who,
you know, kind of doesn't know the basic idea Superman
is is he's alive, he's here, there's other heroes around,
so that I'm gonna mix him in with the regular
DC universe. Of course, Lex Luthor is there, and he's
got a plan to get a you know, a country
and another you know that he's gonna become a king
of Lois Lane knows that he's Superman. That's from the
(01:35):
very early on that she knows that it's that Clark
Kent is Superman. But all of the charm, all of
the excitement, all of the innocence and sort of the
the like the grit and yet also the sweetness that
was there in previous varations is gone. Christopher Reeve if
there's a great documentary about Chris free by the way
that's on HBO Max called super slash Man, and and
(01:57):
it talks about his whole life story, but he brought
He says that when he was doing the Superman movie
in nineteen seventy eight, he knew that the character was
all about art and heart and like and that while
that sounds like kind of glib, it was really true.
Like what he brought to that character was a lot
of artfulness and there is none of that here. This
new actor who plays Superman is he's a TV actor
(02:18):
named David corn Sweat. He's not good. Look when the
best things in your Superman movie are Lois Lane and
Crypto the super Dog, you got a problem. You know.
That's so. I think it's really aimed at young kids
who will really kind of go for it. I don't
know whether they know the comics or not. I mean,
who knows. I stopped reading them in the seventies. But
(02:40):
but you know, that first Superman movie and Superman two
are terrific, and there's even some good things about Superman Returns,
the one that they did like in two thousand and six.
But I would rather watch that two thousand and six
version than this one. It's better than the gritty ones
that they did Man of Steel ten years ago or so.
But I am disappointed in it almost from across the board.
Just very few things in it that I really like.
(03:01):
As I said, Rachel Brosnahan is fine as Lois Lane.
She's kind of doing a little bit like Margo Kidder
and uh and Crypto the Superdog is fine. But if
that's what you're really selling your Superman movie on, dude,
you got it. You rethink it. You know, go somewhere
and go to the Fortress of Solitude and really think
about what you've done.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Because second on your list was Crypto the super Dog,
as was worth seeing.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
That's right, it's just stunning. I was really shocked that.
And and there's you know, there's of course like a
few big giant monsters showing up, and there's it's it's
really a mess. Now. The director, James Gunn he did
the Gallic Guardians of the Galaxy movies, which I really like,
especially the first two, and he did one of the
Suicide Squad movies, which I think is really good. So
he's you know, he's got this is rebooting DC's big
(03:47):
thing of all their heroes, and they bumble it. So
they're like, it's like it's directed by Otis ned Beattie
from the from the Superman seventy eight. It's like they
let Otis do the movie. I'm really I'm stunned and shocked.
And I'm shocked that it's actually getting the polite reviews
from some critics that it is. It's really disappointing. And
and like you right, Superman. I'm not a huge Superman fan,
but when it's done right, like that seventy eight movie
(04:09):
or Superman two, which is also great, uh it can
those movies can sore. This one just flops, goes, it
flies right into the ground.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
That is such a shame. It is such a shame.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I had all the DC comics and the Superman was
my favorite superhero growing up. I loved Adam West when
he was Superman on television.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I love Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Well, Adam Adam West was Batman. But George Reeves was.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Oh, you're right, Sorry, I got that. I got that wrong.
That's okay, yeah right, I love Adam West two as Batman.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
But thanks for correcting me, because, believe me, a lot
of other people would have corrected me on that.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Oh yeah, you would have got a lot of e mails.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
F Right.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
It's it's you know, and I right, you like me
that first, that first Superman movie, whatever it's on, it's
it's epic, it's magical. It feels like this American classic.
It's got a you know, the sort of sense of
Americana to it. You hear a lot of the score
in this movie too. You hear a little bit of
the of that great John Williams score. But it doesn't help.
It really doesn't help. It's it's a it'll make a
lot of money, but I don't know if that's a
(05:05):
barometer of success, right. I mean, it's gonna spawn all
these other movies. But it's really it's it's really it's
it's not good. It's really it's super bad. It is
unbelievable that that. I feel like they lost the thread
of what and they they wanted to make it like,
you know, he's his you know, he's kind of like
talking about often about you know, being a good person
is really sort of the real punk rock or a
(05:27):
sort of there's and there's this whole sequence where that
where Lex Luthor is commanding this other guy to fight Superman,
and and he's shouting out commands for him to fight
almost like his battleship. He's going like seven, you know,
a seven K four Z ten to control the guy
who's fighting. It's like you're watching him play battleship.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
It's it's just a terrible movie.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
I really one star for Lois Lane and for and
for Crypto the super Dog.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And I love that marvelous missus Masel was playing Lois Lane.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I I just love that. I love that actress, and
so I I great.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, she's charming in it. She's terrific. Right. But you know,
if you're going to Superman to see Lowis Lane, you're
going for the wrong reason, you know. I mean, that's a.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
No, I get it now. Listen.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
We did a story earlier that Dean Kane said that,
you know, he was dreading Superman because you thought it
was gonna be woke like snow White. Any any sense
of that that they tried to modernize it and make
it a little.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Bit more woke.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
No, No, I don't think that's in there. I mean,
since the character was created in nineteen thirty eight, there
has been this sort of sense of like he's he's
an other who comes here to kind of show us
our own humanity in a lot of ways. No, And
this movie has been in production for years. You know,
it's been, it's been. It was filmed a year ago,
year and a half ago or whatever. So it's sort
of anything that's sort of current. That's you might see
(06:44):
in it is just by accident. I think that that's
sort of There have been a lot of you know,
Superman actors. I think they always sort of have a
sense of you know, ownership over the role, and that's natural.
You know, they should sort of feel as if it's
really important, and obviously to him it really is. But no,
I didn't. I don't think that's in there at all.
I think I think the bigger problem is just that
it's a mess. The plot is all over the place,
(07:04):
and it doesn't have enough sort of real heart, or
real excitement and or a real sense of danger in
terms of the Lex Luthor character.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, so what do you believe, just real quickly, what
do you believe is the best superhero movie of all time?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well, super I do. I do believe Superhero Superman is
the best superhero movie of all time. That nineteen seventy
eight film. It really it hits all those big he
has to fly around the world to save Lois Lane.
I mean, it's got those He doesn't show up in
the suit until like an hour into the movie. It's
you know, partly written by the guy who did The Godfather,
it's a perfect superhero movie.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Oh I agree. You just redeemed yourself. That was that
was wonderful. That was really good. Thank you. And now
I have to try to redeem myself after the Adam
West mistake. But I'll get it. Thanks so much, Joe Numeier,
Movie Minted Host
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