SUPERMAN RETURNS
 
STARRING:
Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella,
Sam Huntington, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey
2006, 140 Minutes, Directed by: Bryan Singer
 Description:
Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes
back to Earth in the epic action-adventure, Superman Returns, a soaring
new chapter in the saga of one of the world’s most beloved superheroes.
While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all,
Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois
Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman’s bittersweet
return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a
place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt
to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman
embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of
the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.
Instead
of re-inventing what has gone before like Tim Burton did in the late-1980s
with Batman, director Bryan Singer instead
prefers to structure Superman Returns like a continuation to the
events of the original big screen Superman – the
Movie and Superman II movies starring
Christopher Reeve of a few decades ago.
Even though none of those
films’ original stars reappear in this film
—
except for a ghostly visage and some voice-overs of Marlon Brando (as
Superman’s daddy)
—
Superman Returns is for all intents and purposes, and sequel and it helps
a lot checking out the original 1978 Superman – the Movie in advance, not
only plot wise but to catch various in-jokes and sly homages. (In fact
Superman Returns actually often feels like a remake of that movie in many
senses.) Making a welcome return are John William’s uber-catchy Superman
Main Theme and that retro-futuristic title sequence from the original.
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"Lois Lane may have won the Pulitzer prize for journalism, but she is
one lousy speller!" |
The new cast is adequate, but to a degree lacks the spunk of the original
actors. Brandon Reuth is a bit stiff, but passable as the Man of Steel,
and while Kate Bosworth is better-looking than Margot Kidder she comes
across as more subdued. Kevin Spacey is a less comical Lex Luthor than
Gene Hackman’s, and while his performance never delivers on the promise
made in the trailers, Spacey is suitably menacing and vindictive.
While it is true that
this film is a lot more serious than the previous installments, it doesn’t
mean that Superman Returns is humorless though: there are some unexpected
jokes (one involves two small dogs) and the movie actually improves on
mistakes made in the original by avoiding the more juvenile pratfalls and
slapstick that marred some scenes, especially those involving Lex Luthor’s
bumbling sidekick, a character thankfully omitted from this flick. Also
omitted is that kitschy “Can you read my mind sequence?” which everybody
hated from the original film. Instead it is replaced by a more poetic and
toned down sequence in which Superman and Lois Lane flies over the
Metropolis skyline.
Although it is a bladder-bursting two-and-a-half-hours long,
Superman
Returns never bores and kept me engrossed throughout. In fact, when it
ended I wanted more as it leaves several subplots dangling
— no doubt to
be resolved in the inevitable sequels. The ending hardly left a dry eye in
the house, which brings me as to why the film works. Not only is it a
geeky love fest which ageing thirtysomethingers who saw the original as
kids will appreciate, but it is a movie that takes the time to invest in
its characters instead of rushing from breakneck action sequence to the
next like most modern blockbusters nowadays tend to do. In this regard
Superman Returns is very similar to the superior
Spider-man 2 sequel.
Highly recommended.
Things we couldn’t help but notice:
- Lois Lane may have won
the Pulitzer prize for journalism, but she is one lousy speller. In the
1978 movie she thought “rapist” was spelt with two p’s (!); here she misspells
the word “extravagant”.
- In Bryan Singer’s
universe megalomaniacal supervillain mastermind types are classical
music fans. In X2 Magneto fancies Mozart, and here Lex Luthor seems to
have a “Greatest Classical Hits” CD stuck in his player: tunes include
the likes of Mozart’s 21st Piano Concerto and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons . .
.
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