Superman's lost love Lois Lane, portrayed by the classically beautiful Kate Bosworth, has started up a little family unit complete with a five-year-old son and father-but-not-husband played by James Marsden, who just seems to be popping up all over the recent slue of comic-to-film adaptations. (He was Cyclops in X-Men for those of you keeping score at home.) Now Superman must fight to win back the love of his life and keep his identity hidden, all while fending off the evil aspirations of that crazy Lex Luthor guy. Still with me? Good, because that pretty much sums this one up.
Back to the task at hand and the question of whether Returns has what it takes to solidify itself as a great superhero film. It comes through very nicely with regard to the quality of the action sequences. There are only a few, but each is nothing short of heart-pounding. The visual effects in this film are stellar, as can be expected from a movie with a $260 million dollar budget that took what seemed like forever to make. But such great visual effects would go to waste if they were not accompanied by fantastic sound. This is where Superman really begins to take off, as the sound (both effects and score) were breathtaking. It was almost as if you could have closed your eyes and not missed any of the action. To be honest, it sent chills up my spine to hear the sound of Superman whizzing through the air. Score one point for Bryan Singer and crew.
On to the second non-negotiable of a great superhero movie, the believable performances. This seems to be the most talked-about element of this film prior to its release, due to the fact that it could have gone either way. It is almost impossible to fill the shoes of the great Christopher Reeve, but Brandon Routh does put his best foot forward. I was able to very easily buy his performance as both Clark Kent and Superman. The only difference was that Routh's Superman was still a little dorky when he donned the cape, whereas Reeve's rendition saw Superman as more of a bad-ass.
Moving past Routh's very acceptable and impressive performance brings me to the character I anticipated seeing most; Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. And what a performance it was; Spacey was both diabolical and dead on as Superman's arch-enemy, giving him a swagger and intelligence that set him apart from your average bad guy. Without Spacey's brilliance there would have been more pressure for Routh to carry the film, and that may not have gone well for all involved. Overall the entire cast fit well into their roles and it made me believe that Superman could once again fly.
Article comments
1 - chantal stone
Great Review Neil....I think you hit the nail on the head, although I'm more critical of the performances....I just didn't think Kate Bosworth was the best choice for Lois Lane.
You're in Columbus right? Did you see it at the Rave?
2 - Andy Marsh
I was hoping you would tell me this was a good movie...I've been looking forward to the release...guess now I will go blow the money to see it. Thanks...great review!
3 - Neil Miller
chantal,
I saw it at the Arena Grande, in the THX Certified theather. And let me tell you, that made it all that much more enjoyable. I would recommend taking a trip downtown to hear what that film should sound like...
Cheers.