After years of languishing in development hell, Warner Bros. finally manages to get a new Superman film into theatres. The various failed Superman movie projects have become infamous. Kevin Smith worked on a rejected screenplay and claims that producer Jon Peters insisted that the script had to follow three rules: 1. Superman can't fly, 2. Superman can't wear the cape and tights, and 3. Superman must fight a giant spider in the third act. At one point Tim Burton was attached to direct and Nicholas Cage was cast to star as the Man of Steel. Tens of millions of dollars were wasted on false starts before director Bryan Singer's vision for reinvigorating the franchise triumphed over the others.
Even though "Superman Returns" has its shortcomings, we should all be thankful that it was made instead of the other abandoned concepts. Rather than restart the series from scratch like "Batman Begins" did, "Superman Returns" is set five years after "Superman II" (the ignominious "Superman III" and "Superman IV" are conveniently forgotten). Pre-credit titles explain that Superman (Brandon Routh) left Earth five years ago after astronomers discovered the location of the planet Krypton. Unfortunately, Singer violates the old film-making dictum "show, don't tell". A sequence depicting Superman exploring the shattered remains of Krypton was cut from the finished film, so Superman's whole motivation for abandoning his loved ones and his responsibilities as Earth's protector is given short shrift before Clark Kent's back in Metropolis and resuming his job at the Daily Planet.
It's a rough homecoming for the Man of Steel. Old flame Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a four year old son, is dating Perry White's handsome nephew Richard (James Marsden), and has won the Pulitzer Prize for an article titled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". Superman still loves Lois, but she is understandably angry that he left without saying goodbye and has moved on with her life. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is free from prison and has stolen Kryptonian crystals from the Fortress of Solitude as part of another scheme involving real estate and the destruction of Superman.
Singer's affection for the first two Superman movies that starred Christopher Reeve is obvious. Homage is paid through the opening credits, the use of John Williams' rousing theme, numerous in-jokes, and the recycling of old recordings of Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Anyone unfamiliar with "Superman: The Movie" and "Superman II" might be confused by the plot of "Superman Returns". Yet, despite many lighthearted moments, "Superman Returns" is ultimately more somber than the earlier movies. It fortunately avoids the outright camp that the old Superman movies eventually devolved into, but is not as colourful or fun either. There's some nasty violence in the third act that earns the PG-13 rating.
Spacey hams it up as Luthor, combining the humour and egotism of the Gene Hackman version with a more menacing edge. Bosworth is miscast as Lois. She's too young and bland. A better choice for Lois would have been Parker Posey, who makes the most of her supporting role as Luthor's girlfriend Kitty. Singer was wise to choose a relatively unknown actor for the role of Superman. Christopher Reeve is still the best Superman, but Brandon Routh honours his legacy. Routh had a heavy burden to carry with this role, and it is impressive that he managed to pull it off.
There are some impressive moments in "Superman Returns", but also some lost opportunities. While special effects have made leaps and bounds since the 1978 feature, the climactic action of "Superman Returns" is not as conceptually thrilling as Superman preventing the destruction of the California coastline or battling three evil Kryptonians. There is a nagging feeling of been there, done that to many sequences. There are also moments that undermine the audience's suspension of disbelief. I can believe a man can fly, but there's no way tiny Kate Bosworth could pull a drowning 225 pound man out of choppy North Atlantic waters.
"Superman Returns" does fulfill its mandate to reintroduce moviegoers to the Last Son of Krypton and erase the bad memories of "Superman III" and "Superman IV". It's a good film, but not great. Here's hoping that the cast and crew learn their lessons from this one and give us a sequel where Superman can really soar.
*** out of ****
Even though "Superman Returns" has its shortcomings, we should all be thankful that it was made instead of the other abandoned concepts. Rather than restart the series from scratch like "Batman Begins" did, "Superman Returns" is set five years after "Superman II" (the ignominious "Superman III" and "Superman IV" are conveniently forgotten). Pre-credit titles explain that Superman (Brandon Routh) left Earth five years ago after astronomers discovered the location of the planet Krypton. Unfortunately, Singer violates the old film-making dictum "show, don't tell". A sequence depicting Superman exploring the shattered remains of Krypton was cut from the finished film, so Superman's whole motivation for abandoning his loved ones and his responsibilities as Earth's protector is given short shrift before Clark Kent's back in Metropolis and resuming his job at the Daily Planet.
It's a rough homecoming for the Man of Steel. Old flame Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a four year old son, is dating Perry White's handsome nephew Richard (James Marsden), and has won the Pulitzer Prize for an article titled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". Superman still loves Lois, but she is understandably angry that he left without saying goodbye and has moved on with her life. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is free from prison and has stolen Kryptonian crystals from the Fortress of Solitude as part of another scheme involving real estate and the destruction of Superman.
Singer's affection for the first two Superman movies that starred Christopher Reeve is obvious. Homage is paid through the opening credits, the use of John Williams' rousing theme, numerous in-jokes, and the recycling of old recordings of Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Anyone unfamiliar with "Superman: The Movie" and "Superman II" might be confused by the plot of "Superman Returns". Yet, despite many lighthearted moments, "Superman Returns" is ultimately more somber than the earlier movies. It fortunately avoids the outright camp that the old Superman movies eventually devolved into, but is not as colourful or fun either. There's some nasty violence in the third act that earns the PG-13 rating.
Spacey hams it up as Luthor, combining the humour and egotism of the Gene Hackman version with a more menacing edge. Bosworth is miscast as Lois. She's too young and bland. A better choice for Lois would have been Parker Posey, who makes the most of her supporting role as Luthor's girlfriend Kitty. Singer was wise to choose a relatively unknown actor for the role of Superman. Christopher Reeve is still the best Superman, but Brandon Routh honours his legacy. Routh had a heavy burden to carry with this role, and it is impressive that he managed to pull it off.
There are some impressive moments in "Superman Returns", but also some lost opportunities. While special effects have made leaps and bounds since the 1978 feature, the climactic action of "Superman Returns" is not as conceptually thrilling as Superman preventing the destruction of the California coastline or battling three evil Kryptonians. There is a nagging feeling of been there, done that to many sequences. There are also moments that undermine the audience's suspension of disbelief. I can believe a man can fly, but there's no way tiny Kate Bosworth could pull a drowning 225 pound man out of choppy North Atlantic waters.
"Superman Returns" does fulfill its mandate to reintroduce moviegoers to the Last Son of Krypton and erase the bad memories of "Superman III" and "Superman IV". It's a good film, but not great. Here's hoping that the cast and crew learn their lessons from this one and give us a sequel where Superman can really soar.
*** out of ****