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| Superman returns! |
After a mysterious prologue, Turkish Clark Kent is told by his parents that he is an
Alien from space and that he must leave to accomplish his destiny. They
give him a green gem (an early Infinity Stone?) which he takes into a nearby cave. There, Jor-El, minus half of his front teeth, appears and reveals to Clark that he is
Superman...
Anyone familiar with Turkish cinema (at least the ones that have made it outside Turkey) know that Turkish remakes of popular American films are made
with an extremely low budget and are filled with footage and music
stolen shamelessly from the source material. "Supermen Dönü Yor" is no
exception. Directed by Kunt Tulgar and starred by Tayfun Demir as Tayfur/Supermën, Güngör Bayrak as Alev, damsel in distress, and Yildirim Gencer as Ekren, the bad guy.
The plot generally follows the original (and official) 1978 version, but with numerous corners cut that are just plain laughable. For instance, the film opens in outer space. It's clearly Christmas ornaments hanging from strings in front of a black screen covered in glitter. The most-used and funniest example is watching Superman fly. A doll is held in front of the camera while stock footage is used over and over again in the background!.
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| Clark Kent is actually... |
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| ...Superman! |
You can tell right away from the opening sequences that this will become
a non-stop spitfire of hysterical laughter and stomach aches, and you
don't even have to be wasted or pay close attention to the whole film.
When we witness Superman flying for the first time, he looks like a fake Mego action figure hanging by a thread in front drawn clouds and people waving
at him from the deck of a ship. It's brilliant, truly brilliant! Clark
Kent, named Tyfun in Turkish, is a tremendous dork with a spectacular
pair of glasses and he walks around like there's a cloth hanger stuck in
his suit. His nemesis isn't bald like Lex Luthor is, but actually looks
a lot like the Turkish version of Lee Van Cleef.
The most striking
thing about "Turkish Superman" is how very anti- spectacular it is! Our
hero hides behind trees, doesn't bother much to hide his double identity
and conducts the lamest rescue operations ever. Superman stops an
out-of-control truck descending a mountain road, NOT by jumping in front
of it, NOT by pushing it back up a cliff and NOT by pulling the rear
end like he's an anchor… Superman stops the truck by taking place behind
the wheel and using the brakes. Oh, how heroic! I guess the budget
didn't allow them to wreck the truck. That's also the same reason why
the lead actress drives a Lada instead of a real car(no pun intended).
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| Clive Owen? |
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| Oh yeah, a Mego TV ad, right? |
The fight
sequences are hilarious as well, since they look like a bunch of heavily
mustached men group-hugging each other. The creators of "Turkish
Superman" didn't just steal the plot of "Superman" but also the
soundtrack of James Bond(!). The scene where Superman single-handedly
prevents a train collision from happening is perhaps even the ultimate
highlight of the film. According to the most rudimentary rules of
physics his rescue act is just impossible, I don't care if you're a
superhero or not.
As for the acting, I really can't fully comment, since I don't know any Turkish (but does it really matter?). However, the actor who plays Superman appears to be competent, and pulls off dual personas of Superman and Clark Kent. Superman in this film is quite mean. He is indirectly responsible for the deaths of three villains(for example, he throws a henchman into a wall, where he is impaled by an extended pipe).
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| You wouldn't like me when I'm angry! |
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| In the nick of the time! |
Now, let's dig into some interesting facts you probably didn't (want to) know about this great artistic piece:
- Popular movie soundtracks were used the complete the score: Some Superman (1978)'s main themes (by John Williams) and some scores from the 60's James Bond's movies (including the James Bond Theme composed by Monty Norman).
- According to the director, in the shot were Superman unveiled his identify opening his shirt, it was Tayfun Demir himself who had to re-sew the buttons of his shirt for the next shot. After take 4, the actor did not want to sew the shirt anymore.
- Also According to Kunt Tulgar, the director, he advised the actor who played the Turkish version of Jor-El to join his upper lip so as not to show his lack of teeth. The actor refused to do simply by saying "But I am an alien from another planet."
- In addition, Tulgar said, Tayfun Demir was actually a friend him and he was not an actor. At that time Tayfun was doing military service, but the film team got him to ask for a week's permit to shoot the film.
- Filmed without sound, all the actors were dubbed with different people.
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| Watch out Superman! |
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| Oh well... |
The
only disappointing aspect of this film that renders it a cut below its
fellow Turkish remakes is a bland, generic super villain that bears no
resemblance to Lex Luthor. Still, for the no-budget visuals and
eye-popping incompetence, "Turkish Superman" is worth a look for
Superman fans or fans of bad cinema.
Here's the movie trailer:
Here's the movie in full Turkish language for your linguistic enjoyment:
