Review of Superman Returns (2006) by Cameron J — 17 Jun 2013

I like how "Superman II" ended with Superman emphatically proclaiming that he will never leave, and this film that is set right after the events of "Superman II" is all about Superman returning to Earth, and if you think that makes me sound like a comic book geek, well... shut up. Seriously though, speaking of nerds, I don't know about Superman, but Bryan Singer has returned to the superhero scene, and he kept James Marsden just to waste potential, because, seriously when else are you going to have the opportunity to have Cyclops and Superman settle a love triangle with a laser vision-off? I'm upset enough about them not getting Bruce Willis as Lex Luthor, because we're talking about a moderately fit, bad man with a personality that can, on a dime, switch from loud and colorful to piercingly cold, and you go with... Kevin Spacey? Oh, actually, that's pretty good casting, but I doubt that Spacey really was the only one considered for the role, because, oddly enough, Gene Hackman, by 2006, still kind of looked the same that he did in the '70s. Hey, maybe they did ask him to reprise the role, and he didn't so much turn it down as much as he retired, because after "Superman IV", he knew that he probably shouldn't be taking his chances with a revival of the "Superman" film franchise, seeing as how, as Jonathan Kent himself put it, "with great power comes great responsibility". Oh no, wait, sorry, I'm still getting used to the fact that Singer switched to DC from Marvel... whose "X-Men" series was the one with Uncle Ben... right? I'm just getting all of that junk out of the way so that it softens the blow to the hearts of the annoying comic book geeks left by my shamelessly deeming this film better than its predecessors... which isn't saying much, because as decent as, well, the first three installments of the original tetralogy are, they were hardly without their issues, much like this film.

Certain installments in the "Superman" film franchise have been cheesier than others, but most every member of this series has had its fair share of prominent corny spots, with this considerably more serious installment being surprisingly and rather frustratingly no exception, as there are moments of comic relief that, more often than not, fall flat, as well as tongue-in-cheek spells that really don't work, partially because they're just too hokey for their own good (That moment in which a criminal shoots Superman, point-blank, right in the eyeball, - into which the bullet compresses in slow-motion before falling to the ground and leaving the man of steel to simply smirk, totally unharmed, unirritated and triumphant - gets to me every time), and partially because their breaking up more down-to-earth, if not serious notes creates a near-glaring tonal unevenness. As the film progresses and steadily grows meatier, hokiness tones down, but it's a long while before it's out of sight, and it's never truly out of mind, and slows down momentum with cheesiness, which isn't to say that issues within Michael Dougherty's and Dan Harris' script come close to ending with cheesiness. This film is so heavily driven upon Superman's returning from a five-year absence and having to restore his name, but you don't get some kind of montage or slightly lengthy pre-credits dramatization of pretty much all you need to know, only a brief text prologue that skims over our leads' motivation for leaving, and such an awe-inspiringly profound undercooking of an instrumental aspect to this story does a near-laughably immense amount of damage to your investment, which is further distanced by other areas of lapse in exposition that are too reliant on your already being associated with these characters and this story for their own good, as well as by shifts in pacing that prove to be rather jarring. As hurried as the film is in a lot of ways, when it slow down, it really drags its feet, and not just in structure, as there are quieter and atmospherically drier moments in storytelling that bland things up as distancing, and momentarily leave you to feel just how overlong this film is, for although there is enough potential for meat within this story concept for a two-and-a-half-hour-long execution to seem reasonable, in the long run, excess material leaves storytelling to limp along more than it should. There is enough tightness to storytelling for things to feel fleshed out enough to compel, but at 154 minutes, this film ends up taking more time than it should to tell this story, especially when you consider that this is a story that we've seen too often, because even though there are enough refreshing touches to this flick for it to be memorable, this is ultimately a formulaic modern superhero blockbuster. There's plenty to recognize in this film, and not always in a good way, and such conventionalism slows down momentum enough for you to further recognize the other issues, of which there are too many, because even though this film is a relatively unique and generally rewarding addition to the "Superman" film series, were it more tight, well-rounded, consistent and all around assured, it could have been excellent, yet just ends up falling short of what it could have been. Still, what the film ultimately is, regardless of its flaws, is rewarding, and that's more than, well, I can say about any other "Superman" film before this one, for although all but "IV" have been decent, there's a certain heart to this effort that carries it a long way as a compelling mini-epic and tastefully done style piece.

