SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No...It's Superstalker! That's right everyone. Superman is no longer in the business of being a superhero. Instead of using his powers for truth, justice, and what used to be the American way, he now uses them to listen in on conversations between his old flame Lois Lane and her new flame Richard White, son of the newspaper boss Perry White. Supes also likes to use his X-Ray vision to see what's going down in the Lois Lane household and he more than occasionally flies in on her unexpectedly. Superman Returns, sadly, has some superflaws. The biggest one isn't that our main man has turned into a weird pervert, but that at times the film is just plain superboring. It's not all bad though as there are a few fantastic action scenes filled with amazing visual effects. Brandon Routh also does a great job as Superman, and shines even more as Clark Kent. While obviously inspired by Christopher Reeve's awesome turn as our hero, Routh adds some nice, subtle touches to the character. In the end though, Superman Returns is a bit disappointing.
The main problem with Superman Returns is a pathetically lame script and a weak title. We already have a Batman Returns movie. Superman Returns? That's all the creators could come up with? It takes place about 5 years after Superman II, which is really just beyond stupid. The film even fits in Marlon Brando footage as Superman's father. Why? What is the point? Batman Begins started from scratch and it was all for the better as that movie kicks this one's ass in every aspect. The first 2 Batman movies were really good while part 3 was spotty and part 4 just completely sucked. The same pattern is followed for the first 4 Superman movies. It just makes no sense to try and relate movies that have such a huge time gap between them, especially when there is almost none of the same people involved with the films. The dialogue is weak, characters bland, and the pacing is awful. The movie is a little over 2 and a half hours long but it feels like there's only about a half hour of action. Kevin Spacey does an alright job as criminal mastermind Lex Luthor but he seems bored with the role. Gene Hackman seemed to have a grand old time playing Luthor and he was so much more fun to watch in the role. Kate Bosworth is fine as Lois Lane but she's basically just there to get into troubles that only Superman can get her out of, and also so he can obsess over her.

Thankfuly though, Brandon Routh makes for an excellent Clark Kent/Superman combo. A couple of years ago when casting rumors where flying around (excuse the pun) for this movie, people were saying they wanted Tom Welling from Smallville. Thank Krypton that mistake was never made. Routh captures the accident prone, clumsy Clark Kent perfectly. It's very similar to the way Christopher Reeve did it. Christopher Reeve however, was funnier in the role as Routh makes this Clark Kent a little more depressing. Reeve also made for a better Superman as he just presented more determination and toughness. Routh is good in the cape, but doesn't come off as strong. He is still fun to watch, and considering how great Christopher Reeve was as Superman, Routh does a great job of holding his own.
The special effects are really effective for the most part, but there are some scenes that look a little too fake and splashy. A scene where Superman attempts to save people from an out of control plane is the standout action scene in the film. The climax is also filled with some great visuals but is strangely lacking in action and dramatic punch. What happens after the final action scene is also entirely too long and sappy. Bryan Singer's visual directorial flare is fine as always, but like some scenes in his X-Men movies, there is stuff here that feels completely lifeless. Singer seems to be impressed with how convincingly Superman flies through the air and puts in many monotonous shots of this. Either that or he really just likes looking at Brandon Routh's hair being blown back in the wind. The Superman theme music isn't timed right with what's going on in the film and this also takes away from some scenes. Hopefully if a sequel is made, Singer will either jump ship like he did with X-Men or learn from his mistakes and inject a little more pace to help liven up our waning superhero interest.

If you take out about 45 minutes of the dull bits, toss in about 2 big additional action sequences, and just make a better ending that has a stronger impact, you would have a pretty damn good Superman movie. Instead what you have here is an inconsistence that's reminiscent of Ang Lee's Hulk movie. There's big action and spectacular effects but when you need them the most, at the ending, they're either misused or not used at all. Add to that some long dull spots, and you have the makings of a Superman movie that's not so super and especially not duper.