Superman Returns

I have waited a long time to write a review on this film. I saw it in a shop for £4 on sale and, at the time, i thought that this was an absolute bargain. I was so excited to finally watch it, the hype around the film was buzzing so i just had to watch it. After i watched it, i regretted wasting that £4. Firstly, the film was incredibly boring... i just wanted to skip forward to get to a good point in the film but i knew that if i did that a small little something would happen which i would miss which would completely confuse me then i would have to watch it all over again! I hated the fact that we had to watch Lex Luther plan his scheme throughout the movie, in a film like this i like to be given the chance to try and work it out. To guess what his scheme is going to be, it adds to the excitement of the film. With this though... you could guess almost everything that was going to happen and i was so disappointed. I will admit though that the acting from Routh was good, but i didn't really believe the relationship between Superman and Lois Lane, i wanted more anger in the beginning, and then i wanted more secret passion towards the end. I was really disappointed. And i don't mean to be rude about the young lad who played her son, but i found his performance a bit wooden. I understand that he is young but i didn't believe he was real... i really feel bad about saying that but that is how i felt about him.

To conclude... Superman was basically a waste of £4... but the special effects were spectacular and the idea behind it was really good, i just wished they had done it differently.

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.

Following the disappointment that was Superman IV: Quest of peace, that was released in 1987, director Bryan Singer had high expectations to live up to, and in some cases Superman Returns has delivered that.

Brandon Routh, an Unknown actor, puts on the cape to play Superman, following in the footsteps of the late Christopher Reeve who died in October 2004.

Kevin Spacey has replaced veteran actor Gene Hackman to play the big, bald baddie that is Lex Luthor.

Kate Bosworth takes the role of talkative super Journalist Lois Lane, following on from Margot Kidder who played Lois In Superman 1, 2 and 4.

The Story of Superman is fairly simple. Although, unless you are a die-hard fan, Lex Luthor's plot would seem a bit too complex.

The Story continues on after Superman 4. Superman has been away from Earth for five years, trying to find what's left of his home planet. While he's been gone his old girlfriend Lois Lane has had a baby, and villain Lex Luthor has been released from prison.

When Supes gets back, he finds everything has changed, and not everyone wants him around.

Of course, Lex comes up with a plan to take over the planet, and only Superman can save us. But there's a twist. Lex Luthor is hoping to make a country that would result in the United States going underwater and millions of people dying. To make matters worse for Superman, the country would be made entirely from Kryptonite; which is the only thing that can kill Superman.

Overall:-

A good attempt from the the director, although in some areas of the film it fails to add that WOW factor we normally see in superhero films.

The fact that Lex Luthor has been used again has made the plot almost predictable for the viewer, but it is still an enjoyable film, and it is probably one of the best superhero films out.

7.5/10 - good, but there is room for improvement.

Superman Returns is a good movie, and Kevin Spacey is excellent as always, but it still doesn't compare to the first one, even with the special effects. It is not a bad effort, but it is over-hyped, as usual.

A thouroughly enjoyable film and an excellent way to pass a couple of hours. Would definitly watch again and can't wait for any sequels.

I went to see Superman Returns at the cinema the weekend it came out and I must say I wasn't disappointed! While Marvel comics tend to be my for e, I think Superman is definately one of the strongest of the DC heroes. I am a bit of a fanboy for all the Superman hype that's been going around, owning the T Shirt, the original movies and some of the comics, and to say I enjoyed the film shows that it was made well and is faithful to the series.

From a design aspect Superman Returns is brilliant, the new costume looks modern and contemporary but still has the look of the old one, but even the landscape and architecture design is impressive, the giant crystal structures from Krypton bringing a bizzare alien theme while the neo classical design of Metropolis and the Daily Planet shows the great urban design.

The story was well structured and well scripted, Kevin Spacey was a spectacle to see as Lex Luthor and Brendan Routh brought somewhat of a classic supes roll with a modern twist. My only real complaint is the lack of fighting and action in the film, Superman being strong and fast enough to lay waste to masses of foes , but this film takes a much more dramatic stance, focusing more on characters and situations than action. For this reason it was a bit slow in places in my opinion, but being marketed as a 12a it's clear to see why violence and action wasn't utilised.

Overall I'd definately reccommend Superman Returns to any family, fan or casual movie go-er, it's really worth seeing, even if just for the incredible visuals and acting.