Superman Returns Review

Overall Rating

Slick presentation
Faithful and sympathetic to the original films and format
Special effects

Lack of quality interaction between Clark Kent and other Daily Planet regulars
Slight over-emphasis on the romantic sub-plot

The first thing that grabs your attention with Superman Returns is the authentic feel of it. The film begins with the instantly recognisable Superman theme, and when the opening credits roll across the screen in the blurred swooping format, you know that despite Superman's long absence, from the silver screen at least, this is an authentic piece.

The plot is not overly convoluted, and it follows on from Superman 4. Basically, Superman has been away from Earth for five years in search of remnants of Krypton. On finding no trace of his former homeworld, he has returned, and does so in almost identical format to his original arrival. Martha Kent witnesses what appears to be a meteor hitting a field and investigates. The scene that follows pays tribute to the original film, as the characteristic 'Spiky' ship is found wrecked in the field as Superman is re-united with his Earth mother.

The next section of the film is something of a montage of events representing Superman's PR campaign to repair public confidence, which has been damaged in his absence. This is to all intents and purposes a showcase of super powers and special effects. It goes how you would expect, with Superman 'putting out fires' both metaphorically and literally. It is done well, with the highlight being the trailer pieces where he is shot at with a machine gun and with a pistol at point blank range. The first shows bullets bouncing of him, and the second is done in slow motion and allows you to watch the bullet impact Superman's eye, deform, and fall to the ground. It's all right up there with the best effects you've seen, but the highlight is how well the flying and take offs are handled. It is brilliantly done, and it looks just right! The concept of Superman's speed is high on the agenda, and you get a real sense of it as Superman does his thing.

As Superman rebuilds his image, Lex Luthor, now out of prison, is equally busy. He has located Superman's ice palace, learnt many of Superman's secrets and stolen a dozen or so crystals. He soon discovers that a tiny fragment of one dropped into water will create a land mass resembling Superman's palace. Spacey does a decent job as Lex Luthor, and brings his usual sardonic humorous style to the table. There are a couple of nice interactions with support cast, and brief moments of scripting brilliance, but his performance is no show stealer.

Additionally, Lois Lane is no longer Superman's biggest fan. Clearly irritated by his unexplained absence, the point is driven home by Ms Lane's Pulitzer Prize entitled 'Why the world no longer needs Superman'. Hell clearly hath no fury, and Kate Bosworth does an OK job of portraying Lois Lane. My only gripe was that she appears too young. Over the previous 5 years she has given birth to a son and is now living, unmarried, with another guy. Nonetheless, you would put her age at early twenties, and this just looks wrong. Much of my conflict with this is probably based on the age of the original cast, but still.

The reunion between Clark Kent and Lois is very understated, and it's almost as though they've just spent the weekend apart. Routh does an excellent job as Clark Kent, and I'm sure it's no coincidence that not only does he look like Christopher Reeve, but he has also captured many of his nuances and style. At times the resemblance is uncanny, and I have to admit, being a Christopher Reeve fan, I found this pleasing and authentic. Nonetheless, Routh spends little time as Kent, and the office scenes that were handled so well in the original films are now a little stilted and Stocatto. The scripting is fairly weak, and there is little or no character development at these points. On a positive side, the sets appear authentic, and Frank Langella recreates Perry White acceptably.

Superman's reunion with Lois is more impressive and revisits familiar territory of the schmaltzy flight over moonlit Metropolis. Despite Lane's original petulance, the man of steel soon wins her back with a frank explanation of his absence and the free air tour. It's cheesy, but not on such a grand scale as previous footage in the original films, where Margot Kidder got the treatment in a powder blue negligee... Mmmm.

In the meantime, Luthor's master plan evolves. He steals a piece of Kryptonite to be combined with a full sized crystal, and fires them into the Pacific just off the East Coast. This creates a land-mass the size of France, made out of a mixture of black crystal and Kryptonite, a sort of Superman free zone. The end game unravels as Lois is kidnapped with her son to witness the creation of Luthor's new country. Superman reacts and saves Lois and family, as the yacht they're on is crippled by the growing island. He then goes after Luthor who escaped the yacht via a chopper.

Superman reaches the island, and due to its Kryptonite content, he gets a bit of a hiding from Luthor and his henchmen. This culminates in Luthor stabbing Superman in the back with a shard of Kryptonite, breaking it off and pushing him into the Pacific. Lois returns and plucks him from the water in the nick of time, and pulls the Kryptonite from his back. The next scene is a bit of a special effects highlight. Superman basically penetrates the sea bed and lifts the entire island up into space. It's well done, and Routh looks convincing as he lifts this gargantuan weight.

All the effort takes its toll on Supe, compounded by a tiny fragment of Kryptonite still in his back, he falls to earth and needs the full ER treatment. Clearly death is not an option, and he recovers his health in order to fulfil the final classic requirement of all Superman films,... the grinning orbital fly by.

In summary, something of a curates egg. The Superman parts have been lavished attention and detail to the expense of Clark Kent, but it's still a quality product, oozing authenticity, and a must for any fan of the original films or comics.