Superman Returns

Plot synopsis:
For five years, Superman (Brandon Routh) has been away from Earth, coaxed into space by a belief that Krypton may still exist. In the time he's been away, the world has changed--not only has terrorism become rampant, but Lois Lane has been living with Perry White's nephew, started a family, and won a Pulitzer Prize for her piece "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman."Also during this time, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has conned a wealthy widow named Gertrude Vanderworth (Noel Neill) out of her fortune, with the assumption that he has changed his ways after being in prison. After inheriting her money, Lex, his assistant Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey), and some henchmen take Gertrude's private yacht, and head North toward Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Lex carefully guides them to the location, where he finds several crystals, and the holographic image of Superman's father, Jor-El (Marlon Brando). After listening to the hologram, Lex and his crew take the crystals and return to Metropolis.Meanwhile, Superman returns to Earth, landing near the Kent Farm in Kansas where his mother, Martha Kent (Eva Marie Saint), currently resides. After spending some time with her, Superman re-adopts his Clark Kent persona, and returns to Metropolis. Reporter Jimmy Olsen (Sam Huntington) and Daily Planet Editor Perry White (Frank Langella) are there to greet Clark. However, his reunion with Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) is put on hold, as she is aboard a jetliner being used to launch a new shuttle into space. However, the shuttle fails to disengage before it's engines fire and rocket the jetliner in orbit, the flames from the shuttle's engines burning the plane's tail section.Superman flies into action, and manages to disengage the shuttle, but the jet ends up plummeting to Earth, with it's tail section burned up. Chasing it into the Earth's atmosphere, Superman manages to stop the jet before it crashes into a baseball stadium filled with people as a game is underway. After greeting the press and the public in the cheering stands, Superman takes off.Unknown to Superman and the rest of the public, the shuttle's error was due to a brief power outage that affected much of the country. This was caused by Lex Luthor, who, after taking a sliver from a crystal, placed it into some water in a model train layout in the basement of Gertrude Vanderworth's mansion. This triggered an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) reaction that cut off local power, but resulted in a large crystal growth to blossom from the sliver, that ends up demolishing the model, and growing up through the basement.Back at the Daily Planet, Lois wants to find out more about the power outage, but Perry White wants the entire staff to focus on getting as much information on Superman as possible. It is during this time that Clark reintroduces himself to Lois, and meets her long-term fiance Richard White (James Marsden), and their child, Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu). After their encounter, Superman later meets Lois on the roof, where they have a heart-to-heart talk, and Lois explains to him that she has moved on.Trying to distance himself from his emotions over Lois, Superman returns to fighting crime, not just in Metropolis, but all over the world. In one instance, he rescues Kitty Kowalski when the brakes fail on her Ford Mustang. However, this was all a ruse to keep Superman occupied, as Lex and some associates break into the Metropolis Museum to steal some Kryptonite. Shortly afterward, Superman returns to the Fortress of Solitude, where he finds the crystals containing the information regarding Krypton are now missing.Lois continues to investigate the power outage, which leads her to the Vanderworth mansion, with her son in tow. Finding the mansion locked, she finds the Vanderworth yacht floating nearby, and goes aboard. Before she can react, the yacht has pulled away, and Lois finds herself face-to-face with Lex Luthor.While aboard the yacht, Luthor begins to explain his plan to Lois. Using the crystals that he took from Superman's Fortress of Solitude, he intends to sink them into the ocean, creating brand new continents with enough land mass to overtake the Americas, Europe and Africa, and cause the oceans to rise, burying much of the present land mass, killing billions of people. With Luthor having a monopoly on land, he intends to charge exorbitant prices for people to live on his new continents.Lex then leaves Lois and her son under the watchful eye of one of his henchmen before going to the main deck of the ship. One of the crystals is inserted inside a tube made of Kryptonite and placed inside a stolen Russian missile. As it is fired into the ocean, it creates a reaction that starts the growth of a new landmass, albeit riddled with Kryptonite.Lois tries to distract their captor, and attempts to send a fax with their coordinates to the Daily Planet, but not before she's found out. However, before their captor can kill her, a piano flies across the room, crushing him. It appears to have been thrown by Lois' son...who it appears was actually fathered by Superman. When Lex hears of this, he has Lois and her son locked in the ship's pantry before the rest of them take off in a helicopter on deck to the newly-grown continent.Back at the Daily Planet, the fax has partially come through, and Richard