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Title: Superman Returns (2006)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Brandon Routh | ... | Clark Kent / Superman | |
| Kate Bosworth | ... | Lois Lane | |
| Kevin Spacey | ... | Lex Luthor | |
| James Marsden | ... | Richard White | |
| Parker Posey | ... | Kitty Kowalski | |
| Frank Langella | ... | Perry White | |
| Sam Huntington | ... | Jimmy Olsen | |
| Eva Marie Saint | ... | Martha Kent | |
| Marlon Brando | ... | Jor-El (archive footage) | |
| Kal Penn | ... | Stanford | |
| Tristan Lake Leabu | ... | Jason White | |
| David Fabrizio | ... | Brutus | |
| Ian Roberts | ... | Riley | |
 |
Vincent Stone | ... | Grant |
| Jack Larson | ... | Bo the Bartender | |
Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world's most beloved superheroes. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space. Written by Anonymous
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Like many other people, the character of Superman has always been a firm favourite of mine dating back to my childhood. Christopher Reeve's Superman made me believe a man could fly with the light-hearted 'Lois and Clark' series seeing me through the Nineties. I was sceptical as the next Supes fan when I heard they were to bring back the character, recast and revitalised for a twenty-first century audience. But having seen 'Superman Returns', those fears were instantly pushed back as I now eagerly await a sequel.
'Superman Returns' is set five years after Christopher Reeve's 'Superman II' (thankfully ignoring the events in the lacklustre 'Superman III and IV'). Superman, after five years of searching for the remains of his homeplanet Krypton, has returned to Earth to resume his life as Clark Kent only to find things moved on without him. Lois Lane is now mother to five-year-old son Jason and engaged to Perry White's nephew Richard. She is also thoroughly disenchanted with Superman although it soon becomes clear there is much unresolved feelings between the two. But between juggling his conflicting emotions for Lois and his duties to protecting the population, Superman has to face his arch-enemy Lex Luthor, who has stolen the crystals from the Fortress of Solitude and is intent on using them to rule the world.
It was never going to be easy Brandon Routh to step into Christopher Reeve's shoes but he takes it in his stride, managing to capture the bumbling but kindly nature of Clark and the strong, reserved demeanour of a Superman who strives to find a balance between his alien heritage and the life he has made for himself on Earth. He both makes the role his own yet does well in succeeding where Reeve left off. Kate Bosworth was also another surprise. I was very disappointed in her casting initially but seeing her perform in the film left me realising that she was perfect for the job as she portrays the cocky and determined yet vulnerable Lois to a tee. Kevin Spacey was great as the obsessive, slightly unhinged Luthor who possesses a real hatred for our hero while Parker Posey gave us a nicely-portrayed 'shades of grey' character in Kitty, a villain with a heart. Even the little moppet who played Jason gave a decent performance without being wooden or grating.
What I loved most about the film is that it delivered an interesting storyline that didn't reject the first two 'Superman' films, which are classics in the heart of any Superman fan and had already done a good job in covering the origins story. But at the same time, it didn't shirk in giving us deeper insights into the character of Superman, the solitary hero and the man who just wants to fit in. What was a pleasant surprise was that the film also refused to dumb down to small children in the audience, which is a growing problem with many Hollywood films that over-dose on infantile humour to appeal to kids resulting in boredom for anyone over fourteen. There was humour, some on a level to make children laugh, but overall there was a nice mix of action, romance and darkness aimed more at an older audience. They even avoid the clichéd pitfall of portraying Lois' love interest to be a sanctimonious twit and instead he came across as a genuinely nice guy who shows that it's understandable why she has problems choosing between him and Superman
In fact, my only real problem was that there wasn't enough interaction between Lois and Clark, which would have been nice as Clark's jealousy towards his alter-ego and the attention Lois lavishes on him is a large part of the story yet in the film, you felt as if Clark and Superman really were two different people with Clark just being some rather random guy. However, it can be over-looked by the fact that Clark was so happy to just have Lois' attention that he didn't care whether it was projected onto himself in his real personality or on Superman.
For anyone who has yet to see the film, I do recommend it and don't allow yourself to be put off by nitpickers complaining about the actors' being too young (better they be a shade on the younger side than going the 'Smallville' route where you have adults in their late twenties and thirties prancing around pretending to be teens and just looking ridiculous for it) or that the film is too long (even the eight-year-olds in the audience sat quietly, glued to the screen, for the entire film) or that it's bland (no more so than 'Spiderman'). I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to a sequel. After a rather dull summer at the cinema, this film renewed my faith in the summer blockbuster!