SUPERMAN RETURNS
starring: brandon routh, kate bosworth, kevin spacey...
director: bryan singer
writers: michael dougherty and dan harris
date: 06/28/06
reviewer: Suj
rating: 10+/10
This movie is insanely good. It’s on par with the first time you laid eyes on a pair of breast, your first kiss, the day you lost your virginity, the day you fell in love, the moment when your firstborn child open its eyes, and the first time John Stamos uttered the opening lines to “Forever” on that one episode of Full House. Superman Returns is everything one can ask for in a movie, be it superhero or other. It’s just a damn good movie. I can slip into an endless amount of hyperbole to match the greatness of Superman Returns to the likes of Star Wars, The Godfather, and all the other classic films that have garnered such mass amounts of praise and admiration. And to some these exaggerations could be considered blasphemous, but to me it’s on point.
Director Bryan Singer along with writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris combine their exceptional movie making talents and have constructed the most tear-jerking, heart-rending, astonishing superhero film we’ve seen to date. From the get-go the movie swoops in and grabs its audiences from their respective genital regions, tugs and rubs on them until both genders have reach their unforgettable climaxes as the films end credits scroll upwards. Then and only then will everybody in attendance know they’ve experienced something magical, something wonderful, and something memorable.
The special effects are grand in this movie. The explosions, the destruction, the heroics of the man of steel are fantastically envisioned and displayed on screen. When Superman flies, it’s not done by old school methods of wirework and front angle shots. He flies with grace, there’s a fluid symmetry as he soars through the sky, its beautiful placed poetry in motion. And indeed it must be said again - you will believe a man can fly. Also everything looks lush here. The iconic comic book images be it the cover to Action Comics #1 or something straight out of Alex Ross' drawing book, It’s all just beautifully executed. The cinematography is gorgeous, the work of Newton Thomas Sigel is breath-taking and the kudos must also go to the new technology of the Genesis HD cameras.
Aside from all the eye-catching moments of the aggrandizing glory kind, the best part of the movie lies within its heart. The emotional core of the story and how all the characters play their roles for the importance of what it is that is being told. The movie, simply put, is an epic love story. It’s about the classic story of the Clark/Lois/Superman love triangle and it’s newly added twist of complications. And it’s about our love of Superman, the love of something we all, deep down inside, wish we could be – to thrive to be something everyone can depend on, to belong and to be wanted, to become something greater than who we really are, a hero.
Bryan Singer gets Superman right. His allegiance isn’t to the vast collection of comic book continuity, but to the classic Richard Donner films that had originally made us believe a man can fly. This is Superman III, the way we all wish Superman III had really been made. But its Singer’s reliance on pieces of Williams’ score and Donner’s little moments that remind us throughout the film of its place in the grand scheme of the franchises cinematic story. Despite this being an entirely different cast and time period from the originals we know and love, you don’t doubt for a second that this is a continuation of those stories – and it never for a moment feels like a mere copy.
Brandon Routh is Superman. Like Christopher Reeve before him, Routh is able to capture the clumsy nature of Clark and the valiant scenery of the man of steel. Sure, the kid looks like the late great Reeves, but Routh adds an entirely new human dimension to the character. There are expressions that run the range from anguished to lonely to downright proud to be able to take a bullet in the eye. There are looks that break your heart, and looks that make you chuckle. Brandon Routh is Superman the way Christian Bale is Batman. It’s the bewildering return, the exceptional reintroduction of iconic silver screen heroes of the past brought back to the present to make us all once again feel its awe.
