Superman Returns: The Verdict

Let's do this! I saw "Superman Returns" on Friday along with several friends. The theater was very toasty but my Superman bracelet kept me cool. Haha....that's a joke! Anyway, it's taken me several days to process it all, and after watching the original "Superman" movie last night, I feel like I'm ready to drop a review.

First and foremost, this IS a Superman movie. Don't let anyone convince you that this is a movie about Lois Lane or someone other than The Man of Steel himself. Lois does plays a major role in the film, but she's supposed to. She's freaking Lois Lane folks. Superman loves her. You can't have a movie about him, without her. If there's any "angst" to be dealt with, it has a lot to do with the fact that Superman leaves for 5 years without telling anyone "why". Even the woman he loves is left in the dark. That, coupled with the fact that Lois has moved on and has this 5 year old kid, creates a lot of tension between the former lovebirds. Like I was saying, this IS a Superman movie. You will see Superman in all his glory, even if the cape is too dark. You will see him fly faster than a speeding bullet and use his strength to carry impossible loads. All of the secondary powers are in there, like X-ray vision, heat vision, super hearing, and super breath. You will see a bullet bounce off Superman's eye and watch as a needle refuses to enter his skin and bends under the pressure. Everything that makes Superman super, is in this movie. Each of his powers are executed beautifully and the effects team did an astounding job bringing him back to the silver screen.

You may be asking yourself, "How does this movie fit in with the rest?" From what I have heard, the movie essentially takes place after the events in "Superman 2". Just pretend that the third and fourth movies were never made. Trust me, it's better that way. As I mentioned earlier, the new movie picks up with Superman coming back to Earth after being gone for 5 years. Lex Luthor is a free man with plans for world domination and everything is as it should be in Metropolis. The only oddities are the fact that Lois Lane is with another man and has a kid now. If you can, I highly recommend watching the original film either shortly before or after watching "Superman Returns". The new movie is as much a homage to the original as it is a new film in the series. Some of the dialogue between the two films is verbatim. I'm kind of on the fence about some of it. I definitely think that the Jor-El scenes are meant to reiterate Superman's purpose and bring the father/son dynamic into the foreground. There are other scenes though where I can't tell if they were simply being lazy with the dialogue or if they wanted to insure that everyone knew this was a Superman movie utilizing the "same" characters as the original films. And when I say "same" characters, I mean their mannerisms, their speech patterns, everything. Think of the Superman movies as being a polar opposite to the Batman movies, where every Bruce Wayne is a different embodiment of that character. Each time a new actor takes the role, the character changes. Not true with the Superman films. I honestly believe that the actors and actresses in "Superman Returns" were trying to maintain the "same" characters established in the original films. So with that being said, my guess is that the dialogue is meant to reinforce that concept.

I know for a fact that Brandon Routh purposefully plays Clark Kent and Superman using Christopher Reeve's nuances. It shows too. There are times when Brandon opens his mouth and you swear it's Christopher talking. It's pretty amazing to see. I definitely think Christopher's Superman was more tongue-in-cheek but I love what Brandon has done with the role. He definitely seems to have the confidence to play the role and what I'm impressed by the most is how different he looks in the roles of Clark Kent and Superman. Despite the big goofy glasses, Christopher always looked like Superman and Clark at the same time. Brandon really pulls off the dual identities though. When he's Clark, he doesn't look like Superman and vice versa. A lot of the credit for this should probably go to hair and makeup or costume design. I may be throwing myself on the stake for this, but I REALLY liked Brandon's portrayal of Superman. It's obvious that he's playing a younger Superman and this definitely isn't the mature Superman you'll see in the funny pages. Despite all that, I think the guy has it where it counts. He's got a Superman chin and the costume really works for him. He also has that Mid-West, "momma's boy" vibe that is crucial to pulling off a good Superman.

So what did I think about the movie? It was a bit on the long side, but I enjoyed it. I didn't fall head over heels in love with it, but I think it's a great Superman movie that fits nicely into the series. I don't know if the movie works outside the context of the other films though. I really think you have to watch "Superman Returns" and the original film fairly close together to get the full effect. I'll probably pick up "Superman 2" within the next couple of weeks to see how it relates. I also think it's important that you ask yourself a fairly serious question before you see "Superman Returns". Do you truly like Superman and what he stands for? If not, then I don't think this movie will convert you.

There are other things I could say about the movie but I really need to wrap this up. I like how Luthor had a slightly darker side to him in this film. He's still the mad genius he was in the original films, but it's almost as if prison has changed him. The movie has its moments but thankfully none of them involve Earth's rotation and time manipulation. I think we can all agree that's for the best. So, if you like Superman in the least, go see the film. You don't have to see it in IMAX but you should definitely see it. Once you have, we can sit around in some coffee shop and discuss the blatant Christian imagery.