SUPERMAN RETURNS

(June 2006, U.S.)

By all accounts, SUPERMAN RETURNS is a movie I should never have had any interest in, as it represents everything I despise in the recycling of old material in the movies. And yet, I managed to embrace it like an old friend when it was released in the summer of 2006. Let me start by painting a brief picture of who I was at the time I saw it. It was the beginning of July 4th weekend and I was spending it with my family in the Hamptons. I should clarify that my family was now increased by one, my new baby son, who was only a few months old. My life as I previously knew it, was completely new and different due to the newfound responsibilities and anxieties of fatherhood. One might have considered it a small miracle that I was able to get away for a couple of hours one night to go and see the new Superman movie on my own. Sequel or not, I was, nonetheless, curious to see how the legendary Man of Steel would present itself under the direction of the man who had already done two prior X-MEN films.

In effect, SUPERMAN RETURNS is the true SUPERMAN III, intended to follow the events five years after SUPERMAN II, completely disregarding the events SUPERMAN III (1983) and SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987), two of the worst movies ever made, and director Bryan Singer knows it! When the film began with the familiar sounds of Marlon Brando's voice, shots of the planet Krypton as it once was and that all-too familiar soundtrack music written by John Williams, I have to say my heart was filled with a sense of joy in welcoming back an old friend of the movies, recycled or not, at a time when my life was filled with anxiety and uncertainty. Superman (played by Brandon Routh), it seemed, had disappeared for five years from Earth to investigate what astronomers believed was the surviving remnants of Krypton. In his absence, the world went on without him, and Lois Lane (played by Kate Bosworth) achieved her long-awaited goal of a Pulitzer Prize for her article, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". She also became engaged to Perry White's (played by Frank Langella) nephew Richard (played by James Marsden) and the two already share a five year-old asthmatic son Jason. Meanwhile, Lex Luther (played wonderfully by Kevin Spacey) hasn't gone anywhere and is still scheming his ultimate plot of land acquisition and world destruction by seducing a dying wealthy woman (played by Noel Neill of the original 1950's Superman TV series, no less) out of her fortune.

His journey a failure, Superman returns to Metropolis and the Daily Planet as Clark Kent only to discover how the world and his own life have changed. It's not too long before Superman must reemerge to the world when he's forced to save a speeding jet from crashing following a mysterious power outage (triggered by Lex Luthor, actually, who used stolen Kryptonian crystal technology he stole from the Fortress of Solitude). Of course, Lois is on that saved flight, and just like their first meeting in SUPERMAN-THE MOVIE, she faints at the sight of her returned hero who doesn't fail to repeat that he feels flying is still the safest way to travel, statistically speaking. This is the moment where we have to wonder if Bryan Singer's repeated use of footage and dialogue from the 1978 classic is really an homage or a blatant rip-off? While I have a hard time respecting any filmmaker who spends their time copying the creativity of others, it's impossible to ignore the fact that as I sat there in my theater seat that night in June 2006, I enjoyed hearing what had been familiar territory of my childhood.

Once again, Lex Luther and his mindless moll (not Miss Tessmacher) are behind an evil scheme where stolen Kryptonite will play a part in crippling Superman's powers. When Lois and Jason accidentally stumble upon Luthor's yacht, they're held captive and await rescue. Luthor reveals that he plans to use the Kryptonian crystal technology Superman used to create his Fortress of Solitude to create a massive new continent which would swallow some of the current landmasses bordering the Atlantic. The world would then be forced to use his new land. Placing a crystal inside a shell of refined kryptonite, he triggers the new land growth by launching it into the sea. This is also the moment when we discover who and what little Jason actually is. Think back to the events of SUPERMAN II five years prior when Superman and Lois slept together in the Fortress of Solitude. It would seem that Lois got instantly pregnant and gave birth to the child whom she and Richard believe is theirs. We know different, of course, because ordinary five year-old boys don't possess the strength to push giant pianos across the room to crush the evil thug who's about to hurt his mother. Superman and Richard (via sea plane) eventually rescue them, and Superman must now face down Luthor. Temporarily weakened by the Kryptonite effects of the new land mass, Superman gets the shit kicked out of him and is left for dead when he falls off a cliff into the sea. Not to worry, of course. He's rescued by Lois and flies off toward the sun, the source of his power and nourishment. Back in action, Superman saves the day, Metropolis and our planet when he uses the last of his strength to remove the dangerous land mass and hurl it into space. But complications from the Kryptonite exposure cause him to fall to Earth and end up in a coma. Lois visits him in the hospital and whispers into his ear while glancing at Jason. We can only presume she's told Superman the truth of his fatherhood. No longer feeling alone in the universe, Superman visits his newly revealed son in the boy's room and repeats to Jason the words of his own father Jor-El as he sleeps. All is well with the world again, and we can be assured that Superman is "always around".

Yes, the two and a half hours of that night seemed well spent, and I was left with the feeling of reassurance of an old and familiar friend in Superman. It's just unfortunate that Bryan Singer couldn't come up with a better fate for Lex Luther than being stranded on a deserted island with only a few coconuts and his idiot mistress. This was just a stupid resolution, in my opinion. However, once I get past that piece of stupidity, SUPERMAN RETURNS remains what we generally expect of it, which is a visually complex piece of entertainment of a legendary superhero of the movies. Like the original 1978 film, there's a strong feeling of spiritual mythology, as well as the sensitivity of those impacted by Superman's presence in the world. Sadly, though, the film lacks any hardcore action that was already present in BATMAN and X-MEN films of the previous two decades (that was likely compensated with Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL seven years later, which admittedly, moves too fast at times) Kevin Spacey is a perfect follow-up to Gene Hackman, perhaps even more cruel and vicious than his predecessor. On the other hand, Kate Bosworth and Brandon Routh can probably be best described as nothing too special in their roles. They pull them off just fine, but they ultimately lack the charisma and energy of the late Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve. In fact, one can't help but wonder if Routh was cast simply because he bears a very strong resemblance to Reeve, thus further promoting the nostalgia and history of the big screen Superman my generation knew as kids. Well, I can only say that wrong or right, homage or rip-off, it worked well for me that night twelve years ago, and continues to work for me now. What can be wrong with that?

Favorite line or dialogue:

Lex Luthor: "Come on, let me hear you say it, just once."
Lois Lane: "You're insane."
Luthor: "No! Not that. The other thing. Come on, I know it's dangling on the tip of your tongue. Let me hear it just once, please."
Lois: "Superman will never..."
Lex Luthor: "WRONG!!!"