Should have been better i've just got back from watching superman returns. i'm afraid i was slightly underwhelmed. i really wanted to love this film, but it isn't a patch on Donner's superman.
i don't feel the 2.5 hours were utilised very well. we could have had fewer scenes of people standing around in a stupor while all hell broke lose around them, and the scenes of young Clark were unnecessary. cut those out, and there would have been more time to show Clark integrating back into his work and his life.
i found the attempts to create suspense fell flat some times, such as when Richard was trying to fly the plane out of a dive and the plane disappeared from the screen - it was apparent that he, Lois and Jason would survive, just as it was when that same lame attempt at suspense was applied when Lex was flying his helicopter. what i'm trying to argue is that Bryan Singer failed to bring his usual deftness of touch to many of the scenes in this film, which surprised me because after the sublime X-men 2 i thought this film would be a walk in the park for him.
further, some of the characters were horribly underused, like Eva Marie Saint's Martha Kent, or were one dimensional (Richard, Jimmy, Perry White) it wasn't entirely negative of course. Brandon Routh shows great promise - that close up of his face when he heard Lois tell Richard that she was never in love with superman had great resonance and reminded me of Chris Reeves' scenes when superman turned back time to save Lois. but Brandon will only be able to show off his acting range while playing Clark which is why i hope we will see more of Clark in the next film.
we also need to see more of Clark because i'm, hoping Singer's obvious love of the superman mythos will allow him to show a romance between Lois and Clark. i have always felt that this was the most beautiful element of a great love story - that it was only when Lois let go of the superman fantasy and came to love Clark that she truly found the love of her life. however, i don't suppose that will happen now that Lois has a son with superman (and not Clark). Dean Cain's superman once said to Lois that "Clark is who i am - superman is what i can do". if the films continue to devote more time to superman than Clark, how will we come to understand him as a person?
Bryan Singer is like Lois, so in love with superman, that he can't see Clark's worth.
back to the positives - the out of control plane scenes were cracking, vintage singer (except that i should think that anyone who was thrown around as much as Lois was would be dead), and has superman ever been filmed in mid air so beautifully? he looked inspirational and Christ-like, in keeping with the numerous biblical influences in the film.
another positive for me was seeing Brandon Routh in lycra. i was having very unpure thoughts. also liked the little touches, such as the recreation of the cover of action comics no. 1 sorry but one of my bigger beefs in the portrayal of Lex Luther - when is someone going to get him right? anyone who has read the comics knows that Lex Luther is a brilliant, deadly, powerful sociopath who very seldom makes mistakes. he wouldn't need to marry some old woman to make money as he owns several multinational companies. he certainly wouldn't surround himself with fools like kitty (parker posey). that is why he is superman's most dangerous opponent. Kevin Spacey's rendition is an improvement on gene hackman's, but there is a way to go. remember Philip s. Hoffman's character in MI 3? that is Lex Luther! my other beef is with Kate Bosworth. at 22 years old, she is far too young for the part. i didn't believe for a second that she has a five year old son or has won Pulitzer. can we please get someone ten years older (and who has chemistry with Brandon Routh) for the sequel?
you know what Singer could also have spent some more time doing in this film? showing how ambivalent most people would be about superman's return. he takes off for five years without explanation? sure the people of earth would be glad to see him back, but they would also be very angry that he left in the first place, and fearful that he will suddenly depart again. showing nuances like that would have made this a brilliant film, instead of a good one.
can someone help me out with something? i cannot understand how Lois knows that Jason is superman's son. the events in this film are meant to take place five years after superman 2? well, in superman 2, Clark erased Lois memory so she had no recollection that she knew Clark was superman, and no recollection of their sexual encounter. so, how did she know? all in all, this film left me feeling unsatisfied. however, singer may well hit his stride with his sequel, and/or i may have a greater appreciation on my second viewing.