Reviewing Returns

Near the end of Superman II, Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel apologizes to the President of the United States for his absence during a significant portion of the film and promises not to let him down again, even as he restores the American flag to the White House. The movie was followed by two inferior sequels, one far worse than the other. With Superman Returns, director Bryan Singer considers many possibilities set up by the second film, and explores them in a sequel that follows the events of the first two movies, and disregards the last two. It's a risky gamble that's led to mixed reviews, but Singer's love for the character and the movies people from my generation grew up with shines through, and ultimately makes any flaws forgivable. See it if you haven't already, then come back here for the rest of my review.



The first flaw the film has to overcome is its premise, that Superman actually leaves Earth for five years. In the second film he gave up his powers to be with Lois Lane. He reveals his secret identity and the two share a romantic interlude at the Fortress of Solitude. Meanwhile, a trio of villains from Superman's homeworld of Krypton are terrorizing the world, and have joined forces with Superman's arch nemesis Lex Luthor. Having visited the Fortress earlier and discovered the history of Krypton embedded in the crystals there, Lex had learned of the villains and sought them out. Superman has to choose between saving the world and a life with the woman he loves, a life he can't have if the world is under the heel of superpowered dictators. He gets his powers back and confronts his enemies in one of the best superhero fights ever portrayed on film. Later, through a “kiss of forgetfulness”, he removes Lois' knowledge of his other identity as Clark Kent. It's more than a bit hokey by today's standards, but the old movies were known for such devices, most notoriously Superman reversing time by flying around the Earth and reversing its rotation to save Lois in the original movie.

Given all that transpired then, why would he possibly abandon the world for years after seeing how it fared without him for a few days? Astronomers discover what may in fact be Krypton, and he has to know for certain if his home was destroyed or not. We're told this in the first frame of the movie, before a train of nostalgia hits us full force. The credits soar at us in the same style as the Donner films, and the unmistakable and heroic theme by John Williams heralds the return of something special. I wasn't going to be won over by music and graphics alone, however. Star Wars: Episode I began the same way the original trilogy did, but the film fell short after the opening credits. I'm happy to say this wasn't the case for me with Superman Returns. There were a few bumps along the road, and it wasn't the perfect comic book movie that Batman Begins was. The things it gets wrong can be explained away to nitpickers. The things it got right awed and inspired me.

I'll get the negative stuff out of the way first. Superman leaves for five years. Lois naturally moves on, and now has a son with another man. He's upset to learn this, but shouldn't be surprised. Even his mother breaks down and tells him there were days she didn't know if he'd come back. One of the greatest moments in Superman II is when he does come back, and Singer is trying to recapture the emotions that evoked. He succeeds, and when we see the Last Son of Krypton soaring and saving once more, we're so happy to see him back we dismiss the improbable fact that he left. Lois isn't as forgiving naturally, and she also looks really good for a mom with a little boy. Once more we're called upon to suspend disbelief as a few years and a child can change raspy Margot Kidder to youthful and angelic Kate Bosworth. Hardcore comic book geeks are used to characters being drawn the same for decades, and will never have anything bad to say about a pretty girl. More casual filmgoers and actual mothers in their thirties may be rolling their eyes at this casting choice. The other casting flaw comes from a surprising source, in Kevin Spacey. He truly hams it up in the role of Lex Luthor, channeling bits of Gene Hackman's portrayal but taking it too far at times, with occasional bursts of Pacino-esque yelling. Granted, it's not an invalid depiction of the character, who in his earliest incarnations was given to theatrical villainy. But I've since seen John Shea play him as a cool and manipulative tycoon, Clancy Brown voice him as a brilliant scientist and businessman confident to the point of arrogance, and Michael Rosenbaum play him as a well-read and sympathetic character on a tragically dark path. Spacey is best in the role when he's subtle, quietly venting his jealousy and hatred: “Gods are selfish beings who fly around in little red capes and don't share their power with mankind.” There are moments in the film where he shines as the character without even speaking, and lets actions define him. He takes five steps back wordlessly prior to a volatile situation, even as his ignorant cronies look on without noticing. That's who Lex Luthor is. He's smart enough to save himself, and selfish enough not to share his knowledge.

What does work in the film? I have to say that, with the possible exception of animation, Superman's power has never before been captured as well as it has in the comics. The old films had him catching helicopters and rescuing kittens from trees. This movie really shows how powerful he really is. The effects are a big part of it, but the story lends itself to take full advantage of what can now be done. It's not always easy, and sometimes he truly struggles, but you feel like there's nothing that can break his skin, and nothing he can't lift. He soars around the globe performing magnificent feats. Singer even explores his methods. Superman can hear everything at once, which can be overwhelming. He hovers over the Earth and closes his eyes, filtering out the sounds until he can pinpoint where he's needed most urgently, and then rockets down to the rescue. Of course any film can deliver power and special effects, and it's vulnerability that makes a character interesting. When he hovers, using his x-ray vision to see the life Lois has made for herself with a child and a fiancé, you realize he can feel pain after all, and recall those popular tunes that have been penned in his honor. Of course, no amount of angst works without the right actor, and this is something else the film gets right. I was skeptical of Brandon Routh when I saw early publicity photos, but he succeeds in transforming himself convincingly into both Superman and Clark. If I have one criticism it’s that we don’t see enough of Clark in this movie; it really belongs to his alter-ego. There will always only be one Christopher Reeve, but Routh definitely holds his own. You laugh at his antics as Clark, cheer when he swoops in to save the day as Superman, and wince any time he's in real danger. How can someone who catches airplanes or deflects bullets with his eyeball be in danger? Lost love might hurt him emotionally, but there is something that can hurt him physically. Some of the criticisms of the film I've read involve Lex Luthor's actual plan. To these critics I say watch the first two films, and wonder why no one thought of this before. Just as the movie shows Superman as powerful as he's ever been, it also shows Luthor as evil, merciless and unyielding as he should be. I won't go into details, but he goes a lot further than putting a rock around his enemy's neck and leaving him in a swimming pool, this time around.

This isn't going to be a movie for everyone. There are call backs to great lines from the original like “I hope this experience hasn't put you off flying. Statistically speaking, it's still the safest way to travel.” Seeing the opening credits, references to dialogue like that, and even Marlon Brando reprising his role through the magic of digital technology all made me feel like those old movies I loved as a kid really were back. This is also the first and only Superman movie I've seen in a movie theater, and since so much of it right up to the perfect last shot pays homage to those movies, I can honestly say it's worthy of the series. As the credits rolled, one friend said, “it's sad when the best part for me was the sound,” another friend shrugged and said, “eh, I liked it.”, and a friend's wife asked, “how did he beat those three bad guys in that other movie?” I was still basking in silence, processing everything I had seen and formulating my thoughts into words that would eventually appear here. Everybody is going to take something different away from this film. If you know comics, know the character, know how his powers work and don't mind filling in a few minor blanks with that knowledge, it's an amazing ride. Superman is BACK. I'm going to be hearing the theme music for days, and wishing I had powers for the rest of my life.