Raging Bullets mini review of Superman Returns

 

By

 

Matthew Guy

 

July 16, 2006

 

Well, I had to change my plans about bulletpoints 2, I had to take care of 2 nieces with their dad.  We needed to tag team them or they are too powerful than Superman himself when they are together.  Anyway, we go to the 2:45pm matinee, I see Superman Returns & the girls & their dad go see Pirates of the Caribbean 2.  I get my super-sizes soda & rasinets, get to the movie.  It was only half full.  My guess is 40 percent adults (18+) & the remaining 60 percent was kids (7-17) and only 50 percent full. 

 

The opening credits roll, it was like going back in time.  A Superman movie in its similar aura around hooks you in.  Jor-el returns during the credits, the return from searching for Krypton was a total bust, hopefully confirming once and for all, Krypton no longer exist.  Maybe Superman should have gone to Argo City instead (See Supergirl, if you dare).  The return to Smallville had a similar tug on your heartstrings moments & the scenery was "Norman Rockwell like" being on the farm again, like Superman: the Movie. 

 

Clark returns to Metropolis and the Daily Planet and gets his job back by a reporter kicking the bucket.  Clark sees Lois' picture w/ a little boy named Jason & Richard White. & cracks it by mistake & sees her Pulitzer Prize article “Why We Don’t Need a Superman”.  It is a shock to Clark for sure.  Superman does the great Superhero rescue to the Genesis Space shuttle and Lois & press in the airplane that piggybacks on the shuttle that is very similar to the Air Force One rescue in the Superman:  The Movie.    

 

Lex Luthor what can I say this version of him played:  Kevin Spacey was great in a darker, edger villain.  His scheming way to get into the real estate, New California (I), Australia (II), and “New Krypton” (Superman Returns).  Lex teams up with Kitty  Kowalski (Parker Posey) in his evil plans making a great evil duo even better than Miss Teschmacher  Kevin Spacey played a better portrayal of a villain in this Lex Luthor film, then it Terence Stamp’s General Zod followed by Hackman’s Luthor.

 

The movie is laced with strong tie-ins to the first two Superman movies.  Brandon Routh even repeats some lines from the Christopher Reeve movies.  Marlon Brando’s voice & likeness back from the dead was a masterful touch in this movie.  A picture of Glenn Ford, Jonthan Kent as a nod to a great father that helped raise Clark into the man he has become today.  The Noel Neill & Jack Larson cameos were solid performances by the two actors that has influenced generations of Superman fans in the original run in the 50’s or more people like myself, catching it in reruns on Nick-at-Nite in the 90’s.

 

So lets go to the big debate about Jason.  Ok, yes Superman as Clark giving up his powers for Lois in Superman got to have sex with Lois and with the Super-kiss at the end of Superman II she forgets Clark’s true identity.  Then Superman leaves (and Clark too)  but I am guessing here that if Lois has a positive pregnancy test but not knowing who the father is, she better be finding somebody and them fast.  She finds the guy in Richard White and to save her reputation as a reporter.  Jason is Superman’s child confirmed by the piano throw.  Yes, he has health problems but with Lois’ history of smoking that explains away for me.  Jason isn’t not affected by Kryptonite maybe with human DNA and Kryptonian DNA combined produce the cure to Kryptonite or maybe his weakness to the substance comes later in life, so we will have to wait and see.  

 

The Superman dead or Superman lives front pages at the Daily Planet after the great battle with Lex and more Jesus/Superman parallels than you can shake a stick at.  It continues the connection from the first Superman movie in this one respectfully in forming a loose Superman trilogy the two Donner films & Singer’s film in also everyway possible.  But while a kiss from Superman II makes Lois forget, Jason’s kiss to Superman I believe helps Superman recover in my opinion, but we will never know definitely because Lois kissed him also. 

 

Superman gets rid of “New Krypton” by slinging it into outer space, Lex looses the crystals in part the sidekick develops a conscience at the end of the movie, throwing the crystals out of the chopper and lands on a small island curing Kitty out.    Superman gives a touching speech with Jason asleep.  Lois asks Superman will you be around and he answers that Superman will always be around.  And to end the debate did Routh’s Superman wink, the answer is no, did he smile yes.

 

After the movies, we went to chucky cheeses, I ate more pizza in 24 hrs then I did in 2 months.  Played more kids games to please a six year old niece than my body would care to remember.  So the Superman:  Man of Steel miniseries review will be posted later this week, I need recoup time. 

 

Superman Returns Raging Bullets Review based out of 10 bullet scale

 

Brandon Routh as Clark Kent 9.7 bullets (Routh & Reeve CK are twins)

 

Brandon Routh as Superman 9.8 bullets (a true Super return of an AMERICAN icon)

 

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane 8.5 bullets (she is a little young and acted a little immature in some scenes not like Margot Kidder’s Lane)

 

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor 10 bullets (prefect performance, took Lex to the next level as a villain when compared to Gene Hackman portrayal of Lex)

 

James “Cyclops” Marsden as Richard White 9.6 bullets (great acting in a tough role to play and he succeeds in doing that) 

 

Bryan Singer as director 9.7 bullets (one or two scenes in the movie had me asking questions maybe they will be answered in the DVD release via deleted scenes and /or commentary)

    

Superman Returns the movie 9.8 bullets (a sequel that continues its own path of telling its own Superman story, but pays homage to the Donner films very well)

 

Overall Rating for this movie 9.6 (worthy of seeing it again & owning the DVD for Superman fans & renting it if your not a Superman fan)

 

Copyright 2006 Raging Bullets & Matthew Guy