I feel like Superman Returns gets a bad wrap. Roger Ebert said, "This is a glum, lackluster movie in which even the big effects sequences seem dutiful instead of exhilarating." On the other hand, Richard Roeper said, "... while I can't call it a home run, I'll say it's a solid base hit."
Perhaps the problem with the 2006 film is that it was an attempt to make a more modern Superman movie. Something that fits into a post 9-11 world. It has a more realistic feel to it compared to the 1978 original, although the year 2006 no longer feels modern. The movie is starting to feel dated.
I like the movie. I like the many themes it touches on. I love Kevin Spacey's performance as Lex Luthor. Somehow the execution is faulty. Its ideas are better than its implementation. Everything rushes by too quickly.
The film really is a bit more glum. It turns into a well-made soap opera. There is an extreme emphasis on a love triangle between Superman, Lois Lane, and her new husband, as if dealing with relationships makes the movie more modern. It is a more emotional take on Superman, but interesting nevertheless.
The movie is essentially a sequel to Superman II. Brandon Routh looks similar to Christopher Reeve who played in the previous Superman movies, but he doesn't look as muscular as Christopher Reeve did. He doesn't fit the muscular image of Superman that audiences are used to.
For a movie with a 200 million dollar budget, I would have expected more. It doesn't look as good as it should. Most of it is too dark or too murky. However, it still makes for passable entertainment.
The movie sets us up for a sequel that never came. Superman Returns was supposed to be a reboot of the franchise, which got rebooted again in 2013 by Man of Steel. Apparently, this wasn't the Superman we were looking for.
Rating: B+
My first reivew of the movie...
People attending The Dark Knight Rises today will be treated to the first trailer for Man of Steel, which is due out next summer. This is the latest attempt to reboot the Superman series, just coming seven years after the last attempt, which was Superman Returns. Superman Returns is not so much of a reboot as it is a sequel that is also highly reminiscent of the 1978 Superman movie. A few parts of it feel like echoes of the previous film with new twists. Whether or not you will like Superman Returns depends upon your taste, but it is highly reminiscent of the 1978 Superman movie, which I loved, while exploring new territory that is interesting.
Superman Returns explores the Superman story in a post 9-11 world. After a trip to find his home planet, Superman returns to earth to find that Lois Lane is married and has a child. It is a world that has mostly forgotten about superheroes.
I assume that those still interested in Superman are looking forward to Man of Steel. By now, Superman Returns has largely been forgotten. Still, the movie received 76% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and I think that it is underrated. If you fell in love with the first Superman movie, as I did, then this film has everything you could want. Watching this movie felt nostalgic, because it does echo some key points from the first movie, but there is enough new material to make it into a good film. Casting Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor was an act of genius. He is is brilliant in this movie.
If there are negatives to the movie, it is that it is a little more brooding and that Brandon Routh doesn't quite look the part. The 1978 Superman movie states that Superman weighs 220 pounds. Christopher Reeve bulked up for the movie and really did weigh 220 pounds. Superman Returns states that Superman weighs only 120 pounds, and the contradiction bothered me. Although Brandon Routh does look somewhat like Christopher Reeve, he also looks too thin for the part. People expect their superheroes to have some mass on them.
Rating: A-
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