heads off to find Lois. Superman attempts to follow, but becomes side-tracked when the newly-growing landmass causes a tremor that threatens the entire city. Superman has his hands full, saving people and averting catastrophes. Once it seems the tremors have stopped, he heads back out to sea. At the exact coordinates, he finds Richard's seaplane, but also the Vanderworth Yacht, skewered by a spiky growth from the new continent. Superman rescues Richard, Lois and Jason, before the Yacht cleaves in two, and disappears below the water.As the family takes off, Superman heads to the 'New Krypton' continent to confront Luthor. Luthor greets Superman, who, with the environment teeming with Kryptonite, has grown weaker. Luthor and his thugs beat and pummel Superman, before Luthor stabs him with a Kryptonite shard, and sends him plummeting off a cliff to the waters below.Superman is saved when Lois convinces Richard to go back, telling him of how the new continent is laced with Kryptonite. After Jason spots Superman in the ocean, Lois dives in and manages to catch hold of Superman's cape and haul him to the surface, while Richard gets him aboard the plane. Lois pulls out the Kryptonite shard, but is unable to remove it all. Regaining consciousness, Superman thanks them for the rescue, but decides to go back to stop Lex. Superman first breaks through the clouds above, to absorb as much energy as he can from the Earth's sun. Flying down, he burrows below the new landmass and then lifts it out of the water, shielding himself from the kryptonite underneath with as much rock and soil as he can.Lex, Kitty and their henchmen attempt to flee the ascending continent, but all the henchmen are crushed by a massive chunk of falling edifice. Lex, Kitty and her dog manage to board the helicopter. Kitty, who is tinged with guilt about the how many are going to die if the other continents get created, throws out the other crystals. With no time to retrieve them, Lex pilots the helicopter away. Superman, growing weaker and weaker due to the Kryptonite-laced continent, manages to push it into space before plummeting to Earth, crashing into a park in Metropolis.Superman is rushed to a hospital, where the remaining Kryptonite shard is removed, and the doctors attempt to revive him (spoiling several pieces of medical equipment in the process as they try to resuscitate him). However, after several days, he has not regained consciousness. A vigil is held outside the hospital by hundreds of people, and even Martha Kent is among them. Back at the Daily Planet, Perry White has two front pages ready to run: "Superman Is Dead" and "Superman Lives." Richard generously offers to drive Lois to the hospital, and Lois and Jason manage to get in and see Superman, though he does not wake. While Lois leans over the unconscious Superman, she whispers something softly in his ear, with a meaningful glance at Jason; we are led to think that she has told Superman that he has a son. Jason is entranced by Superman's costume lying on a chair, and as they leave, Jason dashes to Superman's bedside and gives him a brief kiss goodbye. As Lois and Jason are escorted from the hospital, Martha spots them, and gazes speculatively at Jason. We see Lex and Kitty stranded on a small desert island with no food or water. When Kitty wonders aloud what are they going to eat, Lex eyes Kitty's little dog that she's cradling. Shortly afterwards, as a nurse checks on the room, the bed is found to be empty, the window open, and the costume gone.Later that evening, Superman flies to Lois and Richard's house. Lois is at her desk tearfully attempting to start writing another article: "Why The World Needs Superman." Superman slips into the house to gaze at Jason, who is asleep. Superman repeats the same words his father spoke to him so many years before: "You'll be different. Sometimes you'll feel like an outcast. But you'll never be alone. You'll make my strength your own. You'll see my life through your eyes, and your life will be seen through mine." Gently he caresses Jason's head, and finishes softly, "The son becomes the father, and the father becomes the son." Just before he leaves, Lois, who is outside, suddenly hears Jason piping, "Goodbye!" and sees Superman leaving. She asks him if they will see him again, and before he flies away, he assures her that he will always be around.

Tags: good versus evil, stupid, flashback

Review:
Brandon Routh's portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman, I feel, is second only to Christopher Reeves, whom he does a great job of capturing.
From the casting of Brandon Routh (who I actually find slightly better than Christopher Reeve because of the emotional complexity and sense of mystery Routh brings to the character) to Kate Bosworth (who i think is the BEST actress to have portrayed Lois Lane) to Kevin Spacey (different interpretation than previous Lex's but still very good), all of the actors have played their respective roles well.As for the story, many have questioned its originality.
Like I said before, Routh seems to have taken a more serious approach to the Superman character than Reeve but still maintains many qualities of Reeve's performance.And the special effects...well...enough said if you've seen the film :) Overall, this may be the best of the "Superman" series, and, if not, it is definitely on par with Richard Donner's original classic.P.S. Don't listen to the haters :) Watch the film with an open mind and judge for yourself..
