Pajiba

Interesting. I suppose every director wants to direct something they love eh? We'll let Singer off for his fan boy-ness this time.

I don't want to see this. Call me superficial but Brandon does not fit the mold of Superman to me. I don't think he's handsome at all and he looks scrawny (muscular wise) in the suit. He's just off somehow. I also think Kate is severly miscast.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did. Sadly, I found myself bored at moments, but the fanboys I saw it with LOVED it. It was beautifully shot, though, which I enjoyed and Routh really grew on me as the movie went on. I thought Spacey was great, and he and Parker Posey were very good together. Honestly, though, I love her in everything she's in - I've even forgiven her for Josie & the Pussycats.

Thank you for this excellent review; it was thoughtful, balanced, and well-written. The NY Times review was so poorly done, I was particularly looking forward to reading yours and was not disappointed.

So I'm gathering here that it's worth seeing, but maybe at a matinee price?

I will watch Kevin Spacey (and Parker Posey) read the back of a cereal box for two hours however, so consider me there.

You hit the nail on the head. Singer is definately a fan boy, the kid was wearing Aquaman pajamas at the end and the reference to Gotham, probably more, but it was late and I was tired. But he is a fan boy with the financial backing to take mediocrity to amazing or at least entertaining. Too bad he was too busy with this to do X3.

What an interesting choice to have Bryan Singer direct a franchise started by Dick Donner. They seem so opposite. Singer's genius seems to be in bringing intelligence and weight to movies that have no right to be intelligent and meaningful, and making it work. Dick Donner is maybe a little tougher to characterize. Believe me, if you haven't looked lately, it will shock you how many of the iconic movies of the seventies and eighties he directed without really having a name like Stone or Scorsese. Generally, and this is my personal opinion, his movies were competent but didn't have a particular style or flair to them. And I say this as someone who LOVES at least one Donner movie (Goonies). In a sense, I think of him as one of the best "blue-collar" directors out there. He consistently cranks out movies that neither offend nor transcend the original material. In that sense, I will probably find this movie very interesting, since Singer is all about trying to transcend the original material, and if what you say is true, the original material is more Donner's movie(s) than the Superman franchise in general. Thank you, Daniel, for putting that idea in my head.

Are you all mad? I must admit that I approached this film with wild FANBOY glee, but not for one moment was I disappointed. Yes, there were hints of reinvited themes and Singer did use many aspects of the original films, but if you had never seen the first films and approached this with fresh new excitement you would feel the mythology grab you. Brandon Routh,....awesome,... not only did this kid come in and feel some very big shoes left by the wonderful and mulit-talented former actor Christopher Reeve, but he was spot on perfect in making us believe that Reeve had never left us. This kid has a bright future and I cannot wait to see who he starts shagging in Hollywood.

The only reason I may not watch the movie is because of Kate Bosworth? What moron picked her to be Lois Lane. Completely miscast. She needs to stick to more surfing movies.

Yeah, I didn't like Bosworth in this film either, but I thought all the other casting choices were spot-on. I saw it last night and I remember thinking to myself, "Is she supposed to be an improvement over Margot Kidder? Really?"

"Broader scale" and "grander scale" in consecutive sentences? Watch the redundancy, there. Oh, and be careful of repetition.

If you get tied up Superman Returns' relationship to Richard Donner's original, you're either gonna love SR or hate it, depending on how you feel about the 1978. What I liked about Singer's movie, apart from it's graceful nod to the past (IMO, anyway), is that Superman Returns is an excellent openning chapter in a new series of adventures for Superman. Maybe that's the movie's greatest flaw or a sign of everything that's wrong with how Hollywood makes "franchises" and not films these days. All the same, Superman Returns does the job of establishing character, place and backstory for the next movie, which, in many ways, was its sole purpose. I thought Spacey and the "villain" plot was the weakest part of the movie but, for me, it was about seeing the guy in the blue suit fly again. And I walked away gleeful.

Was anyone else completely annoyed by Parker Posey? Is that the deal Warners has with DC comics? You can make movies with our characters, but in regarding Batman, his girlfriend always has to know he's Bruce Wayne, and with Superman, Lex Luthor always has to have some annoying sidekick you want to punch into the sun Kryptonian style? Oh, and it was pretty boring. Sad to say, I had more fun at X3.

I'll see it, but I think I'll always hold a torch for Smallville, which is the definitive Superman for me. It's thoughful, poignant and just a bit camp. I would however, have rather seen Smallville's cast in a big screen version of Superman.

Fuck, whoever says Smallville is the definitive Superman must be someone who doesnt have any fucking idea of who is Superman...

There were so many continuity issues in this movie that I could simply not suspend my disbelief far enough to enjoy the plot.

Batman > Superman, but I have a soft spot for both the old Superman movies and 1989's camp (REAL camp, not Broadway musical a la Schumacher) Batman. I'm actually somewhat excited to see this movie, although I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Kevin Spacey is bland in a nice, comfortable way, but I'm afraid this will remind me of K-Pax.

You know, I didn't want to see this because I felt two major characters, Lois and Lex, were seriously miscast. I don't know who Kate had to blow to get the part, but WTF? As for Kevin Spacey, I like him as an actor, but Lex Luthor? He seems a bit slight for the role, IMO. However, given Daniel's analysis, I could be wrong. My view is also colored by the fact that I'm a Justice League fangirl, and Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor is totally badass to me. Batshit crazy and egomaniacal, but badass all the same. I still may not see it, as the casting choices really discourage me. I didn't have an opinion on Routh at all, but I'm not surprised to hear of his performance. Great special effects and CGI are a dime a dozen these days, so it takes more than that for me to enjoy the movie - even for the standard popcorn flick. Ultimately, Christopher Reeve is who sold Superman for me - honestly, Superman as a comic book character is about as hokey as one can get, yet Reeve made him believeable. I can't think of any young actor who could be as nuanced in the role. Not saying that there isn't one - perhaps he is still unknown. Brandon wasn't it, perhaps?


