Official Synopsis:
He's back. A hero for our millennium. And not a moment too soon, because during the five years (much longer in movie-fan years!) Superman sought his home planet, things changed on his adopted planet. Nations moved on without him. Lois Lane now has a son, a fiancé and a Pulitzer for "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." And Lex Luthor has a plan that will destroy millions - no, billions - of lives. Filmmaker Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2) gives the world the Superman it needs, honoring the legend everyone loves while taking it in a powerful new direction. Brandon Routh proves a perfect choice to wear the hero's cape, leading a top cast that includes Kate Bosworth as Lois and Kevin Spacey as Lex. And the thrills - from a sky-grapple with a tumbling jumbo jet to a continent-convulsing showdown - redefine Wow. "I'm always around," Superman tells Lois. You'll be glad he is.
Our Take:
I still believe a man can fly.
Thanks to Bryan Singer's Superman epic for a new generation, there's no doubt that a man can fly higher than ever. Is Brandon Routh as good as Christopher Reeve? Not quite. Has Brandon Routh ably inherited the cape and become the Man of Steel for the new millennium? Absolutely.
Superman Returns is not a perfect film, but that is in no way, shape, or form Routh's fault. In fact, I think he's pretty much the best choice Singer could have found, and I loved him in the role of Clark and Superman. In fact, I loved him in it so much that whenever he wasn't on screen, I got bored. And that's where my major problems with the film started. It was a bit too long, and as a result, there were some serious pacing issues. They mostly stem from the fact that whenever Routh was on screen, I was glued to my seat, but when he wasn't (which was surprisingly often), I just found myself less interested.
Part of that could be the rest of the casting. Kate Bosworth was, admittedly, better that I thought she would be as Lois Lane (if still a bit young), but I never really got into Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. And I like Spacey, I just didn't really dig his Lex. As for his big plan essentially being the creation of a really big island... well, let's just say it wasn't one of the film's highlights.
But, man, then Routh would come on screen and everything was okay. His Clark is funny and personable, and he retains that goofy charm that Reeve brought to life so well. As Superman, he's terrific as well, all power and calm. And when we're treated to the action sequences, well, plain and simply, you've never seen Superman look like this before. This film boasts some serious special effects, and it’s probably one of the best-looking films I’ve seen in a long time. Singer really does know how to craft a big screen spectacle.
At first glance, the Superman Returns DVD doesn't look like it comes with all that much in the way of extra features. Don't be fooled, though; while a deluxe edition is almost a certainty sometime in the future, this two-disc special edition is pretty super, too.
* Requiem For Krypton: Making Superman Returns (2 hours 53 minutes) - A five-part feature length documentary that's actually longer than the film itself. The documentary production crew had complete access to the entire production, so you really do get to see the creation of the film from start to finish. Super!
* Resurrecting Jor-El (4 minutes) - A look at how the Marlon Brando footage in the film was put together.
* Deleted Scenes (15 minutes) - Eleven scenes that weren't quite super enough to make the final cut. The legendary 10-minute space sequence is missing, though, but I’m sure it will show up on a future DVD.
Superman Returns may not be the perfect Superman movie, but it's a heck of a great start. With Singer on board for a sequel and all the "re-establishing the legend" stuff out of the way, the mind boggles at what the future holds for the franchise. Superman is back in a big way, and I for one couldn't be happier!
RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Movie: A-
DVD: A-
- Mike Spring
Editor
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