Superman Returns

Here is a more recent post on Doug's forum about Superman Returns.

I saw the movie at 10pm Tuesday night. I loved it. First off, the thing about this movie is that it very subtly and comfortably inserts multiple nods to the original two Superman movies that everyone loves. The occasional comedy is good but not trite or overly done. All of the casting choices are spectacularly spot on; from Brandon Routh as Clark/Superman to Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor and Perry White and Jimmy Olson too. The one exception you might note is Lois Lane, as I don't really think she seems like the traditional take charge nosy reporter. The story has some changes especially with Lois. But they are appropriate changes.

If you haven't seen the movie yet or haven't heard a synopsis already, get out from under your rock. It's now five years after Superman disappeared mysteriously to visit the galaxy where Krypton was to look for survivors. Finding none, he returns to Earth to find that the world --and Lois-- has moved on. Lois is engaged and a mother. So, if her character has changed it made sense to me.

Clark has returned to his job at the Daily Planet in Metropolis for --oh say five minutes-- when Lois and random others are involved in a big disaster involving a 777, a space shuttle and a stadium full of people.

What is surprising is that the special effects are not big and in your face. Like many other movies (X-Men III, King Kong) the special effects are overused. The filmakers of Superman Returns could have really overdone things and tried to create really impressive effects that ultimately would have overshadowed the film's important plot points, but they did not. There are many dramatic sequences and the jilted love story is realistic.

From the first frame, where the opening credits flash onto the screen against a floating star field just like the original films, to the end where Superman triumphantly flies above the planet towards the setting sun on the curved horizon line, this is a great movie with not one boring moment. See this film and post your agreement/disagreement.

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