Superman Returns - Film Review

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:

"Superman - born on a planet which has long since died - has been raised by adoptive parents on the Kent farm in Kansas. The young boy Kal-El is renamed Clark Kent, and though he has grown up among humans, he is not one of them. Under Earth's yellow sun, he can do things humans can only dream of, but to co-exist with them he must live a dual life as mild, unassuming Clark Kent, secretly transforming into the Man of Steel when the world cries out for him.

But now, the world's crises have gone unheeded for five long years since Superman's mysterious disappearance. Without him, crime has risen in the city of Metropolis and beyond; that's not even counting the future destructive acts of Lex Luthor, who has been sprung from prison with the specific intent of using Superman's technological secrets for his own personal gain and glory.

Lois Lane, star reporter for the Daily Planet and the love of Superman's life, has moved on since Superman left without a word. She has even won a Pulitzer Prize for her essay, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." Lois has other issues to contend with - she is now engaged to the editor's nephew and has a young son to look after.

But for Superman, the long search for his place in the universe ends back at the Kent farm, among the only family he has ever known. His destiny lies in Metropolis, where one look in Lois's eyes tells him that this place, among the flawed but ultimately good people of Earth, is his true home. And with Lex's plan coming to fruition mere hours after his return, the world will never need Superman more than it does now."

REVIEW:

When the lights went down in the cinema I was surprised by how excited I really was to see Superman Return to the big screen, and then, when the classic theme song came on I couldn't stop myself from grinning madly. I felt like I was in for something special... so how did I feel by the end?

I was satisfied overall, but I have to be honest and say that I definitely wasn't blown away like I'd hoped I'd be. It's really cool the way this film feels like the old ones yet has a new incredibly polished look. However the emphasis on melodrama, at times, is simply too much and detracts from the fun I should have been having. While there are many exciting action scenes and cool Superman moments, there's an over abundance of meaningful stares and longing glances; to the point that it bogs the film down under its own ponderous weight and ultimately feels a little pretentious. I couldn't help but remember how good the old Superman films made me feel and the lightness that Christopher Reeve' bought to the Man of Steel. Brandon Routh is a good Superman/Clark Kent, and at times it's uncanny how similar he looks, acts and sounds like the late Christopher Reeve (whether this is a good thing is up for debate), but this Superman is so emotionally conflicted that there isn't so much a twinkle in his eye, as there is a tear. Yes this is a modern Superman, and with that come the trappings of the modern man; he's overly sensitive and worries too much... come on Superman, surely you aren't meant to be quite this contemplative?

Superman lost in thought... again!

But have no fear, even if Superman Returns is a little too melancholy, it is still an awesome spectacle. The build-up to seeing him -as Superman- for the first time is brilliant and Bryan Singer absolutely milks this scene for everything he can. There are countless other classic Superman moments where he catches huge falling objects before they crush people and puts out fires with his ice cool breath, yet looking back, it is difficult to pin-point another scene that -outside of the plane scene from the trailers- left a big impression. There are several cool bits (like the amazing shot where a bullet crumples against Superman's eye) , but nothing that quite topped the plane scene; I thought they may have saved the best till last, but sadly this is not the case unless you count Superman lifting something very, very large as a worthy climactic feat... I didn't.

By now you may have read a few other reviews, and one thing that's clear is some people love that Superman Returns feels like the original films, while others see this as detrimental and lacking in originality. Personally I think it's cool the way it connects to the old films and this mimicry - or homage if you prefer - of the original is not its source of weakness, that source is Lex Luther. I am not a fan of diabolical schemes (I hated Magneto's stupid plan in the first X-Men) and Lex's plan in Superman Returns is utterly moronic. I know, I know, it's just a comic book movie and stupid diabolical plans come with the territory, but did it have to be this monumentally idiotic? If you've seen the film you will know that Lex's plan makes little logical sense and it strongly detracted from my ability to accept him as a ruthless mastermind; no mastermind would have such severe lapses in logic would he? I can only hope that Lex is not the main bad guy in the inevitable sequel, because it would be absolutely thrilling to see Superman battle a new and more physically challenging Nemesis.

Superman is Back! And in style.

The rest of the cast are fairly good. I missed the old Lois Lane's manic energy, but her more serious demeanor is in keeping with the new film's melancholy vibe. The kid was pretty annoying -what is with kids haircuts in American films?- and wasn't integrated into the story particularly well... but it will be interesting to see where his storyline goes in the sequels.

Much like Tim Burton's Batman films, when Superman Returns finished I was asking myself "Well who is this Superhero and what makes him tick?", unlike Batman Begins -where I felt really satisfied with my understanding of why Batman does what he does- Superman Returns kept me at arm's length, never quite letting me get close to the Man in Tights. It isn't helped by the fact that Superman and Clark Kent barely speak. I can understand why the filmmakers did this -sometimes less is more- particularly when it comes to a hero, but you can only take so many lingering shots of Superman deep in thought before you feel shut out by him.

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

Superman Returns has an old-fashioned quality about it, yet has the unmistakable glossy sheen that only modern-huge-budget films can have. Brandon Routh had big boots to fill and he pulled it off... He is Superman. The action is thrilling, the emotional aspects work overall but are a little too dominant, particularly as we approach the end. The over-reliance on a CG Superman was distracting and had me wondering why Brandon Routh was on wires for months on end if he was just going to be replaced by a CG Superman most of the time. Lex Luther's plan sucked - even if Lex himself was well acted by Kevin Spacey. Basically, less melodrama and more action would have improved Superman Returns in my eyes, yet then it wouldn't be the emotionally complex film that Bryan Singer wanted. I just hope that the twinkle is back in Supes' eyes when he Returns again and that he has a more impressive vilian to face next time, because the potential that Bryan Singer has re-opened is massive. Superman really is back!

8/10