The Popkorn Junkie :: Superman Returns

Superman is back in full force!! Directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men), Superman Returns captivates audiences this summer with a new story, wonderful and familiar characters, and high-flying action. And I thought the May 2006 line-up was going be hard to top - I was dead wrong. I can assure you , Superman Returns IS the movie of the summer season!!

In the timeline, Superman Returns takes place 5 years after Superman II ended (essentially leaving us to believe there never was a Superman III or IV - which we all agree, should never have been made in the first place). Superman (played by newcomer Brandon Routh) left Earth after hearing that there may be remnants of his home planet, Krypton; but, has now come back to watch over us, and to reclaim his love for Lois Lane (played by Kate Bosworth, Blue Crush). Since his departure, Lex Luthor (played by Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential) has been freed from prison and has acquired a small fortune to begin executing his latest, grand scheme to take over the world - in fact, to "grow" a new world using the crystals that built Superman's Fortress of Solitude.

While some critics have said that the plot was rather weak, I heartily disagree. Luthor's plan… yes, it's absurd, but that's the point! Luthor is crazy and conniving... and if critics knew the character, then they would know that this is just the type of plan Luthor would cook up. I thought the story moved wonderfully from beginning to end, the action pieced well with the drama. We get to see clumsy Clark Kent re-establish himself at the Daily Planet; we get to see Perry White (played by Frank Langella, Dave) and Jimmy Olsen (played by Sam Huntington, Not Another Teen Movie) - two important supporting characters that provide some of the laughs through the film; we get to see Lois, her son Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu) and her fiancé Richard (James Mardsen, X-Men) and how their lives have been affected by both Superman's departure and his return.

I was extremely impressed with the acting in this film… starting with Routh. As a newcomer to both blockbuster movies and this highly revered role, I was skeptical; but, in watching him play both the Superman and the Kent role, I got chills from the uncanny resemblance he had to the late Christopher Reeve. The stature, the presence, the mannerisms… he had it all! Bosworth… again, I was not sure if she could follow Margot Kidder… but I was wrong as she also brought Lois back to life with her moments of being a forceful reporter as well as a "damsel in distress" (although I must say, this rendition of Lois Lane definitely held her own at times). Spacey is the man… no need to go on with him…. And as I mentioned already, the supporting cast was well chosen with other appearances by Eva Marie Saint, Kal Penn, and Parker Posey (whose role I didn't like, yet I made the connection between her role and that of Ursa - the blonde in the original Superman - that was "bad" but went through a catharsis and ended up helping Superman).

Singer packed in the action and special effects! Audiences get to experience blackouts, earthquakes and tidal waters; and of course, we get to fly right along side of Superman as he soars from one end of the Earth to the other. The dangers and the rescues leave audiences breathless and on the edge of their seats for the next scene. Now, I got experience this film on IMAX… that mean's 3D sequences making this movie even more fantastic and puts me right in the thick of things (quite an incredible ride if you get a chance to go). One of my favorite scenes involved a jumbo jet carrying a space shuttle (new technology to launch shuttles into space) - watching from both outside and within the cabin, it's one of those moments where we ask "how the hell did they do that?!" (I bet you Bosworth didn't know what she was getting into when they shot THAT part).

One of the most important tasks for Singer was to cater to audiences that saw the original Superman film in theaters thirty years ago - the sights, the sounds, the emotion. In the opening of Superman Returns (and throughout the film for that matter), we hear the original John Williams score and the credits fly in brilliant blues and reds just as it did in the original - as my brother said, "It was like being a kid again!" The atmosphere Singer created was brilliant and grand - I can't imagine another director stepping into this franchise. Superman Returns revitalizes the series and paves the way for the new generation to enjoy this super hero - definitely a MUST SEE for everyone!

-- ChiKitA, courtesy of Edge of Infinity ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

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Other Junkie's opinions.....

Pappy ( 2 out of 4 pops )

After 5 years absence, Superman (Brandon Routh) returns to Earth as his search for the remnants of the planet of his origin, Krypton, proved fruitless. For some unexplained reason he returns to Earth in spaceship/meteor that crash lands on the Kent family farm which is now located in Australia – well, it was filmed in Australia anyway. I guess there are no more farms in the US. Anyway, he spends a few days recovering on the farm, and in a scene that is pretty much the country version of Spiderman learning his powers, Superman reminisces about his teenage years on the farm and how he learned to control his super powers while awkwardly smashing into weathervanes and crashing into barns.

Lugging his suitcases around and acting like a classic hayseed, Clark Kent moves back to the big city, gets his old job back and realizes that his old flame reporter Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a child who badly needs a haircut. Hmmm, let’s see Supe was gone for about 5 years, Lois’ child is about 4 years old and it seems like his hair was never cut because .. why?... maybe his hair can’t be cut? I dunno. And I don’t really want to think about it too much, because the screen writers didn’t seem to think about anything too much, so why should I?

As it turns out Lois has a long time, live-in boyfriend Richard White (James Marsden), who the kid calls “Dad”. Richard also works at the Daily News and owns and flies a sea plane. Gosh, I wonder if he will use the sea plane in some action scenes? Duh.

I think a couple of pages from an Anna Nicole Smith biopic got mixed up in the Superman Returns script, because in a few scenes, evil genius Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) inherits billions of dollars after winning the heart of 90+ year old heiress. I guess that was the writer’s way of explaining how Lex gets funding to execute his plan to extort money from the world. The weird thing is, if he has billions of dollars, why does he need more money? Again, I don’t get it. But anyway, after inheriting the money, Lex goes to Superman’s hide out, the Fortress of Solitude, to use Superman’s super advanced computer to consult with the ghostly vision of Superman’s dad (a recycled Marlon Brando, believe it or not) . The computer, which contains the accumulated knowledge of centuries of an advanced civilization, mistakes the bald headed Lex for the raven haired Superman . I guess Krypton never had an issue with identity theft, but you would think that such information would at least be protected by password. Lois’ work computer is – her password by the way is “Superman”. After gathering all of this info, Lex decides to take over the world by growing Kryptonite-laced crystals into a new continent. The science of this was explained by the writers as being similar to the miracle of Sea Monkeys – just add water.

OK, I can’t go on. I’m sorry. Way too many goofy holes in the script. But wait… I did enjoy the film for the most part. Except for Parker Posey who played Lex’s gun mol Kitty Kowalski as a cartoon character, the acting was just fine. She was OK too, just a bit too campy for me. Special effects were great. I loved the music which along with Marlon was largely recycled for the earlier Superman films. As a lifelong Superman fan, I loved the many small touches in the film that I am sure only real fans will notice (like the bartender being Jimmie Olsen form the original TV series).

At 154 minutes, the film was way too long, too short on excitement, and too focused on romance.