I am a lifelong Superman fan. The Man of Steel has been my favorite superhero, in fact, my favorite fictional character since I was five years old, and first donned that cheap, plastic Superman costume for my first foray into trick or treating on Halloween. I followed Big Blue through reruns of Superfriends and Adventures of Superman and all of the films released by Warner Bros. From 1978 to 1987, and have soft spots in my heart for all of them, even the dismal third and fourth ones. It wasn't until the late Eighties that I really began to read Superman comic book adventures, and in time, I became a veritable expert on the Man of Tomorrow.
To me, Superman never left. I've read about him basically every week for more than ten years. I've watched him on the terrific Superman: The Animated Series and in both versions of the Justice League cartoon. And of course, there is Smallville, which chronicles Clark Kent's pre-cape days in his Kansas hometown. Superman's always been there for me in numerous forms, and he'll never know how grateful I am because of it.
I've followed the long, convoluted process that brought the Last Son of Krypton back to the silver screen, and when I heard that Bryan Singer and his X-Men screenwriters were tackling Superman, I was both excited and relieved. Then, I heard about the plot in which Superman leaves for five years and then returns to a world that has adapted without him. The love of his life, Lois Lane, has also moved on, engaged to be married, and with a five-year old son. Well, I was a little worried. Why would Superman leave? And, it doesn't take Batman to figure out that, now, he has an illegitimate son. To me, these were plot devices weren't appropriate to apply to Superman. Yet, I held out hope about Superman Returns. Last night, many of my fears were put to rest as I watched the ten o'clock showing of Superman Returns. In my humble opinion, it is the second greatest comic book-based film ever made, a close second to Batman Begins, and a bit better than Spider-Man 2. It is director Bryan Singer's and his screenwriters' homage to Richard Donner's original two Superman films, and they spend much of the film driving that point home. The plot, the pacing, the editing, and the very flow of the film all evoke Donner's work, and in that, the filmmakers are a great success. And with the technology (and budget) of today, the special effects, particularly the gift of flight are spectacular and truly breath-taking.
Brandon Routh embodies the late Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel and at times, almost seems to be channeling him. He is Superman in the same way that Christian Bale is Batman or Tobey Maguire is Spider-Man. Yet, he is not my Superman, the Superman of the past twenty-one years of the comics. The Kal-El that Routh portrays so well is from the earlier films, and that is fine, but will we ever really see the Superman of the comic books ever fully realized in any medium, especially on film? Nonetheless, Routh fully captures the Man of Steel, infusing his portrayal with great physicality, emotion, and confidence. He was a terrific choice for this honored role, and did a great job with it.
The glowing Kate Bosworth is a fine Lois Lane, and she does a wonderful job of depicting a woman whose great love leaves only to be later thrust dramatically back into her life. Bosworth's Lois spends much of the movie trying to ignore the fact that she ever loved Superman, and trying to make everyone around her believe, unsuccessfully, that she doesn't care that he has returned. Truly, it is only Lois that is upset to see Superman has come back to Earth. Every other character, and the entirety of the planet, seems happy, as they can be that they have their beloved hero back.
That is, except for Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor. Spacey is incredible as the world's greatest criminal mind and Superman's archenemy. His Luthor takes on characteristics from many past incarnations, including Gene Hackman's portrayal, the Silver Age Luthor, and the Post-Crisis businessman Lex, among them. Spacey's Luthor is truly evil and not a comic foil like Hackman's, and when Lex and his lackeys beat up a kryptonite-weakened Superman at one point in the film, it was the first time I ever truly hated Lex Luthor. That's just how effective he is written here and played by Mr. Spacey.
The plot of Superman Returns is simplistic and fast-moving, somewhat the opposite of Batman Begins. Yet, it is perfect for a character like Superman, just as the latter film's story was made for the Dark Knight. The film ends with Superman acknowledging his son with Lois, and it is a touching scene, and at first, I felt that this was not enough closure. Superman had to finally get to be with Lois, tell her who he really is, and live happily ever after with her and their son. Yet, this is only the beginning of the story. Superman Returns, like Batman Begins, is the first chapter in a much larger story yet to be told, and in that, I am pleased with the film and looking forward to much more.
