Superman Returns
A movie for people who like their heroes to be truly heroic.
DMR gives it an A-.
While watching Superman Returns lines from William Ernest Henley’s heroic poem ‘Invictus,’ kept running through my head. That is when I wasn’t seeing Norman Rockwell’s ‘Homecoming Soldier,’ or hearing Bette Midler sing ‘Wind Beneath My Wings.’ Superman Returns is the most heroic film I’ve seen in recent years.
Remarkably, in this cynical age, the filmmakers play it absolutely straight and without apologies, and I applaud them for it. It’s as refreshing as homemade lemonade. This is a Superman who knows what he’s about and goes about doing it with will and discipline, even when confronted by deadly Kryptonite. More astonishing still, Superman pulls it off without becoming a one-dimensional cardboard cutout. He has depth and complexity because he knows himself, not because he is morally conflicted.
That said, if you prefer your heroes with a twist of irony or a chaser of existential angst, you may not find Superman Returns as refreshing as I did.
The setup is that astronomers on earth had identified Superman’s planet and as the movie opens he is returning from Krypton having found only himself during his five year absence. Back in Metropolis, Lois Lane is living with a stand-up guy, and they are raising a young son together. Lex Luthor is out of prison because Superman didn’t show up for his parole hearing.
And Earth? Well, as ever it needs a savior. Past versions of Superman have been jingoistic, but in this version Superman is resident of Metropolis but a full citizen of the world, saving people and stopping crime everywhere. The villain, of course, is Lex Luthor, played with polish by a chrome-domey Kevin Spacey.
The plot is familiar; a retread of the 1978 Superman movie. Lex uses Krypton technology to destructively create a new continent, all of it tainted by radioactive Kryptonite. Of course Lex and Superman tangle. The pleasant surprise is that there’s no silly spinning of the planet in reverse, no deus ex machina to save the world again. afterwards, in a wonderfully-touching scene reminiscent of Spiderman 2, the people of Metropolis demonstrate what Superman means to them. It honestly gave me a lump in my throat.
The movie is loaded with dramatic rescues and some beautiful flying sequences. There’s also a romantic pas de deux between Lois and Superman, but it’s left unresolved. Lois is loathe to leave a good man and Superman is too much of a gentleman to force the issue. Imagine a movie advocate moral choices like those in 2006!
Brandon Routh spends more screentime as Superman than Clark Kent. When he’s Clark he seems to be channeling Christopher Reeve, but he’s his own Superman. Comparing him to Reeve probably isn’t fair, but it seemed to me that Routh had less charisma.
Spacey has reached the point as an actor where I’d darn near pay money just to watch him read the phone book. Kate Bosworth was strong as Lois Lane, but as Jimmy Olson, Sam Huntington tried too hard.
I have only one small quibble. There is a scene where Superman, weakened by Kryptonite, is beaten pretty badly by Luthor and his men. It’s almost certainly too intense for the many young children who will see the movie. The MPAA gave Superman Returns a PG-13 rating “for some intense action violence.” I grade it as an A-.
The Dollar Movie Review Grading System: The Dollar Movie Review grades on a curve. Movies that make choices to be course or vulgar are downgraded a full to a half grade or more. Likewise, movies that don’t gross out or offend too much can be upgraded as ‘a thanks for trying’ attaboy. Superman Returns was graded straight up.
DMR gives it an A-.
While watching Superman Returns lines from William Ernest Henley’s heroic poem ‘Invictus,’ kept running through my head. That is when I wasn’t seeing Norman Rockwell’s ‘Homecoming Soldier,’ or hearing Bette Midler sing ‘Wind Beneath My Wings.’ Superman Returns is the most heroic film I’ve seen in recent years.
Remarkably, in this cynical age, the filmmakers play it absolutely straight and without apologies, and I applaud them for it. It’s as refreshing as homemade lemonade. This is a Superman who knows what he’s about and goes about doing it with will and discipline, even when confronted by deadly Kryptonite. More astonishing still, Superman pulls it off without becoming a one-dimensional cardboard cutout. He has depth and complexity because he knows himself, not because he is morally conflicted.
That said, if you prefer your heroes with a twist of irony or a chaser of existential angst, you may not find Superman Returns as refreshing as I did.
The setup is that astronomers on earth had identified Superman’s planet and as the movie opens he is returning from Krypton having found only himself during his five year absence. Back in Metropolis, Lois Lane is living with a stand-up guy, and they are raising a young son together. Lex Luthor is out of prison because Superman didn’t show up for his parole hearing.
And Earth? Well, as ever it needs a savior. Past versions of Superman have been jingoistic, but in this version Superman is resident of Metropolis but a full citizen of the world, saving people and stopping crime everywhere. The villain, of course, is Lex Luthor, played with polish by a chrome-domey Kevin Spacey.
The plot is familiar; a retread of the 1978 Superman movie. Lex uses Krypton technology to destructively create a new continent, all of it tainted by radioactive Kryptonite. Of course Lex and Superman tangle. The pleasant surprise is that there’s no silly spinning of the planet in reverse, no deus ex machina to save the world again. afterwards, in a wonderfully-touching scene reminiscent of Spiderman 2, the people of Metropolis demonstrate what Superman means to them. It honestly gave me a lump in my throat.
The movie is loaded with dramatic rescues and some beautiful flying sequences. There’s also a romantic pas de deux between Lois and Superman, but it’s left unresolved. Lois is loathe to leave a good man and Superman is too much of a gentleman to force the issue. Imagine a movie advocate moral choices like those in 2006!
Brandon Routh spends more screentime as Superman than Clark Kent. When he’s Clark he seems to be channeling Christopher Reeve, but he’s his own Superman. Comparing him to Reeve probably isn’t fair, but it seemed to me that Routh had less charisma.
Spacey has reached the point as an actor where I’d darn near pay money just to watch him read the phone book. Kate Bosworth was strong as Lois Lane, but as Jimmy Olson, Sam Huntington tried too hard.
I have only one small quibble. There is a scene where Superman, weakened by Kryptonite, is beaten pretty badly by Luthor and his men. It’s almost certainly too intense for the many young children who will see the movie. The MPAA gave Superman Returns a PG-13 rating “for some intense action violence.” I grade it as an A-.
The Dollar Movie Review Grading System: The Dollar Movie Review grades on a curve. Movies that make choices to be course or vulgar are downgraded a full to a half grade or more. Likewise, movies that don’t gross out or offend too much can be upgraded as ‘a thanks for trying’ attaboy. Superman Returns was graded straight up.
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