Superman has always been a bit of an oddity for me, something I've tended to like more in concept than practice. So when "Superman Returns" was announced, I didn't give it much thought. But as I started reading about its progress on the Internet and began seeing ads for it, I found myself curious about it and wound up seeing it in the theater. Much to my surprise, I loved it! Newcomer Brandon Routh is well-cast as Clark Kent/Superman. Although he did remind me of Christopher Reeve in a few scenes, in his look and acting, Routh certainly made the role his own without just imitating a previous performer. I also liked that his Clark Kent is not as annoyingly-nerdy as Reeve's was. Kevin Spacey, for the most part, is surprisingly down-to-Earth as Lex Luthor and wipes clean any memory of Gene Hackman's portrayal. Kate Bosworth is decent as Lois Lane, but delivers nothing exceptional. I suspect any number of young actresses could have easily played the part. The rest of the cast is good: James Marsden plays Lois' boyfriend, thankfully not the smart-ass character he could have been, given his place in the subplot's "love triangle" (though I'd hardly call it that at all, and the situation is handled nicely). Frank Langella and Sam Huntington, as Perry White and Jimmy Olsen, respectively, are good but a bit underused. The young actor who plays Lois' son is good, never annoying or overacting like some child actors.
The special effects are top notch. Seeing Superman in action with today's F/X technology is amazing. The first action scene of the film, Superman saving a plane full of reporters after a malfunctioning shuttle launch, is riveting. Without question, my favorite sequence of the entire movie. I'm still surprised how much of a response this movie got out of me. Not only did I tense up and find myself in suspense during the airplane/shuttle rescue, but in a later scene, Superman is weakened by Kryptonite and finds himself at the mercy of Lex's goons before Lex stabs him in the back with a shard of Kryptonite. Usually, I know the hero of the movie will be okay and all, but in this scene, I don't know what it was. I actually felt anger towards the bad guys as they were beating up Superman. I felt helpless watching it and wanted to jump into the scene and lend a hand.
It could have probably been about twenty minutes shorter or had a bit more action, as the middle act does get a bit slow. It also took too long for Superman and Lex to finally meet, which they don't do until near the end of the film. I was hoping for more interaction between them. But all complaints aside, I thought "Superman Returns" was a rousing success. I had not expected to really enjoy it, having not liked either of Bryan Singer's previous "X-Men" movies, but I really got a kick out of it. It's definitely the best Superman movie, and the only one I have bothered owning. It's certainly one of the better superhero movies in recent years, easily surpassing "The Hulk," "Spider-Man 2," and "Batman Begins." It's a solid film and very entertaining. I only wish it would get a sequel instead of being abandoned for yet another reboot.
The special effects are top notch. Seeing Superman in action with today's F/X technology is amazing. The first action scene of the film, Superman saving a plane full of reporters after a malfunctioning shuttle launch, is riveting. Without question, my favorite sequence of the entire movie. I'm still surprised how much of a response this movie got out of me. Not only did I tense up and find myself in suspense during the airplane/shuttle rescue, but in a later scene, Superman is weakened by Kryptonite and finds himself at the mercy of Lex's goons before Lex stabs him in the back with a shard of Kryptonite. Usually, I know the hero of the movie will be okay and all, but in this scene, I don't know what it was. I actually felt anger towards the bad guys as they were beating up Superman. I felt helpless watching it and wanted to jump into the scene and lend a hand.
It could have probably been about twenty minutes shorter or had a bit more action, as the middle act does get a bit slow. It also took too long for Superman and Lex to finally meet, which they don't do until near the end of the film. I was hoping for more interaction between them. But all complaints aside, I thought "Superman Returns" was a rousing success. I had not expected to really enjoy it, having not liked either of Bryan Singer's previous "X-Men" movies, but I really got a kick out of it. It's definitely the best Superman movie, and the only one I have bothered owning. It's certainly one of the better superhero movies in recent years, easily surpassing "The Hulk," "Spider-Man 2," and "Batman Begins." It's a solid film and very entertaining. I only wish it would get a sequel instead of being abandoned for yet another reboot.