From the beginning of the film with its Donner-esquire opening credits and John Williams' stirring march to the very end with Superman patrolling his adopted home world from the cold, silent confines of space, Superman Returns filled me with nostalgia, pride, and even brought a few tears to my eyes as I triumphed in the cinematic restoration of my favorite fictional character of all time. I applaud the filmmakers' incredible work and thank Warner Bros. for finally seeing the light after so many years in darkness.
Highly recommended.
To me, Superman never left. I've read about him basically every week for more than ten years. I've watched him on the terrific Superman: The Animated Series and in both versions of the Justice League cartoon. And of course, there is Smallville, which chronicles Clark Kent's pre-cape days in his Kansas hometown. Superman's always been there for me in numerous forms, and he'll never know how grateful I am because of it.
I've followed the long, convoluted process that brought the Last Son of Krypton back to the silver screen, and when I heard that Bryan Singer and his X-Men screenwriters were tackling Superman, I was both excited and relieved. Then, I heard about the plot in which Superman leaves for five years and then returns to a world that has adapted without him. The love of his life, Lois Lane, has also moved on, engaged to be married, and with a five-year old son. Well, I was a little worried. Why would Superman leave? And, it doesn't take Batman to figure out that, now, he has an illegitimate son. To me, these were plot devices weren't appropriate to apply to Superman. Yet, I held out hope about Superman Returns. Last night, many of my fears were put to rest as I watched the ten o'clock showing of Superman Returns. In my humble opinion, it is the second greatest comic book-based film ever made, a close second to Batman Begins, and a bit better than Spider-Man 2. It is director Bryan Singer's and his screenwriters' homage to Richard Donner's original two Superman films, and they spend much of the film driving that point home. The plot, the pacing, the editing, and the very flow of the film all evoke Donner's work, and in that, the filmmakers are a great success. And with the technology (and budget) of today, the special effects, particularly the gift of flight are spectacular and truly breath-taking.
Brandon Routh embodies the late Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel and at times, almost seems to be channeling him. He is Superman in the same way that Christian Bale is Batman or Tobey Maguire is Spider-Man. Yet, he is not my Superman, the Superman of the past twenty-one years of the comics. The Kal-El that Routh portrays so well is from the earlier films, and that is fine, but will we ever really see the Superman of the comic books ever fully realized in any medium, especially on film? Nonetheless, Routh fully captures the Man of Steel, infusing his portrayal with great physicality, emotion, and confidence. He was a terrific choice for this honored role, and did a great job with it.
The glowing Kate Bosworth is a fine Lois Lane, and she does a wonderful job of depicting a woman whose great love leaves only to be later thrust dramatically back into her life. Bosworth's Lois spends much of the movie trying to ignore the fact that she ever loved Superman, and trying to make everyone around her believe, unsuccessfully, that she doesn't care that he has returned. Truly, it is only Lois that is upset to see Superman has come back to Earth. Every other character, and the entirety of the planet, seems happy, as they can be that they have their beloved hero back.
That is, except for Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor. Spacey is incredible as the world's greatest criminal mind and Superman's archenemy. His Luthor takes on characteristics from many past incarnations, including Gene Hackman's portrayal, the Silver Age Luthor, and the Post-Crisis businessman Lex, among them. Spacey's Luthor is truly evil and not a comic foil like Hackman's, and when Lex and his lackeys beat up a kryptonite-weakened Superman at one point in the film, it was the first time I ever truly hated Lex Luthor. That's just how effective he is written here and played by Mr. Spacey.
The plot of Superman Returns is simplistic and fast-moving, somewhat the opposite of Batman Begins. Yet, it is perfect for a character like Superman, just as the latter film's story was made for the Dark Knight. The film ends with Superman acknowledging his son with Lois, and it is a touching scene, and at first, I felt that this was not enough closure. Superman had to finally get to be with Lois, tell her who he really is, and live happily ever after with her and their son. Yet, this is only the beginning of the story. Superman Returns, like Batman Begins, is the first chapter in a much larger story yet to be told, and in that, I am pleased with the film and looking forward to much more.
From the beginning of the film with its Donner-esquire opening credits and John Williams' stirring march to the very end with Superman patrolling his adopted home world from the cold, silent confines of space, Superman Returns filled me with nostalgia, pride, and even brought a few tears to my eyes as I triumphed in the cinematic restoration of my favorite fictional character of all time. I applaud the filmmakers' incredible work and thank Warner Bros. for finally seeing the light after so many years in darkness.
Highly recommended.