In any case, I'm sure the movie will make plenty of money, and there will be sequels. I think I heard that Kate is already signed on for the next one. Damn....so much for wishful thinking that Lois would be recast.

I fart in the general direction of "Smallville."

And blow my nose at Kate Bosworth, too. Bo! Ring!

And so much word to MRod; I, too, wish that Singer had been able to do X3. That would've been ossom.

In closing, Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey are both ossom. Madd propz to those two. That is all.

I had hoped for something more from this film, but an homage to the originals will most certainly do. My opinion of Mr. Routh is not high to begin with, but that may very well change. As to Ms. Bosworth, what can one say beyond "Cowabunga, and stick to the surfer flicks!"

Hey Superman I am excited to watch your version of so called "Superman".

I am always wondering as to when will I watch again Superman flying and fortunately here you are... my idolzzz

Can't wait to watch you.

Ahh... I might ask my friend to buy me a film of yours so that I can watch it all over again.

Hey Superman I am excited to watch your version of so called "Superman".

I am always wondering as to when will I watch again Superman flying and fortunately here you are... my idolzzz

Can't wait to watch you.

Ahh... I might ask my friend to buy me a film of yours so that I can watch it all over again.

American he was. Superman seemed to embody all that an American is expected to portray; strength, honesty & superiority over others.

This movie was amazingly good. When you get the chance to sit and watch for the entire 2 hrs 40 min. take notice of the scores to this movie. The music truly made the hairs of my neck stand.

I really enjoyed this movie, but I also really enjoyed Superman: The Movie. I think that is the fundamental difference between me and our reviewer. I love Donner's Superman and have loved it since I was a little kid. It has only gotten better as I have gotten older and have come into comics.

Superman Returns did not dissapoint me. When I first saw him fly into action to catch that plane, I almost squealed with glee. I also agree with Christopher, the score is amazing.

I couldn't agree more with this review, it hit the nail on the head. The film was a pleasure to watch, but it didn't give the franchise the desperate rebirth I was hoping for. The re-telling of the story in 1986 made a perfect foundation for this new superman, but Singer missed the boat in his goal to re-create something we've all seen before, just with amazing graphics.

I highly recommend the film, it is a wonderful visit to the world we've already visited before. Oh that Christopher Nolan could have done this project instead of Brian Singer.

I think Singer is a sell-out, he doesn't really have any tricks or desire to be original, he wants to appeal to everyone he can, and he's done it again with Superman Returns.

(As the review says, not based in anything specific, including plot)

The weirdest thing about the film for me was that it the big shadow that was cast over this wasn't Donner, or even Chris Reeves, but Gene Hackman. As much as I love Spacey, he just didn't seem evil to me. When Jackman smashes the pool cue into the glass map of California... that was evil. Spacey got to stab Superman in the gut with a shard of Kyrptonite, and still seemed blank to me. Too bad. And the goons he hung out with made me long for Ned Beaty.... why can Lex get a few proper villians to hang with? Anyway, it's a good bridge between Superman 2's campy shagfest in the Fortress and whatever comes next... nice try, Singer. You did what Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, Nicholas Cage, and 50 others couldn't get done.

Great review, Daniel. I wasn't looking forward to this film, anyway. Brandon Routh looks ok, and Kate Bosworth's acting has never done anything for me. I was shocked when I heard she was cast, but remember, she was in Beyond the Sea with Spacey. Maybe he recommended her for the role, although I think Superman's casting came first.
Personally, I think Jordana Brewster would have been a great choice for Lois Lane. Kate doesn't really have an edge to her (ie Margot Kidder) and she seems too "pretty" for Lois. Plus, she looks awful as a brunette. Just a thought.

I think I'll skip this one. I'll wait for Spiderman 3.

i saw it, and all i could think during the entire film was...
1. kevin spacey is fucking great
2. why is superman wearing sooo much damn makeup
and 3. someone give kate bosworth a sandwich, some acting lessons, and a punch in the face.
other than that i think the movie was entertaining. i cant say i was bored, but i wasnt very impressed either. btw i love pajiba.

Uhm. Batman would win.

I agree about the makeup too, whose idea was that? I did like the movie but lets hope to God that they fire Kate Bosworth! If there was any reason I didn't enjoy the movie was how unbelievably stupid she was. She was AWFUL in the movie, looks awful as a brunette, and can't act to save her life. There needs to be a revolt if she's in the next one!

I totally agree about Kate Bosworth. I've enjoyed her acting somewhat in the past, but I don't feel like she had the gravity to pull off Lois. I just didn't believe her.

Kevin Spacey was ridiculously great. I thought he really did achieve the perfect balance between evilness and quirky weirdness. He and Parker Posey make a great team.

Brandon Routh is my new celebrity crush. Love him. Maybe he was a little bland, but I don't even care.

One last thing. Gotta feel bad for James Marsden. In every movie he's in he gets the shaft for the hotter guy/superhero. Superman, X-Men, the Notebook, etc. For just once I'd like him to get the girl.

I just think it's a darned shame to have Kal Penn in a movie and not let him say anything.

Also, next movie, Superman really needs to punch something.

Great review, Daniel. You hit the nail right on the head. I had actually gone into this film with incredibly low expecations, but it was a whole lot better than I had expected. Brandon Routh was really unimpressive at first, but he really starts to grow on you throughout the movie. I think it's hard to play a believable geek really well, and then quickly transform into some (almost) invincible hero, and i think he pulled it off quite nicely. But seriously- Kate Bosworth??? I kept thinking of her in "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton," and it completely ruined it for me.

BTW, Kevin Spacey TOTALLY ROCKED.

Great review, agreed on almost all counts! I always trust Pajiba for my film-viewing pleasure.


I liked it quite a bit, especially since Spacy did a fantastic job as Luther, in my opinion. I've always been more of a Batman fangirl, but I like Superman just fine.


I enjoyed the movie, it was pretty, the music was riveting, and I felt it was cast well. However, it seemed to lack the diesel-fueled, heart-pounding action that it needed, especially around the climax. I wasn't on the edge of my seat, but I wasn't falling asleep, either. I'm glad I saw it, and I'd see it again.

