SUPERMAN RETURNS
(2006)With Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Eva Marie Saint, Sam Huntington, Tristan Lake Leabu, Kal Penn, Noel Neill, Jack Larson
Directed by Bryan Singer
Reviewed by JL and JB
I'll openly admit that I'm a total fanboy when it comes to Superman,
but it's for that reason that I dreaded the release of this film. It
was too long in the planning, there were too many fingers in the pie
during its making, and how can you trust any filmmakers who once
considered Nic Cage for the lead role? And who okayed that awful
redesign of Superman's costume? Things did not bode well for the return
of the greatest of all superheroes, leading me to fear another waste of
celluloid on par with CATWOMAN or THE FANTASTIC FOUR.
I've never been so delighted
to be so wrong.
SUPERMAN RETURNS is not only a great Superman film, it is totally
respectful to the legend and the characters, even as it explores both
at a deeper level. Director Bryan Singer has received the credit for
the inspired notion to create a sequel to the first two Christopher
Reeve-Superman films, while pretending as if parts III and IV never
existed. Taking this approach eliminates the need for yet another
retelling of Superman's origins, while providing a context of
established characters that can be fleshed out to a greater degree.
It's not a perfect film by any means (see below), but the overall
excellence of the final product reduces even a few major continuity
problems to the level of nit-picks.
We know we are back in happily
familiar
territory as the film opens with John Williams' classic theme, played
over "whooshing" credits in the style of the Reeve films. The territory
becomes even more familiar in that, in many ways, SUPERMAN RETURNS is
something of a remake of the original Donner film, with a very similar
storyline and several parallel scenes. We learn that the Man of Steel
has been missing from Earth for five years as he explored the remains
of the planet Krypton (an acceptable premise, I suppose, but couldn't
they have given him a better rationale than "I just had to check it out
for myself"?). The first chapter of the film again take place on the
Kent farm, and once again Supes announces his arrival by crashing into
the Earth at the end of his voyage from his home planet. Clark/Superman
reminisces about his boyhood in flashback scenes that show him
discovering his super powers as he races and leaps through the
cornfields at lightning speed. His first encounter with Lois Lane again
has him saving her (and several others this time) from a doomed
aircraft. Lex Luthor's evil plan for world domination is also much the
same as in the first film: to destroy a large portion of the United
States, create his own artificial land mass in its place, and make a
killing from the real estate. Part of his plan again involves the theft
of Kryptonite, which he hopes will render Superman powerless as his
scheme unfolds. Luthor is assisted by a bubble-headed moll in the
manner of Miss Tessmacher, and again it's she who helps thwart his evil
intentions in the end. There is also the moment when Superman re-enters
Lois's life by quietly appearing on her balcony with the words, "You
know, you really shouldn't smoke, Miss Lane." This is followed by a
romantic flight over Metropolis that is more breathtaking, and filled
with more unspoken passion, than the similar scene in the first film.
Yet despite such recycling of material, there is enough room for
originality, and enough respect for the legend, so that such parallels
come off more as homage than ripoff.
Of all the parallel elements
between films,
however, it is the allegorical subtext that is most fully explored. If
Donner's film had Biblical overtones, Singer's is practically a
retelling of the New Testament. The Father sends the Son to Earth to
redeem mankind; the Son is torn between his human desires and his
sacred duty; he is killed (or rendered comatose, as the case may be) by
his enemies, only to be resurrected in the film's closing scenes, in
which Lois plays Mary Magdalene just before he's discovered missing
from his hospital room "tomb." Supes is also beaten and pummeled by
Luthor's minions after being rendered helpless by Kryptonite, and he's
even pierced in the side with a Kryptonite "spear." There is also the
matter of Lois's "redemption," in which the convictions revealed in her
Pulitzer Prize-winning article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman"
(no doubt a manifestation of her own heartbreak, written during
Superman's five-year absence) reverse themselves by the end of the film
as she comes to appreciate the necessity of a world (and personal)
Savior. As if all of this weren't obvious enough, there is the sight of
Superman falling back to Earth in a crucifixion pose after a final act
of heroism that nearly kills him.
