One Fan's Review... "Superman Returns"

"Let's start with the big question, where'd you go?"
~ Lois Lane (Superman Returns)

One Fan's Review - "Superman Returns"

Now, recall my previous post on this subject when I rambled on about how excited I was to see this movie. Being a lifelong Superman fan, I was thoroughly giddy to see the Caped Wonder back on the big screen. So it was with great anticipation and a small slice of caution that I entered the theatre last night at 7:30pm.

First, let me just say that the theatre was friggin packed. I had to sit entirely too close to the screen, which actually lessened my viewing pleasure. Fucking people and their "these seats are saved" bullshit. I literally wanted to punch someone in the face last night.

Anyway, as the movie got underway (finally after about 28mins of commercials and previews - including one for Spiderman 3, whichs looks good) I was extremely pleased to see the old school credits and John Williams genius score being used to open the movie. I had goosebumps. Little did I know that the use of the original style credits was the beginning of an underlying theme of similarity and respect to the original Richad Donner films.

Let's break down the major pieces to this film to help me review it.

Cast:
Brandon Routh - Superman/Clark Kent
Grade: A
In a word? Fantastic. He more than filled the lofty expectations that were laid on him. In the non action sequences, his Superman was genuine and heartfelt and in the action scenes, he was superb. Superman needs to be played as straight-laced do gooder who never wavers in his position to fight for truth, justice and all that other stuff -- and Routh did that to a T. Now, was his Clark Kent simply an impression of Chris Reeve's genius role? Maybe. But what else could he do? And even if it were, it didnt take anything away from the film. And thats saying something. I really look forward to Routh reprised this role in the forthcoming sequel(s).

Kevin Spacey - Lex Luthor
Grade: A-
In a word? Wicked. You had to know that Spacey was going to bring the ruckus to this role, and it got going in the first scene, where he cons his dying "wife" into leaving him her entire fortune, and then coldly leaves the room mere seconds after she signs the will and passes away. After that he gets into Lex mode, preparing to take over the world in diabolical Lex Luthor fashion. But his best scenes come when he has the annoyed look of utter disdain on his face as he is dealing with his bumbling crew of ruffians. Also, when he and Kitty Kowalski are in scenes together, it brings back vivid memories of Hackman and Perrine (Miss Tessmacher), only Posey's Kowalski is far more sarcastic and tough. Spacey did a great job with the Luthor role, he was funny, his dialogue was razor-sharp and his hatred for Superman was pure.

Kate Bosworth - Lois Lane
Grade: C
In a word? Okay. Before I saw the film, I had heard all the critics say that Bosworth was a little too young to be believable as the tough as nails reporter -- and mother to a 5 yr old. I went in with an open mind, but to be honest, they were right. Quite simply, she looked too young. Her acting was great, but I just couldnt get past the fact that she looks about 20yrs old. Some of her dialogue was cringe-worthy, but in the majority of her scene's with Superman, there was great chemistry.

The rest of the cast shakes out like this, in my opinion:

Sam Huntington - Jimmy Olsen: A+ ; His comedy was fantastic, and his man-crush on Clark Kent was hilariously obvious.

Parker Posey - Kitty Kowalski: B+ ; The dark comedy was a good counterpoint to Lex, but the way she fell apart in the end was simply too Tessmacher-esque.

James Mardson - Richard White: B- ; In the scenes where he was trying to get Lois to talk about Superman, you could really feel his jealousy and concern that his fiancée was still in love with Superman. But in the other scenes, he was just a hollow, generic male character.

Tristan Lake Leabu - Jason White: C ; Lois' son spent most of the movie staring off into space. It was distracting almost, but the twist with him was one that I didnt see coming. As I think back on the film though, there were signs, and I applaude Singer's direction for the subtlety of those signs.

Kal Penn - Stanford: F ; I have no idea why he was even credited in this movie. He didnt have a single line of discernable dialogue and his character was so completely pointless that his death was hardly noticeable.

Special Effects / CGI:
I am not kidding when I say that the special effects and visual imagery in this film is vastly superior to anything else I have seen. The only films that comes close are the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Superman's flying scenes are spectacular, so much so that you cant really tell that its CG. I'm not kidding, the effects in this movie are amazing. It is exactly how you think it should look. I mean, if you imagine how it should look for a man to stop a plane from crashing into a baseball stadium, it should be pretty amazing right? Right... and it is. Believe me, it is.

Also, the closing scenes are excellent. If you recall how all of the previous Superman films ended - with Superman flying around the world looking around and eventually flying past the camera with that little smile on his face - well, that is precisely how this one ended. It was the final tip fo the cap to the movies that came before, and I think it was icing on the cake. Routh's flying in that scene is spot on to Reeve's, and again I have to applaude Bryan Singer to including that. Bravo.

Plot:
Okay, listen. If anyone goes into this movie expecting a deep plot with various twists and turns, then you are going to be disappointed. Seriously though, its Superman for crissakes. The plot is standard superhero fare. It lays out like this. Superhero spends time saving lives and kicking butt, arch villian starts causing trouble and kidnaps superhero's love, superhero tries to stop villian but gets hurt and you are doubting if he can do it, superhero somehow summons the strength/powers to vanquish villian and save the world, superhero is hurt during this climactic world-saving scene, villian gets away, superhero is thought dead but recovers, world rejoices. Done and done. Of course there are bumps and little twists along the way, but thats pretty much how it goes in most superhero movies. And to be honest, I would expect nothing less.

Also, please spare me the questions of logic and/or incontinuity. You have to check those parts of your brain at the door somewhat when you enter a Superman (or superhero) movie. I cant stand it when people are like "why did it take him so long to catch upto that plane if he can fly around the world in like 5 seconds?" One word loser - drama. But again I commend Singer and his staff for making a film that didnt require the movie-goer to stomach too many scenes that dont make sense (logically speaking).


The Bottom Line:
The bottom line here is that this is a fantastic summer blockbuster type film that should make oodles of money in the theatres. But amongst the dizzying action and fantastic effects lies a story of heartache, sorrow and deep emotion. Honestly, I didnt think that they could do that with a Superman film, but they did, and they did it well.

Overall this movie was extremely entertaining to watch and it has more than rejuvinated a once dead movie franchise. I'm not sure they could have done a better job of bring back the Man of Steel than they did. It's not often that I will see a movie twice in the theatre, but I will be seeing this movie again. It's that good - and I'm not just saying that because I am such a huge fan of the Man of Steel... okay maybe I am.

Final Grade: A+