Returning as the score composer for a Bryan Singer film, John Ottman delivers efforts that end up playing a large part in the driving of this film's atmosphere, being formulaic in a lot of ways, but generally with a lovely and dynamic marriage between old-fashion color and modern soul that produces unique moments for every formulaic moment, while helping in defining the essence of this film with an enjoyable tastefulness that goes matched, if not topped only by the tastefulness within Newton Thomas Sigel's gorgeous cinematography, whose uniquely warm coloring and lighting don't exactly make definition crisp, but still give the film a distinct and rich look that ranges from handsome to stunning, and is often complimented by clever framing that immerses you with one nifty stylistic touch after another. The film is, at the very least, darn good-looking, with a technical proficiency within visual style that catches your eye time and again, particularly when technical proficiency is also focused on the visual effects, some of which have actually dated a smidge in only just over five years, but convince considerably much more often than not, and never fail to dazzle with versatile and well-conceived designs that are, of course, particularly stunning when played up during the action sequences, which are surprisingly underused, but always, to one high degree or another, killer. It's a while before the action starts up, but when the action aspects finally come into play, you're rich first little taste is an exhaustively intricate sequence in which Superman takes a plane everywhere from the borders of Earth's atmosphere to the heart of a baseball stadium as he struggles to prevent a crash landing that is so mind-blowing you can't believe it, and is followed by yet more fashionably late, but thrillingly action sequences that are worth waiting for, going powered by the stylistic and technical dazzle that leave the final product to triumph as a medium for the blockbuster entertainment that has been delivered on throughout most of this series, but never joined by the amount of meat that this film delivers on, because as much as this film delivers on style, it's the substance of this project that truly carries the film as much superior to its predecessors. Sure, outside of the fluffy "Superman II" and just downright pointless "Superman IV", there have been touches of weight throughout this series, but they've never been extensively explored until this installment, whose tonally and structurally uneven and formulaic script delivers heavy blows to the full depths of this relatively more meaty project, but rarely to where you can completely ignore the potential within this layered and sweepingly large-scale story concept, often brought to life by a directorial performance by Bryan Singer that isn't sharp enough to carry the final product too far, but joins liveliness with a thoughtful capturing of emotional essence that slowly, but surely, augments, steadily raising the rate of high points as we experience the progression of this film that is very rarely less than adequately compelling, and even has a couple excellent moments, such as the often outstanding, sometimes powerful and altogether underrated later acts. With all of my praise of this film's high points, the film doesn't pick up often enough to be all that strong, but the moments in which it does, in fact, pick up, are fine glimpses into what could have been, as well as firm reminders of what ultimately is: a compelling, more dramatically charged mini-epic of a "Superman" film that, in order to succeed as well as it does as a character study, must feature inspired onscreen character portrayals. Well, sure enough, while there's not a whole lot for this star-studded cast to work with, strong performances can be found throughout the film, with standouts including the lovely Kate Bosworth, - whose humanly layered performance defines the maturity within Lois Lane enough for you to forget about Bosworth's being, on paper, too young for the role - as well as Kevin Spacey, who nails the delightfully self-righteous and near-cartoony charm that Gene Hackman defined the "Superman" film series' interpretation of Lex Luthor, but tones down the fluffiness within Luthor, while subtly adding darker and more serious beats that help in selling you on the heavier depths and criminal genius that Luthor has been seemingly, up until now, aimlessly gloating about, thus making for a more well-rounded and chillingly effective antagonist who feels worthy as the opponent to a protagonist whose being sold is an even more crucial matter, especially when you consider that Brandon Routh barely had anything under his belt by the time he did this film, and would go on to get "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" under the belt in question (Sorry, man, but you messed up big time there), thus leaving our lead with heavy burdens that he does, in fact, overcome, for although it's hard not to miss Chris Reeve, Routh also proves successful in capturing the innocent charm of Clark Kent and bold, commanding charisma of Superman, until the heavier moments in characterization come into play and leave Routh to face dramatic material that Reeve didn't see too much of, and is nailed about as much as it can be with a humanly subtle range that reinforces your investment in this iconic protagonist as a struggling and layered hero. Whether it be because of writing shortcomings or whatever, Routh is not quite Christopher Reeve, but he does a decent job of replicating Reeve's distinguished charisma, and what he adds to the essence of Clark Kent/Superman further establishes the icon as a well-rounded and compelling character, thus leaving Routh to, like Reeve, carry this film in a lot of ways, only, unlike Reeve, he has a lot more back-up, for although the rather weighty haul of undeniable shortcomings hold the final product back from achieving its surprisingly very high potential, there is still so much inspiration behind this effort on a stylistic level, an entertainment level and, yes, even a dramatic level, thus making for a reasonably compelling blockbuster that cuts through its weaknesses enough to stand as superior to the very films it pays homage to, as well as rewarding by its own right.

When it's once again time to depart, you leave behind a film whose cheesy moments throw off by their own right, while providing a tonal unevenness that goes matched only by pacing unevenness, whose hurried moments leave expository depth to suffer greatly, and whose limp moments drag the film out and give you an opportunity to meditate upon the conventionalism that goes into holding the final product back, but not so far back that the fine score work, beautiful cinematography, dazzling visual effects, stellar action sequences, and strong story concept - brought to life by a directorial performance by Bryan Singer that is both lively and compelling, if not emotionally resonant, as well as by a myriad of onscreen performances that deliver on both charisma and unexpected depth - can't make "Superman Returns" a more sweeping and dramatically layered film interpretation of an icon that surpasses its flaws enough to reward as colorfully stylish, generally entertaining and consistently compelling.

3/5 - Good.