Cape Drear

An Icon Comes Back, but It's a Super Snoozer

SO YOU can't judge a book by its cover; how about a movie by its title? The achievement of last year's Batman Begins was, as its title suggests, the complete discarding of the big-budget, big-name excess of the 1980s and 1990s films and a relaunch of the franchise in a manner more true to the character's dark roots. The failure of this summer's Superman Returns is, as its title suggests, a messy script that can't decide whether to pay homage to past versions or to move forward. Starting with the opening credits, whose titles and theme mimic those from Richard Donner's 1978 Supe effort, and continuing with Brandon Routh's channeling of Christopher Reeve, right down to the oversized and wickedly outdated horn-rim glasses, you get the sense you're not watching a new movie -- you're watching the old one with some new guys superimposed in.

The plot has Superman returning to earth after a five-year absence, during which he examined the recently discovered remnants of his exploded home planet, Krypton. We never hear why he was away for so long, or what compelled him to come back, and that's only the first of the film's many problems. Lex Luthor's plan for world domination is, even by comic-book-movie standards, is patently absurd. Superman and Luthor, among pop culture's all-time rivals, barely share any screen time. We're supposed to believe that Lois Lane, as played by 23-year-old Kate Bosworth, has a son who looks to be around 7 or so.

And the cardinal sin: Superman Returns is boring. It's unnecessarily long, and everyone seems to be going through the motions -- even the usually incomparable Kevin Spacey, who plays Luthor, and even director Bryan Singer, whose two X-Men movies have set a modern standard for comic movies. Instead of a growling Hugh Jackman, we've got a disengaged Routh, whose bland good looks never deliver even the slightest bit of charisma. An American icon has been reduced to an underwear model.

Rating: ** (of 5)

Comments

[Matt]

Nice post title.

"If the shoe fits, wear it!"

[Bill]

Just saw this movie from Netflix. Not good at all, in my opinion. The new Lois is decent but I'm not a fan of Superman and this Lex is annoying. I would have given it a star and a half or two.