In addition to such symbolism,
SUPERMAN
RETURNS benefits from a well-developed examination of the Superman-Lois
relationship. Never before have the two characters been afforded such
dimension and nobility, never was their unspoken love for one another
so charged with visceral passion. Just before Supes takes her for their
flight over the city, Lois kicks off her shoes and puts her arms around
him for the first time in five years. "I'd forgotten how warm you are,"
she mutters awkwardly in what is perhaps the most romantic moment in
the entire Superman canon, rendered all the more powerful and electric
by its understatement. In a film loaded with action sequences and CGI
effects, it's the small moments such as these that linger in the mind
for days. (And for all the magnificently rendered effects, it is the
five-second bit when a Metropolis city street subtly morphs into Lois's
apartment that impressed me most.)
Despite the film's many
virtues, the main
thing that keeps me from awarding it a full five stars is the cast. Not
that anyone comes off poorly or less than credible--they're all good
actors who do well in their roles. It's that most of them fail to leave
their individual mark on the characters, in the manner of past Superman
incarnations. Brandon Routh makes for a fine and commanding Man of
Steel, but comes up short in comparison to Chris Reeve's brilliant
portrayal. (To be fair, Routh is afforded surprisingly little dialogue
and therefore has little chance to strut his acting chops. He conveys a
great deal with his expressive face, however, and he's superb in that
respect.) Kevin Spacey (who, with shaved head, bears an uncanny
resemblance to Gene Hackman) is the most menacing and evil incarnation
of Lex Luthor, but he seems reserved throughout. He mostly (but not
entirely) avoids the temptation to ham it up and play it for laughs,
which could have been a wise acting choice, but he also fails to milk
the serious side of the character for all its worth. He gets the job
done, but that's about it. My personal favorite among the cast was Kate
Bosworth, who rivals Teri Hatcher as the most beautiful Lois Lane and
Margot Kidder as the toughest. Yet there is also a delicate
vulnerability to her portrayal, a sensitive side that she does her
damnedest to keep hidden--but, as with Routh, it's her face that tells
the true story.
Also problematic are a few
plot holes and
continuity problems, some unique to the film and others that contradict
elements of the Donner/Lester films. I can't go into much detail about
any of this without revealing some major spoilers, but I'll try to be
oblique about the one that bugged me the most. If Superman's Magical
Memory-Wiping Kiss at the end of Part II was truly effective, then Lois
must be totally confounded by a major event in her life that occurred
during his five-year absence. Those who've seen the film will know what
I mean.
But again, these are all minor flaws in
the grand
scheme of things. SUPERMAN RETURNS is an enthralling and engrossing
experience from start to finish and seems much shorter than its
157-minute running time. It may well be the best of all superhero films
(but give me a few years before I make a final decision on that
matter). It delivers all the goods expected in such films--action,
thrills, laughs, and romance--and it never cheats in terms of character
and subtext. It's my theory that the disappointing box-office returns
during the film's opening weeks are largely due to poor word-of-mouth
from filmgoers weaned on eye-candy summer blockbusters that demand
little intellectual involvement. But I predict that the depth of
SUPERMAN RETURNS is what will render it an enduring classic in years to
come. 
- JL
SUPERMAN RETURNS is a much better movie than I expected it to be and is
certainly closer to the spirit of the first two Christopher Reeve
Superman films than were the dismal third and fourth (films wisely
ignored by this sequel). As another Superman fanboy, I can
guarantee that this DVD will someday be sitting on my shelf, next to
SUPERMAN, SUPERMAN II and my Lois and Clark collection. A
great
deal of silly, dark and downright stupid re-imaginings of the Superman
story went by the boards in the past two decades before everybody
realized what should have been obvious - you don't tug on Superman's
cape. We've got enough dark, jaded and angst-filled fantasy
figures these days; there is no reason to turn Superman, the ultimate
Mr. Nice Guy, into one of them. So Brian Singer and company
played it straight. SUPERMAN RETURNS is less wonderous than
your
average Harry Potter film, lacks the psychological depth of some other
recent superhero films, and could use a little of of the screwball
humor of the Richard Donner and Dick Lester films, but as an earnest,
heartfelt and intelligent retelling of the Second Greatest Story Ever
Told, SUPERMAN RETURNS works just fine.
