Anya and I went to see "Superman Returns" at the Alamo Drafthouse on Tuesday night. If you ever have the chance to see a mega blockbuster on opening night, you should try and do so at the Drafthouse, because they really know how to entertain you while you wait for your movie. Last night's preshow showed clips from "Turkish Superman," "Italian Superman," and even some of the old George Reeves starring "Superman" television show from the fifties. It's pretty amazing that the 1950's television show had better special effects and better costume design than the 1980's made Turkish and Italian Superman. Interestingly enough, many of the international Superman clips they showed featured the John Williams music from the 1978 "Superman: The Movie." Plus, the Drafthouse shows "midnight" screenings at 10:00 pm, so we don't have to get home quite as late.

So, on to the movie...

"Superman Returns" was a great movie. I'm not sure that it's a classic (I'll have to see it at least one more time before I make that claim), but it's a great piece of pop spectacle.

------------------------------------------------------------

the themes and story

It's really hard to guage this movie. On one hand, it feels like a new start to the Superman franchise. But on the other hand, it feels very much like a sequel to the classic Richard Donner movie-and-a-half. A part of me wishes that they had just rebooted the whole franchise and shown how this whole thing came about. But the other side of me finds it admirable that Bryan Singer is using the classic 1978 film as a springboard through which to restart this franchise.

I guess that's what is giving me the most conflict. The original Donner film is such a masterpiece, that I don't know how any filmmaker will ever be able to tell the origin story without making it seem like a cheap knock off. The original music is so classic and ingrained in our movie going consciousness, that it'd be impossible for any composer to construct a new theme that would match it, much less surpass it. It almost seems like the route Bryan Singer took was the only route that he could have followed.

But that being said, sequels always have this weird sensibility to them. Sequels can sometimes be better movies than the originals they follow, but usually it's the original that's the best movie of the franchise. With the exception of "Spiderman 2," I can't think of a single superhero sequel that outshone the original. And I think that applies to "Superman Returns."

"Superman Returns" is a fantastic movie, yet it isn't the original. Donner's 1978 film is the classic. It's the movie that got the ball rolling and the movie that invented the modern superhero genre. Without it, it'd be hard to believe that Burton and Nolan get to make "Batman," that Raimi gets to make "Spiderman," and that Singer gets to make "The X-Men." Donner's original is the movie that cemented the Superman mythology into the American subconscious.

Anya asked me if I had any complaints with the movie. If I have one overriding problem with the movie, it's that Bryan Singer is trying to reboot the franchise with a sequel. That carries all kinds of trappings. On one hand, the story he's telling only works as a sequel, yet on the other hand, he has to bring everyone up to speed on what's happend thus far in the Superman universe. It's basically a problem of putting too much on his plate.

That being said, I think he did a wonderful job considering everything that he's trying to do. "Superman Returns" is a wonderful piece of pop culture goodiness. It honors the mythology already set up, yet it doesn't feel confined by that same mythology. Because so much has already been set up in previous movies, this movie can almost exist as solely a Superman saving people type of thing, and not much else.

But thankfully, Bryan Singer did a wonderful job of incorporating more into the story. I liked that he added the theme of a superhero's relevance, both to our culture at large, as well as to the personal relationships taking place in the story. The movie raises the question, "Does the world need Superman?" The movie also answers that question with a resounding "YES!" And I absolutely LOVE that they asked and answered these questions through Kal-El's love for Lois Lane.

Their relationship is a microcosm for how the world needs, and secretly longs for, a super man that looks over us and protects us. The world without this type of mythology is a much more lonely and cynical place, much like the place Lois found herself in without Superman around.

I don't know if this was intended, but I liked how the Space Shuttle/Airplane crash sequence carried echoes of the two biggest tragedies that have fallen upon the United States; those being the September 11th attacks and the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia. During this sequence, I found myself almost wishing that there had been a real life Superman who was there to save the day on those tragic days.

The movie VERY subtly introduced themes that I hope get more exploration in future movies. There were a couple of times when they referenced conflicts going on overseas. I'd like to see a Superman movie that tackles global issues, whether they be war, genocide, or famine. I doubt they'd go that way, but it'd be very interesting to see how that played out.