Could someone please give Kate a cracker to munch on? She's got to be getting tired of living off ice cubes.

- My Daily Zen.com

"and 3. someone give kate bosworth a sandwich, some acting lessons, and a punch in the face."

Hilarious, and completely true! Oh, and Batman rules.

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane- WRONG!

I won't stand for this criticism of routh. He was superb. Isn't the point of superman's personality to make some kind of moral virtue of poverty of affect? To do that and be hot at the same time - amazing.

I really enjoyed it. It was beautiful -- and thrilling at moments.

Routh was better than expected. Bosworth about as expected, lovely, but empty. Biggest performance surprise: Cyclops is a very good actor. Who knew?

I'm a huge comic book fan, and was looking forward to loving this film, but I was deeply disappointed. It's overpadded, too long, needs an editor, and is completely unoriginal. I mean, the whole "five years later" thing seems to be completely pointless, serving only to justify the existence of a five-year-old son. Luthor's "high-tech real estate" scheme is, as aforementioned, a blatant rehash of the original film, and what in the WOLRD was that dumbass sequence with Superman in the hospital at the end? Just shine a full-spectrum light on the guy, simulating the sun's rays, and be done with it. What's the point of trying to stick a needle in him (never mind that the fact that needle breaks means that he should be in perfectly health, given what we saw of those bullets bouncing off of him in the beginning of the film, and how he was vulnerable enough to be stabbed when on that kryptonite island)? Let's hope the next one is better.

You know what was irritating? How no one noticed that Clark came back to work at the same time that Superman returned. And when Superman was in the hospital, no one wondered why Clark wasn't showing up to work. This is one of countless things that nagged at me throughout the entire film.

I never saw the original Superman, and I loved Superman Returns. I'm sad to hear that it isn't as original as I thought it was :(

I am, however, a huge comic book fan, and I've read a lot of the early Superman comics. Derivation isn't always bad - I enjoyed the sequence with the Gatling gun and the car because they were straight out of the early comics.

Also, Brandon Routh definitely grew on me as the movie progressed. I'm a tiny bit in love with him now.

Isn't dumb that Lois Lane has had a child? OKAY I get it shes a modern woman. Its worst that its supermans bastard child

Up, up and a gay...

Dude, that's hysterical, I think I peed myself.

I thought he did kind of look like a 'mo, but he does have great pecs. I'll give him that.

I thought Brandon did a good job of channeling Christopher Reeves, but Kate was a poor, poor choice to play Lois Lane. Her character, unlike Margot Kidder's, was utterly forgetable. In my opinion, Rachel McAdams would have made a much better choice -- feminine yet gutsy journalist.

Spacey was genius, though, and Parker Posey should honestly be in every movie ever made.

-s-

I thought Brandon did a good job of channeling Christopher Reeves, but Kate was a poor, poor choice to play Lois Lane. Her character, unlike Margot Kidder's, was utterly forgetable. In my opinion, Rachel McAdams would have made a much better choice -- feminine yet gutsy journalist.

Spacey was genius, though, and Parker Posey should honestly be in every movie ever made.

-s-

SO MUCH WORD, Shane!!!! Rachel McAdams would've made an OSSOM Lois! I don't know why the casting directors didn't think of her.

I laughed out loud when I saw this preview in the theater. The special effects look atrocious and somebody needs to feed Kate Bosworth a burger. She was HOT in that surfing movie, now she's just another emaciated clown. And this Brandon kid has the charisma of a lobotomy patient after a bong hit.
Definitely waiting for HBO to pick this one up.

Guy,

Put a ****ing spoiler alert before you give away something a detail like that. Some of us read reviews BEFORE seeing the movie, and would like to save something for the viewing.

I loved the opening credits. They got me pumped!

Overall, Good but not Great. I asked myself, as I watched, would I enjoy watching this again. The answer was not so much.

I was bored at times...

Spacey was great as was Routh.

However, did anybody else notice that Superman now wears what appear to be Merrells? WTF.

I loved it. I had many apprehensions about using the style of the old Superman films, but when I saw that it was a means of not having to tell the whole origin story all over again and invest the characters with a history that we know, I thought it was genius. It was a beautiful movie to watch, as well, and the themes of not knowing what to do about his being a father, especially an absentee father, they just really got to me. I don't think of it as a fanboy valentine nearly as an adult take on a modern myth.

YALL IS DOWN BAD FOR THAT! AUSE THAT MAN IS DEAD AND HE WAS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE GROWIN UP SO DONT PUT HIM OUT LIKE THAT AND THAT SHIT AINT EVEN MUCH FUNNY! NAW CAUSE HOMIES WHERE IM FROM DONT PLAY THAT DUMB SHIT!

YALL IS DOWN BAD FOR THAT! CAUSE THAT MAN IS DEAD AND HE WAS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE GROWIN UP SO DONT PUT HIM OUT LIKE THAT AND THAT SH*T AINT EVEN MUCH FUNNY! NAW CAUSE HOMIES WHERE IM FROM DONT PLAY THAT DUMB SH*T!

A fantasy faulted for not having a definite time period style?

Johnny Neill writes:

"I loved it. I had many apprehensions about using the style of the old Superman films, but when I saw that it was a means of not having to tell the whole origin story all over again and invest the characters with a history that we know, I thought it was genius. It was a beautiful movie to watch, as well, and the themes of not knowing what to do about his being a father, especially an absentee father, they just really got to me. I don't think of it as a fanboy valentine nearly as an adult take on a modern myth."

I whole-heartedly agree. After reading a series of mixed reviews I was a little trepidatious going into "Superman Returns." I came out with a huge smile on my face, feeling like a little kid again and a number of other clichés. Casting shmasting! Everyone in this movie turns in solid work (I have no idea who Kate Bosworth is or what she did before this movie, but she was fine as Lois Lane. In fact, I'd say her Lois is a deeper, more interesting character than Margot Kidder's, who I never fully bought as the character, even when I was six). Kevin Spacey is, IMO, the definitive Lex Luthor (although as a former fan-boy I wish that the movies would use more of the John Byrne era continuity and have Lex be the head of a multi-national conglomerate who knows how to play P.R. and the law to his advantage--and to Superman's annoyance). Brandon Routh, comparisons to Chris Reeve aside, really makes the performance his own while keeping Reeve's as an obvious frame of reference. And the look of the film is simply beautiful!

