Preface: I saw Superman Returns in theatres this summer, like most of you. Also like most of you, I hated it, and was a 4-star general in the GAF hate brigade. Pianos and emo Supes, lolz, right?
Anyways, perhaps unfortunately (or perhaps rather unintentionally brilliantly) I ended up with Superman Returns on DVD for X-mas from my aloof aunt. I decided it would be cruel to just trade it in immediately, so I decided I would watch the DVD once,
then trade it in
.
Anyways, I watched it, this time with no expectations or hopes, and knowing the "disappointments" ahead of time and when to expect them. I just watched the movie with no agenda. And then I watched it again a few days later, and I am now wondering, why didn't people, myself included, respond to this movie with anything but venomous hate? Sure, there are undeniable flaws, but I have come to believe that buried in there along with them is easily one of the best superhero films ever made. A real diamond in the rough. People say you can't polish a turd, but that's precisely what happened. It took 3 total viewings to turn the movie from a turd into that diamond for me. Now I wouldn't dare part with the DVD, and I am totally glad that the movie will get sequels.
Getting the flaws out of the way first: the movie pays way too much homage to the original, to the point of essentially being a glorified remake; the movie is half an hour too long for this sort of thing; there is a fair bit of camp and cheese to be found; there isn't enough action for this type of movie; aside from 2-3 characters, most aren't fleshed out and feel a bit superfluous; some of the CG effects seem half-baked or incomplete; and finally, the pacing is rather bizarre, with the film hitting its peak early then sort of limping to the finish. With all these negatives, you'd think I hate the movie, but....
Things that really work for me: I really like the main casting, despite scoffing at the initial announcements. Spacey is obviously hamming it up, but it's enjoyable and comparable to Hackman's performance. This is the best I have ever seen James Marsden, and Kate Bosworth is a lovely surprise, as I thought her casting sounded the worst. As for Brandon Routh, the most controversial choice, he ended up being the best thing about the movie, to my pleasant surprise. He portrayed both personas pretty much perfectly, at least matching if not besting the late Christopher Reeve; the action scenes, which were few and far between as previously noted, were absolutely fantastic when they did appear. The plane catching sequence is one of the better action scenes that has been put to film in the last decade, and had me genuinely tense from start to finish; despite the akward structure and pacing, I was never bored, and felt Singer did a great job in keeping things moving. Im not a huge Singer fan, but I really enjoyed his direction in this one; I
loved John Ottman's score, which, though owing a lot to John Williams, stands up wonderfully on its own; I thought the cinematography was unexpectedly great for this type of movie (and very evokative of the late Unsworth); and finally, despite the abundance of cheesiness, I felt the movie overcame it by old-school charm. Oh, and the kid, the piano, and emo/stalker Supes? Didn't bother me or seem so jarring the second and third time around. This movie for me is the definition of a grower. It took 3 viewing to go from hate to like to pure enjoyment.
So yeah. Taken as the sum of its parts, the movie doesn't get very far. But I feel the overall package is very good, and was unfairly kicked to the curb by us, the movie-going public. It's clear that we expected something very different than what we got. But I think it's a worthwhile experience to give the movie a second chance. Sure, you might still hate it, but just maybe, it'll grow on you like it did me.
Superman Returns (
Singer, 2006) -
7/10 
