Superman Truly Returns
Tricia, my beloved wife (no longer fiancee, yay us), and I went tonight to see Superman Returns. I left in stunned awe. The Man of Steel made a triumphant return to the big screen. There are very few words that can adequately describe this movie-going experience. "Run out TODAY and see it!" will have to be sufficient.
Brandon Routh looks so eerily like Christopher Reeve, a few times I could have sworn I was watching one of the originals. It is, however, obvious the directors did everything they could to make the role easy for him to play. He doesn't have a lot of lines in this movie. When he does speak, he is dead on as Clark Kent or as Superman. That's a superb job of shepherding someone acting in what is, I believe, his first movie. Routh can only improve with time. He is a greatly sympathetic character in both roles, whereas Reeve only accomplished that in Superman II.
Kevin Spacey is the ultimate Lex Luthor, far surpassing anything Gene Hackman ever did or could have done. He lends Lex the very aura of evil. His presence made the movie really hit home. The character he gave us really brought out the Lex Luthor we know from the comics, and for the younger (and far less aware) generation, made it believable that the Lex from the TV show Smallville would grow up to become the Lex of the movie. It was a perfect contrast to Routh's Superman.
This movie did a fantastic job of connecting the Superman of old with the Superman of new. References to the first two movies are everywhere, for those who have seen the originals. At the same time, Superman Returns remains its own story, taking the Superman saga to new, unexplored heights. This movie will drop your jaw, make you yell and cheer, and tear up in all the appropriate places. It is the closest thing to a masterpiece, and for a movie that attempts to continue a 20-plus year old story told by beloved actors, that is a remarkable accomplishment.
Someone wrote a while ago that they hated this movie. It was claimed by this person that Supes did not even smile at the audience at the very end. I am here to put the lie to this claim. Yes, he did. Yes...he...did. This movie was everything the old were, and more. I have not been able to shut up yet. Run out and see Superman Returns TODAY.
posted by Stephen Newell at 7/13/2006 10:54:00 PM
1 Comments:
Overall I liked the movie and said so on my blog. The scene where Superman saves the crashing airplane is one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen on film. I really want to see the movie again while it's at the theater, although my budget is tight.
But what did think of the suggested negatives in the film: (1) removal of "American Way" as part of what Superman stands for, (2) his selfish choice to leave Earth for five years, (3) his illigitimate child with Lois Lane, (4) Lois is shacking up with her boyfriend.
I'm not so conerned about #1 since he does save the USA at the end regardless of what Perry White says, but 2-4 seem to me to be real sticklers. I don't like these elements of the storyline and feel they unnecessarily demean the Superman mythos. I didn't like Superman's decision in Superman II to selfishly give up his role as earth's hero so that he could be with the woman he loved. Nor did I like the "one night stand" between the two of them. And now, all the negatives of S2 are continued in Superman Returns. People can say that these developments make Superman "more human," but Superman is supposed to lead by example, and to me this Superman does not do that.
What are your thoughts?
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