_Superman_Returns_ (PG-13) *** (out of ****)
When it was announced that Bryan Singer would be tackling the long-in-the-works big screen return of DC Comics icon Superman, both film and comic fan alike eagerly anticipated what he would come up with--after all, this is the same filmmaker who was able to make mainstream-accessible, cinematic sense of what is arguably the most complex conventional superhero mythos, that of the X-Men. But those walking into _Superman_Returns_ to be uniquely "Bryan Singer's _Superman_" will be let down as this is more or less the sequel that 1978 _Superman_ director Richard Donner was never allowed to complete.
This is, of course, not necessarily a bad thing, as Donner's film (and, for the most part, the 1980-81 Donner/Richard Lester hybrid sequel _Superman_II_) treated Joe Siegel and Jerry Shuster's historic creation with the respect due any literary character with such enduring appeal, not with campy condescension just because of its comic book origins. The familiar, lengthy, outer space-set main title sequence scored to the still-stirring John Williams theme announce this film as being firmly in line with those first two films, and so goes the whole of _Superman_Returns_--extremely close to, if not downright aping, the originals. After a five-year absence from earth that began shortly after the events of _II_ (1983's disastrous Richard Pryor co-starring vehicle _III_ and the unspeakable 1987 abomination _IV:_The_Quest_for_Peace_ are mercifully erased from the timeline), Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent (Brandon Routh) once again comes crashing down to Earth, specifically at his mother's (Eva Marie Saint) farm in Smallville. Clark soon returns to Metropolis, the offices of the _Daily_Planet_ and, hence, the world of his true love Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth)--but she is now not only engaged to editor Perry White's (Frank Langella) nephew Richard (James Marsden, getting far more screen time here than he did in the sadly Singer-less _X-Men:_The_Last_Stand_), but she also has a young son (Tristan Lake Leabu).
But those changes sound far more radical on paper than they do in execution, as from beginning to end (there's even the classic capper of Supes flying above earth), top to bottom, the tone, the style, the look (many of John Barry's original sets are reflected in Guy Hendrix Dyas' production design), the feel is Donner through and through. While the attention to consistency is remarkable--writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris pepper the script with a number of detailed references to those first two films--one cannot help but wish that Singer took a more distinctive spin on the material. He does introduce some God/Jesus/savior allegorical ideas that point to how creative yet intelligent and respectful he has proven to be in the past with comic book material, but those intriguing (if a bit obvious) interests take a clear back seat to paying near-slavish homage to Donner, whose most distinctive strength is his anonymous, workmanlike precision.
That latter description also kind of extends to Routh. He does a completely competent job here, even if it's quite obvious he probably was cast more for his look (Christopher Reeve meets Mark Steines) than anything else. (His voice, on the other hand, is rather disturbingly close to Tom Cruise.) That said, the jury is still out as to if he'll be a star or any good outside of these films--unlike Singer's last great find, Hugh Jackman, who in his first scenes in the original 2000 _X-Men_ instantly announced him as a movie star, period, and not merely a star when playing the legendary character. But for now, for the purposes of this re-introduction film, his impeccable Reeve impersonation will do. Bosworth's Lois is similarly competent though her youthful appearance--even younger than her actual 23 years--makes her somewhat difficult to reconcile with Margot Kidder's brassier take in the first two films. The one cast member--nay, the one prominent member of the whole team--to bring something fairly freshly his own to the table is Kevin Spacey. While his Lex Luthor does pick up from the madcap vein of Gene Hackman's original portrayal, he brings some of his own darker edges to the part. For the first time in a major Superman feature, Luthor is both amusingly wacky *and* a believably sinister threat to the Man of Steel. The Hackman versus Spacey comparison can be summed up thusly: Hackman uses a Kryptonite block, but Spacey wields a Kryptonite shiv.
The film as a whole could have used a little more of that type of ferocious instinct, as in terms of an adventure _Returns_ pulls out its action showstopper very early--too early--with a spectacular jet plane rescue (a sequence that should be especially phenomenal on IMAX 3-D) and then coasts its way toward its fairly low-key whisper of a conclusion. What goes on between is never boring--and how could it not be, what with the state-of-the-art effects; lavish set and production design (no mystery where the money in the megabucks budget went here); Spacey's Luthor hamming and sniping with new female sidekick Kitty Kowalski (a wonderfully dry Parker Posey); and the kick of seeing the Man of Steel simply do his Super-thing using his heat vision, cooling breath, and superhuman strength--but just when you clamor for Supes and Singer to deliver a knockout rush of blockbuster excitement, they instead settle for being merely entertaining. While that is enough to make _Superman_Returns_ an agreeable summertime diversion, it cannot help but be a bit of a let down given not so much the studio-manufactured hype (though that does count) but the anticipation by fans over the years.
(c)2006 Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina twotrey@gmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com | mrbrown@themoviereport.com The Movie Report/Mr. Brown's Movie Site: www.themoviereport.com www.quickstopentertainment.com | www.cinemareview.com | www.aalbc.com www.johnsingletonfilms.com | on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL/Y! IM: mrbrown23
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