Superman Returns

Hey dudes. Man of Steel comes out in less than two weeks. I suppose it goes without saying that I am beyond excited for that movie. I love Superman almost as much as I love Batman. Almost. So I figured I'd watch a few of the older Superman flicks again and get on here and have at it. So here. We. Go.

Superman Returns is probably my second favorite film based on the Man of Steel, sometimes third depending on the day. It's certainly a flawed film, and there are numerous things in it that make me cringe when I think about them *cough* Superboy *cough*. But as a direct sequel to Richard Donner's original film from 1978 and it's production troubled sequel, Superman Returns succeeds entirely in recreating that sense of awe and wonder in a way that is just not done very often anymore.

One of the biggest complaints about the film I've heard the most is it's lack of action. First off, what? The dude lifts a landmass off of the planet. A MASS OF LAND. I guess people really just want to see Superman punch stuff. And I get it. Him punching stuff would be a lot of fun on screen, especially with today's special effects. In fact, it looks like Man of Steel is going to be filled with exactly that. So that's why I don't mind at all that director Bryan Singer decided to focus on Superman's sheer strength and power rather than his punching abilities. I mean, the airplane sequence is one of the great superhero action scenes out there. Not only is it a great re-introduction of the character in this particular movie-verse, but it's also a genuinely exciting and tense piece of action film making. Again, Singer focuses on the characters brute strength to an awesome degree.

Also, Brandon Routh is a great stand in for Christopher Reeve. No one can match Reeve in the suit, and it's possible no one ever will, but Routh does a damn good job matching that all American goodness inherit in both Superman and Clark Kent. I'm genuinely bummed out that his career hasn't gone farther since Superman Returns. He popped up in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and was great, though it's hard to find a bad player in any Edgar Wright feature. Still, I think Routh has an extremely likable presence onscreen, and I hope he keeps at it.

Kevin Spacey is great as Lex Luthor. I mean, duh. Like Reeve, it's hard to top Gene Hackman ( HACKMAN!) but Spacey is about as good as it gets. However, it is kind of a bummer that he didn't have some better motivation here. Yes, it's cool that it's the same motivation as the original movie, LAND LAND LAND. But it falls a little flat. Oh well, Spacey rules. I'm curious to see who plays this role next. I don't think it's quite as hard a role to fill like Superman, but Hackman (HACKMAN!) still leaves a big shadow.


The only bit of casting that really fails in Superman Returns is Kate what's her face as Lois Lane. Bland, bland, bland. And Lois Lane is anything but. Actually, the writing for Lane is pretty good here, but Kate doesn't have the chops to really bring the character to life. Amy Adams should have a field day in Man of Steel.

Superman Returns is a bit of an anomaly in today's standard of superhero movies. It's almost a romantic drama first and action movie second and it doesn't completely work. However, there is some amazing film making on display here, and it's great to see Superman on screen after almost 20 years. Man of Steel will probably ( and hopefully ) knock this out of the water, but I like this version of Superman, and it feels good that no matter how the character changes onscreen, this version is always around.