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Movie Review - Superman Returns (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Bryan Singer |
| Starring: |
Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, and Parker Posey |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for some intense action violence) |
| Length: |
154 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Comic |
| Tagline: |
None. |
| Studio: |
Warner Bros. |
| Website: |
Superman Returns |
| Release: |
June 28, 2006 |
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PLOT
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After a five-year trip to the lost remains of his home planet Krypton, the superhero who wears red and blue pajamas
heads back to earth and expects Lois Lane to just swoon over him and fall limply into his Johnny Betts-sized arms.
Meanwhile, Lex Luthor has just been released from prison (thanks to Superman not showing up as a witness at
Luthor's latest appeal) and puts in motion plans to take over the world. Plans that don't really make a whole lot
of sense once you sit down and think about them. Superman's return ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Is Superman Returns the cure for cancer that a sizeable number of critics are claiming? Nope. Is it solid,
Summer blockbuster entertainment? Sure. But did it impress me so much that I feel the need to run around and beg
everybody to run out and see it as soon as possible? Nah. Though I'll gladly recommend it when politely asked for
my impeccable opinion.
I have no interest in writing a thesis contrasting and comparing this with the previous movies in the series, nor do
I have the desire to wax philosophic on the Christian allegory and its significance in light of the comic's
mythology. There are approximately 348 reviews that pound these issues in the ground. I tried to read a couple and
nearly fell asleep, so I'm not going to do the same to you.
Instead, I want to present a few issues for you to think about and to look for when watching the movie. Give ya a
little something to chew over.
- Clark Kent Vs. Superman. Not to cross any believability boundaries that we're
expected to blindly ignore, but can we please figure out a more convincing way of allowing characters to not realize
that Clark Kent is Superman? Superman is gone for five years, which just happens to be the same length of time
that Clark Kent is away on his "trip," they return at the same time, and yet A PULITZER PRIZE WINNING JOURNALIST
can't even piece this 1st grade puzzle together?
Nobody grows suspicious that Clark Kent is conveniently absent from work while Superman is in the hospital?
Reporters who work with Clark are all over the Superman story and not a single one can crack this nut? Come
on.
- The lack of a formidable adversary. I was disappointed that the movie really
doesn't present any major obstacles for our spandex-wearing hero to overcome. Lex Luthor uses a little kryptonite
to subdue him so he can kick him around? That's it? Well, that's the problem.
Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor just doesn't cut it. Thankfully, Spacey's rendition of Luthor isn't as campy as Gene
Hackman's, but it's still a bit over-the-top. And if Superman and Lex are mortal enemies then shouldn't they
exchange at least a small amount of meaningful dialogue? Give me the simmering character development of Michael
Rosenbaum's Smallville portrayal any day.
- Lex's master plan. How about a better explanation of Luthor's plan for world
domination? Please? Look closely and you'll see how silly it is. He claims he's creating more land. How? His
plan will result in large portions of North America being underwater. He's creating different land formations, but
the surface area of the land will be greatly decreased.
And why does he plan on killing off North Americans? Who's he going to sell the land to? People in Third World countries?
Please. Those in North America, the ones being killed, are the ones who'd actually have the capability to buy his
land. Smart move, you genius businessman, you.
But who in the world would want to buy land from someone who just killed "billions" of people? And how are
billions of people gonna die? That seems a bit much. Plus, where are all these great technological tools that
Lex claims will litter the land? All I see is a vast wasteland with a bunch of huge crystal formations. Yeah
man, let me see what kind of interest rate I can get on this deal!
- The special effects. Don't get me wrong; the effects and action sequences are certainly
pleasing to watch, but where is the $260 million worth? I didn't see that much on screen. By comparison,
Revenge of the Sith and
Batman Begins did so much more on smaller budgets and exhilarated
me. They impressed me. They awed me. Superman Returns simply amused me. Not a bad thing, but not exactly
something that makes me stand up and pass out flyers on the sidewalk, telling everyone it's a "can't miss." The
CGI bar has been set high, and I wanted to see Superman reach it.
- Lois Lane's Superman imitation. During the exciting plane sequence she's bounced
around like a pinball; how in the world does she escape the ordeal without a single bruise? Just curious.
- Superman's weight issues. This is just for fun, so don't get all bent out of shape
over it. There's a scene where Lois Lane and Cyclops are talking about Superman's height and weight. I could've
sworn that Lois estimated that Superman weighed about "125 lbs." I discussed this with several people after the
movie, and they all heard the same thing.
Stephanie jokingly surmised that he had to weigh less to be able to defy gravity, so we came to the non-serious
conclusion that like a bird, he must have hollow bones. I'm sure Lois meant to say "225," and perhaps that's
what she actually said, but I thought it funny that so many of us heard it as "125." Listen closely and let me
know what you think.