The special effects are really good, which that takes care of the lame FX from "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace." I do appreciate some of the nods to the original movies by Donner like having Marlon Brando as Jor-El, its wondrous moments, and of course, hearing the theme song by John Williams.
I wasn't bored by the movie as it goes at a good pace, and I did get teary eye from the part that Superman gets beat up Luthor's men as it makes me think of Jesus getting whipped by the Romans.
The X-Men films were each done with the presumption that there would be a next instalment, and that's fine I guess if you like always being on the edge of your seat waiting for the next one, but when his Superman movie does the same thing and drags past the 2-and-a-half hour mark, there's a problem.
Certainly so with last year's Batman Begins, which I thought was a great, perfect movie, while I though Superman Returns was really good, but probably could have been better.My rating: 7.5/10.
But between juggling his conflicting emotions for Lois and his duties to protecting the population, Superman has to face his arch-enemy Lex Luthor, who has stolen the crystals from the Fortress of Solitude and is intent on using them to rule the world.It was never going to be easy Brandon Routh to step into Christopher Reeve's shoes but he takes it in his stride, managing to capture the bumbling but kindly nature of Clark and the strong, reserved demeanour of a Superman who strives to find a balance between his alien heritage and the life he has made for himself on Earth.
They even avoid the clichéd pitfall of portraying Lois' love interest to be a sanctimonious twit and instead he came across as a genuinely nice guy who shows that it's understandable why she has problems choosing between him and SupermanIn fact, my only real problem was that there wasn't enough interaction between Lois and Clark, which would have been nice as Clark's jealousy towards his alter-ego and the attention Lois lavishes on him is a large part of the story yet in the film, you felt as if Clark and Superman really were two different people with Clark just being some rather random guy.
However, it can be over-looked by the fact that Clark was so happy to just have Lois' attention that he didn't care whether it was projected onto himself in his real personality or on Superman.For anyone who has yet to see the film, I do recommend it and don't allow yourself to be put off by nitpickers complaining about the actors' being too young (better they be a shade on the younger side than going the 'Smallville' route where you have adults in their late twenties and thirties prancing around pretending to be teens and just looking ridiculous for it) or that the film is too long (even the eight-year-olds in the audience sat quietly, glued to the screen, for the entire film) or that it's bland (no more so than 'Spiderman').
For a change, the big action scenes don't feel particularly staged, as they can in superhero movies - you know, "Looks like it's time for Our Hero to....
(Look for a line from him that echoes his first meeting with Lois Lane in 1978's Superman: The Movie.) Spacey, of course, was a lot of fun as Luthor.
All the characters after the main 3....Eve Marie Saint, Frank Langella, Sam Huntington who was amazing, Parker Posey, James Mardsen who had a scene where he almost outshines Superman in his act of heroism, and of course Marlon Brando who in basically his last role made the film connect to the past even more, pulled off a great supporting cast who will all hopefully be coming back for more.
considering the hype for this movie,i thought it would be better than it was.it wasn't a horrible movie,but i don't think it lived up to the Superman name.Brandon Routh as Superman,looked a lot like Christopher Reeve,maybe a bit too much.his mannerisms were also too much like Reeve,as if he were trying to emulate him,when instead he should have been trying to put his own stamp on the character.Kate Bosworth was okay as Loise lane,but Kevin Spacey was an inspired choice as Lex Luthor.i also liked Frank Langella as Perry White.however,i could have done without James Marsden as Richard White,especially since his role was so small it was pointless.the other problem i had with the movie is that it tended to lag at times,causing my attention to wander.this movie just didn't have the impact of a movie like spider man or even any of the x-men films.it just didn't have as much substance as it could have.if you've yet to see this movie,keep your expectations low and maybe you won't be overly disappointed.
Everything about this film is perfect to me: the story, the direction and feel of the film, the visuals and effects, the music, the action, the romance, and especially Brandon Routh as Clark/Superman.
It's exciting, fun, engrossing, entertaining, and very satisfying.I've been a long time fan of the original Superman movies (well, not so much 3 of 4) and both the Lois & Clark and Smallville TV series.
Her whole performance was great, but she sold me with the look on her face as she hid her true feelings after she told Superman on the rooftop that she didn't need him anymore.I can't wait to buy the DVD(s), and I'm hopeful there will be an extended directors cut version with the omitted scenes of Clark's trip to Krypton and the additional scenes on the Kent farm.
