Written by: Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris (screenplay), Bryan Singer & Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris (story), Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (characters)
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Parker Posey, Frank Langella
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Superman returns to Earth after a five year absence.
Verdict
Kah-el is Superman and Clark Kent. Early on the movie explores that nuance, but that falls away once we get into the villain's machinations. Lex Luthor has very little depth, robbing Superman of a worthy enemy.
This is a tribute to the Superman franchise, but the story could have been so much better. Luthor lacks credibility, and thus his plan just seems silly.
It depends.
Review
I unwittingly watched this on the tenth year anniversary of the release. Numerous directors have been attached to many proposed sequels. Tim Burton and Nicolas Cage started on a sequel. J.J. Abrams wrote a script with a Krypton civil war spilling over to Earth. Bryan Singer skipped out on X-Men 3 to direct this.
This movie is very much a continuation of the Christopher Reeve/Richard Donner Superman movies from 1978 and 1980. It even uses the same title sequence and John Williams music, though it does ignore Superman III and IV.
It's part remake and part sequel. Superman has been gone for five years, but is now back. Clark Kent is still infatuated with Lois Lane who barely knows he exists. Lois is still smitten with Superman. It's an intriguing dynamic to see someone so powerful, yet so vulnerable. Kal-el is both of these men, but has to keep them separate. His struggle is what makes the character so intriguing.
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| Superman Returns - Sequel, remake, or Christopher Reeve tribute? |
Lois resents him for leaving. She is engaged and has a young son, even winning a Pulitzer for her article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." It's a little hokey to shoehorn in an award, not to mention the anachronism of a bustling newspaper. This movie doesn't pick a clear time period. It seems to be set in present day, but the newspaper business seems to be at a peak. Ma Kent is still driving a pickup truck from the 1930's and the farm is unchanged. At first it seemed we were getting a flashback of Superman landing on Earth as a child, but it's only his return. The movie wants to recreate or pay homage to moments from the original, which it does. Brandon Routh feels like he's putting on a Christopher Reeve tribute, but he never makes the role his own.
While Superman was handled well, Lex Luthor is too cartoonish. Kevin Spacey was a great choice, but Lex just wants to extort the world by creating a new continent. The logic and his intentions are lacking. He's on the verge of cackling maniacally in every scene. He's after world domination, but humanizing him as a foil to Superman could have had so much more impact. He's a self proclaimed genius that seems anything but, followed around by a bunch of bumbling thugs that are more lap dogs than criminals.
Lois interviews Lex, while bringing her son along, seemingly just to setup a damsel in distress trope
Superman must save Lois, but Lex Luthor is using Kryptonite to his advantage. The weakened Superman is punched and kicked before Luthor stabs him with a Kryptonite shard. This was a really good scene. The direction in this movie is great. It's a depiction of classic movie Superman, by a crew that really loves the franchise. Many scenes look absolutely great. The last third also hints that Lois's son might not be from her fiancee.
Of course Superman triumphs, but the Kryptonite wound puts him in a coma. It's only when Lois whispers a secret in his ear that he awakes. We don't hear what she says, but it's easy to deduce the subject, especially with Superman's next monologue. This secret raises a whole slew of unanswered questions, and it's unnecessary. This movies is two and a half hours long, and that's too long. it easily could have been trimmed down by removing a few side characters.
Superman promises he's here to stay. He has a new responsibility after all, and Lois writes an article about why the world needs Superman. It's goofy as is the movie ultimately. Maybe there's no way to fix the fact that. Lex Luthor has to be murderous, otherwise there is no one to save. Superman only stops theft if someone is about to die. Then again, Lex Luthor should have been more reserved and dark instead of silly. He could have been bent on revenge, wanting to break Superman. Why couldn't he have assembled a crack shot team? I continually wondered why he brought the others along. His assistant serves absolutely no purpose other than to act ditzy and question him. She's convenient to the plot later, but still unnecessary. To make a good Superman you need a good villain. This is not a good villain.
The easy comparison is this and Man of Steel (2013). Both movies are flawed and lack good villains. I'd give Man of Steel the edge, just because I like the take on the character and it had a bit more action.
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