I entered the theater with hopes about as low as the devil’s hooves.  Judging from the advertising campaign, I assumed the movie was desperately trying to sell something that was less than it claimed to be.  So that being said, I enjoyed the movie.

The characters were good people, which is a rarity in modern cinema.  The movie collectively takes time to make the people kind and considerate.  By virtue of that aspect, I enjoyed the film.  I found it refreshing.  The incredible acts of selflessness provide an escape in these times of turmoil.  However, the movie tries too hard to make the characters “nice.”  It gets a little sickening.  It doesn’t seem real, but, then again, we live in a society that’s more than ready to claim dysfunction in any social arrangement.  The dysfunction is added into the movie via the father of the family Peter Campbell (Martin Donovan).  He’s a recovered drunk and liar.  This feeds the theme of the movie, but doesn’t add to the plot.  Theme aside, the father subplot was mostly useless.  He spends a little time deciding whether or not to drink.  Then the inevitable happens with remarkably slight result.

The theme is very obviously the power and potential of redemption.  Religion even plays a strong role.  The characters, both living and dead, have a chance to redeem themselves.  I can’t say much more because it because it would ruin the most enjoyable aspects of the movie.

The style of the movie is a cross between The Ammityville Horror and The Exorcist.  Some not too subtle references are made with the composition of the shots used.  The house was very close to the one in Ammityville, and the use of Reverend Popescu (Elias Koteas) is directly from The Exorcist.

The scares featured are a mix of creative and stereotyped.  It toys with your mind a little, but mostly it relies on the scares that you’ve seen in every horror film: a person who isn’t there/reflections/shadows/etc.  The creativity may not be “well worth the wait.”  But it was paced adequately.

The plot was ultimately unimpressive.  It was formulaic, and predictable.  For a horror movie that relies so heavily on making the audience jump, the director Peter Cornwell doesn’t really try to surprise the audience with the script’s formulaic misdirection efforts.  The formula only works if the surprise is effective.

Some of the dialogue was stale.  Under the stress from her teenage son’s cancer, Sara Campbell (Virginia Madsen) says “Please God don’t take my, baby,” or something to that effect.  When a person’s child is dying, they can’t help, but say corny lines.  Those lines don’t need to be in the movie.  They only serve to tell the audience what we already know.

Possibly unintentional, but still interesting was the small parallel drawn between experimental science, and religion.  The boy with cancer Matt Campbell (Kyle Gallner) is chosen for an experimental treatment at the same time that he starts experiencing the haunting.  It was used mainly as a plot device, but the correlation is interesting none the less.

Lastly I feel I should mention Reverend Popescu (Elias Koteas)  I was completely unaware that Koteas would be in the movie, and he plays a significant role.  Looking as his imdb page shows that he has far from fallen off the movie industry radar.  Regardless, it’s a treat to see him acting in anything.  Whether it’s The Prophecy or Ninja Turtles 3. 

The Verdict:  It may not be the best movie, or even the most creative.  The main attraction of the film is its human qualities in the midst of the supernatural.  It’s a movie that poses a strong argument for the strength of man kind in the face of human corruption.  So, whether you choose to think of it as escapist fiction, or a realistic positive message, the movie provides a sense of hope in a time that people might need it.  My recommendation is to see the film.

Metropolis is a little town about twenty minutes from the Kentucky border, and with its population of 6500 people and lack of a movie theater, it reminds one more of Smallville, the little Kansas town where Clark Kent grew up, rather than the city where he reports for the Daily Planet. It’s a neat little town and despite being kinda in the middle of nowhere, it’s been a tourist hot-spot for a long time– it’s been the official Home of Superman since 1972.

I’ve known about the town for years and finally had the opportunity to visit last weekend. It was definitely worth the trip. The Superman statue is neat, surrounded by a fence shaped like the crest around the “S” symbol and a sidewalk underneath in the “S” shape. The local newspaper is called the Metropolis Planet, and they’ve actually got a street called Lois Lane. But the really interesting stuff is in the museum.

Metropolis boasts the largest Superman collection in the world, and it’s all owned by one collector, Jim Hambrick, who’s been collecting since 1959. The gift shop is almost as impressive as the museum, and the pricing of souveniers and memorabilia is surprisingly reasonable. Besides painted Kryptonite rocks and Kryptonite rock candy, there’s an impressive array of hard-to-find stuff available for purchase, including figures, busts, and replicas of Smallville props.

Jim Hambrick doesn’t seem to really descriminate about what he buys– if it has Superman’s likeness or logo on it, he’s got it. His collection ranges from the least to most obscure. He has one-of-a-kind movie and television props as well as action figures I bought at Wal-Mart when they first came out. I was also told that he owns THREE copies of Action Comics #1, one of the rarest and most expensive comics there is. His insurance won’t let him keep those books in the musuem, so I didn’t get to see them– he keeps them in a vault and only brings them out during major events, especially the annual Superman Celecbration in June. 

Apparently only a third of his Superman stuff is actually in the museum–and there’s a whole lot there, sections from the comics (including a shrine to the Death of Superman, which is my personal favorite arc) every TV series, including the George Reeves show, Superboy, Lois and Clark, and Smallville, and the films. My favorite things in the museum (because I just can’t help but love Zod) were the costumes worn by the three evil Kryptonians from Superman II. The collection is worth several million dollars. 

The collection is so huge he’s actually got TWO museums– the other is the Hollywood museum, with exhibits devoted to classic sci-fi (including the silent film Metropolis and Lost in Space) Elvis, the Three Stooges, horror movis, Marilyn Monroe, Tomb Raider, and of course, a whole room of nothing but Justice League.

Regular prices to see the Superman museum and the Hollywood museum are $3 and $5 respetively. Tickets were on sale the day we went, and it was only $5 for both. Other than a Harrah’s casino, the museums are really the only especially unique thing to do in Metropolis, but they’re well worth the trip.

As a collector, I found Metropolis to be an inspirational experience, showing just what can be done with a good collection and a little ambition. I was impressed that it was a great place not only to see an amazing collection, but also to work on my own. Among some of the stuff I picked up there was a hand-painted Superman clock and a replica of the cave wall with Kryptonian symbols from Smallville. I know, I know, I hate that stupid cave… but it really is a neat replica.

I’ll be going back this summer in June for the Superman Celebration. This year’s guests include Justin Hartley (Green Arrow) and Phil Morris (Martian Manhunter) of Smallville. There’s also a very promising chance that I’ll be able to get Jim Hambrick on Geek Speak the Podcast.

Whether you’re a Superman enthusiast or not, there really is something in Metropolis for everybody who has any interest in pop culture. I highly recommend it.

LLAP

-Cap’n Logan