Review of Superman Returns
Score: 81
Sub-Section: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Company: Warner Bros
Date: Jul 3, 2006
This is an IMAX 3D review. Your experience may differ if you see Superman Returns at a regular theater.
Well, the comic book movie I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. “Superman Returns” opened this Wednesday simultaneously in regular and IMAX theaters. The IMAX version has 3D glasses so certain scenes can be watched in 3D.
Before I get into the review of the actual movie, let me say a few things about the 3D experience. At various parts in the pre-movie trailers and in scenes of the movie, icons of glasses appear at the bottom of the screen, instructing you to put on the glasses. I had varying experiences with the 3D effects. The cartoon trailers looked amazing, but for some reason it didn’t translate as well into the live action. The only scene that stands out in my mind is inside a plane that is in zero gravity…the objects seem to be floating right in front of you. In other parts, the 3D is out of focus and actually was making the scene worse for me. I’ll give the 3D experience one more try with a live action movie before I give up on it. Now, on to the actual movie…
There have been few movies in my recent memory that I wanted to like so badly as “Superman Returns.” I knew going in that I would be very forgiving, and I would have to be. Director Bryan Singer decided to take a somewhat safe route by making this a sequel to “Superman: The Movie.” “Superman Returns” takes place after the first two movies, with the Richard Pryor one and the awful Quest for Peace thrown out. The opening credits excited me as Singer kept them the same as the original, along with John Williams’ original score. I got the same feeling as when I saw the new “Star Wars” movies opening credits…nostalgia combined with excitement that maybe this movie could be as good as the ones I remember from my childhood.
Superman is one of the most well known, iconic figures of all time. His story is a part of American history. Jerry Seinfeld is obsessed with him. When Christopher Reeve had his accident, people wouldn’t believe that Superman could be paralyzed. The pressure on the director to come through on the new film has been enormous. There have been a ridiculous number of names attached to this film as director and star before ending up with Singer and newcomer Brandon Routh.
“Superman Returns” gets it about half right. The acting is serviceable but not spectacular. Brandon Routh is the one exception. He is the perfect Superman. He gets it all right, including the Clark Kent persona. He easily beats out Dean Cain (Lois and Clark) and Tom Welling (Smallville) as the best recent incarnation. Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor hams it up a little too much, and always feels like I’m watching Kevin Spacey instead of his character. His partner in crime, Kitty (Parker Posey), is really annoying. Even her “I feel sorry for Superman” routine is lame. Kate Bosworth’s acting is passable, but I just feel she was miscast as Lois Lane.
The premise of the movie is that after “Superman II,” scientists find the remains of Superman’s home planet, Krypton. Superman flies off to find out for himself if it is really destroyed. After 5 years he returns to Earth to find that Lois Lane has moved on, and has a fiancé and a kid. Lex Luthor has been released from jail because Superman didn’t show up to his parole hearing. Superman feels alienated, as is a popular theme in Bryan Singer’s movies.
The problem with this movie is that at 2 and a half hours, there should have been more happening. Nothing really happens. There is one great action scene and a few mediocre ones, and that’s it. I love the character of Lex Luthor, but maybe Superman needs a super-villain and not a human villain with some kryptonite. Action lovers will be bored pretty quickly as much of the movie focuses on the relationship between Lois and Clark/Superman.
“Superman Returns” has a lot of faults, but I still enjoyed it. Singer got most of the important parts right: the mood, the scenery, the bizarre posthumous Marlon Brando cameo. One particular part that really messes with the Superman story upset me, though many people will probably find it cute. Don’t mess with credo! (Though in all fairness, it was messed with in “Superman II”, and this is a continuation of that. Oh yeah, I found out why Cyclops (James Marsden) was in “X3” for about 5 minutes…Singer stole him to play Lois’ fiancé. Why he took the most wooden, boring actor of the X-Men is beyond me.
I’m going to call this movie a “good start.” There will certainly be sequels with the amount of money that will be grossed. If Singer stays on to direct another, I hope he can see his faults and adapt to make the movie great. It worked for “X2.” I wouldn’t glowingly recommend this, but it is worth watching and the IMAX version makes the so-so action sequences just a little more exciting.
Other related links:
Superman Returns Trailer at Apple.com
Superman Returns at IMDB.com
To visit the official website at WarnerBros.com.