Hell, it's got me gushing like a fan boy again!

Great review, and I pretty much agree.

I do think this movie is nothing but a prequel. A sort of undoing the crap we suffered in Superman III and IV, an omage to the early movies of which I think we can all agree Superman II was the best.

I think the set-up for the next one has great potential, and I'd like to see Brandon Routh grow into his role. It seems when he's in uniform he's trying so hard to channel the late Christopher Reeve with postures, speech, and facial expressions, that I sometimes felt like I was watching a flying medium.

Still, Singer has the magic touch with these movies, understanding the hero myths behind the characters, balancing drakness and light with the touch of Ingmar Bergman on uppers.

My only real bitch is about poor James Marsden. James! Stop doing Bryan Singer movies! This makes 3 now where you're the emotionally cuckholded fiance of the main femme. I mean, jesus, go out and find yourself a nice, sweet blonde with no issues.

Ebony, you have GOT to be fucking kidding me with that grotesque all caps illiterate bullshit. And posted TWICE?

And to whoever it was: It's not bad enough to abuse the now-meaningless, formerly useful word "awesome," now you have to SPELL it in a completely useless fashion, too?

As for the Lois Lane travesty:

Kate Bosworth is to Superman Returns what Kat(i)e Holmes is to Batman Begins and Kirsten Dunst is to Spiderman. It's a budget thing; after you've paid the big men their dough, there's only enough left to get a B-list actress with C-list talent to play The Girl.

Think about it -- it's true. Hell, even Aquaman has Mandy freaking Moore in it -- and it's a FICTIONAL comic book movie.

i've never been a fan of Superman for all the reasons listed in the review - he's a complete square, never has a crisis of conscience, as Lois says in this movie, "never lies." so i went into this movie not expecting to like him, and was utterly surprised when i did.

what the review says about Superman being wooden is true - but i think that was part of the point. Routh's performance in uniform was wooden, but i thought as Clark Kent he was perfectly believable as a human being, which illuminated the duality of Superman's nature. he may be an alien with superpowers sent to save humanity, but he was raised by humans and has absorbed some of that humanity into himself.

i too thought Kate Bosworth as Lois was fine. i don't like her much - i don't like many actresses these days much - but i thought she did a good job. if i could suffer through the Spider-Man movies watching Peter Parker pine after Kirsten Dunst's incredibly wide, ugly face and dead eyes, i daresay i could handle anything, and Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane is, comparatively, a dream.

everything has already said that could be said about Kevin Spacey, but i already knew Spacey was an acting genius, so i wasn't surprised.

i AM a little surprised nobody has mentioned the kid, who i thought did a great job, staying relatively free of the "precocious child" cliche.

as somebody else said above, i agree that seeing how gorgeous and meaningful this movie was made me wish the X-men franchise could have kept ahold of Bryan Singer. perhaps then the magic of the first two movies could have been channeled into the third.

of course, everything about movie viewing is pretty much personal opinion. some people like it, some don't. this is just my two cents.
this movie is definitely worth seeing.

I can't believe I'm about to write this, but I don't think Kate Bosworth's (or Katie Holmes's, or Kirsten Dunst's) awfulness is entirely her fault (OK, I take it back about Kirsten Dunst. She sucks, and her upper lip looks like the Cat in the Hat's. Not attractive). Any actor cast as a superhero girlfriend is already way down in the count because the archetype is fundamentally flawed: I don't care how driven, spunky, engaging, smart, etc. Lois Lane is supposed to be, the fact remains that she can't recognize her supposed true love through the MASTER DISGUISE of a pair of specs and straight-ironed hair. With the exception of Michelle Pfeiffer's Selena/Catwoman in the 2nd Batman -- and she doesn't count, because she was also a villain -- superhero girlfriends are written as humorless plot devices. I don't think even Rachel McAdams could have saved the role (I will concede, though, that she would have kicked Kate Bosworth's ass from here to next Tuesday had she been cast instead).

Erik, I was also struck by the new footwear, not so much due to their merrell-ness, but more because of their clunky campy "I'm the member of KISS with the terrible gout" quality. I saw Rocky Horror last night and I'm sure Riff Raff was wearing exactly the same thing.

Perhaps our beloved mr routh has serious bunions and his podiatrist made him have comfortable soles written into the contract.

Incidentally, for all you non-australians, lex's beefy sidekick whose job it was to constantly video him was played by none other than gay rugby legend ian roberts. His fame peaked here last year when he was runner-up in Dancing with the Stars. He did so much toe-squashing then that it was only fair he be utterly flattened by a big rock.

Kate Bosworth was a complete miscast. Whoever said "Kate in Superman, Katie Holmes in batman, Dunst in Spiderman" are all miscast is right on.
I also think a brunette Rachel McAdams would have been a much better choice. Seriously, why *didn't* anyone think to cast her?

Persimmon, good point though...

To be fair, I thought Kate Bosworth was great in "Blue Crush." She was just miscast as Lois Lane, that's all.

Superman Returns is Brian Singer's homage to the original two Superman films. It's not fair to criticize Superman Returns because there are phrases and scenes that are reminiscent of the original films. Those seamless and relevent sniplets link Superman Returns to the epic granduer of Superman I and II while distancing Superman Returns from the horrid travesty of the thrid and fourth Superman films.
Routh also brings a sense of believbility to the awesome role, changing effortlessly from an infallible yet likable superhero to a clumsy love-lorn dork.
All in all, an action packed yet tasteful flim!

the passion of the superman? am i the only one who was surprised by the abundance of Christ imagery in the film? perhaps i'm just reading too deeply into this (as i tend to in such matters) but the whole "this world doesn't need a savior" theme kind of took me off guard. throw in several scenes in which he struck and held classic on the cross pose (the scene where he's floating above the earth and the scene where he's recharging his powers before the sun being the two most obvious) and i think one can conclude that this movie had a straight-up christian agenda.

okay maybe not, but still, i found it surprising.

pretty decent flick overall but as is usually the case when special effects are the star of the show, it felt empty. part of me felt like i sat there for 3 hours and nothing happened.

i do have one final question to pose: do you think that superman actually draws his powers from that wicked cowlick?

