"They can be a great people, Kal-El. They wish to be. They only lack the light to show them the way."Jor-El9:30am Sunday June 18, 2006. Arriving at an 11:00am screening of Superman Returns, my pulse was racing and stomach was fluttering. Questions filled my head. That early, are the doors going to be locked? How many people are lined up as tickets don't guarantee seating? Would I be first in line? Will popcorn be made available? Answer: no, 2, yes and yes. Though I only had a soda and the 2 people there first weren't technically in line. They did, in fact, end up behind me <more> .Faster then a speeding bullet, more questions raced into my head . Would the Superman franchise once again become more powerful then a locomotive? Would it leap box office records in a single bound? Or, would it forever entrap The Man of Steel into the Phantom Zone next to the failed comic book movies of The Hulk and Catwoman?First off, this is not a remake. Superman Returns comes to us 5 years or so after the events of Superman II, thankfully ignoring the stories of Superman III and Superman IV: the Quest for Peace. Our hero learned astronomers had discovered remnants of the planet Krypton, Superman's home world. He decides to go back and check things out for himself, to see if he is truly the lone survivor. Gone for years, the world, including Lois Lane have moved on. Lois has won a Pulitzer Prize for her article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". She's engaged and has a son. Lex Luthor is out of prison, still looking to rule the world. Once back, he must regain the trust and love of the world, including Lois Lane.An all too short 2 and a half hours later, I had my answers. Yes, yes, and no! Superman Returns comes through with flying colors! get it...red, blue, yellow...Superman can fly...come on, it's good! . Wonderfully paced, I was not at all looking at my watch even though the running time is 2:30ish wondering when the story would move along. The characters developed quickly and each was believable in their roles. Sam Huntington plays an excellent Jimmy Olsen and the always "on" Kevin Spacey matches Gene Hackman in his portrayal of Lex Luthor. Kate Bosworth does very well as Lois Lane. She hasn't been "cleaned Up" for the new movie, which was a nice surprise. She still smokes, ignores the orders of her boss and, now, had a child out of wedlock. References to Superman the Movie and Superman II, via quotes and storyline, are everywhere in Superman Returns. They, along with a really nice twist, are well placed and work well to tie the movies together. Happily, not at all overdone or "cheesy". There's plenty of action and some really neat effects, which compliment the story.Brandon Routh, a relative unknown, seamlessly switches between Superman and Clark Kent. Clark is his usual bumbling self, but believable and not at all schticky. He plays Superman with a romantic feeling with his flowing cape and his flying. Routh's emotion filled facial expressions let you into exactly how he's feeling and dealing with everyone's reaction to his long absence. Including his relationships with Lois and Lex. No crime is too big or too small for this Superman. Some say he looks and sounds too much like Christopher Reeve's Superman. Big deal. It's not distracting at all and early on it's easy to get into Routh as the new Man of Steel. From the applause at the end of the movie, to eavesdropping into the conversations coming out of the theater, hardcore and casual fans alike will enjoy Superman Returns. <less> |