The Possibilities Are Endless (Film Only Review) (Superman Returns (DVD))

Name: plipplop

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Product:	Superman Returns (DVD)
Date:	24/07/06 (151 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Spectacular effects, Brandon Routh

Disadvantages: Dated character - he's just too powerful

When astronomers believe that Superman’s home planet of Krypton has been rediscovered, he departs Earth in search of his beloved birth place. The world suddenly has to adjust that it no longer has a Superman to look after it.

Several years later, Superman returns to the corn fields where he was first raised. His travels complete, he has returned to the planet he now calls home and intends to pick up where he left off. But that proves to be a difficult task. In his absence, the world has moved on - more importantly HIS world has moved on. Lois Lane is now married, with a small child. Barely registering any pleasure at seeing Clark Kent, Lane is now more enthused with the joy of bringing up her own child and the love of her honourable husband.

Lois Lane isn’t the only person who has moved on either. When the star witness fails to appear at an appeal hearing, arch-criminal Lex Luthor is set free from jail and soon sets about amassing a private fortune in order that he can put his latest, and most diabolical plan into action. The only thing that might stand in the way is the Man of Steel but several years in prison have provided Luthor with plenty of opportunities to consider how he could overcome that particular obstacle…..

It’s been nineteen years since a Superman movie last graced our cinema screens. Many thought it would never happen again. Richard Donner’s 1978 original is revered by many as a classic movie and affection for Christopher Reeve (and grief for his subsequent death) have meant that most have swerved from the idea of making a new film. Tim Burton and Brett Ratner were both named as interested parties in directing a new movie, but in the end it was X Men / Usual Suspects director Bryan Singer who saw it through to the end.

Superman Returns is typical Singer material. It is clearly a labour of love. From the affectionate title sequence, complete with the original John Williams soundtrack, to the sampled voices and faces of Kryptonite elders, Singer treats the subject matter with love and affection. His mission was clearly to bring the superhero back to life; to re-engineer a product of the 1950s in a format that would appeal to the 21st century and in many ways he was very successful. Superman Returns is a sumptuous, nostalgic insight into a character that everyone knows, staying loyal to the subject matter, whilst injecting the finished product with the kind of touches that only twenty-first century budgets and special effects could bring.

The plot is simplistic and effective and comprised essentially of two strands. We watch the world embrace the return of its most beloved superhero (on and off screen). The editor of the Daily Planet shows a renewed desperation to fill every column inch with the exciting news that the world once again has its saviour. We watch Clark Kent struggle to cope with the devastating news that Lois has moved on and watch Lois herself struggle to cope with the fact that she cannot deny how she feels about Superman. And we watch the hero himself, energised by the affection sent his way by a grateful public, content simply to be wanted again, even if it is not by the woman he loves.

Secondly, we watch the rather darker motives of the arch-criminal Lex Luthor, utilising his knowledge of Kryptonite technology and turning it to his own ends. Nothing short of world domination will do for said mad man and as the romantic sub-plot weaves its course, we remain certain that sooner or later, Luthor is going to bring the Man of Steel to his knees. Singer weaves these two stories together skilfully. It is Luthor’s original experimentation that leads to a potential disaster, as a plane carrying Lois Lane is disabled mid-air. Indeed, it is Luthor’s machinations that bring Superman back into the limelight – and eventually into conflict, when his dastardly plan is revealed. Singer balances moments of sensitivity and romance against a backdrop of growing menace until the inevitable conclusion requires Superman to do his thing. This could almost be a remake of the first film. Superman starts off in the corn fields, and then makes his way into the city of Metropolis before finding himself in pitched battle. Somehow, the film has the same reminiscence of the original film. You know that this film probably cost millions of dollars to make, but somehow it still retains that subtle charm.

The action sequences are highly accomplished, as you would probably expect. A mid-air disaster on a jumbo jet is fraught with danger for the man in the blue tights, and as the huge jet goes tumbling towards the ground, I defy anyone not to hold their breath. A shockwave sent rippling into Metropolis has similar impact but my favourite scene has to be a sequence placing Superman against a thug with an automatic machine gun. As far as super hero movies go, it’s one of those moments that has the hairs tingling on the back of your neck.

Brandon Routh is a worthy replacement for Christopher Reeve. As Clark Kent he is woefully incompetent but still endearingly sensitive, trapped in a situation that he can never change. As Superman, he is charismatic and dominant – a major achievement for an actor who has previously only had small roles in television dramas. Kevin Spacey’s Lex Luthor is a revelation, far more menacing than Gene Hackman’s original, with a darker, and more psychotic edge that soon stops us laughing at his ridiculous collection of hairpieces. Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane is adequate, but fails to capture the same sassiness of Margot Kidder’s original turn, opting instead for Hollywood glamour where Kidder had charm.

So far, so good, so clearly you wouldn’t expect the praise to continue. You wouldn’t be disappointed.

Whilst Singer’s affection for the subject matter is evident, his negligence over the things that spoilt the original movies is surprisingly evident. The wire sequences, largely involving Lois and Superman gliding upwards and outwards remain ridiculous to behold. For a moment, I thought Singer had really sorted it out. Superman doesn’t / shouldn’t just glide off into the sky. He has to jump / propel himself to do so, and early scenes in the corn fields show him doing just this. But to my dismay, once he and Lois get up on the roof, they just seem to glide around like a pair of stuffed toys. It’s a huge mistake and dates the film terribly.

The spectacle of the film is lost amidst the romantic trauma between Lois and Superman. Luthor’s plan never really seems to have the right effect, due in part to the fact that unlike other superhero movies, a face-off between hero and villain is never likely given only that Luthor is just an ordinary man. Instead, we must satisfy ourselves with further reminder of just how powerful Superman is. It’s another huge mistake. As an audience we enjoy Spiderman’s vulnerability. We liked the fact that the Fantastic Four got their asses kicked. In Superman, you just know it’s not going to happen unless…well, watch and be as unimpressed as I was.

It all comes down to the fact that whilst Singer’s film making skills are highly accomplished (I think he’s extremely talented) you can’t shy away from the fact that the subject matter is ridiculous. The superhero still wears a pair of red pants over his costume and has a flappy, silly cloak that gets in the way. You still can’t deny that he’s just too powerful – and then just too easily overwhelmed. Only complete fools would fail to see that Clark Kent is not, in fact the Man of Steel, and yet everyone seems to do just that.

But most overwhelmingly, Superman Returns suffers at the hands of history. In 1978, the film brought entertainment and magic to a generation of comic-book loving, cinema going optimistic Americans who genuinely believed that Superman encapsulated everything about their wonderful nation. Twenty-eight years later, the world has moved on. Where was Superman when the Two Towers collapsed? Did Superman prevent hundreds of thousands of people dying in the waves of a raging tsunami? Instead of acknowledging and accepting the modern world, Singer tries to recreate the innocence of how it was nearly thirty years ago. It’s a mistake that costs him dearly, plunging the entire film into a sense of dated nostalgia, strangely out of kilter with a modern audience.

I enjoyed Superman Returns as far as it went. Singer’s skillful direction, coupled with some excellent casting choices, and a relentless demand for superhero movies means that it couldn’t fail to do huge business. But rather than updating a movie classic, Singer seems to hearken back to something that we all need to accept has gone. As Lois Lane wrote in her Pulitzer-prize winning article, “The World Doesn’t Need Superman Anymore”. Roll on 2007. I want Spiderman back.

Summary: Skillful movie that seems unable to deny that Superman is just plain ridiculous