Superman Returns
The Superman franchise has been dead in the water for a few years, when looking at the film world. The last major motion picture done with Superman was 1987's The Quest for Peace, and that wasn't such a great thing. Christopher Reeve, playing the man of steel to perfection four times, passed away not too long ago, and things seemed bleak on the film front. Finally, Brett Ratner and Bryan Singer changed jobs, with Ratner going to X3 and Singer taking on Superman. I enjoyed X3, much to my own surprise. I had fairly high hopes for the return date of Superman, seeing as the genius behind the first two X-Men films was bringing him back to the silver screen.
The essential plot of the film is a pretty close direct sequel to Superman II, and even watching the opening credits and opening music, makes you feel like the universe is the same. But, there's only a few more little things that match that perfectly between this installment and the previous ones. One of those is Brandon Routh, who looks as close to Christopher Reeve as you could get. The other major similarity is using the exact footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El that was used in Superman: The Movie.
The plot revolves around the fact that Superman has been gone for years, visiting the supposed remains of Krypton, but that was bogus. He returns to Earth, only to find that Lois Lane has a child and is engaged to Perry White's nephew, the world has moved on, and he doesn't fit in.
The other plot involves Lex Luthor, newly out of prison and with a new scheme up his sleeve. He manages to find the Fortress of Solitude, and with the recordings of Jor-El, he learns how to use the crystals there for his own needs. It seems the crystals there 'grow' with water. This sparks the idea in his head to create his own continent, detroying most of the United States in the process.
After accidently getting trapped on Lex's boat, Lois and her son are trapped when the crystals start to grow. Superman can't quite get there, as he's too busy saving Metropolis. That opens the door for Lois's fiancee to save her. He almost does, but things get worse. Superman does make his way there, and after sending the trio, Lois unconcious, on their way, he goes after Lex. The island, however, is mostly made of Kryptonite, and Lex pretty much has his 'victory' over Superman. Then again, Lois wakes up, makes them turn around, and saves the savior.
But, Superman is a sucker for punishment, and goes back. This time, he manages to lift the entire island up, and hurls it into space. In the process, Superman is weakened, and falls to Earth. The ending is happy, as Superman recovers and we learn a secret about Lois's child.
Overall, I was satisfied with the film. It kept very good continuity with the first few movies, had spectacular action sets, good humor, and wonderful casting. My problem was the pacing. It was 154 minutes, and it felt like a lifetime. With X3, it was quick and to the point, which a lot of people didn't like. I did, and was a little dissapointed that this one dilly-dallied along a little too much. It was self-reverent in a way that really bugged me.
The performances of Routh as Superman/Clark Kent and Spacey as Lex Luthor were amazing. Routh was eerily simliar to mannerisms and looks to Reeve, which made it that much better. Spacey took Luthor to one step above Hackman's three performances, and made him the megalomaniac I knew he could be. The other performances, Kate Bosworth as Lois, Frank Langella as Perry White and James Marsden as Lois's fiancee, were acceptable. I was dissapointed by Bosworth. She didn't have the same zing as Margot Kidder, and that kind of hurt the film. She needed to be a little stronger, and less under the thumb of Perry White.
Yes, I was a little disapointed, but it was still an enjoyable outing. Not as good as Batman Begins, not as good as X3, but still a fitting outing for Kal-El the last son of Krypton. an 8 for this one.
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