[Chuck Mayer]

I imagine the movie will be receiving enough reviews to warrant a thread Hope the mods don't mind me kicking one off.

I, uhhhh, found a lot to like in the 2.5 hour runtime. Like a kid, I marveled at Superman doing what he does best, and modern filmmaking shows that in a whole new light. But the movie only sporadically worked for me.

In the pre-release discussion, I basically called it my "guarded optimism". I was right to be optimistic...and right to be guarded about it. It's a movie with it's heart on it's sleeve. As it should be. It's Superman

Speaking of, my main worry was regarding the star. Mostly channeling Reeve (with quite a few of the same lines), Routh still brought something special to the role, and I believed him as Clark (too infrequent) and as Superman. He isn't going to win Oscars, but I liked him.

There's a pretty decent-sized list of what didn't work for me, and I'm sure I'll discuss it ad nauseum in the appropriate thread. I'll summarize:

Spacey as Luthor - none of the charm of Hackman. Some funny lines (blackly delivered), but nothing beyond that. Lex should really be a lot more than a bully.

Bosworth as Lane (with special mention for the writers) - straight up, she's a callous, selfish bitch through much of the film. The performance is whats on the page, so maybe Kate isn't to blame. But I didn't like Lois. I didn't see why Superman likes her. I didn't see why her fiance liked her. The biggest misstep of the film for me. The movie died when she was on-screen, minus a nice moment or two. That doesn't help when she gets most of the screen-time. She might look better than Kidder, but that's it. Kidder was far superior as Lois.

The tone had a few outliers...the opening scene (which should have been the second scene, as the actual second scene was set up with the brilliant credits - in Smallville) with Lex was good for a laugh. But way out of place. As was the sadism from Lex and goons. I know the movie is PG-13, but it felt out of place. Lastly on my grief list (which I've spent too much time on), it's clear Singer loved Donner's film. Too clear I haven't seen it in a few years, and I still noticed double-digit references (or outright lines, beats).

I loved the score, I liked the direction, I liked the scope, and I loved the Superman action scenes. I loved them. I still recommend the film, and will be at the earliest showing of 2. With a logo shirt and everything. I'm glad he's back on the big-screen. Everyone labored to make a great film, and made a decent one with the efforts.

Superman is hard to get right. Maybe the next time will be the charm.

7.5/10,
Chuck

EDIT: I love, love, LOVE the opening shot right before the credits. Just awesome.

[Patrick Sun]

Well, do you get your money's worth? Hell yeah! I think the film starts out a little shakey, a little awkward, almost looking like a newborn horse finding its legs before it learns how to walk and then run, but then about 15 minutes into the film, it settles into a nice groove through most of the 2nd and 3rd act (the film's got about 4 main sections to it), and I'm sucked into this world that has a Superman and all the associated baggage that goes along with it.

Loved the special effects, the inertial ramifications of the use of Superman's power are tended to, though there some some shots that require you to believe in Superman's tactile telekinesis to handle the balancing of massive objects when applying the strength at a certain spot (covered in the comics about 20 years when John Byrne was tapped to re-launch the Superman titles). Some of the shots are just breathtakingly beautiful and haunting. The flying sequence are pretty fluid, but there's a few that rely a little too much on CGI at times, but I wasn't distracted by it.

Brandon Routh's performance is pretty good, nothing too glaring to undercut the job he did in his first big-time film, he's likable as Clark, and exudes a much more confident persona as Superman. Kate Bosworth wasn't as bad as I had feared, but not as solid as I had hoped, but it's sort of ironic she has better onscreen chemistry with Kevin Spacey than Routh (but understandable due to their participation in the film "Beyond the Sea"). Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor has turned a bit thuggish, but then again, 5 years in prison will do that to a man, and Lex was no exception. I can forgive such "thuggishness" since there is some reason behind it. The rest of the cast is pretty grounded, which is good for a film with such fantastical elements in a "real" world setting.

Enjoyed the score, been listening to it in the car lately as well. Now that I've seen the film, just hearing some of the score just sends me right back to that segment of the film.

I'm not sure what I'd cut out of the film script-wise because I could probably soak up another hour if it were shown to us. I spotted the screenwriters in the museum scene.

Bryan Singer's direction is solid more than competent, he has a knack for never losing the audience in the action sequences, and isn't afraid to slow down the pace and pay attention to the human relationships at play. The ending coda just made me want to cry, given the beats explored in those short scenes that move me in terms of sacrifice, and never giving up despite the obstacles and the personal costs, and looking towards the future that comes full circle.