------------------------------------------------------------

the Acting:

I have to say that the most enjoyable aspect of the movie were Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey. Both actors did a wonderful job of making the characters their own.

Brandon Routh really nailed his three roles. His Kal-El was comfortable in his own skin, looking nice and relaxed as he confered with his adoptive mother, Ma Kent. His Clark Kent was *really* well done. I liked that Brandon Routh made Clark a little less clumsy than Christopher Reeve's Clark, though still keeping him aloof and goofy enough that people wouldn't guess that he was Superman. Brandon Routh also brought an air of simmering frustration to Clark, that seemed to be not as prevalent in previous representations. And of course, his Superman was top notch. Brandon really seemed to pick up on the mythos of Superman, and really infused everything you've come to expect from the Man of Steel into his portrayal. Anyone who's ever donned a Superman costume knows exactly what I'm talking about. We're talking about the standing erect, hands on hips, deep voice kind of thing here.

I was more than ecstatic to see that director Bryan Singer let Kevin Spacey make Lex his own character. This Lex is a lot more sinister than the any other Luthor portrayal I've seen, with the exception of Michael Rosenbaum's Lex in "Smallville." For all the complaints I have with Kevin Spacey's acting career, he is the absolute master at playing seemingly calm people who have a boiling rage tucked down deep inside. Spacey's Lex is equal parts John Doe from "se7en," Keyser Soze from "The Usual Suspects," John Williamson from "Glengarry Glen Ross," and even a touch of Lester Burnham from "American Beauty." It was absolutely great seeing Lex finally taking all of his rage out on a Kryptonite weakened Superman. I thought, YES, THIS is how Lex would off Superman. Bravo!

Kate Bosworth was pretty alright as Lois Lane. She didn't quite own the role in the same way Margot Kidder did as Lois Lane, but she didn't take anything away from the movie.

James Marsden did a great job with Richard White. I remember thinking that if this movie had been made a few years ago, James Marsden would have done a fantastic job as "Superman." I liked that his character wasn't just a throwaway. He was a pretty honorable and memorable character, and I can't wait to see what they do with him in the second movie.

Sam Huntington brought a little comic relief to the movie, though not in an annoying Jar Jar Binks kind of way. I liked that the movie felt comfortable enough in it's own skin to bring a certain "aw shucks" mentality through a character like this. Frank Langella, as Perry White, was alright, though he wasn't given much to work with.

Parker Posey did a wonderful job at walking the line between camp and seriousness. Her role could have been really corny had it not been handled in a very specific way.

------------------------------------------------------------

the action, set pieces, sfx, music, and misc.

The action in this movie is simply breathtaking. There were scenes in this movie that would not have been possible in any Superman movie made before this current era of SFX wizardry. We're talking about scenes of Superman saving space shuttles, airplanes, and lifting entire land masses into the air.

The effects were well done, but there were times when the SFX called attention to themselves. They haven't quite mastered the art of human rendering, but they're getting closer with each movie.

The musical Superman cues made me smile each time they played. It was truly thrilling to hear that wonderful John Williams music back on the big screen. That being said, it all felt a little weird at times. My only problem with the music is that you can tell that John Ottman, the film's composer, was a different composer than John Williams. John Williams' themes are classic and always work on their own, but they're at their strength when they exist in the *other* themes Williams had set up. With this movie, I could tell that John Ottman had his own style and that he had to cater a bit of his artistic vision to fit an already existing theme. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but the style changes were somewhat noticeable.

------------------------------------------------------------

Closing Thoughts

If you look at this movie logically, you're going to be able to poke holes all over the place. But honestly, I don't really care, and that's almost besides the point. What I want in a Superman movie is seeing this truly noble character battle between saving the ones he loves and saving the masses of the world. I want to see a movie where a person who looks just like you and me, performs acts of incredible strength. And I got that in this movie. Just like Christopher Nolan got the themes and philosophy right in "Batman Begins," I think this movie got most of that same stuff right in this movie.

This movie was fantastic. I loved 90% of what was on screen. But the way I see it, this is very similar to Bryan Singer's first "X-Men" movie. It brought a lot of new things to the table, yet the big payoff is going to come in the sequel, just as it happened with "X2."

I've seen "Superman Returns" once, but I can't wait to see it again. :-)

up, up, and away............