Brandon Routh may have based
his performance
on Christopher Reeve's interpretation of the character, but it is not a
slavish imitation and he puts enough of himself into the character to
make me think that, should they make a sequel, he will grow into the
role. If he is a tad too young, so be it - it just gives him
more
time and room to evolve. He has a way to go to reach the
level of
Christopher Reeve's Superman or Dean Cain's Clark Kent, but Routh makes
for a a strong, silent Superman with an almost diffident attitude that
is as appealing.
Kate Bosworth may also grow
into her role, but
her age is more of a problem. Bosworth, lovely as she is, is
too
young to be a completely believable Lois Lane. It wouldn't
matter
at all if this were a reboot of the legend, but it is not - it is a
continuation of the Reeve series. The story is supposed to
take
place five years after SUPERMAN II, but Bosworth looks as if five years
ago, she would have been worrying who was going to take her to her high
school's Sophomore Fling. She may capture Lane's toughness
and
vulnerability, but lacks the sassiness that Noel Neill brought to role,
Margot Kidder expanded upon and Teri Hatcher turned into a personal art
form. Nevertheless, if we consider this as the first entry of
a
new Superman series, Bosworth may yet prove herself worthy to be
included in that above-mentioned club (a club which would also include
the icy but sexy Phyllis Coates).
Unfortunately, what John L
says about the rest
of the cast is true. When cameos by a previous Lois Lane and
Jimmy Olsen team and a dead Marlon Brando are more memorable than the
work of half the cast, that is a problem. We're talking
classic
iconic characters here - Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Perry White - and
everybody seems to walk around on eggshells attempting not to step on
the toes of the actors that previously filled these roles. As
Jimmy Olsen, Sam Huntington has the easiest time (Jimmy is not that
much of a character) and comes up with the bubbliest
performance.
However, I expected a much more memorable Lex Luthor from the usually
super Kevin Spacey. I've read reviews that extol Spacey's
excellence, but what I see is a guy who is afraid to be compared to
Gene Hackman and so refuses to punch up any of his lines, even the
funny ones. Parker Posey, as Luthor's moll Kitty, tries her
best
to bring her part alive but Spacey gives her almost nothing to work
with. And Frank Langella, as Perry White, could have learned
something from Jackie Cooper or Lane Smith - it's not what you say,
it's how you say it. Perry White is the one part that
indisputably needs over the top energy, and Langella sleepwalks through
it like an extra from a George Romero film. With more
energetic
performances, SUPERMAN RETURN would be equal to or even better than the
two films it sequelizes. As it is, it just falls
short.
There is a saying in baseball: Babe Ruth is dead, throw
strikes.
Here is my suggestion to the cast of SUPERMAN RETURNS: We all loved
Christopher Reeve, but he's gone and the Superman legend is in your
hands, at least for now. Next time, stop worrying and just go
out
and have a ball. 
½ - JB
THIS IS THE
STORY OF JACK AND NOEL
Noel Neill, who has a small
but important role
in SUPERMAN RETURNS, played Lois Lane in the 1940s movie serial version
of SUPERMAN (starring Kirk Allyn) and on TV's The Adventures of Superman
(starring George Reeves). She also played Lois Lane's mother
in
the first Christopher Reeve film and appeared in one episode of the
short-lived series Superboy.
Jack Larson, who plays Bo the
Bartender in
SUPERMAN RETURNS, played Jimmy Olsen in The Adventures of Superman
and a
rapidly aging Jimmy Olsen in an episode of Lois and Clark: The New
Adventures of
Superman. He also appeared in Superboy, in the
same episode as
Noel Neill.
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Copyright © 2008 John V. Brennan, John Larrabee