It's true that the film uses Donner's earlier films as its foundation, but I think the writing is going to take on a whole different level with the sequels given how things played out. I didn't have a problem with giving a lot of nods to original Donner films because I thought it wasn't just a rehash, but building towards a new mythology.

I give it 3.75 stars or a grade of A- for now.

I'm checking out the IMAX version on Wednesday night, mainly to see how well the 3D holds up in the 20 minutes of 3D'd footage.

[Kristian]

I have to start with the opening credits for the film. Not since the opening crawl of The Phantom Menace have I been so enraptured by seeing and hearing such familiarity. I felt like a kid again. That credit sequence alone ranks as one of the great moments at the theater for me.

The rest of the film is flawed, for sure. I agree with a few of the criticisms above and have a few of my own. There's too much of Lex's henchmen and Kitty, but not enough of Martha Kent and Smallville (wasn't there supposed to be a Jonathan Kent flashback?). Kevin Spacey tried, but he did not surpass Clancy Brown or Michael Rosenbaum as the definitive Luthors. And the ending, while a little too drawn out as is, leaves too many plotlines hanging.

Still, the good outweighs the bad. The action scenes were amazing. There are many great visuals to behold. The kid was sweet and not at all annoying. The relationship between Superman and Lois was moving. Brandon made the role his own and added a new soulful dimension to the character.

In the end, it just feels good to have Superman back in theaters again. As simple as that.

½ out of

[Tino]

Incredibly disappointing.

Everyone was miscast. Routh, Bosworth, Spacey etc...No one stunk, they were just....O.K.

Long dull stretches. Very little action. Weak plot too. And an ending that just goes on, and on, and on.......

I loved the little nods to the '78 film but this film imo had none of that films' charm, excitement, inspired casting or sense of spectacle.

The sold out crowd seemed stunned during it's running time and there were more than a few walkouts. No cheering, laughing or clapping.

I'm in shock right now as I can't believe this is the best Singer and Co. could come up with.

The best way to desribe Superman Returns is that it's a movie where Superman just does a lot of LIFTING. That's about it.

Didn't hate it by any means, just, like I said, incredibly disappointed.

[Ruslan]

Just came back from a screening. Liked it, but feel underwhelmed. Maybe it was the cinema I was in, but there seemed a real lack of sound effects during the opening credits - didn't feel right. Disappointed with the lack of action and Luthor's plan didn't make much sense. Music was good, but not memorable. Costume looked strange. Liked Routh and Spacey, but I agree that Lois is nasty and not worthy of the attention she gets. Liked Marsden a lot. Kid was well handled but makes me wonder where a sequel will go with him. I feel like this was a story to tell in 3 movies time, not just yet. Overall, I did enjoy it but with quite a few more reservations than I was expecting to have. I love the Donner film(s) more than most but found the constant nods towards them far too plentiful.

[pitchman]

Great review, Patrick! I agree with 99.9% of your comments. The film is not perfect, but it is very entertaining and well worth seeing, IMO. I guess we differ a bit on Bosworth. I liked her performance and think she did a good job

Spoiler:

with her portrayal of someone who has moved on after a failed relationship.

[Jon_W]

I really enjoyed this film. Seeing it in Imax 3D was pretty cool and kinda makes you want to see more 3D films, which I never thought I would say. I think they got the casting right on. I thought Routh was a little shaky with Kent in the beginning but found his legs. I agree with the post above in that there should have been more of Kent's mother. The movie was a little light on action scenes but that is not neccessarily a bad thing as I felt the whole film was a real experience for me. Having just watched Superman: The Movie there was a little too much similarity but that is about the biggest fault I can find. Cannot wait for the HD DVD! The crowd here in Toronto really enjoyed it. We were all clapping after the end of the main title sequence and after the airplane save. I cannot believe anyone would walkout on this film that just seems bizzare. Must be a very impatient town : ) I now want to see the non Imax version.

[Kyle_D]

I don't know if I've ever walked out of a theater so disappointed in a movie...(I was 13 when Phantom Menace came out and liked it a lot)

First up, the screenplay has some serious structural issues. We never see what compelled Superman to leave, we're told. The film needed a prequel, or at least a first act that depicts Superman's struggle with being Earth's adopted/Krypton's foresaken child to make his leaving and eventual return carry any dramatic weight. Had the film a prequel that ended in a cliffhanger with Superman leaving because of this internal struggle, this storyline might have worked, but this film feels like a sequel to a film that doesn't exist.

