Superman Returns Review
by samseescinema (sammeriam AT comcast DOT net)June 28th, 2006
Superman Returns
reviewed by Sam Osborn of www.samseescinema.com
rating: 3 out of 4
Director: Bryan Singer
Screenplay: Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris
Cast: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (some intense action violence)
Let's face it, Superman's the granddaddy of all superheroes; the guy who breathed life and inspiration into a gaggle of mutants, a tragic bat freak, and that geeky Peter Parker with the weird thing for spiders. So it's only fair the Superman be given the modern, big-screen makeover. And his return is a fine one, fraught with love and forlorn passion, egos and alter-egos, and a mastermind so evil that it needs Parker Posey to ground him as his ditzy sidekick. Superman may not have the inspirational power he did during his wartime comics, or the whittled, carven face of Mr. Christopher Reeves, but he's got a mountain of CGI wizardry behind him, and a director who ditched his obligation to X-Men 3 to part the red curtains for ole' granddaddy's return.
It's the unofficial sequel to Superman II from 1980. Superman, this time played by the newcomer Brandon Routh, hurtles and crashes to earth on a clump of crystals from his homeworld Krypton. He's returned after a five-year homecoming with the knowledge that he's the only one left from his alien race. Things have changed since his departure: Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) is now knotted and mommied, engaged to Richard White (James Marsden) and mother to little Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu). Lex Luther's still around, now played by Kevin Spacey, mocking up an evil plan to kill "not millions, BILLIONS!" with crystals hijacked from the ice castle Superman's father set up. And Superman's alter-ego, Clark Kent still works at the Daily Planet, bringing the news to Metropolis at the direction of Perry White (Frank Langella), the newspaper's head.
When Batman falls off a ledge, it hurts. When Spiderman falls off a ledge, it hurts. When Superman falls off a ledge, the asphalt hurts. Superman's fine, but the asphalt beneath him is cracked and splintered. The man's just too perfect. It's almost too easy for him. He can fly faster than a speeding bullet, breath ice, shoot heat-rays out of his eyes, stop bullets, and has x-ray vision (to be used respectfully towards women, mind you). I like my superheroes flawed, thank you very much. Marv from Sin City was uglier than a brick wall, and Hellboy has that little problem of being related to, oh yeah, Satan. But when you're looking for big CGI set-pieces for your $150+ million film, having a character that can fly faster than a speeding bullet, breath ice, shoot heat-rays out of his eyes, stop bullets, and see with x-ray vision isn't so bad. It, in fact, makes for some of the most spectacular stunts put to film. Superman was made for the modern age of CGI movie magic. And because they can do virtually anything imaginable these days in Hollywood, the limit for Superman surpasses even the sky. Director Bryan Singer throws his hero into awesomely large and perilous situations that tickle physics with enchanting impossibility. They're big and they're fun, making red-caped mockeries out of the hodge-podge spider-webs and batmobiles of yesteryear. Consider the bar raised.
But the film must be flawed, as all these superhero flicks are. And the fault line runs where it's run before: in the romance department. Spiderman and Batman have fallen under similar curses, unsure of how to approach the love lives of their men of steel. And even though the relationship between Lois and Superman is well addressed here, the romance is handled awkwardly. Lois is still hung up on her man-in-cape, despite the engagement to nice-guy Richard White. Her confliction and ensuing love triangle almost works, but snags on the unevenness that separates superhero romance from a romance held in reality. The disconnect occurs because the film can't find a romantic spin that's both fluffy and raw. Superheroes' relationships are apparently quite difficult to make relatable to relationships of us normal folk.
But that's not to say that Lois and Superman don't work as separate characters. Newcomer Routh stumbles on normal-people lines, but nails the awkward geekiness of Clark and the goofy perfection that's Superman. Kate Bosworth is a fine and strong Lois Lane, giving ambition and power to the otherwise girly-girl role. Both, however, are threatened to be overshadowed by the genius that is Lex Luther and Kitty, played by Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey. Evil masterminds can get too huffy and stuffy in their wicked solemnity, but when paired with a darkly ditzy sidekick, a new dynamic is birthed. The characters are worth the price of admission alone. Spacey has proven he can play diabolical in such roles as John Doe in Se7en and Lester Burnham in American Beauty. He's the caricature of such evil as Lex Luther, and is anchored to reality only by the loopy likes of Kitty, the only one of Lex's cronies bold (or stupid) enough to poke fun at his master plans.
So Superman's return wasn't a bust after all. Bryan Singer's X-Men betrayal paid off and rocketed the red-caped franchise to the level of Batman and Spiderman. It's on par with these films, proving that superhero flicks only need directors with a strong artistic sensibility, along with the requisite gargantuan budget. Anyway, it's good to have Superman back, and it won't be hard to anticipate his inevitable return. Er...re-return.
-www.samseescinema.com
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