"SUPERMAN RETURNS" (2006) Review
"SUPERMAN RETURNS" (2006) Review
The 2006 Summer movie season was a memorable one for me. I never got around to review movies like"MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III", "POSEIDON", "THE DaVINCI'S CODE", and "X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND". I had just started on my first blog and never really bothered to put much effort into a movie review. However, I did managed to write a few words about "SUPERMAN RETURNS".
I supposed one could say that "SUPERMAN RETURNS" is almost a direct sequel to the 1980 film. It begins with Superman aka Clark Kent's return to Earth five years after his journey to a location where astronomers believed they had discovered the remains of Krypton. During those five years, his nemesis Lex Luthor served time in prison before his release, which coincided with Superman's return. Upon the latter, Clark resumes his old job as a journalist for Metropolis' The Daily Planet. He also learns that the love of his life, Lois Lane, is now engaged to Perry White's nephew Richard, with whom she has a five-year-old son named Jason. Lois also won a Pulitzer Prize for her article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman".
While Clark deals with this personal drama, Luthor and a new group of minions steal Kryptonian crystals from the Fortress of Solitude and Kryptonite from the Metropolis Museum of Natural History. These thefts set in motion Luthor's plan to utilize a combination of both to to grow a new landmass in the Northern Atlantic Ocean that will supplant the continental United States. In other words, Luthor has plans for another land swindle that might cost the lives of millions of people.
I wish I could say that I had loved "SUPERMAN RETURNS". I wish I could say that I found it very original. I wish I could . . . but I cannot. Because I would be lying if I had said so. Do not get me wrong . . . "SUPERMAN RETURNS" was a pretty good movie. Well . . . it was entertaining. And the movie featured a first-rate performance from leading man Brandon Routh as Clark Kent aka Superman. I also enjoyed performances from Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, a young Tristan Lake Leabu, Eva Marie Saint, and Sam Huntington. I was especially impressed by Kevin Spacey's witty take on the villainous Lex Luthor and Parker Posey's hilarious performance as Luthor's ditzy henchwoman, Kitty Kowalski. Unfortunately, the movie also turned out to be something of a disappointment for me. It possessed a plot that failed to support its roster of talent.
First of all, I felt that it was a big mistake on director Bryan Singer's part to continue the story, following 1980's "SUPERMAN II". It was bad enough that he had re-used John Williams' score and Marlon Brando's image as Jor-El. But he also used plot lines from the 1978 film, "SUPERMAN"(1978). He re-hashed the following:
*Lois' rooftop meeting with Superman, followed by a flight over Metropolis
*Some of Chris Reeves' dialogue
*Lex Luthor's plot to destroy part of the U.S. for a land swindle (which was not handled very effectively).
Singer also borrowed the love triangle from Marvel's 2004 movie, "SPIDER-MAN 2" . . . but with only a few twists. And the movie's final action sequence seemed to drag forever.
In the end, I could not tell whether the movie was a sequel to "SUPERMAN II" or a remake of "SUPERMAN". Very confusing and very disappointing. Although I believe the movie proved to be pretty good with a first-class cast, it also proved to be one of the most unoriginal comic book hero flicks I have ever seen. Singer could have done better. I rated the movie a "B-".