Superman Returns
Directed by: Bryan
Singer
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate
Bosworth, Kevin Spacey
Review by : Geoffrey R. Jacks
With great
anticipation, the story of the Kryptonian icon with farm boy
values returns. And while this chapter in the life of the
'Man of Steel' has deeper messages than all four of Reeve's
films combined, it lacks the panache and believability of
those works nearly 30 years ago.
Rather
than re-imagining the series as another superhero comeback
movie ("Batman Begins") did last year, the latest Superman
adventure picks up more or less where the previous episodes
left off. Superman (Brandon Routh) has spent five years in
space, following up on astronomers' reports that his home
world of Krypton might still exist. He revisits Metropolis
and discovers that life has moved ahead without him.
Re-entering
the Daily Planet newsroom as Clark Kent, he is bewildered
to learn that Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a loving boyfriend,
a son, and is about to receive a Pulitzer Prize for her editorial
"Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." The only constant is
that criminal genius Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) wants to kill
him as slowly and painfully as possible.
Insurmountable
problem #1: The film is horribly mis-cast. Don't get me wrong,
I am a BIG fan of teenagers playing MacBeth…but at least they
attempt to act and look the character's age! Bosworth and
Routh were 23 and 24 (respectively) when they filmed this
and act every bit their youthful years (black toenail polish
and all). With the film asking us to assume at least 10 years
of history between Lois and Kal-El, the main characters act
as if in a poorly-written John Waters teen tryst. Yet, even
those moments are lost to the viewer as the lack of chemistry,
evident between Reeves and Kidder, is lost on these two rising
stars. In the end, their portrayals are unbelievable even
in a story that is intended to suspend belief.
In the
story, Superman makes his big comeback in usual, spectacular
fashion. Lois is reporting aboard a 777 jetliner lifting a
space shuttle to launch altitude when a malfunction sends
both aircraft hurtling earthward. Passengers carom around
the cabin and the wings tear loose from the fuselage. When
Superman arrives to save the day, easing the plane to a gentle
landing at a Metropolis ballpark, it's hard to resist joining
the thousands of cheering fans in the bleachers. The audience
should be joining in…but they don't.
Insurmountable
problem #2: In a story where the main character is capable
of doing the impossible, make the impossible act look GOOD!
This scene should have been reminiscent of Reeve's first film,
where he catches Lane in one hand and a falling helicopter
in the other. There was suspense, buildup, and a crescendo
to the music when we realized that a man could fly! For Roth's
incredible feat of saving both a jumbo jet and a Space Shuttle,
it seems formulaic, anticipated and anticlimactic. We KNOW
what Superman is capable of, we KNOW he's going to save the
day. The film simply doesn't create that sense of awe-ridden
achievement that the Reeve films (the first two, at least)
masterfully presented. The effect are better, indeed…but are
presented in a 'no-big-deal' fashion.
Director
Bryan Singer learned a lot about giving outlandish action
figures a sympathetic inner life in the first two "X-Men"
films. Here he explores the Man of Steel's only point of vulnerability,
his heart. Kal-El, the only survivor of a doomed planet, is
an orphan and an outsider on Earth, raised by humans but not
one of them. He can't admit his identity without endangering
the few people he is close to. Saving the world is a solitary,
painful job, Singer shows, and even beings from distant star
systems feel loneliness. With its themes of a second coming
and a godlike hero's sacrifice for the benefit of humanity,
the film resonates with Christian symbolism. And the villain
of the piece is suitably devilish. This is the prime contribution
to the Superman mythology, the true humanity of the character
while hinted at before, played out well in 'Superman Returns'.
Other
reviewers will say the pace is slow, that the film is long.
I don't particularly agree. With the opportunities this film
had to re-create an American icon, the nearly two and a half
hours were sufficient for a story of this complexity. It was
the lack of believability that made it seem long.
Geoffrey
R. Jacks is new to the crew.
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