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After 20 years of late-night network-TV replays, the Man of Steel finally returns to the big screen. But after years of speculation and months of posters and billboards and trailers and publicity stunts, you might be wondering if the new Superman movie can actually live up to all the hype.
Yes, it can. And it does.
Five years ago, astronomers claimed to have found remains of the planet Krypton. And Superman (played by Christopher Reeve look-alike Brandon Routh) left Earth to search for what remained of his home. After finding nothing, Superman returns to Earth—and, as lovably awkward, mild-mannered Clark Kent, he returns to his job at the Daily Planet, ready to pick up where he left off. But he finds that things have changed—especially fellow reporter and the love of his life, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth). After Superman’s mysterious disappearance, Lois decided that the world didn’t need Superman after all—and neither did she. Now the mother of a young boy, she’s moved on and settled down with her boyfriend, Richard White (James Marsden).
But Superman doesn’t have a lot of time to sit around feeling sorry for himself. Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has bargained his way out of prison—and into a huge fortune. He’s come up with a diabolical plan to destroy Superman and become the most powerful man on Earth—and no one can stop him but the Man of Steel.
As it turns out, this highly-anticipated summer blockbuster is worth the hype.
Instead of turning the new Superman into a high-tech, effects-heavy, super-action monstrosity, director Bryan Singer sticks to the timeless style that audiences first fell in love with decades ago. Sure, there are plenty of effects, but they’re rarely overdone. Instead, they’re subtle—and even believable. And the story is well-balanced, mixing heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat, crime-fighting action with the story of Superman’s struggle to find his place back on Earth. In fact, the twists and turns of Superman’s story are every bit as mesmerizing as the action scenes.
As for the cast, no one can deny that newcomer Brandon Routh doesn’t look the part of Superman. His likeness to Christopher Reeve is uncanny, really—and almost creepy. But he plays the part well—easily switching from the geeky and adorable newsman to the strong and powerful (and just a little bit plastic) superhero. Bosworth, however, is less than spectacular at Lois Lane. There’s just nothing special about her—and she struggles to give Lane any real personality. In the end, her performance feels blah. But then there’s Kevin Spacey. I can’t say enough about his brilliantly understated performance as the super-villain Lex Luthor—but I think Spacey’s Luthor could possibly be my favorite movie villain ever.
On top of all that, though, Superman Returns is just plain thrilling. When it comes to action-packed summer blockbusters, it just doesn’t get much better than this. Don’t wait for it to come out on DVD—see it on the big screen. It’s worth every penny.