Kate Bosworth. Let’s get this out of the way - she is undeniably beautiful to the extent that she rivals in position of my admiration with Natalie Portman, and coming from me that is saying something. Ever since Bosworth graced us with an endless quantity of bikini’s and a continuous amount of water splashing onto her body in the movie Blue Crush, I was fan. Here, in Superman Returns, Bosworth shows us why we should all be fans and fall deeply in love with this beautiful vixen. She’s amazing charming, charismatic, beautiful, and possesses that sense of aura that you know just by looking at her that she has "it". Like Routh, Bosworth is Lois Lane. She is the definitive Lois Lane. Not to take anything away from Margot Kidder, but here Bosworth plays Lois as she should have been played – headstrong, beautiful (how many times have I used this word to describe Miss Bosworth?), and damaged of a woman whose in love but is afraid to admit it. She too plays Lois as an actual investigative reporter, we finally see and a come to realize that Lois is not just that hot piece of real state walking about in the halls of the Daily Planet, but that go-getter reporter doing everything and showing everyone why the byline reads Lois Lane. And did I not mention that Kate Bosworth is absolutely beautiful in this movie?
Kevin Spacey is the fucking man. Everything this man touches turns to gold; he’s just that kind of actor. Christopher Walken-esque. He’s nails Lex Luther the way your father nailed your mother which would become the byproduct of you the reader of this here review. Though, the consequence of Kevin Spacey nailing Lex Luther is that of one fantastic performance that raises the stock of this already amazing movie. You cannot doubt the brilliance of Spacey; he plays Luther with more ruthlessness yet still exhibits that playfulness and the humorous attributes attached to Gene Hackman’s portrayal. Simply put, Kevin Spacey owns every second of screen time he’s given and then some. Just brilliant.
Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski (think a better and more entertaining version of Ms. Teschmacher) is fantastic in this movie. She’s attractive, funny, and plays perfectly with Spacey every step of the way. Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen is the perfect mix of old school charm and over enthusiasm that makes the character a joy to watch. And James Marsden as Richard White, the man who filled Superman’s void in the arms of Lois is a good guy, a worthy replacement for Superman. He’s so real, so grounded, and so transparently decent that you end up rooting for him to be the one who Lois chooses. He risks his life for his family knowing full well that he doesn’t have super powers. It’s the single most heroic act in the film, and it speaks volumes about the character.
Although, there may be a few "problems" that some people will find in this movie that being its a little too long, the pacing is too slow, and some logical questions will rise as to why nobody connects the sudden reemergence of Superman after an absence of 5 years to the sudden reemergence of Clark Kent after the same said amount of years. But what I would say to all that is - it’s a movie, everything can’t perfect, although I would imagine this movie to be close to the word. And plus, for a comic book/movie geek like myself I was never bored or bothered by these squabbles because I am a comic book/movie geek, as throughout the picture I sat wide-eyed with a smile from ear to ear, and to say I was a happy little boy would be an understatement.
Another "problem" some people will frown upon is the whole Lois-has-a-kid storyline. I for one love it. It works. The kid isn’t annoying; he’s just a 5 year old kid, curious and joyful. It’s pretty obvious as to whom the child’s father is, though Singer and company handles the mystery of the child and his relation to Superman very well, subtle and nice. I love when Lex puts the pieces together. I love the final speech Superman gives. There’s a real resonance to it all. I love that the kid never starts flying around and doing crazy shit. That sold him on being the son of Superman to me, that he’s just a child. Simply put, I love the whole metaphorical nature of it all, that the sole reason as to Superman’s absence was that he was searching the universe for someone like him, when all along he had a son growing back on Earth.
One of the most heart-wrenching moments of the film comes after Superman lands himself in the hospital and the whole entire world is freaking out. It’s a short scene, a little whimper of a shot involving Martha Kent. The look on her face is devastating, she stands as another face in the crowed, not knowing the condition whether it be dying in or pain of her boy, her son that nobody knows is her child who lays in a bed, alone. The scene is criminal, heartbreakingly killer.
