Search - Superman Returns [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

The Man of Tomorrow Returns...

Anton Jackson | Montgomery, AL | 06/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's taken more than a decade to get the Man of Steel, The Man of Tomorrow, and the Big Blue Wonder to find his way back onto the big screen. After the debacle that was Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, it would be understandable that many people would be skeptical going into Superman Returns, the first film in the franchise since 1987. But now, in 2006, Bryan Singer has done what many comic book and film fans have been hoping for with the treatment of Superman - he's restored the magic, respectability and wonder to the character.



Clocking in at a nearly-epic 2 hours and 34 mins, Singer and company return to the world of Metropolis, where Superman has seemingly disappeared for close to 5 years without a trace. The world has moved on when Superman finally does make a return, a shock to the world, and even more of a shock to his love - Lois Lane. But being a part of the world, of course, Lois has also moved on - becoming engaged to the boss's son, and raising a child, placing Superman and Clark Kent in a very unusual situation.



In today's world, where almost every comic book hero has seemingly had a film introducing him or her to today's audience, the return of the original superhero is a very welcome change to the madness. Singer manages to seamlessly combine various elements of action, romance, suspense, drama, and emotional depth that will have even the most hardcore and uncompromising of fans to appreciate this adaptation. The fact that we've had a full generation go without a Superman film makes the return even more of a welcome.



One man that should definitely be accepting the Superman welcome is the relative unknown handpicked by Singer to portray the Man of Steel - Brandon Routh. Routh, while having a very tough act to follow in Christopher Reeve, portrays the role of Superman and Clark Kent with the plenty of confidence. While he still has to get comfortable filling those red boots, his charm and like-ability can make a lot of us believe that Routh really could be Superman. Some may warm-up to him more than others, but it's pretty much been solidified - Brandon Routh is Superman.



And behind Routh is a cast that can, at times, be deemed nearly hit-or-miss. But a few of the casting errors are more than made up for by Kevin Spacey, who portrays the Lex Luthor role with superb cheekiness, as well as embracing the twisted, megalomaniacal genius that makes the character of Lex Luthor such an enduring adversary to the Man of Steel. His performance, alone, gives the film just the right element of chaos and comedy usually associated with such a comic book film.



The casting of Kate Bosworth in the role of Superman's main lover, Lois Lane, is a bit of a questionable. Bosworth definitely brings the spice and ferociousness that makes Lois such a reputable reporter, but at times can seem a bit rigid for much of the film. At times, during the more emotional scenes, Bosworth does manage to put through the right of emotion to give the scene its impact. But, at times, it does seem like she's holding something back. For what it's worth, Bosworth does a good enough job to get her through the film, and bring a bit more character to the new and refined Lois Lane.



On the other hand, the remainder of the cast plays their roles with wonderful results. Sam Huntington does a good job of portraying the role of the geeky, anxious photographer in Jimmy Olsen, as does Frank Langella playing the cool, newspaper aficionado boss of The Daily Planet in Perry White. And Parker Posey does a wonderful job of playing Lex Luthor's right-hand goon in Kitty Kowalski. Think of a second Miss Teschmacher, except a bit more involved, a bit dumber, and a bit more torn about Lex's plots to kill millions of innocent people. Correction: Make that BILLIONS of innocent people! With the return of a superhero this caliber, the main priority placed on this film by a lot of people were the use of the special effects - which are used expertly in this film. While these effects may not be anything groundbreaking, the visual of a man effectively soaring through the air with such grace would give just about anybody a thrill. Something Bryan Singer uses to his advantage and carries the film through some invigorating action sequences. It does just what it's supposed to do - it makes you believe that a man can fly, again. That's all that matters.



Superman Returns is not an attempt at reinventing, remodeling or modernizing the Man of Steel. Instead, it's a film that reintroduces some of the elements that we loved about the Richard Donner Superman film(s), while also giving winks and nods to the die-hard comic book fans, as well. Even though the Superman character may turn 60 years old in 2008, the character seems just as timeless as ever here in the 21st century.



Sure, you'll have your Spider-Mans and Batmans, but you'll only have one Superman. Singer unique and exclusive vision of the Man of Steel in the new millennium makes the character all the more relevant today. With it's amazing blend of action, emotion, drama, comedy and thrills, Superman Returns has a quality of class that very few action films will ever have the chance of equaling."