Superman Returns (Good)
It’s finally time to write my “big three” summer blockbuster reviews: “Pirates,” “Superman,” and “X-Men.” I have procrastinated doing this, being a bit daunted by the task of summarizing three major films. But they are out on DVD now and if I don’t get on it, well, it will only further entrench my reputation of lameness.
For these three movies I will write each review individually, but be sure to catch all of them for the big picture (ha ha).
Synopsis: The Superman mythos is revisited with a new movie that loosely ties into the early ’80s versions. This week: Superman returns from a visit to the remains of his home planet, only to find that things have changed between him and Lois Lane. One thing that hasn’t changed: Lex Luthor is still an egomaniacal butt-munch.
Plans for this movie go back years. I think it all started when the casting director for “Superman” discovered Christopher Reeve in 1977. They said, “We’ll never find anyone who looks more like Superman than this guy. Let’s clone him!” Thus, 28 years later, Brendan Routh gets the part, since he looks exactly like Christopher Reeve. It’s creepy. Seriously, this movie has a bit of a story behind it, starting with how Nicholas Cage was once considered for the part (dodged a speeding bullet there, if you ask me) and ending with how Warner Bros. called up director Bryan Singer and asked him to ditch X-Men in favour of what is probably North America’s best known popular legend. I bet he didn’t think twice. And so, with the first two X-Men movies under his belt, Mr. Singer proceeded to weave a masterpiece. Almost. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was corporate pressure, or maybe he just liked it this way, but I felt that he missed the mark in his portrayal of “The Man of Steel.” I know many will disagree, especially since the production values in the movie were so high. Cinematically, everything was tight. The sweeping camera shots were all perfectly done, giving a sense of awe to Superman as he soared over the earth. In fact, this is the first time that I can say that I felt that someone was flying around in a blue-and-red suit, and they just happened to catch it on film. Every time Superman took off, it was a breathtaking moment. The plot was fine, as well, although pretty standard fare. And both Brendan Routh and Kevin Spacey were spot-on (although, in deference to the more important gripes I have, I will not mention how much I had to repress my gag reflex whenever Kate Bosworth came on scene - whoops, too late). What was my beef, you ask? It came down to who Superman was as a person. As with most superhero movies these days, Superman was portrayed as having a human side. This is all well and good, as the internal struggles of one who should have no worldly problems are superb dramatic fuel. However, Superman is the ultimate boy scout, and introducing the potential of an illegitimate child just rubbed me the wrong way. Call me provincial, but the one character that should have no hint of a moral flaw is Superman. Plus, it was super-cheesy (ha ha). I have long believed that the addition of cute kids to an adult storyline is a sign of desperation to appeal to an audience when you suspect that your regular material may not do the job. There might be something there, too, since there was no chemistry between Superman and Lois Lane, and the much needed comedy afforded by Clark Kent’s bumbling was nowhere to be seen (to be clear, he bumbled, but it just wasn’t very funny). I enjoyed the movie overall, but that angelic-chorus moment was missing where I should have felt that this was the best movie ever. I’d like to see it again, perhaps to discover that my opinion has mellowed somewhat, but for now it ended up being my least favourite of the “big three” summer blockbusters in 2006.
See also:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
X-Men: The Last Stand
