Superman Returns

Considering that this is a movie about the greatest superhero known to man, I thought it actually flew under the radar during the buildup. And with Pirates opening the following week, I perhaps people forgot about it rather quickly. But I thought it was pretty good.

Brandon Routh is the new Superman, and he looks good. Good-looking, but not strikingly so, same as Christopher Reeve. His Clark Kent is still a bit unsure of himself, but he's not as fidgety as the previous iteration. Kate Bosworth is the new Lois Lane, and dark hair is probably the only thing she has in common with Margot Kidder. I think her Lois is a bit more composed and in control than before, but she's aggressive and feisty like Lois is supposed to be. Kevin Spacey was a good Lex Luthor, but I can't shake the feeling that a dozen other actors could have pulled off the same performance. I could be wrong. He's just as grandstanding, but his humor is more subdued. Gene Hackman had a bit more showmanship to his Luthor.

The only major critique I have would be that I didn't really feel a lot of suspense or danger. He's Superman, for crying out loud. He's going to save the day, and come out pretty much unharmed in the end. Not anybody's fault, but it's just the nature of the adventures of Superman, I guess.

There were some homages to the originals, like Superman telling Lois she shouldn't smoke, or him taking her heavenward for a duo flight.

The special effects are good, but this should be the last time I ever mention such a thing when reviewing a movie, because there's really no excuse for a big-budget movie not to have good special effects these days. I like the way it was shot overall. My favorite visual shot was Superman holding the globe that sits atop the Daily Planet over his head, like Atlas holding the heavens and earth upon his shoulders. Symbolically bearing the weight of the world, as it's "first and greatest super-hero", as the IMDB plot outline says.