Superman Returns

-Directed by: Bryan Singer

Starring:
-Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey

Ok, before I get too far into this piece I want to make one thing clear for everyone who reads it. Superman Returns is a superhero movie. I know, I know. You knew that right? Of course you did. What you should keep in mind though is that because it's a superhero movie it might have moments of being a little corny. However, it's very hard to be high drama and high seriousness when you're talking about a movie involving a man in a bright blue body stocking with a red cape. The point of a superhero movie is like the point of a comic book though. It's meant to be escapist, thrilling fun. The good ones, like this summer's X-Men: The Last Stand, deliver on that without question. This movie is on a whole other level entirely. Yeah, it's THAT good.

Clocking in at about two and a half hours, you're handed a movie that is a loving tribute to both the comic book and the late Christopher Reeve. It's emotionally accessible, fantastically thrilling, and completely well..super. Yeah I went there. A lot of the credit for the emotional presence of the movie can be placed on the shoulders of the new Superman himself. Brandon Routh physically looks the part, with a sometimes uncanny resemblance to Reeve. He also feels the part. One of the marks of a good actor is that they can draw you into the emotion of their character without saying a word. Routh can do that, and offers an emotional depth to Superman that makes this movie something truly special. Kate Bosworth has a reality to her as well as she steps into the shoes of the fiesty Lois Lane. She's a mother now, and understandably ticked off at Superman for leaving in the first place. But her performance is a bit pale in comparision to the incomparable Kevin Spacey. His turn as Lex Luthor may go down as one of the great performances of the genre as a villain, and against Routh's emotionally dignified Superman he is perfection. He's a little wild, a little nuts, with just the right amount of comedy to make it interesting.

What also deserves mentioning is the special effects. Singer, who has had a lot of practice thanks to the X-Men franchise, ups the ante here with some breathtaking effects that will make you wonder where the computer work ends and reality begins. One of my favorites is the scene where Superman invites Lois to come fly with him and you see them floating above the city through a series of shots that blends the actors and their environment to seamless perfection.

All in all, Superman has returned without a doubt. It honors the proud history of Christopher Reeve, but at the same time makes the franchise Routh's own trademark. Something no one, including this reviewer, expected.

(Picture courtesy of Yahoo! Entertainment)

How You Can Make A Difference:
Go Forward. That was Christopher Reeve's belief as to how each and every one of us should encounter adversity. Living with spinal cord injury, he did not live as a victim. He lived with strength, determination and passion to the point where he was beginning to fight back against the injury that put him in a wheelchair. In honor of Reeve's memory, and to celebrate Superman Returns, the Christopher Reeve Foundation is selling Superman Tags. On the front, you get a color version of the Superman S-Shield, and on the back you're reminded to go forward. For ten dollars, you're given a dog tag and a clip for your backpack or purse and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the foundation. Be a hero and donate to support the memory of a real life man of steel.

Superman Tags

-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
jennuntch@yahoo.com
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