Superman Returns takes place sometime around Superman II. Superman (Brandon Routh) hears that astronomers have found remnants of his home planet Krypton, and he leaves Earth to find any survivors. He returns disappointed approximately five years later to find his life on Earth completely changed. Clark returns to his job as a reporter for “The Daily Planet”, but when he returns only photographer Jimmy is excited to see him. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a boyfriend, Richard (James Marsden), and a five year old son, Jason(Tristan Leabu). Richard cannot convince Lois to marry him, perhaps due to a certain lurking long-long love….. Richard isn’t a bad guy, and we honestly feel bad that Lois continues rejecting him. Jason doesn’t have a whole lot of acting to do, but his presence is a key to the rest of the story.
Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has escaped prison due to Superman’s failure to testify against him in court. He is on the loose again after coming into some money, and is looking to grow some of the classic “beachfront property” while obliterating much of the United States.
The entire cast fits their characters extremely well. Brandon Routh, though bearing little resemblance to Christopher Reeve, looks great in spandex and produces okay chemistry with Lois. He fits Superman’s well-worn shoes quite well. Many people may be wondering about Kate Bosworth….that’s right, the girl in that surfer movie. With a drastically different hair color and a more girly attitude, she plays a good Lois Lane. The director, Bryan Singer, has somewhat changed the attitude of Lois Lane, from Margot Kidder’s helpless girl to Kate’s take-charge attitude. A bald Kevin Spacey bears a striking resemblance to Gene Hackman. Luthor still has a love for power, great classical music, and beachfront property while maintaining his sly, cutting insults. However, Spacey’s monologues about world domination are less lengthy than Hackman’s.
Brandon has a hard time portraying Clark Kent. He does well as Superman, but it is hard to believe that no one, especially Lois, can detect that Kent is Superman. Reeve was a convincing Kent, Routh is not. Plus, Reeve was way nerdier than Routh is, and you wouldn’t really know Reeve was attractive under that nerd-exterior. Reeve’s portrayal of Superman is innocent and is also sweeter, like the kind of guy you could be attracted to in real life. You could tell Reeve’s Superman was in love with Lois. Routh is attractive, but not in that accessible-superhero kind of way.
It is good to see that a large chunk of the movie’s budget was spent on special effects. Not that the 1980’s effects weren’t advanced for their time, but a few passes by a lego Fortress of Solitude wouldn’t really go over well with today’s audience. One of the most striking scenes is Superman’s first rescue after his leave of absence. The scene builds tension up to the climax and finishes it off with fabulous special effects. I really cared about the fate of those people on the plane, and I really, really wanted Superman to save them. The best part is that Superman looks real compared with his surroundings. You become convinced that he really is flying next to a Boeing 777 and launching himself over endless fields.
