Superman Returns

Superman Returns ****

"Superman Returns" is the best Superman movie made, and not just because of the update in special effects. The problem with the first movies were that they never allowed for any surprises. It was very obvious. Superman is super, the villains have their evil plot, but they end up being destroyed by the amazing powers that Superman has. And in the end, the bad guys end up vowing to destroy the one that hate. . .blah blah blah. In "Superman Returns," there were times where I actually didn’t know if Superman would be alright, and if for the first time Lex Luthor would prevail. Also, having a perfect balance of action, drama, comedy, and romance, it ends up being the best blockbuster to come out this summer thus far.

Superman fans knows the drill. Superman, whose real name is Kal-El, is from the planet Krypton, which was destroyed many years ago. His father, Jor-El, sent him to the planet Earth to live as a human. As a child, he is raised by a farmer and his wife, and they know that he is different. After all, he’s never sick or injured and he can run faster than a "speeding bullet." And when he gets older, he finds a glowing crystal in the barn which he takes to the cold arctic, throws, and ends up building his fortress, where he can learn the secrets of Krypton. He goes to the city of Metropolis, and takes on the alter-ego of Clark Kent, a newspaper reporter. He also falls in love with Lois Lane, and makes friends with photography Jimmy Olson. When needed, and people are in danger, he becomes SUPERMAN! And there is also the villain Lex Luthor, whose plans of real estate swindles are always foiled by Superman. That’s the back story.

"Superman Returns" takes place after the events of the second movie, which makes sense because the third and fourth were extremely horrible. Any movie with Richard Pryor working for the bad guy, and one where Superman declares war on nuclear arms can’t have any credibility. Superman goes back in space for five years after astronomers claim that they found remnants of the planet Krypton. The world goes on without him, leading people to think that maybe they don’t need a Superman to survive. He comes back to his Earth mother, Martha, who is so happy to have her son back. She was scared that she would never see him again. Clark decides to go back to Metropolis, and pick up where he left off. He gets a warm reception from Jimmy Olson, and manages to get his job back, but the one person that he cares most about, Lois Lane, has decided that Superman is not needed. Of course, since Clark Kent is really a fake person, and Superman is his real self, he is not happy about that at all. Lois has really changed in the last five years. Not only did she get an award for an article she wrote called "Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman," but she also is getting married, and has a young son. But, Superman is back, and Lois is in shock by the entire thing. And then there is Lex, who got out of prison. Superman was supposed to testify at his trial, but since he was in space, Lex got due process of the law, and was released from jail. He has a plan again, and this involves heisting the crystals that Superman uses in his fortress, and using them to form his own island, make of Kryptonite, radioactive pieces of Superman’s home planet which are deadly to him, and the only thing that can kill him.

"Superman Returns" does the usual thing with these new super hero movie. Cast an unknown as the lead, and then fill the supporting boots with some of the most famous people they can think of. We got Kevin Spacey as Lex, who is more evil and dastardly than Gene Hackman was, even though he was great too. Kate Bosworth who has managed to form a small web of success from "Beyond the Sea," as Lois Lane, and also Frank Langella as the big boss at the Daily Planet, the newspaper Clark works for. The new Superman is also very well cast, and at times Brandon Rourth is even better than Christopher Reeve was. All in all, "Superman Returns" is a fantastic time at the movies. It’s a big budget, action packed thrill ride that we haven’t had the pleasure of watching since "King Kong," and that was half a year ago already. It sets the stage for another sequel. Thankfully, the summer finally kicks off.

The best part, lastly, is that Bryan Singer gives the new Superman movie the same feel as the older ones. This includes a similar title sequence, and also using the pivotal music from the originals. It’s a perfect homage.