First off don't take advice on whether or not to see this movie from someone who didn't like the original film, doesn't know how to spell kal-el, and/or thinks Smallville is the only good representation of the superman story.
It was strange, however, to see the lovely Kate Bosworth who played Sandra Dee to Spacey's Bobby Darin in "Beyond The Sea" to be so extremely at odds with each other but I bought Luthor and Lane much more than Darin and Dee. Ultimately Superman Returns is a classy, classic rendition of a perennial tale by one of the most successful aesthetes working on film today.
And finally, congratulations to Michael Dougherty and the rest of the writing team for Superman Returns, who have done the seemingly impossible by blending together several elements taken from disparate Superman stories over seventy or so years of the character's development in several DC comics titles into a true-to-character, intelligently written and themed, blend of romance and wild world-saving action.I can hear the film snobs now - "just what we need, another bombastic action flick loaded with CGI and cliché in place of a 'SERIOUS' human story." Yup, it's a bombastic action flick.
Thus, the question for both worlds is, "Do we still need Superman?" After seeing the film, I am happy to report that the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" Essentially, this movie pays tribute to that first great film in every single way.
Singer made more effective use of the messianic motif than even the first film did, and although I am not a particularly religious person myself, this fits the Superman mythos like a glove, as this is essentially who the character is: a secular messiah.The high quality acting helped Singer bring this ambitious vision to life.
Brandon Routh more than adequately filled the large shoes left by Christopher Reeve, and Richard Donner, the director of Superman: The Movie, wholeheartedly agrees (having said so in an interview with the BBC).
The half cocked smile, the timbre of his voice, the Clark Kent mannerisms perfected by Reeve are echoed here in Routh's delivery as both an homage and as a great device to tie the past generation into this new ability to tell a story with all of the technology at hand.A big Kudos must go to Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey who are awesome as Lex and Kitty.
There is tons of action packed into this movie and when there's not action there's comic relief and although I typically don't like the romantic turns that most hero stories take (just cause I'm a guy and they're a little boring) I had no problem with that stuff either, the imagery that comes along with it makes it well worth while.I've been babbling kinda randomly so I'll just talk straight for a second.
Just some small details.From the opening of the movie, fans who have seen the original film will be delighted at the fact that "Superman Returns" truly does feel as more of a 'continuation' from the original "Superman" and "Superman II" starring Christopher Reeve.
Even the opening credits will give the classic film fans a bite of nostalgia, simply because of the overall presentation of the opening credits.Director Bryan Singer really does know how to take these 'comic book based' movies to the next level and bring them success (or back from hiatus, depending on how you look at it) all while making the film watcher's experience something a bit different, not only in terms of plot, but his overall expertise and execution of being a really good director.Actor Brandon Routh definitely does extremely well in his performance as the main character "Superman/Clark Kent" and does so with such natural acting ability, you could have sworn that you've seen him act in many other things.
(Yes, I really can see him as 'Superman') Actor Kevin Spacey's performance as "Lex Luthor", although not too derived from Gene Hackman's portrayal of the villain, does a great job at bringing a different kind of arrogance to the character.
All of the films he's starred in usually have him performing at his best.Actress Kate Bosworth's portrayal of "Lois Lane" wasn't bad, but wasn't great either and for some reason, seems a bit young to be the "Lois Lane" character that fans will remember through Margot Kidder's portrayal in the original Superman films from 1978 to 1987.
Personally, I've always seen Lois Lane as a character in her early 30's, not as someone who is as young as Miss Bosworth is, although Bosworth's performance was just enough to be convincing.Overall, Superman Fans WILL be pleased by this 2 hour, 34 minute film that truly shows a triumphant return of the one and only "Man Of Steel".Would I pay to see it again?
Bonus points go to Singer for including Brando clips for Superman's father.In my opinion, a good superhero movie should make the audience want to live in the world which the hero inhabits, or wish that the hero truly existed in reality.
Perhaps remembered more as the film Bryan Singer chose to make instead of a third X-Men (which wasn't horrible), SUPERMAN RETURNS is a sequel of sorts to the Christopher Reeve originals that lovingly pays tribute to its cinematic forebears while moving the franchise forward.
(even though in Superman 2, after the amnesia kiss, she doesn't remember them having sex when he gave up his powers, but oh well)But, I do love the nostalgic feel of the movie, the airplane scene was awesome, the nods to the original film, and the cinematography was purely awesome.
