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By
WADE GOSSETT
Brandon Routh takes over the
mantle of the Man of Steel in this new series
based on the classic comic, and he is Superman
personified. At least he is for me: I was really
into DC comics when I was a kid (when will Adam
Strange get a movie?) and I have a very precise
image of who Superman is. Routh captures it
perfectly. Not only physically, but in his
mannerisms. The late Christopher Reeves may have
also looked the part, but he was a nickel
plated imitation next to Routh.
Superman is special in the superhero pantheon. I'm
certainly not the first one to suggest that
Superman is the only super whose real identity is
to be super and his alter ego, the personality
that wears the mask, is the ordinary Clark Kent.
Also, he's truly super in every sense, almost
godlike in omnipotence (with the exception of
kryptonite) so plotlines can suffer in trying to
device challenges that test him. Not in this gem
from the director of the original "X-Men," Bryan
Singer. We can see Superman strain and push
himself, even at the absence of kryptonite.
The plot has weaknesses: After a long absence
Superman comes back to Earth to find that Lex
Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is still determined to take
away his powers, while Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth),
whom he's still in love with, has moved on with
her life and has a child and a new boyfriend,
who's actually a nice guy (James Marsden). I think
the I-was-afraid-to-say-goodbye subplot and the
child are weaknesses. The child especially is too
much of a departure from the original stories and
will unnecessarily complicate the franchise.
One other DVD-specific weakness is the lack of a
feature-length commentary track. However,
there are enough specials on this 2-disc edition
to compensate: several documentaries and
production featurettes ("Requiem for Krypton:
Making Superman Returns," "Secret Origins and
First Issues: Crystallizing Superman, "The Crystal
Method: Designing Superman," "An Affinity for
Beachfront Property: Shooting Superman," "The Joy
of Lex: Menacing Superman," "He's Always Around:
Wrapping Superman," and "Resurrecting Jor-El),
deleted scenes, an easter egg and theatrical and
video game trailers.
Great acting, superb special effects, an engaging
story, action and drama, and oodles of DVD extras.
Go get it. |
