Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey, Marlon Brando
Running Time: 2h 34min
Superman has always been the most iconic of superheroes; the superhero that all other superheroes must be measured against. So, a film version of the most widely known hero on Earth (or Krypton) should fittingly be the film that all superhero films look to for inspiration. Sadly, this fifth film in the Superman franchise is uninspired.
Granted, i've never been the greatest Superman fan. Comic book fan, yes. Superman fan, no. i just couldn't get my head around why someone as powerful and extraordinary as Superman would be interested in someone so plain and uninteresting as Lois Lane. She's certainly no Mary Jane Watson. i also couldn't stand the way his superpowers increased with every issue, to the point where the need to use one power seemed redundant considering he possessed another power that made the first one pointless. (Much like that last sentence.) Furthermore, given such extraordinary powers, Superman never really seemed in danger, despite the whole Kryptonite thing, which seemed easily overcome by sheer will power, when only moments earlier it was deathly crippling.
So, it was with much trepidation that i viewed Superman Returns, buoyed by the fact that Bryan Singer had jumped ship from X-Men 3 to oversee the Hero of all SuperHeroes. Singer had done such an amazing job with another comic book franchise i didn't really care too much for, so i was anxious to see what he would do with this storied material.
Frankly, i wish he'd stayed on X-Men, and let Brett Ratner (or even the original Warner Bros. choice, Tim Burton) have their shot at Superman, as Singer's heavy hand takes all the fun out of the red and blue underwear sporting Superhero, weighing the film down with too much drama.
Now, don't get me wrong, i'd be the first to tell you that a comic book movie benefits from drama. Spider-Man 2 being the most perfect example of that. However, Superman Returns tries too hard to rachet up the love story between Clark Kent and Lois Lane, but when you have two boring leads like Routh and Bosworth, the audience couldn't care less about will they or won't they. Singer should have taken a lesson from Burton's turns on the Batman franchise, and let the villain take center stage, as Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor could have been every bit as good as Jack Nicholson's Joker, with more screen time. Only Parker Posey was as delightful to watch on screen.
The action set pieces are well done, but as i stated earlier, there's no real sense of impending failure or doom. They feel drawn out, because Superman's inevitable triumph is a no brainer. Which makes the overlong ending feel like Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King all over again, begging audience members to say, "Let's get this over with!" When the greatest highlights of the film include the 1978 original installment's musical score and Marlon Brando voiceover (cleverly re-used for the film's opening), the question must be asked, should they have even started to make this in the first place?
Grade: C
4 comments:
I think they were trying to relaunch the series like they did with Batman Begins. Aim it more at the kids who saw the originals and then jazz it up to get a new generation involved.
I think this one missed the mark though. It reminded me very much of all the original series where there was very little substance to the story. Superman Returns seemed more like an action drama than a superhero movie. Unlike Spiderman and Batman there were no BIG fight scenes to break up the drama. I always find the first movie of a series very dry beause they have to go through all the backstory. This one was no exception. They pretty much just recast the original and added better flying visuals. Barring all of that I though the cast did a terrific job, Kevin Spacey was an excellent choice as a smarmy Lex Luthor. But without a really fresh and intelligent script all of that just made this as much a remake of the original Superman as the Dukes of Hazzard was of the TV show.
just watched it. 2h34min...c'mon. before i watched it i thought the two of your were being a little hard but, sadly superman returns deserves all the lashing that joe james and snakes give it.
furious d
Right again joe james. I thought that there were some cool special effects, and it was interesting to see how they tackled the issue of superman having kids and all (in what movie is someone talking about whether or not a human female reproductive system could even handle superman's babies...was it clerks?). i even kind of liked the newcomer superman. but kate bosworth's portrayal of lois lane was possibly the most dull and uninspiring performance that i have ever seen. also, the idea that she won a pulitzer didn't seem realistic. and the smoking thing-there was no better plot device than this? come on!
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