SuperSunday: Superman Returns

Superman Returns (2006)

Superman is the superhero. He embodies everything in the genre, its fantasticism and its range, and how the exploits of the superhuman can affect the human. In short, the Superhero Genre would be a vast empty space were it not for Christopher Reeve's Superman.
     The 4 original Superman films of the 70s and 80s mirrored the Batman films; a decent original, followed by a stronger second, and then the last two taking turns for the worse. Superman Returns decides to ignore those last two, explaining that Five Years have passed, and not explaining why all of the characters look younger than when he left. New boy Brandon Routh is a dead ringer for Reeve and yet offers his own sensitivities and quirks to the role. This incarnation is certainly more benevolent and believable. Our villian is of course Lex Luthor, played here by the brilliant Kevin Spacy, with a scheme that puts quite of a few of his originals to shame.
     The basic plot is as follows: Superman has been away from the Earth looking for the remains of his home planet. The world has learnt to live without him, and some have begun to even resent him - Lois Lane has recently won the Pulitzer Prize for an article titled "Why the world needs Superman". She has a husband and a four-year-old child (no prize for guessing who the father is.) Superman returns, as Lex begins to put into action his plan to create a new supercontinent out of Kryptonite - killing millions, including Superman.
     I'm simplifying things here. The plot does work well within the confines set for it; it remains cohesive and fluid while still allowing for well-excecuted action scenes and satifying call-backs to the original films. However, there are quite a few issues. The direction is mostly ok but there are some moments where it's a tad dodgy. A lot of the script relies too heavily on the references to the part and there isn't enough advancement with the concepts to make them more interesting.
     There's also a problem with the scale of the film. Luthor's plot is supposedly going to destroy the entire North-American continent, and yet we only witness destruction in the relatively small area of city around the offices of the Daily Planet. There are Earthquakes and power-outages for crying out loud, and Superman only had to save a street-worth of City. In New York. The younger cast, working on older material, means that the sense of sentimentality feels alien and undeserved.
     Ultimately, Returns is a light-hearted return to the franchise with a firm grasp on the previous films but with a new cast and a more modern outlook. It could have been great, but its overreliance on the past, as well as unnecessary sentiment, means that it can feel like a bit of an interloper in Superman's history. As a Superhero film? It's perfect. Not too edgy, nor too childish, but still maintaining a family atmosphere and a coherant plot.

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