He fought for truth, justice, and the American Way long before anyone thought to use the phrase ironically.

wasn't he invented by a Canadian?

Rachel McAdams would have been sweet as Lois, not just because she's a far better actor than Kate Bosworth, but also because she's a Canadian - it could have been a cool shout out to Margot Kidder.

To start with: the-ian, you are correct.. There was a hell of a lot of Christ imagery in the film. In addition to those portions you mentioned, let's not overlook the entire beating, crawling on the ground scene which ended with the savior being stabbed in the side.

Moving on....

To those who cite the music as one of the best parts of the film, I agree that Williams wrote a great score.........back in 1978. The score is good, but I'm not going to give kudos to a film simply because it recycles music from a previous movie. Doing an homage is fine, but I'm not going to say its good based largely on the recycled portion....it still has to bring something new. Otherwise its just a lame sequel and nothing more.

This film is either a Donner-fanboy dream, or a prequel to a new line of Superman films and here is the point........Neither of those descriptions come anywhere close to being a decent film. The throwback opening credits looked absolutely ridiculous next to the 2006 CGI planets. Also, there is no way of getting around how the Luthor plot was the same, and not even that interesting....how exactly was he planning on forcibly controlling the island?

Singer should sticks to comics where he isn't a fanboy, where he has shown an ability to extract what makes the comic great and present in a compelling manner. Here he is so wrapped up in his own fascination that we are left with a plotless CGI-fest where the only worthwhile parts were created back in the 70's......might as well be a Bruckheimer film.

*SPOILER*

I've never been a fan of Superman (I just can't get over the "disguise"), but this movie could've done a lot better even if it wasn't terrible. Lots of rehash, a lot of underused/abused talent, lack of a fist being thrown in anyone's direction and an opening for some sort of superboy sequel.

There's no shortage of plotholes or stretches of the imagination too big even for a superhero movie.

And I might just have to just stop seeing these kinds of movies altogethr because every single villain seems to have a subconscious desire to fail. A continent of kryptonite, a kryptonite dagger, you outnumber him 4:1 and drowning is your preferred method? Painfully apparent in Singer's past three movies, but in pretty much everything really. Maybe I'm just bitter than I'm not 10 anymore and I notice these things.

P.S. That whole hospital idea was a mess. Needles and oxygen? Just pull that shit out with plyers and be done with it.

yeah i remember why this place sucks i use to like it until thyet cencor sp yes i know you guys are tough pusst liberals but really . you have nothingto offer superman returns. c,mon. you guys suck scathing relook the defn up cuz you guys are liberal fascisits. im glad more iditiots have control of medi so when do yuuo think thenext liberal sympathathies are goingto cause the next mass genocide atroccity. but thanks to pajiba commentersand justin rowles in granola counrty with him and people like him we.ll be killing thousandsof people my the millions if youfo your history repeulicans dont dontdod genocide liberals are therusual suspects

Liked it,but I am amazed that Kate stick-chick Bosworth was able to pick that kid up. He has to out-weigh her. They do a pretty good job of disguising the fact that she is dangerously thin, and she wasn't bad, but there HAD to be somebody better. Routh was, again, ok. Just that, OK. Frank Langella was great, but given way too little to do, just like Parker Posey. She was just saddled with a stupid little dog (great little sight gag with the dog early on, though....truly a pet Lex could love) and terrible hair. Kevin Spacey is brilliant. He makes the movie. Poor James Marsden,he has NOTHING to do......just like X-3. Overall, not bad, but could have been great.

Umm, jimmie jones, go have some of your Kool-Aid, will ya? Damn, learn to spell and punctuate, my man. Drink up, you'll feel much better.

actually, i thought kate was seriously miscast when i hadn't seen the film yet, but once seeing it, she was actually believable. but i was amazed too that she can carry that child. and she didn't look too anorexic in the movie at all. overall, she did a pretty good job. having someone like rachel mcadams wouldn't have worked--she's too pretty for Lois' role.
brandon was just ok. a jist of his acting was flying around and acting like superman.
i thought kate did a better job.
lex and parker posey, that was a hilarious duo.
overall just ok. good enough for the holiday.

Oh Shizzle

http://www.myspace.com/lookatdain

I'm surprised there aren't more comments about this movie. Interesting.

Anyhoo, I saw it yesterday, and I agree wholeheartedly with Daniel's commentary. I didn't really want to see it, but I generally liked it. As has been said, to have Superman re-imagined would have been nice, but it's a good popcorn flick.

No one was bad in the movie, but I think I'm the only one who thought the little boy made the movie. He was adorable without being the stereotypical precocious child. I had a hard time believing Kate Bosworth's Lois was a mother. I don't hate her as actress necessarily, but I agree with others in that she was seriously miscast. Then again, I see that as a major weakness for Bryan Singer - he is totally color-blind (so to speak) when it comes to appropriate casting of female characters.

Brandon Routh did a competent job. As stated by others, he tries to channel Reeve too much, but he was overall fine. I was struck by the fact that he really didn't have many lines in the movie. I thought that was interesting, given that he was the star. Most of the time, he seemed to be standing (or hovering) around looking pretty - with too much make-up. I read somewhere that this Superman is supposed to be darker or deeper somewhat, and not the sweetness and light of earlier films. But I never saw that. I think it's a matter of actor ability, because Reeve did a much better job of expressing the nuances of the character than Routh did.