Spoiler:

Every review I read seems to complain about the third act, but to paraphrase Billy Wilder, "If there's a problem in the third act, it's really in the first." Superman's sacrifice and near death at the end could have carried substantial emotional weight if I ever felt that he was making a sacrifice for a world that had written off as irrelevent and turned against him in his absense. "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman" and it's fallout across the world could have been played up a LOT more - instead it's a throwaway device to demonstrate how Lois reacted to being jilted. The final twenty minutes slogs because the action that preceded it feels par for the course for Superman. He saves the world [and the girl] from Lex Luthor...again. It doesn't come across as a sacrifice, it comes across as part of his day job.

Which brings me to my second point, this film can't decide whether it's a sequel or a reboot, and it ends up working as neither. Certainly there are enough homages to the first two films and deliberate stylistic consistencies, but the continuities and tone don't line up at all. Superman Returns takes itself far to seriously. The film is so caught up in paying reverence to the character and the franchise that it forgets to have a good time doing it. I saw this film with a sold-out crowd of geeks, and noone cheered when Superman swooped in to save the day, hardly anyone laughed at anything, and only a handful of people clapped at the end. These people stopped after 5 claps when they realized nobody else in the crowd seemed interested in joining them. The Reeve films (at least the first two) were crowd pleasers. This one is "The Passion of the Superman."

Other things that bothered me:

-For the amount of times Lois gets thrown around that plane and tossed around by that thug, she never ceases to be perfectly made-up, fitted, and her hair is always styled. It sounds like I'm picking a nit, but the film doesn't seem to have a sense of humor about this at all and it was enough to pull me completely out of the airliner/shuttle scene.

-Way too many scenes where the camera lingers waiting for Superman to save the day.

-The villains are cartoonishly evil. If they are going to make a movie where one of the main themes is Superman's seeming irrelevance, put him in a situation where things aren't so black-and-white. According to the movie, Superman still fights for "Truth, Justice, and...all that other stuff." What about the American Way? There's so much thematic material to dig here and it's just not explored.

With all that said, I didn't hate the film. It's certainly pretty to look at. Bosworth is miscast, but she does her best with what she's given. Someone 20 years older like Jennifer Jason Leigh, who was great as a 40s era reporter in The Hudsucker Proxy, would have been much better suited for the part. Spacey is great at chewing scenery, and Routh is fine as Clark Kent/Superman. With the talent and franchise involved, this could have been a great film, and maybe they can make a great sequel. Unfortunately, I found Superman Returns depressingly mediocre.

** out of *****

[TheBat]

like with any other movie, some movies are cut and are a bit choppy in parts, and superman returns is no different.. its not bad like say x3.. but there was more at the farm that needed to be added back.. I think that would have helped the movie much more.

JACOB

[Ning Wong]

I thought it was a great movie. Lois is a little...bleh....but everything else was pretty good!

[Ronald Epstein]

I am of the opinion that the original Superman was bar none,
the best comic book film ever brought to the screen. It had
everything going for it including dazzling effects, a well-paced
action story and perhaps the best score that has ever been
done by John Williams.

Even the comic book films of today are sort of pale in comparison,
unfortunately including, Superman Returns.

I suppose that Bryan Singer was the best director to handle this
massive undertaking, and I suppose that this is probably the best
movie that anyone could have possibly done. In its own right,
the film does live up to being an action-packed spectacle that
lives up to today's standards of being a "blockbuster."

On the other hand, there's something very wrong with this
film. It's missing something, and I wish I could put my finger
on exactly what that "something" is.

Perhaps the word I am looking for is magic. Something
very magical happened back in 1978 when we saw that original
film. There are so many images forever stuck in my mind from
the film's opening credits to the first sequence upon the planet
Krypton with the late Marlon Brando. Even that score -- that
beautiful score -- carried so much emotion that is clearly gone
from this new film.

I appreciate the fact that Singer payed homage to the original
film though the subtle references greatly outweighed the obvious.
While I loved the fact that a picture of Glenn Ford sat on the mantle
of the Kent home, the opening credits that seem very rushed, were not
done nearly as well as the original.

While this new film is big on action sequences, I found it to be
poorly paced and overly noisy.

While I'm still trying to place my finger on what exactly was lacking
from this film, that magic word keeps rolling around in the
back of my head. Back in 1978 Superman was the first
real superhero movie. Since then we have been bombarded with
Spiderman, X-Men, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, etc. These
are all films that seem like they came out of the same factory --
and it's no surprise that with Singer at the helm, Superman
Returns at times feels like an X-Men movie.

In the end, the f