Superman Returns

Movie Review

By Louis Turfrey

The critics have been divided. The box office has been average. So what is wrong with the new Superman movie?

Nothing, absolutely nothing.

I’ve just walked out of the cinema after watching the new Superman Returns movie, and I did so with a bounce in my step. Yes, the new Superman is different and yes there is more of a character driven story arc, but thankfully it ALL works wonderfully.

Lex Luthor comes across as the man he is – a single minded megalomaniac whose sole interest is making money from land deals. In the movie, he doesn’t have the angst driven mixed-up soul of the Luthor of the Smallville series – instead we have a man who is driven by one thing only – greed. He is certainly more ruthless, and is surprisingly close to the Gene Hackman interpretation – but with a thankfully much needed edge. You really do believe that this man could murder billions.

Lois Lane is exactly what you would expect her to be, a woman that can’t separate from the love of her past. She is a working mother in the 21^st century, a tenacious and sometimes foolhardy reporter – and inadvertently places her son in terrible danger – because she just can’t let go of a lead. Yes, she is essential to the plot, but only in as much as she is the mother of a very special young boy – and of course Superman’s old flame.

Finally, there is Superman, played brilliantly by Brandon Routh. He more than carries off the role, and does a fantastic interpretation of Clark as well – it’s just a shame that we don’t see more of the Clark character. However, as the title says, this is about the return of Superman and boy does this film does it well. The special effects are fantastic, the look and feel of the whole film is fantastic and the new “S” logo fits in perfectly with the new Superman feel. Here is a man than relies on his actions to speak for him, and the suit he wears is merely his working attire – yet in this movie we see more.

I’m not spoiling anything when I say that this movie incorporates a lot of homage’s and many brilliant set pieces, all linked together by a character driven story arc that gets better the more you view it.

This movie is a ‘repeater’, by which I mean that you will have to watch it several times to get the best out of it. I left with shivers running down my spine, and that is the best way to leave a movie.

Sorry Mr Lucas, your new trilogy was good, but Superman is a different sort of movie, and it kicks ass.