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Superman Returns Reviewed by Rich Drees
Now, years after the rather forgettable Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987) failed so miserably that the studio retreated from mounting another film for while before spending nearly a decade and a half and countless millions of dollars developing a new story, director Bryan Singer – the man responsible for the first two X-Men films – has finally delivered a new big screen adventure of the Man of Steel that takes more than a few cues from Donner’s original vision.
It has been five years since Superman (Brandon Routh) has
disappeared following the discovery by astronomers of what they
believed to be the remains of Superman’s home planet of Krypton. In
that time, the people have Earth have moved on, dealing with
disasters as best they can. On a more personal level, Daily
Planet reporter and Superman’s paramour Lois Lane (Kate
Bosworth) has moved on with her life, having a son and getting
engaged to editor Perry White’s (Frank Langella) nephew Richard
(James Marsden). Upon returning to Earth after his unsuccessful
journey to Krypton’s ruins, Superman finds himself questioning
whether he should return to his role as hero. But when Lois’ life is
jeopardized during the test launch of a next generation space
shuttle, he finds himself springing to action. While the world
seemingly welcomes Superman’s return, less enthusiastic is Lois, who
still feels spurned that Superman departed without saying “goodbye.”
Another person none to thrilled with Superman’s reemergence is the
villainous Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) who sees the Man of Steel as an
impediment to his scheme to create a new continent with crystals
from Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.
One doesn’t need to have seen Donner’s original Superman film and its 1980 sequel – partially directed by Donner before being removed by producers who then brought in a new director who scuttled many of the thematic elements Donner was exploring – but it certainly wouldn’t hurt. One late story revelation definitely hinges on people remembering a plot point from Superman II. For the uninitiated though, Singer does a good job at bringing folks up to speed on the basics of the Superman mythos.
The inherent danger in Singer’s reverence for Donner’s original film lies in that the original could easily overshadow this new iteration. Fortunately, Singer manages to walk the tightrope between giving homage to the original film and making the material his own rather adroitly. To be sure, many of the new movie’s themes such as the importance of father-son relationships and the subtext of Superman-as-Christ figure are continuations from Donner. The specter of Christopher Reeve’s humanizing performance in the original film hangs over newcomer Brandon Routh, who somehow manages to both embrace Reeve’s interpretation and as well as bring new nuances to the part.
If Superman Returns has any failings, they lie within the
script. Superman’s disappearance is such a motivating factor to much
of the film’s action. We are told that Superman left Earth to
investigate the faint hope that a portion of his homeworld of
Krypton may have survived its destruction and may hold answers to
his questions about his origin. It is annoying that the question is
never fully addressed outside of a one or two line explanation.
Another failing in the story is the absurdity of Luther’s crazy real
estate scheme, which is about the only unwelcome echo from Donner’s
film.
The script also seems to be not that interested in the whole Lex Luther/Superman conflict. The two don’t meet face to face until almost the two hour point of the film and it is only for one scene before they part ways for the rest of the film. The idea of a climactic showdown between the two gets lost in the long, drawn out resolution of Luthor’s scheme and the need to wrap up the more characterization-oriented elements of the Superman/Lois Lane storyline.
Even while clocking in at almost two hours and forty minutes, it feels as if there’s a longer, perhaps better film is to be found within the material. Actor James Karen, cast as the widow Kent’s (Eva Marie Saint) new boyfriend, has seen his part here edited down to a one line voiceover and a glimpse of his elbow next to Ma Kent late in film.
Ironically, though, these failings can be seen in a meta-textual context, leaving us with a well-intentioned, but flawed film struggling to display its love for a well-intentioned but flawed hero who is struggling to express his love for the woman in his life. |
“This is no fantasy, no careless product of wild imagination,”
intones Marlon Brando’s Jor-El at the beginning of director Richard
Donner’s Superman: The Movie (1978), informing audiences that
what they were about to see was a serious treatment of a comic book
character. It was an approach previously unseen in comic book to
silver screen adaptations, rejecting the notion that comics were
nothing more than juvenilia. Donner’s film not only concentrated on
“Super” in Superman’s name, but on the “man” part as well. The film
became a hit and made a star out of the unknown actor hired for the
title role- Christopher Reeve.
