As noted earlier, I really enjoyed “Superman Returns,” but it did have flaws and a few quibbles. Here’s a few of them (and I don’t think any of them qualify as “spoilers”):

1. When Superman/Clark returns to Earth after his 5-year journey to seek out new life and new civilizations (oops…wrong franchise)…remnants of Krypton, why does he arrive in a spaceship? Didn’t he…you know…FLY to Krypton and back? (more…)

movies superman returns

SEE. THIS. MOVIE.

Yes, this movie has some flaws…but the good things outweigh them. Here are some reasons to see “Superman Returns” as soon as you can…

1. The music: the main theme is straight from “Superman: The Movie,” and it is just as uplifting and heroic as the first time you heard it. Hearing it in “3-D” in a huge, dark theatre is almost reason enough for the ticket price. And the “Can You Read My Mind” fluff piece from #1 is brought back, with a few new notes, to wonderful effect in this movie. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed it this time around.
2. The opening titles: taken almost straight from the first movie, also…seeing the blue characters fly straight at you on the screen is like re-discovering an old friend that you never thought you’d see again.
3. Brandon Routh (rhymes with “South” apparently): yes, his Clark and Superman are a little stiff, but come on…after being gone from Earth for five years, and discovering that you truly are the last of your world, wouldn’t you be a little off your game, too? Routh looks the part, fits the suit, and earns my vote as the next true Superman.
4. Special effects: excellent! When Superman flies, or holds a 777 jet plane, or anything else “super,” you’re right there with him, believing it.
5. Kate Bosworth: as Lois Lane, she does fine. Yes, she does appear a little young, but unlike in the original “Superman” movie, I have no problem believing that Clark/Superman is in love with her. With Christopher Reeve, it was simply not possible that his Superman was in love with Margot Kidder’s version of Lois…and that’s a reflection on Kidder, not Reeve.
6. Frank Langella: as Perry White, he’s very good. Serious, but not comical, unlike Cooper’s or Smith’s portrayal in movie #1 or “Lois & Clark.”
7. Kevin Spacey: very good as Lex Luthor, although in the year 2006, it’s hard to suppress a chuckle when gazing upon a bald evil genius…Dr Evil from the “Austin Powers” movies is never too far from your thoughts. But Spacey’s Lex is psychotic and evil and all the right things.
8. Scope: the vastness of the evil plot is worthy of Superman. In the first movie, it sometimed seemed as if two nuclear missiles weren’t *quite* enough to justify the planet-altering actions of Superman, not to mention the movie’s budget. In “Superman Returns,” it’s clear that Lex’s plot to “create” more real estate requires Superman’s intervention.
9. Parker Posey: as Kitty, the “Miss Tessmacher” of this movie, she rings true: ditzy, but not stupid. And her costume changes in nearly every scene are entertaining.
10. For the first time, we’ve got a Jimmy Olson that I can believe; previous incarnations almost seemed like afterthoughts with no real purpose, but this one is genuine.
11. Seeing Noel Neill and Jack Larson in small supporting roles was very nice - they portrayed Lois and Jimmy in the 1950s TV version of Superman.

So: those are some of the reasons to see “Superman Returns.” Yes, there are criticisms, but they’re not important right now…let’s praise it for the good stuff at this point, and worry about quibbles later.

movies superman returns

I was skeptical. VERY skeptical. From the moment I heard about “Superman Returns,” I didn’t dare get my hopes up. After all, for people of my generation, Christopher Reeve WAS Superman; no one else could properly portray The Man of Steel on the big screen. We might have enjoyed Dean Cain on “Lois & Clark” to some degree, but only because it was TV, not larger-than-life at the local theatre. And we don’t even consider the “Smallville” TV show to be authentic, or watchable.
So who the hell is this Brandon Routh guy? And is it prounced like Babe “Ruth,” or like “South?” Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor? Well…OK, he can probably pull that off. Kate Bosworth - never heard of her. And I don’t go to the movie theatre as a matter of routine anymore; the “Kill Bill” movies are the only ones that I’ve seen at the cineplex since 2003. But this is Superman. SUPERMAN.
So my curiousity was piqued, despite an odd sensation that it would somehow be a “Superman 90210″ type of teen schmaltz. And yesterday, I caught “Superman: The Movie” and bits of “Superman III” on cable. Hearing that incredible theme music, seeing Superman fly, wondering how director Bryan Singer could pull it off: it all built up, and I ventured forth to the movie theatre at 10:15 last night…

movies superman returns