Review of Superman Returns (2006) by Robert H — 12 Jun 2015

Perhaps remembered more as the film Bryan Singer chose to make instead of a third X-Men (which wasn't horrible), SUPERMAN RETURNS is a sequel of sorts to the Christopher Reeve originals that lovingly pays tribute to its cinematic forebears while moving the franchise forward.

This was actually the first Superman film I ever saw, way back in 2007. While it didn't really leave too big of an impression on me, I still liked it enough. Now having seen it for the second time after watching the Christopher Reeve films, I feel like it strikes the perfect balance between seriousness and levity in a way that the original films didn't.

It takes the subject matter seriously, but still has elements that made the originals so fun. Without making this a complete essay like I did for the previous four, I'll just give a quick rundown of what I liked and didn't like.

First and foremost, the acting and visual effects are better across the board. Everyone gives a committed performance and it never feels like they're not taking the material seriously. And of course, since this film is nearly 20 years removed from the last film the filmmakers were able to achieve much greater things with CGI than was even conceivable back in the 70's/80's.

There were also a number of nods back to the original films, like Superman saying how flying is the statistically safest way to travel. And in a marked improvement over Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey managed to make Lex Luthor a more believable megalomaniac who still has a sense of humor.

However, if there's anything that works to the film's detriment, it's that the running time is too long. At 154 minutes it begins to drag in the last 30-40 minutes, like they weren't quite sure how to wrap things up satisfactorily.

Also, Brandon Routh doesn't really bring anything new to the role of Clark Kent/Superman. He seems to be playing Christopher Reeve playing Clark Kent/Superman. Granted, his performance is perfectly acceptable, but he didn't put a personal stamp on the character in the way that Henry Cavill did in MAN OF STEEL.

Overall, this was my first introduction to Superman and it is still my favorite. It stays reverent towards its source material, perhaps too much so. The Jesus parallels are even more prevalent here than ever before, and a couple of shots border on hagiography.

Still, it's a well-acted, well-produced film that is entertaining and does justice to a beloved character.