All I can say to close out this over abundance amount of letters, words, and paragraphs that sum up an unhealthy amount of wide-eyed wonderment of praise is that Superman Returns is everything I can ask for in a Superman movie. It captured me from the beginning and made believe in Superman, made me believe a man can fly...again, and made me believe that comic book movies are more than an eye-catching spectacle, that their actually movies with heart and to that I thank the makers of the film and applaud them with never ending handclaps. Thank You!
director: bryan singer
writers: michael dougherty and dan harris
date: 06/28/06
reviewer: Suj
rating: 10+/10
This movie is insanely good. It’s on par with the first time you laid eyes on a pair of breast, your first kiss, the day you lost your virginity, the day you fell in love, the moment when your firstborn child open its eyes, and the first time John Stamos uttered the opening lines to “Forever” on that one episode of Full House. Superman Returns is everything one can ask for in a movie, be it superhero or other. It’s just a damn good movie. I can slip into an endless amount of hyperbole to match the greatness of Superman Returns to the likes of Star Wars, The Godfather, and all the other classic films that have garnered such mass amounts of praise and admiration. And to some these exaggerations could be considered blasphemous, but to me it’s on point.
Director Bryan Singer along with writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris combine their exceptional movie making talents and have constructed the most tear-jerking, heart-rending, astonishing superhero film we’ve seen to date. From the get-go the movie swoops in and grabs its audiences from their respective genital regions, tugs and rubs on them until both genders have reach their unforgettable climaxes as the films end credits scroll upwards. Then and only then will everybody in attendance know they’ve experienced something magical, something wonderful, and something memorable.
The special effects are grand in this movie. The explosions, the destruction, the heroics of the man of steel are fantastically envisioned and displayed on screen. When Superman flies, it’s not done by old school methods of wirework and front angle shots. He flies with grace, there’s a fluid symmetry as he soars through the sky, its beautiful placed poetry in motion. And indeed it must be said again - you will believe a man can fly. Also everything looks lush here. The iconic comic book images be it the cover to Action Comics #1 or something straight out of Alex Ross' drawing book, It’s all just beautifully executed. The cinematography is gorgeous, the work of Newton Thomas Sigel is breath-taking and the kudos must also go to the new technology of the Genesis HD cameras.
Aside from all the eye-catching moments of the aggrandizing glory kind, the best part of the movie lies within its heart. The emotional core of the story and how all the characters play their roles for the importance of what it is that is being told. The movie, simply put, is an epic love story. It’s about the classic story of the Clark/Lois/Superman love triangle and it’s newly added twist of complications. And it’s about our love of Superman, the love of something we all, deep down inside, wish we could be – to thrive to be something everyone can depend on, to belong and to be wanted, to become something greater than who we really are, a hero.
Bryan Singer gets Superman right. His allegiance isn’t to the vast collection of comic book continuity, but to the classic Richard Donner films that had originally made us believe a man can fly. This is Superman III, the way we all wish Superman III had really been made. But its Singer’s reliance on pieces of Williams’ score and Donner’s little moments that remind us throughout the film of its place in the grand scheme of the franchises cinematic story. Despite this being an entirely different cast and time period from the originals we know and love, you don’t doubt for a second that this is a continuation of those stories – and it never for a moment feels like a mere copy.
Brandon Routh is Superman. Like Christopher Reeve before him, Routh is able to capture the clumsy nature of Clark and the valiant scenery of the man of steel. Sure, the kid looks like the late great Reeves, but Routh adds an entirely new human dimension to the character. There are expressions that run the range from anguished to lonely to downright proud to be able to take a bullet in the eye. There are looks that break your heart, and looks that make you chuckle. Brandon Routh is Superman the way Christian Bale is Batman. It’s the bewildering return, the exceptional reintroduction of iconic silver screen heroes of the past brought back to the present to make us all once again feel its awe.