****SPOILER AHEAD***
The major thing that bothered me (other plot holes have been mentioned already), was how he was basically eavesdropping on Lois at her home. That was kinda creepy, IMO.

And I'm sorry, Routh fangirls (and boys), but that last parting shot of Superman? Could NEVER be done like it was by Reeve. I was almost insulted that Singer even bothered to put that in there; then again, I probably should not have been surprised.

Mr. Jimmy Jones...I DO believe you have created a new language. Was that in some way, suppose to resemble english?

jimmy jones, we're talking about superman, for god's sake. i dont see how anyone with an IQ over 5 could possibly mistake a freaking movie review for "liberal facism".

"im glad more iditiots have control of medi so when do yuuo think thenext liberal sympathathies are goingto cause the next mass genocide atroccity"

i believe i speak for all of us when i say WHAT?!

Oh. My. God.

If we were really a Vast Left Wing Conspiracy, I'd swear we'd hired Mr. Jimmie Jones to portray the most risible caricature of a know-nothing, inbred, barely literate foot soldier in the ChristoFascist Neocon Zombie Brigade... as some sort of reverse psychology gambit. Surely no self-respecting human being with a 3 digit IQ would want to be associated with THAT...

Good fucking god, people -- that cretin probably VOTES.

The only entertaining moment in this film was when they discovered one of Parker Posey's dogs ate the other alive.

I had to hold off on commenting until I actually saw the movie, so:

a) Kate Bosworth totally bothered me the whole time. I kept thinking, this would be so much better with Janeane Garofalo as Lois Lane, but actually Rachel McAdams would be a really good choice too.

b) I agree with whoever said Superman should seem kind of wooden, since he is alien. That has always been one of the most poigant aspects of Supes for me - he spends all this time saving humans, but he can never really relate to us or be a part of our world. It's pretty sad when you think about it.

c) All the people who complained about how no one notices that Clark is Superman - DUH. The entire comic is based on this premise, even when it makes no sense at all. That's one of the campy things about Superman (along with his goofy dialogue) that you just have to accept.

Oops, that should be poignant.

b) I agree with whoever said Superman should seem kind of wooden, since he is alien. That has always been one of the most poigant aspects of Supes for me - he spends all this time saving humans, but he can never really relate to us or be a part of our world. It's pretty sad when you think about it.

This is an interesting POV, but I think it's a copout (from a director's perspective). I am not a comic book fangirl, so I don't know how
Superman relates to the world in the comics, but in the movies as well as the animated series in which Superman has been featured, I never interpreted him being wooden. I'm sure he felt like an outcast and feels rather far removed because his abilities, which is sad, but Routh just couldn't pull the emotions connected with that conflict in the movie. That's why he came off wooden, IMO.

When I saw the intro and first heard the theme it struck me: anybody noticed how absent the original theme was from major media? Or maybe I just don't watch enough TV. But I believe this might have been orchestrated, just for the original theme music to have a greater impact. Because man does it have an impact when it gloriously shows up at last!

I finally figured out whats been bothering me about Brandon. He has brown eyes which makes him totally miscast for the role. I find it hard to fathom why Bryan didn't try out blue contacts on him, although I don't think he'd look good with blue eyes. In other words he's totally wrong as Superman and the eyes prove it.

Methinks your review could have mentioned that the film was excruciatingly BORING, with all the pacing of a glacier on valium. [possible spoilers....]
Superman flies to his fortress of solitute; we've already seen Lex there....will he land? will he land? Will he actually touchdown on the ice? oh, the suspense, the suspense...sigh.
I almost fell asleep 3 times. On a positive note, I did get some homework done in my head.

Great review. I can't argue with any of your points. But still, I was completely engrossed in this film. It was so visually arresting I was able to stomach the reheated plot line. Just gorgeous... Superman's plummet to earth? Goosebumps. Don't go to this film expecting the greatest film of all time... Just go and enjoy this bit of summertime comic fantasy. Give it a chance.

But don't give Kate Bosworth a chance. She is the chink in the armor. Rachel McAdams would have been the perfect modern Lois Lane. She's smart, believably beautiful, curvy, and the hair... She would have rocked a realistic hair style. Kate's wig is in the running for worst Summer movie hair, right behind Tom Hanks professor mullet. It was no fun to watch Lois huffing around with a big relationship chip on her shoulder. She was singularly disappointing!

"I finally figured out whats been bothering me about Brandon. He has brown eyes which makes him totally miscast for the role. I find it hard to fathom why Bryan didn't try out blue contacts on him, although I don't think he'd look good with blue eyes. In other words he's totally wrong as Superman and the eyes prove it."

In the movie, he does wear blue contacts. its just hard to see in some scenes because dark eyes with light contacts dont show up all that great.
and i personally thought Brandon was excellent, and quite beautiful might i add. he delivered his cheesy lines well, and portrayed him tragically (even if that was just a result of his "wooden" performance).
Overall, it really hit the spot for a nice bit of fun summer escapism!

You guys should start having people register to comment. This place is starting to match AICN in number of total morons on the talkback.

Great review, Daniel. I enjoyed the movie and agree with some of what has been said. I wish it had gone further into some of the ideas it brought up but overall I thought it was well done. At no point did I think it was boring, but it definitely was unfocussed. I kept thinking about Bill's speech at the end of "Kill Bill vol 2". It kind of got me thinking about the whole movie on a different level so I may have seen a lot of stuff in it that wasn't really intentional. The movie was pretty damn good but shy of great. My 9 year old liked it but was more excited about "Spider-Man 3" as we were walking out of the theater.

In the movie, he does wear blue contacts. its just hard to see in some scenes because dark eyes with light contacts dont show up all that great.
and i personally thought Brandon was excellent, and quite beautiful might i add. he delivered his cheesy lines well, and portrayed him tragically (even if that was just a result of his "wooden" performance).
Overall, it really hit the spot for a nice bit of fun summer escapism!

Oh ok. I was watching some clips of the movie on A&E this morning and they looked brown to me. Needless to say, I still don't like him in the role.

