Superman Returns
Superman Returns: Nostalgic with a breath of fresh air
Popular comic book hero. Good versus evil. Stellar cast. A period in time when innocence still existed. Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns shows that he can do justice to more than one comic book. With a storyline that brings its audience back to Superman and why we should believe in him, you will be on the edge of your seat throughout the movie.
Superman (Brandon Routh) has been gone from Earth for 5 years. He went looking for the remains of his home planet. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he returns and finds that his love, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), has found a new man and is now a mom. Lois has also won a Pulitzer by authoring an article titled “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.” Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has been released from jail and has swindled an old lady out of her money to finance his latest scheme. He is still hell-bent on world domination. His plan this time is to destroy North America and create his own land from the crystals that are Superman’s.
Brandon Routh is Superman just as Tobey Maguire is Spiderman. Both have the everyday guy appeal while at the same time upholding their superhero status with their strength, confidence, and belief in doing the right thing. Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane does well with the struggle she has in admitting to herself that she still loves Superman but remaining true to the man (James Marsden) who has been good to her while he was gone. Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor is superb casting. I can’t imagine anybody else bringing the evil that he does to the role. Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski is Lex Luthor’s partner in crime. She shows that she is just a pawn in Lex’s game because she is too weak to follow through with him and his ideas. And Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen brings sincerity to the role.
The movie was filmed in Australia at Warner Brothers’ studio but you wouldn’t know it. Just like in Peter Jackson’s King Kong, I felt like I was transported back to New York in the early 1900s. Between the pencil skirts worn by the Daily Planet female reporters, to the hustle and bustle of the Daily Planet office, and yes Superman’s costume, Singer was obviously inspired by Superman before the Christopher Reeve films.
While there was action, a love story, and a true villain, the film did seem to slow down in parts. As visually beautiful that it is, keeping its audience attention was a little less important and it showed. Fortunately it didn’t slow down for long.
Superman Returns brings new life to a story that had been on the back burner in Hollywood for too long. It is a movie that brings hope for the future and makes you believe that the series will continue for the better.
Report Card:
Story-B
Acting-A
Visuals-A
Originality/Innovation-B+
Enjoyability Grade–B+
Overall Grade-A-
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