The Man of Steel flies, flies again

You have to hand it to Bryan Singer. The guy knows how to shoot a good movie. People have been anticipating the return of our favorite caped crusader for the longest time (how long has it been? more than two decades?) and this time, the DC comics superhero outshone his Marvel counterparts with Superman Returns. Although several mutant fans were extremely disappointed to hear that director Bryan Singer [X-Men & X-Men United] was leaving the X-Men franchise to direct a Superman movie, it’s safe to say that even more people were thrilled with the outcome of Singer’s work.

I stood in line to see Superman Returns yesterday and could feel chills all over in anticipation. Sure, we all adore the first Superman movies, but it’s about time someone took the seemingly impossible task of bringing back to the big screen the Man of Steel in all his radiant glory. And Bryan Singer was definitely the man for the job.

Bryan Singer is the Superman geek. He brought the same sort of excitement and meticulous hard work that Peter Jackson brought into the making of The Lord of the Rings movies as well as with King Kong. So I guess it’s safe to say that when you’re doing a movie that’s based on either an existing comic book, novel, real-life character or whatever, being an avid fan of the material definitely doesn’t hurt. Peter Jackson saw King Kong when he was 9 years old and the film inspired him to be a director. The same sort of passion resonates with Bryan Singer in the making of Superman Returns. In other words, the guy has been waiting forever to make a Superman movie. And he finally has.

All I can say about the movie is that it is shot so beautifully and so seamlessly that you feel like you’re in the movie with everybody else. Now, I wasn’t planning on gushing about Brandon Routh in this commentary, but hey, it can’t be helped. The guy looked like a demigod in the movie. His facial features were so chiseled and smooth and his sculpted bod fit oh so snugly in that Superman suit. There were scenes in the movie where I wasn’t even sure if it was the actor or a computerized version, because he just seemed so unreal–like something out of a dream. And of course, it has to be mentioned, that the resemblance to the late Christopher Reeve was uncanny. When it came to performance, however, it’s clear that Routh is still an amateur in the film business, but he gave an admirable performance nonetheless. Especially when you’re set alongside a seasoned actor like Kevin Spacey.

Now, initially I was reluctant about casting Kevin Spacey as Superman’s ultimate nemesis Lex Luthor, but overall, Spacey did a good job. Previously I had said that I hoped Spacey would bring something new to Lex Luthor’s character. Unfortunately, I don’t think he did. Although he probably made a better Luthor than Gene Hackman. Kate Bosworth, too, I had some reservations. I still didn’t end up being comfortable with her as Lois Lane, but I guess I became too distracted with the awesome special effects that I completely forgot about her. Parker Posey, on the other hand, I completely love. This girl plays a scheming but clueless sidekick so well. She was hilarious in Josie and the Pussycats and in Blade: Trinity as well. In Superman Returns, she definitely owned the screen.

Did I mention that the movie was shot beautifully? Everything glowed, things looked refreshing and new, but Superman staples were also kept in for all the adoring fans. I swear, that Superman-rescuing-the-plane scene was breathtaking. Oh, and costume design needs to be addressed. That blue and red suit could never look any more cooler.

I expect a lot of people to be very contented and blown away by this film. It’s not a huge, explosive action film, because Bryan Singer opted to tell a story rather than make things explode and fly (like Brett Ratner did in X3); and yet it’s not mediocre, in that the special effects and cinematography were like nothing I’ve ever seen, and did not at all fail to disappoint. The whole movie looked like a lot of care and thought had been put into it, which is what should be expected of every movie.

The bottom line: you should see Superman Returns. It’s probably the only summer blockbuster that lived up to all the hype. Plus, that Brandon Routh is serious, serious eye candy. I wonder if he dons the cape and tights post-Superman Returns. If he does, then that girlfriend of his is definitely one lucky girl.