Superman Returns

I have an early, traumatic chidhood memory. Yes, I know. It's tragic, isn't it? I remember the day my mom told me Superman died. No, no, I'm not talking about Christopher Reeve's passing. I'm talking about the original Superman. Ok, so even he wasn't the original Superman.

So you're probably wondering who or what the hell I'm talking about. Well, for my mom and dad's generation, George Reeves was their Superman. George Reeves portrayed Supes in the 50s TV series The Adventures of Superman. Before Reeves, it was Kirk Alyn.

For my generation, it was Christopher Reeve. And since then, we've had Superboy, Lois and Clark, and the popular TV series Smallville. The last time we saw Supes on the big screen was in 1987 with the dreadful movie Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. If you haven't seen it or it has been a while since you've seen it, I suggest you rent it or buy the DVD. I think you can buy the DVD for under $10 now. It was awful and it's a shame that that was the last time we saw Supes on the big screen until today.

With the ever increasing popularity of comic book movies like X-Men, X2, Spider-Man, et. al, Warner Bros. decided to finally get Superman out of development hell and get a competent director to take the helm. Bryan Singer brought us the first two X-Men movies and the clever and thrilling movie The Usual Suspects.

So what did we get from Singer? We got a thrill ride with a good story and an intriguing twist. This movie picks up where Superman II left off. Superman has been gone for 5 years in the search of his home planet Krypton in hopes of finding it or any other Kryptonians.

If you go in to this movie expecting to see the Clark Kent or Superman from the original movies, you will be disappointed. While it does pick up from there, it is not the same interpretation of the characters. And frankly, I'm thankful for that. I've always been a supporter of remakes and retellings. The idea that there is only one interpretation of a story or a role is utterly ludicrous in my humble of an opinion. But I'm afraid that many of my generation will refuse to see it because in their eyes only one person can be Superman on the big screen.

God rest his soul, but even if Christopher Reeve were still alive, he'd be too old to portray the role. So what does that leave us? Should we be denied the ability to see Supes on the big screen because Reeve is no longer with us? I think it's silly to take that stance, but I suppose many of my generation will.

Brandon Routh does not have the goofiness of Clark that Reeve portrayed so well. But he definitely looks the part and looks good in the role. Kate Bosworth has not been getting too good of reviews for her role. I have to agree that she is not the strongest Lois we've ever seen. Frankly, I think her young age (22 at the time of filming) does hinder her a bit. She doesn't have the wisdom of just a couple of years that would give her portrayal a little more depth and humility. Kevin Spacey is not Gene Hackman! GASP! I know. It's a shock. As much as I loved Hackman's portrayal of Lex Luthor, I really liked Spacey's. His Luthor is definitely more evil and less jokey. But it's a maniacal villain that is a pleasure to see.

This brings me to another point that may disappoint fans of the original films. This movie is not a comedy. Supposedly the Salkinds, the original producers of the original films, wanted the movies to be more comical. Richard Donner reportedly got fired before he could finish Superman II precisely because of his disagreement with the Salkinds over this. Thankfully Singer follows Donner's preferred approach. There are some chuckles in the movie, but it is not a comedy. It is more serious and an even more human approach to the role of Superman/Clark.

John Ottman composed the score for the movie. He did keep John Williams original theme which is almost impossible not to do. And of course we get to hear the famous main theme for the opening credits, which admittedly almost brough a tear to my eye. He peppered some of Williams' themes throughout as well as creating some of his own. He did an admirable job and I will continue to listen to his score as well as Williams' score in my iPod.

There is much to love about this movie if you're a Superman fan. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but I can't wait to see it again tomorrow, nonetheless.