Movie Review: Superman Returns

Well I just got home from the movies, watching the one movie I waited YEARS to see...

"Superman Returns"

FINALLY!

Okay, if you don't know, I'm a LONGTIME fan of the Man of Steel. Yes, longer than Playboy, longer than libertarianism, and ALMOST longer than Star Trek. Almost. (Hey, I was watching Star Trek fresh from the cradle... you can't top that!)

I was absolutely AWESTRUCK when the first movie came out in 1978. Before that I was reading the comics, watching the cartoons, and on rare occasion watching the old George Reeves series. But it was the late Christopher Reeve that brought the Man of Steel out of the comic books and into as much of the real world as could be possible thanks to Hollywood magic.

Then Warner Brothers released Superman II, and while it had some very good effects, I found it somewhat campy. Then there was Superman III, which was SUPER-campy, and then Superman IV, which had some good elements but once again got killed by the comic book kryptonite called CAMP.

A few years later, Warner Brothers wanted to try it again. Interest came back after Superman was killed by Doomsday in the comic books, followed by Superman's resurrection and his eventual marriage to Lois Lane. The TV show "Lois and Clark" was a hit, and even the animated series was a big hit. Then the success of "Smallville" and "Justice League" helped propel the drive for a new Superman movie.

But the idea hit several snags. The movie went through several re-writes, several directors, and several possible stars for key roles, including Chris Rock as Jimmy Olson, Jenny McCarthy as Supergirl, and Nicholas Cage as a brooding Superman. THANKFULLY that idea got shot down faster than a speeding bullet! (Don't worry folks, Cage will be appearing as another superhero of sorts in 2007... as Ghost Rider. At least they cast well for that character.)

Then Bryan Singer picked up the director's role.

That's why I can thankfully say... this movie is WORTH THE WAIT!

Okay, I'm promising myself to not give anything major away. The key story is something that you've probably already seen and heard about in past few weeks and months leading up to the release. Superman goes away for five years and then comes back, only to find the world moved on without him, including the love of his life. Lois has a child and a future husband (James Marsden, whom you may remember as Cyclops in Singer's other hero flicks "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United"). But Lex Luthor also has a new lease on life, and he has a plan.

The good thing about Singer's direction of the story is that it completely eliminates the third and fourth movie. (I wish we all could do that.) There's a lot of references to the first movie, and the occasional mention of the second one. The original music by John Williams is still there, but there's also plenty of original score to move the story along as well. The special effects are literally out-of-this-world! Not only do they remind us that "a man can fly", but they make it look a hell of a lot more realistic than they could do twenty years ago.

The casting is also top-notch. Kevin Spacey is no Gene Hackman, but then again Hackman himself admitted that he couldn't play a villain. Hackman's portrayal of Lex Luthor as sort of a villainous buffoon helped bring too much camp into the original movies. Spacey's Luthor is certainly nobody's buffoon. The casting of Parker Posey as Luthor's henchwoman Kitty was a little weak, but then again she had to pick up where Valerie Perrine and Ned Beatty left off. Frank Langalla picked up the role of Perry White quite well, although he wasn't the first choice for Singer. (Hugh Laurie of TV's "House MD" was originally slated for the job but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts.) Still, he did well.

The late Marlon Brando makes an appearance as Jor-El... albeit using material from the original movie. And it was used quite well in this movie. There are some other Superman veterans that also make an appearance, but you have to have a really good eye - and ear - to catch one of them.

Even Kate Bosworth, sporting brown hair instead of her usual bottle blond, does a good job as Lois Lane. While not coming off as flaky as, say, Margot Kidder or Terri Hatcher, she's just cute and perky enough to get away with the nosy reporter role.

Then there's Brandon Routh... the man behind the blue tights and the nerdy glasses. Brandon not only inherited the late Christopher Reeve's title, but he also bears a striking resemblance to the late actor. He does a GREAT job playing both Superman AND Clark Kent.

Now Singer has promised a couple of actual changes to the Superman mythos that he hopes will carry through to the comics and beyond. One has been speculated online to some extent (and is part of the story). The other makes its appearance in the first few minutes of the movie... and believe me, it will blow your mind!

Oh, two more things. I wasn't able to view it in IMAX format like I wanted to, because the theater was literally SOLD OUT for the whole day, but it would certainly be worth viewing it in 3D if you wanted to. Plus, one of the trailers aired before the start of Superman Returns was for "Hollywoodland"... which delves into the suicide of George Reeves. I found that rather interesting... and timely, but I find it hard to see Ben Affleck wearing the blue-and-red Superman outfit. Daredevil, yes. Superman, no.

Bryan Singer's Superman is certainly not campy or cartoonish. This movie actually takes the first two movies to the next level, and while it MAY seem a bit long, there's just enough storyline and action to keep it interesting. If you're hesitant about it being lame, don't be, because it's not. But I should also point out that it's rated PG-13 for a reason, which means keep the little kids at home for this one, but this is definitely one for the big kids to enjoy.