Kate Bosworth. Let’s get this out of the way - she is undeniably beautiful to the extent that she rivals in position of my admiration with Natalie Portman, and coming from me that is saying something. Ever since Bosworth graced us with an endless quantity of bikini’s and a continuous amount of water splashing onto her body in the movie Blue Crush, I was fan. Here, in Superman Returns, Bosworth shows us why we should all be fans and fall deeply in love with this beautiful vixen. She’s amazing charming, charismatic, beautiful, and possesses that sense of aura that you know just by looking at her that she has "it". Like Routh, Bosworth is Lois Lane. She is the definitive Lois Lane. Not to take anything away from Margot Kidder, but here Bosworth plays Lois as she should have been played – headstrong, beautiful (how many times have I used this word to describe Miss Bosworth?), and damaged of a woman whose in love but is afraid to admit it. She too plays Lois as an actual investigative reporter, we finally see and a come to realize that Lois is not just that hot piece of real state walking about in the halls of the Daily Planet, but that go-getter reporter doing everything and showing everyone why the byline reads Lois Lane. And did I not mention that Kate Bosworth is absolutely beautiful in this movie?
Kevin Spacey is the fucking man. Everything this man touches turns to gold; he’s just that kind of actor. Christopher Walken-esque. He’s nails Lex Luther the way your father nailed your mother which would become the byproduct of you the reader of this here review. Though, the consequence of Kevin Spacey nailing Lex Luther is that of one fantastic performance that raises the stock of this already amazing movie. You cannot doubt the brilliance of Spacey; he plays Luther with more ruthlessness yet still exhibits that playfulness and the humorous attributes attached to Gene Hackman’s portrayal. Simply put, Kevin Spacey owns every second of screen time he’s given and then some. Just brilliant.
Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski (think a better and more entertaining version of Ms. Teschmacher) is fantastic in this movie. She’s attractive, funny, and plays perfectly with Spacey every step of the way. Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen is the perfect mix of old school charm and over enthusiasm that makes the character a joy to watch. And James Marsden as Richard White, the man who filled Superman’s void in the arms of Lois is a good guy, a worthy replacement for Superman. He’s so real, so grounded, and so transparently decent that you end up rooting for him to be the one who Lois chooses. He risks his life for his family knowing full well that he doesn’t have super powers. It’s the single most heroic act in the film, and it speaks volumes about the character.
Although, there may be a few "problems" that some people will find in this movie that being its a little too long, the pacing is too slow, and some logical questions will rise as to why nobody connects the sudden reemergence of Superman after an absence of 5 years to the sudden reemergence of Clark Kent after the same said amount of years. But what I would say to all that is - it’s a movie, everything can’t perfect, although I would imagine this movie to be close to the word. And plus, for a comic book/movie geek like myself I was never bored or bothered by these squabbles because I am a comic book/movie geek, as throughout the picture I sat wide-eyed with a smile from ear to ear, and to say I was a happy little boy would be an understatement.
Another "problem" some people will frown upon is the whole Lois-has-a-kid storyline. I for one love it. It works. The kid isn’t annoying; he’s just a 5 year old kid, curious and joyful. It’s pretty obvious as to whom the child’s father is, though Singer and company handles the mystery of the child and his relation to Superman very well, subtle and nice. I love when Lex puts the pieces together. I love the final speech Superman gives. There’s a real resonance to it all. I love that the kid never starts flying around and doing crazy shit. That sold him on being the son of Superman to me, that he’s just a child. Simply put, I love the whole metaphorical nature of it all, that the sole reason as to Superman’s absence was that he was searching the universe for someone like him, when all along he had a son growing back on Earth.
One of the most heart-wrenching moments of the film comes after Superman lands himself in the hospital and the whole entire world is freaking out. It’s a short scene, a little whimper of a shot involving Martha Kent. The look on her face is devastating, she stands as another face in the crowed, not knowing the condition whether it be dying in or pain of her boy, her son that nobody knows is her child who lays in a bed, alone. The scene is criminal, heartbreakingly killer.
All I can say to close out this over abundance amount of letters, words, and paragraphs that sum up an unhealthy amount of wide-eyed wonderment of praise is that Superman Returns is everything I can ask for in a Superman movie. It captured me from the beginning and made believe in Superman, made me believe a man can fly...again, and made me believe that comic book movies are more than an eye-catching spectacle, that their actually movies with heart and to that I thank the makers of the film and applaud them with never ending handclaps. Thank You!
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