Superman Returns Review
by news.west.earthlink.net (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)June 27th, 2006
SUPERMAN RETURNS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2006 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
Brandon Routh, in a charisma-free performance, makes a superhero super boring and, with his airbrushed appearance, makes Superman look like a department store mannequin.
Easily a full hour too long, SUPERMAN RETURNS is a movie with a paucity of ideas, other than "more." Whenever the film briefly shakes off its terminal lethargy, Superman performs miracles at an exhausting pace. Blink and you'll probably miss a dozen different heroic feats. In most of the movie, however, the script can't figure out anything to do. As Lois Lane, Kate Bosworth demonstrates no genuine chemistry with the Man of Steel, whom she is supposed to love so much. And, as the nefarious Lex Luthor, Kevin Spacey sleepwalks through his role.
You know the film is in trouble when the opening title sequence is so long and lame that your mind begins to wander. And what you are liable to be thinking of during this production are the Supermans that came before. In point of fact, the only part of SUPERMAN RETURNS that works consistently is the original SUPERMAN theme music. Listening to it is almost enough to make you forgive the producers for casting Routh, a guy who acts with all the talent and personality of an automaton. Well, I can think of one other time when the movie does produce a brief spark of excitement. When we witness a close-up of Lane's feet when she steps out of her shoes and onto Superman's feet for a ride into the sky, it is sexy and electric. But then the camera cuts back, so that Routh's face enters the frame and the magic quickly fizzles.
If you, like me, loved the recent SPIDER-MAN 2 and BATMAN BEGINS, you may be quite disappointed in this latest edition of a similar series. But SPIDER-MAN 2 and BATMAN BEGINS rarely flagged, while, with one exception, the whole first hour of SUPERMAN RETURNS is a complete waste of time.
Why the film proved to be so bland is a mystery to me. Maybe director Bryan Singer got too close to the kryptonite.
If you just have to see it, save your money and wait for video, when you'll have easy access to a fast-forward button.
SUPERMAN RETURNS runs a ridiculously long 2:37. It is rated PG-13 for "some intense action violence" and would be acceptable for kids around 8 and up.
My son Jeffrey liked Bosworth and Spacey but not Routh. He is a big fan of "Smallville" and likes the way that series portrays Superman. Jeffrey said he realized that he liked SUPERMAN RETURNS because it was a Superman movie and not because of the movie itself. After complaining about Routh's performance, he dropped his initially much higher rating down to ** 1/2.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Wednesday, June 28, 2006. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