Maryscott O'Connor.. THANK YOU!! Am I the only other person (besides you) in this world who HATES HATES HATES Kat(i)e Holmes in Batman and Kirsten Dunst in Spiderman??????? And now Kate Bosworth. UGH!!!

anyone else notice that every movie
James Marsden is in he always gets
dumped or left behind.

Notebook
X-men
Superman

I must admit, I only saw this for the eye lasers and Kevin Spacey. And although it wasn't brilliant, it was more or less enjoyable, not to mention pretty.

Count me in the contingent that "approached this film with wild WILD fan[girl] glee". I loved Routh as Superman - he got eerily close to Reeve's performance, though no one can top Christopher Reeve. Remember, the guy went to JUILLIARD for acting school. For someone with far less training, I am impressed with Routh. I didn't really want to like Bosworth considering her skeletal figure and teen-movie past, but she's okay. (I do want to see her and Kevin Spacey in "Beyond The Sea," though.) Spacey is great as Lex. Kal Penn - Why, Kumar, WHY?! To paraphrase my friend: "Why did you have to turn evil? Why couldn't you just smoke pot all the time?" Parker Posey was good as Kitty - the villain is SUPPOSED to have annoying sidekicks (usually bimbo girlfriends or stupid henchmen). The difference is that her Kitty has redeeming qualities. But the music and visuals? Perfect. The CGI was really good, considering that they had to make the CGI Superman actually look like Routh, unlike the masked Batman and Spiderman. The "anachronism" between the technology and the rest of the visuals was kind of weird, but I thought it looked good with the 40s-inspired costumes because it linked it to the past. (Everyone wears vintage now anyway.) Also, I liked how the "other guy" (James Marsden) wasn't Superman's complete enemy. It would have been too easy to put him against Superman; this configuration worked better because it complicated the love triangle (quadrilateral?) between Lois, Richard and Clark/Superman. The music was glorious, especially Superman's theme. I didn't consider Singer's nods to the past laziness or plagiarism; I saw them as homage and sometimes clever in-jokes. (Oh, and the-Ian, you weren't the only one to notice the Christ imagery; I thought it was pretty obvious when Superman fell from the sky in crucifix position. I don't think it was so much a Christian agenda as it was just Superman being portrayed as Christ-figure in general.)

So maybe it's not Oscar material, but it's a great summer movie. Even if you aren't as fannish [fanboyish/fangirlish] as me, watching it is an entertaining thing to do whilst keeping cool in the summer heat [I watched it last week in Las Vegas, where temperatures reach into the hundreds in summer]. Still, I rarely walk out of a movie grinning like a complete fangirl anymore, so the movie did do something. Again, it isn't a complete Oscar-winning masterpiece, but it felt great to be completely enthralled with Superman again.

Too bad it's not fantastic, but I just hope I'll get to see it...it doesn't get to Europe until after I've gone back to California, where it may have closed already.

(I can only assume the title is a Postal Service reference, for which I cheer.)

This may be one of the best reviews that Pajiba has done. A lot of the stuff here gets so wrapped up in attitude that you have no clue as to the movie itself.

This review is very cleanly written. You get a great sense of the cultural context, a good sense of plot and a feel for the character work.

Carlson is also totally right about the first films. There is a kind of mythic power to the Superman universe but the early directors didn't have the guts (or maybe the skill) to pull that part off. So they went with camp -- and that's usually the wrong way to go.

This director may not have hit a home run, but at least he takes a swing at it.

I think it's hilarious that a couple oof years ago i use to watch brandon Routh on the soap opera one life to live and he was just as blah there as he is in this movie which is why I don't understand how he got this part.

Bernice, he and Bosworth blew the same guy to get their parts

I just got back from watching the movie. I really didn't want to see it simple because I'm not a huge comic book fan like my husband. However, I was blown away! I absolutely loved it. I cried, I laughed, I was scared and I really fell in love with Superman (and Brandon).

The beginning was really slow though. But once we moved to the plane sequence the movie really picked up. I thought that the cast was well done but Kate Bosworth did not do it for me. I thought she was too cute. I loved James Marsden. I'm glad that he got a chance to act, as opposed to only losing the girl. The kid was great, I hope we get to see more of him.

The action sequences kept me on my toes as were the romantic/heroism/flying of Superman. I'm going to keep my eye out for Brandon Routh. I hope we get to see another movie soon.

I didn't like the mix of technology with the old world clothing/style/cars. That just threw me out of the movie and left me unsettled.

Kal Penn! I wish that you had a line or something. But this movie shows me that you can play EEEVVVIL with just the look on your face. I was thinking they probably didn't have him speak because he has such a boyish voice. I feel like he's beefed up.

Oh... and the music. The music really made it for me. I'm glad we got to hear the soaring theme - the affect I felt was amazing.

Hmm... maybe I'm a fangirl now?

Please ignore all the spelling and grammar mistakes from my 2 posts above, oh grammar gods. It's late, please forgive me.

When I read this review, I went into seeing the movie with some trepidation; however, I was pleasantly surprised with the movie. Like others that have posted, I noticed the Saivour complex that Supes has, but more importantly, I noticed that this movie is totally a romance movie. Maybe I am the only one who thought that this movie had a plethora of romance scenes. I felt that there were more ramance scenes than action scenes in this movie. But, maybe that is just me.

On a side note, I too am sick with directors miscasting the love interests of superheroes. I kept thinking throughout this movie why out of all the women in the world would Superman want to be with Lois Lane? Margot Kidder at least put some chutzpah into the role. Kate Bosworth was more bland than a Sunday drive. She just didn't strike me as a hard-hitting, Pulitzer prize winning journalist.

Kevin Spacey was just inspiring in this movie. As he did in the movie, I only hope to one day be on the cusp of ruling the world only to find out that I should have just shot my arch-enemy right in the face with my two eyes as my witnesses to see his death instead of assuming that he went to a watery grave. Yeah, I'd be at least bitter about that.

All in all, a good, summer movie and a great review yet again by Mr.Carlson.