..I feel I gotta say something more.I liked especially the way Singer portrays the relationship between Superman and Lois Lane (and no, Kate Bosworth is not too young to play this role!).
Before Superman Returns was released I read nothing on the subject and didn't expect anything , I was just curious and open-minded ; when I first went to see it with my children the theater was to my surprise only half full and at the end I felt just very slightly disappointed - I thought there was a lack of humor and not enough of Clark Kent but I didn't think I'd seen many other films of such visual beauty - so I went once again - and again , and the pleasure grew with each viewing; of course there are some inconsistencies (the effects of the Kriptonite!)and probably some weaknesses in the scenario , but the direction was perfect, Brandon Routh is a wonder both as Superman and as Clark Kent - by the way I found it easier than with C.Reeve to accept that Lois or other people didn't recognize him .
Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) plots an evil plan, using crystals he stole from the Fortress of Solitude, to create a new land and submerge the USA.After so many delightful movies of Superman with the unforgettable Christopher Reeve, or TV shows like "Lois and Clark" (and Teri Hatcher) or "Smallville", a great expectation was created for the return of Superman in this Bryan Singer's version.
The first time he smiles as Clark Kent, back at work at the daily Planet, it felt like it was Christopher Reeve again.Kevin Spacey is an excellent Lex Luthor.
Sure it's not the first time a Superman movie, or indeed any comic book adaptation, has made these type of errors, but it would have been better if they did little things like that right, instead of using the "Eh, it's just a movie" excuse.Ultimately, I loved this film.
They could had basically summed things up in 5 minutes but the movie chooses an overlong sentimental ending instead.Brandon Routh is perfectly cast as Superman and he also really looks like Christopher Reeve.
If you like a film with action and heart then this film's for you.Brandon Routh was a great Superman in my opinion, and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther was just fantastic.Go watch the film, sit back and enjoy the ride!.
I saw an advance screening of this today, and had to write and say that Superman Returns was amazing.Brandon Routh as Superman is awesome, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor is amazing and Kate Bosworth, just great as Lois Lane.
It has been years since anyone has tried to cinematically resurrect the Superman character and who better than director Bryan Singer, the man responsible for creating the exciting X-Men films.
Instead, he settles into a tired quasi-remake of the original storyline, with Superman returning to Earth after a lengthy sabbatical to find that Lois Lane, now with a new suitor and young son, and the world have moved on without him, and nemesis Lex Luthor once again attempting a real estate swindle at the cost of a number of lives.The film is definitely not a failure  merely a disappointment.
I didn't go into this film with many expectations, having seen comic-book movies at both extremes of the quality scale."Superman Returns" has pacing issues.
Much of the dialogue is dull, and formulaic subplots drag the film down.Here is the setup, in a nutshell: Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has hatched a ludicrous get-rich-quick scheme (Isn't he a billionaire already?) that will just happen to kill billions of people, and it's up to Superman (Brandon Routh) to stop him.
Meanwhile Lex Luther is back with *evil* world domination plans, Bond-villain style.Casting is of the utmost importance in Bryan Singer's 'Superman Returns' for it often tips over into character-driven mode and moves away from the kinetic action sequences that we associate with Marvel.
And indeed it is.The first glimpse of our hero looks like it was made to grab the interest of people who have come to know the character through his most recent TV incarnation, Smallville: Clark Kent (Brandon Routh) lands in the middle of the family farm's corn field after being gone for five years (a similar thing happened in the popular show's Season 4 premiere).
And once again, a certain superhero will be in the way...The reason Superman Returns works is Singer has understood the movie can't just rely on visual effects and action scenes.
A sequel has already been announced, and considering Bryan Singer's X2 was ten times better than the first X-Men film, the next Superman movie will undoubtedly confirm, once again, that not only is he the first superhero, he's also the best..
I haven't met one person who didn't love this movie having seen it, but unfortunately I have met many more who didn't even know a new Superman film was coming out.
Routh and Spacey have kept subtle aspects of the Reeve and Hackman in the way they play the characters without imitating them either.As a kid I loved the original movies but after watching them again as an adult I noticed how much most movies at the time ignored certain aspects of physics that made them look rather unbelievable in some scenes.
The story relies too heavily on the Superman/Lois Lane love story so much so that the rest of the film, and the other characters, just feel like an after thought..
I like Brandon Routh as Superman and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.