Just in time for the 4th of July, Warner Bros. has released its tentpole film for 2006, and what may very well be THE summer event movie of the year. Even with its long and troubled production history, many are looking to Bryan Singer's Superman Returns to salvage a long-dead franchise and a flagging box office--perhaps that explains the nearly overwhelming number of messianic references and shots which litter the film. What new and wonderful directions would the franchise take after a nearly 20 year hiatus?
The answer, for better or worse, is not many.
In fact, the first two-thirds of Superman Returnssuffers from a serious sense of deja vu, with echoes of the earlier film both narratively and cinematically. In fact, the two films are so similar (in some cases bordering on scene for scene) that Superman Returnsplays like more of a remake than a reimagining, following the original so slavishly that one feels as if relative newcomer Brandon Routh was directed to play Christopher Reeve rather than Clark Kent.
In a nutshell, Superman leaves when scientists believe they have discovered remnants of the planet Krypton, determined to find out for himself exactly how much of his home planet was left after it's earlier destruction. Five years later, he returns (hence the title), and picks up where he left off...fighting for truth and justice against the likes of Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), who has been released because Superman failed to show up at an important court hearing. Though some of the plot points have changed (Lois Lane, played with alarming inconsistency by Kate Bosworth, has a five year old child of seemingly dubious parentage), the basic narrative follows in the well-worn footsteps of the Richard Donner original.
While this in and of itself wouldn't be enough to sink the film, it certainly doesn't help when combined with the film's myriad other problems. For one thing, the film's early scenes have no sense of pace, a problem that gets only slightly better as the movie progresses. There are shots that seem to have been left in simply because it was more trouble to take them out, and the resulting lack of rhythm translates into several scenes that far outstay their welcome (the film's opening scene is a particular problem, going on far longer than it should without ever adding anything whatsoever to the film). It doesn't help that director Bryan Singer seems hell-bent on having his cake and eating it, too--the unbridled adoration for the source material is only broken, and jarringly at that, by the occasional self-aware aside, most of which seem miscalculated at best, and alarmingly out of place at worst. I also actually found myself wondering why, with nearly 30 years of advancements in film technology, the flying scenes (particularly of Supes and Lois) looked just as bad as they did in 78. The ones that didn't literally reek of wire harnesses and green screens are really cartoonish and silly.
Maybe we're just not meant to believe a man can fly.
Routh wears the suit well, but struggles with the alter-ego (a transition Reeves pulled off beautifully), while Spacey clearly had fun playing the devilish Lex Luthor (notably less used car dealerish this time around). But the rest of the cast fails, not for lack of effort, but because of a script that gives them significantly little to do. There's a lot of talent on board, including Frank Langella (Perry White), James Marsden (Richard White), Parker Posey (Kitty Kowalski), and Eva Marie Saint (Martha Kent), but even with a two and a half hour running time, none of them are developed beyond a handful of scenes.
The film struggles to find the balance between comic adventure and emotional drama, but the two rarely feel connected, and the final act, an extended epilogue that veers dangerously over the edge of absurdly contrived schmaltz, ends up playing more as comic soap opera than anything else. No one could be blamed for walking out at the roughly 120 minute mark, nor would you miss anything of dramatic importance. But given the been-there-seen-that nature of the first two hours, my suggestion would be to rent the original and save yourself the trouble.
Just in time for the 4th of July, Warner Bros. has released its tentpole film for 2006, and what may very well be THE summer event movie of the year. Even with its long and troubled production history, many are looking to Bryan Singer's Superman Returns to salvage a long-dead franchise and a flagging box office--perhaps that explains the nearly overwhelming number of messianic references and shots which litter the film. What new and wonderful directions would the franchise take after a nearly 20 year hiatus? 
In a nutshell, Superman leaves when scientists believe they have discovered remnants of the planet Krypton, determined to find out for himself exactly how much of his home planet was left after it's earlier destruction. Five years later, he returns (hence the title), and picks up where he left off...fighting for truth and justice against the likes of Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), who has been released because Superman failed to show up at an important court hearing. Though some of the plot points have changed (Lois Lane, played with alarming inconsistency by Kate Bosworth, has a five year old child of seemingly dubious parentage), the basic narrative follows in the well-worn footsteps of the Richard Donner original. 
his cake and eating it, too--the unbridled adoration for the source material is only broken, and jarringly at that, by the occasional self-aware aside, most of which seem miscalculated at best, and alarmingly out of place at worst. I also actually found myself wondering why, with nearly 30 years of advancements in film technology, the flying scenes (particularly of Supes and Lois) looked just as bad as they did in 78. The ones that didn't literally reek of wire harnesses and green screens are really cartoonish and silly. 
The film struggles to find the balance between comic adventure and emotional drama, but the two rarely feel connected, and the final act, an extended epilogue that veers dangerously over the edge of absurdly contrived schmaltz, ends up playing more as comic soap opera than anything else. No one could be blamed for walking out at the roughly 120 minute mark, nor would you miss anything of dramatic importance. But given the been-there-seen-that nature of the first two hours, my suggestion would be to rent the original and save yourself the trouble.