Maybe the reason I liked it was because I've had very little exposure to Superman in the past - just bits and pieces of whichever one it was that he foiled the bad guys with cellophane.

Kevin Spacey absolutely stole it for me. I think he and Bryan Singer should work together more.

Another reason I might've liked it a little more - IMAX 3-D. *giddy schoolgirl* (Where else can I see the super-bulge in 3-D?)

All I can say is if there's any justice left in the world, those hollywood lackeys will read this stuff about Kate Bosworth and replace her for the next one - she's apparently a good mommy but not the spunky-fearless Lois Lane. Brandon was good as Kent, but no one will replace Christopher Reeve. The simultaneous gentleness and strength of Superman was overflowingly present in Routh's portrayal however, I'l give him that.

So it looks like this movie didn't live up to the hype afterall at least domestic wise. ($146,926,451 from a $260 million budget, not to mention the marketing costs) I can't say that I'm sad about it. After so many years and so many false starts, they should've put more thought into the casting. I could've even live with them ending Smallville on tv and giving it an excellent send off in the theaters with potential sequels to come afterwards. That would've been cool and I bet it would've cost less. Too bad because I think the producers fucked up on their choices all around.

What I guess I'm trying to say is that I hate everything about this movie and I have yet to see it.

Sorry, you lost me when you described Superman (1978), widely regarded as the greatest super hero movie ever made, as an "often garish mockery of Superman". I know that some people don't care for it, but I've never heard it referred to in such a way. Most feel it is too reverential to its source material, giving too much screentime to character buildup and not enough to action.

Singer fails because his flimsy excuse for a movie can't live up to the film he so obviously admires. Had he not latched himself onto the original 'Superman' and instead made his own movie a la 'Batman Begins', it may have worked better. Still, he'd be saddled in future films with a compromised Lois/Clark relationship (caused by the bastard child) and a Superman who is somehow less than the sum of his parts.

I didn't read a few chunks in the middle, but I got the overall drift that your love of the classic Superman overshadows the flaws in this film. The film kept my interest off and on, but after a while I felt like there were numerous places it could have been cut off and called the end. The acting was good, though none of the characters were really developed enough to show off their potential, something that also severely weighed the film down. Overall, the whole thing felt like listening to 154 minutes of nonstop Coldplay: slow and dragging enough to put you to sleep, but enough whiny falsettos parts to keep you uncomfortably awake.

I have to post this in amendment to my previous entry: Brandon Routh is the talent that carried the movie - Spacey lived up to his name, and Posey was great as always, but Routh made up for the miscarriages of the movie. I fell in love with hi a little and I think he's great! If a gentleman like that is now in the movie biz, we are in for a treat.

Superman Returns was the second film that my boyfriend dragged me into that I didn't want to see but found quite entertaining (the other one was MI:3), since I didn't really have high expectations for them anyway. My boyfriend, on the other hand, was sorely disappointed with both of them.
I agree with you, Daniel, that Routh was better as Clark, as Superman he was just too lifeless at times.
Anyway, I was entertained and I didn't expect anything else from the movie.

"3. someone give kate bosworth a sandwich, some acting lessons, and a punch in the face."

Hee! So very, very true.

I thought it was good. I love Parker Posey, so watching her and Spacey (who was less annoying than I thought he'd be - in fact, he was damn watchable) in a desperate battle to out-ham each other was entertaining. Routh did an OK job - he was incredibly pretty and certainly looked the part, so that worked for me, outweighing his slightly stilted delivery. Marsden was surprisingly good in what I figured would be a dead-weight role. And the kid didn't annoy me as much as child actors normally do. Which leaves me with three points:

1) The plot? Seriously, what? Did they put even 5 seconds thought into it? Instead of using his advanced alien weaponry to take over the world, Lex is going to grow a big, barren, lifeless rock that's clearly geologically unstable and *then* fight the entire world? ...kay. #

2) Bosworth. Again, what? When you hear "we need some skinny blond to player a surfer chick who gets out-acted by her surfboard", you think Kate Bosworth. When you hear "We need someone to portray a spiky-yet-vulnerable brunette with layers of emotional depth", you do *not* think Kate fucking Bosworth. She's not enough of a name to draw people in, she's not talented enough to have won the part normally...I hate to cast accusations, but she's blowing someone.

3) I have to think that it was intentional that the goddamn 5-year-old can tell that Clark is Superman while the rest of the world doesn't know it. "Hey, Clark! You got back from your 5-year soul-searching trip just in time - Superman just got back today! From a 5-year trip! To do some soul-searching! Isn't that the darnedest thing?" I know it's one of the central conceits of the entire franchise, but still. Irked me no end.

Question - after watching Superman II this weekend, I wondered....isn't this movie supposed to pick up after that? Clark kisses Lois in Superman II to make her forget what they had and relieve her pain.....so how would she know in SR that he's the fatherv of her child? She shouldn't remember they even slept together, right?

I was a sceptic when I heard Superman was to get a makeover - yet another Hollywood 'remake'. I agree with one of the comments, if your not expecting something spectatular, sometimes you find yourself treated to a great film.

Brandon Routh was the surprising talent for me. He completely embodied Superman/Kent. Towards the film's climatic end, you can't help but be moved to the superhero's qualities Routh portrays.

My only gripe was the abundance of Christian/Jesus/Saviour references/metaphors that peppered the film. Eg. Jor El and I give you my only son to humanity, carrying the alien land (cross) that Superman has to bear, awaking from the hospital (the dead), and so forth.

If I had godlike powers, I would get a girlfriend with bigger boobs. And one who doesn't sleep with my boss' nephew. Of course, I probably be a super villian. Being super good all the time is a lot of work. I need some super-me time.

I agree with much of this review, though i am a little hesistant to agree to the suggestion of "Laziness" in the form of symmetry. I think this movie being similar to the first is actually important to catch a modern audience. This gets the newer audience acclimated with some of the traditions and rituals associated with superman. true, it could ahve used a more original plot (Lex DID already try to sink ahlf the U.S...) maybe that will come in a sequel...I keep my fingers crossed that these traditions continue!