3 reviews

This is one of the best films of the past few years. The film makers have taken the standard elements of Superman and made them real with the use of some unexpected but logical consequences and some really genuine human relationships. The two storylines, Lois and Lex, make every single move stem from deep inside Superman's being and his past. The result is a solid, moving and memorable cinema experience. This is a carefully judged and well crafted film with nothing overdone just for splashy effect. You're left with that deep human experience that you always hope for when you go to the cinema.

William Wild 16 Aug 2006

Superman (Ruth) returns from 5 years away, dealing with spiralling home world issues on Krypton, only to find life has moved on, (apart from the dusty superman theme tune that is).

Lois Lane (Bosworth) is married with children and has written a Pulitzer-winning article just to make the point: ‘Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman’.

This is an issue the movie simply had to address since the world, (apart from the Daily Planet circulation figures), has survived perfectly well in Superman’s self-imposed 5 year exile.

In fact he’s a super liability; following Superman’s neglect of due legal process, the arch villain, Lex Luthor (Spacey) is enjoying freedom, and is wreaking havoc using carelessly discarded Krypton technology.

But I liked this movie’s more realistic take on the whole super phenomenon, disregarding humanity’s continuing abject failure to see that Clark Kent and Superman look identical.

It was fascinating to see that despite his super human strength there remain distinct impracticalities in a 6 foot four man stopping/catching a 300 foot airliner in freefall.

It was good to see the inappropriate use of his X-Ray vision being called into question, although worryingly his super hearing aided domestic eavesdropping was not.

I was intrigued to see superman soul searching, desperately trying to understand his place in the world, well America mainly.

The length and pace of the film is fine, I was interested throughout. The acting was border line; the cast mainly deliver to stereotype, excluding Spacey’s Lex who is more efficient.

For me, despite its own self assertions, the movie fails to justify Superman’s presence on earth; his contribution appears at best neutral and at worst lethal.

Man in a High Castle 21 Jul 2006

“Superman Returns”, delivers a powerful punch, awe-inspiring escapism and breathtaking spectacle for audiences of all ages. This generation now has a Superman to embrace and call their own. Director Bryan Singer’s vision of the Man of Steel is about as good as Superman’s laser vision himself.

Although one might criticize the running time of the picture (2 hours; 34 minutes), this is truly a spectacular version of our greatest fictional American superhero. The essence of the story of Superman is based on righteousness, heroism and unlimited supernatural physical strength, coupled with moral values, self sacrifice, and unrelenting courage, and “Superman Returns” has it all. This new rendition of Superman should be appealing to the general public as well as fans alike. The film not only masterfully utilizes today’s CGI special effects, but captures the virtue and spectacle that captivated generations of Superman fans years gone by.

In all fairness, it is difficult to seamlessly continue where “Superman II” left off, which was the intent of the creative team behind “Superman Returns”. They obviously try to minimize any abrupt changes that would diminish the interpretation that the 1978 classic, “Superman: The Movie”, established. In a similar move to the brainchild, the Salkinds and Richard Donner, behind “Superman: The Movie”, Bryan Singer and team bring in an unknown new comer, Brandon Routh to portray the Man of Steel. Routh’s performance is convincing and reminiscent of Christopher Reeve’s. Routh’s charm, vocal tone, good looks and mannerisms are strikingly similar to Reeve’s. Additionally, John Williams’s spectacular original musical score themes are carried throughout “Superman Returns”, including a breath taking opening title sequence that travels through a vast, infinite and wondrous universe.

The story picks up five years after Superman has mysteriously vanished from earth in search of any remnants of his native Krypton. Upon returning to earth, Superman secures his old job as Clark Kent as a reporter for the Daily Planet and has learned that Lois Lane has since won a Pulitzer Prize for as story she‘s written titled, “Why The World Doesn’t Need Superman”. Also to his surprise, Lois has a five year old son and is engaged to Perry White’s nephew.

Superman makes his grand entrance back into the public’s eye by saving a plummeting jet airliner, carrying Lois Lane, which has spun out of control due to a failed Space Shuttle Mission. Meanwhile old nemesis Lex Luther has been released for prison and secures a dying rich women’s fortune, to embark on a megalomaniac quest to create a new continent in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, (utilizing one of Superman’s own crystals), that would cause the death of millions of innocent people.

Without giving away the plot, (no irony intended - ed) Superman, in a savior-like gesture, sacrifices himself for the good of mankind and preservation of the Earth. The story is well written in that it sustains a complex relationship between Lois Lane and Superman, a direct correlation to current events and an uplifting and inspiring ending that establishes the Superman franchise for future endeavors. One noteworthy aspect of the quality of this film is the attention to minute detail in terms of special effects. The imaginative visual effects team has created an authenticity that pays careful attention to the physical properties of light, speed, weightlessness, mass, and gravity that truly make this film extraordinary and believable. I recommend “Superman Returns” full-heartedly. To not be entertained and delighted with this interpretation of the Man of Steel would require the equivalent of Kryptonite

Vince Turano 11 Jul 2006