A Super Leap of Faith

Current mood: impressed

Movie Review: Superman Returns

Let me start by saying one thing - I am the little sister of a comic-book-hero fan and therefore am one by extension. I don't know the lore like the boys seem to, but I know enough to be dangerous...there is no comparison to Superman-lore here - so deal with it! Also, I am doing my best not to put any major spoilers, but beware one and all!

Where to begin with this review...? It is hard not to mention that is probably the most anticipated summer movie in a couple of years and that there will be a lot of reviews flying around (pardon the pun). So for those of you that truly care, there will be no fluff here - I tend to have very specific expectations when it comes to movies.

The overall feel of this movie was great! This movie played homage to the first two Superman flicks of almost 30 years ago. Brandon Routh did one of the best "impressions" of Christopher Reeve's Clark Kent I think I have ever seen - but when he becomes Superman, I felt a sense of transition...the torch has been passed folks and I really didn't expect to enjoy his take on such an icon. Sure, he could have been better, but c'mon they had Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane! Just about anything could have been more impressive than her flimsy portrayal of this crack-reporter. As for Kevin Spacey, he did an excellent job...most of the time. He took Lex Luthor to some very dark places, but also allowed him to be more of a cartoon in some scenes - there was room for improvement.

As for the movie itself, I was taken back to my formative years and enjoyed 2 hours of nostalgia...that's right folks, I said 2 hours. Yes, this movie is 2 hours and 34 minutes, but the final 30 minutes of this film should be lopped off with a kryptonite scythe. Having pondered this for the last 7 hours, I really think that the final stage of the film was written for all the girls being dragged to the theatre by their "boy-at-heart" mates. Look, I don't mind the forbidden romance - the love lost and gained between Superman and Lois - but please! This seems to be a disease in Hollywood right now - beating a dead horse. Movies can be 2 hours and we, the audience, still get satisfaction.

If you watched all the trailers as I did, you will not be disappointed in the Superman rescues in this film. The airplane scene alone was worth the price of the ticket! As for the hero versus villain scenes - they just were somewhat non-existent. As always, Lex gets foiled in the end, however, where was Superman...oh right, he was overcoming his one weakness to save humanity and could have died (now that would have been an ending!).

To the movie-makers: Thank you for basically ignoring the doppelgänger and the nuclear disarmament bullsh*t that were a complete waste of film stock in the 80's.

I enjoyed this movie - I really did. I think it is well worth the cost of the ticket (and maybe some popcorn) to drag your butts to the movie theatres and enjoy a blast from the past. I did go into this with some low expectations, but Bryan Singer rarely disappoints. Go see this movie, I think you will enjoy yourself (at least for 120 minutes) and at the end, project your own "TO BE CONTINUED..." onto the screen - I think they left that off in the editing room! Just no Superboy please - that would just depress me!

Currently listening:
One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & the Wailers
By Bob Marley & The Wailers
Release date: By 22 May, 2001