- Poor Cyclops. You may know him as James Marsden. I know him as the poor sap who
always plays a nice, noble character who's in love with a hot chick whose heart truly belongs to someone else.
The Notebook, X-Men, and now Superman Returns. A
unique form of typecasting, to be sure.
I know it sounds like I'm being fairly harsh, but it's all in good fun (and an effort to give you something
different than every other review out there). I really did enjoy the movie. More than I expected to. And I
really liked Brandon Routh in the role. He's solid as Superman, and he's even better as the awkward, dorky
Clark. The fact that he reminded me of a Jason Schwarztman/Tom Cruise hybrid didn't bother me at all. Although
it may bother you now that you'll have the image of "Jason Schwarztman as Clark Kent" forever stuck in your
head. You're welcome.
Is it everything I would've preferred it to be? No. Rather than a sequel to a movie that was made 26 years ago, I
would have liked a Batman Begins-esque fresh take on the
series. Something a little more original that didn't rely so heavily on the previous movies. The filmmakers are
just assuming everybody knows about the Fortress of Solitude, Lex Luthor's back-story, the power of kryptonite, and
so on. In my opinion, that keeps the movie from standing as strongly on its own. But it is what it is.
And what it is, is a good addition to the comic book movie collection that will satisfy the fanboys and will
moderately entertain the general population, but it probably won't create a whole lot of new diehards. Here's
hoping that this is just a solid start and that the next one in the series will maximize the potential.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Brett Ratner was initially chosen to direct the film. He reportedly left the project because he and Warner Bros.
executives could not agree on whom to cast as Superman.
- Superman fans might want to say a prayer of thanks considering the fact that some of the actors that Ratner
was looking at to play Superman included Josh Hartnett, Paul Walker, Brendan Fraser, Ashton Kutcher, and Jerry
O'Connell.
- Paul Walker and Ashton Kutcher, huh? Mmm hmm. Too bad Ratner left. Yep. Tis a shame.
- Actresses that were considered for Lois Lane included Elisha Cuthbert, Claire Danes, and Keri Russell.
I would have liked Rachel McAdams in the role. Or Kate Beckinsale. I can't get enough of that woman.
- McG, the director of Charlie's Angels who annoys me by only going by the name of "McG," was chosen
to direct the film after Ratner left. He left the movie because of disagreements over budget and filming
location issues. I'm not shedding any tears.
- Johnny Depp was supposedly considered for the roles of Lex Luthor and Jor-El.
- Johnny Betts was considered for the role of Superman's stunt double but had to be turned down because producers
felt he was "too muscular."
- Kevin Smith and J.J. Abrams each wrote scripts for the movie that, obviously, were not used.
- Bryan Singer wanted Jude Law to play General Zod. Law turned the role down several times, so Singer
completely eliminated the character.
- Singer refused to accept Will Ferrell's phone call queries about playing an adversary known as "The Anchorman"
who would weaken Superman with shrill, fake, over-the-top crying.
- Singer refused to accept Johnny Betts' phone call queries about playing an adversary known as "The lucky guy
who gets to make out with Lois Lane" who would be able to anger Superman by making him jealous by "making out and
stuff" with Lois Lane.
- Jim Caviezel expressed interest in the role of Superman, but Singer thought he was "too famous" after
playing Jesus.
- The fact that the average person doesn't really know who Jim Caviezel is until you amend his name with "the dude
who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ" proves that Singer was probably a little off in his
assessment.
- Brandon Routh put on 20 pounds of muscle for the movie.
- Michael Bay and Robert Rodriguez were both offered the director's position. Bay demanded too much money, and
Rodriguez wasn't interested in making a character that would end up being on a kid's underwear. Rodriquez has yet
to comment on the Sin City underoos that are rumored to be in production.
- Parker Posey was in The Doom Generation with Rose McGowan who is in the
upcoming Grind House with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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This one's fairly safe for the whole family, mama included. There's only a handful of mild profanities, but they're
nothing you don't hear on network TV. I must warn you that the little ones might get restless after a while. This
movie is 2 1/2 hours long, and the pace moves along slowly at times (though I didn't mind the long runtime at all).
I highly suggest taking your bathroom break five minutes before showtime, and it might be a good idea to skip out
on the 78-oz. coke on this one.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I'll be honest; the trailer didn't wow me. In fact, it left me a little concerned. I feared this would be way
too campy and slightly tedious to sit through. I'm proud to report that the movie exceeds my trailer-based
expectations.
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THE GIST
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Superman Returns is a nice kick-start to the franchise that offers potential for better follow-ups, but if
you are hoping for a knock-out rendition that perfectly stands out on its own then you may come away slightly
disappointed.
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