4/5
stars brandon routh, kate bosworth, kevin spacey, james marsden
to be honest, i'm not a huge superman fan. but like many, its easy to jump on the band-wagon and get caught ip in the hype that surrounds the return of the man of steel. but for me, it was more than just another movie made about the ultimate super-hero, but it was new territory for awesome director bryan singer to prove yet again why he kicks so much ass. also, it was barndon routh's time to step into those red boots and behind the thick-framed glasses to become both superman and clark kent.
the film is about superman's return to earth after a five-year absense. in that time, the world has learnt to live without the help of superman, and lois lane has learnt how to live without him completely. upon his return, he finds that thigns are a little differnt - lois has moved on with her life and is in a long-term relationship with richard (marsden), and has a kid.
one thing that hasn't changed though, is lex luthor's insatiable need for power. following on from the first superman film, luthor's (spacey) obsession for land takes him to the north pole where he finds superman's refuge from the world, and information on 28 galaxies along with it.
what ensues of course is the typical good versus evil kinda battle so i won't go on about the details.
the film looks amazing; sleek, elegant, and colourful. the only problem i had with it was the editing, which seemed a little disjointed and accidental. other than that, bryan singer proves yet again that he can take on board the big projects and make them great. performance-wise, routh is hauntingly a perfect image of reeve as both the man of steel and the bumbling clark kent. his mannerisms, speech, and facial expressions all mirror what reeve brought to the screen in the previous superman films. kevin spacey is geunuinely a criminal mastermind as lex, whereas kate bosworth as lois lane is still something i need to get used to.
the guy who plays jimmy olsen deserves a mention too for his goofy and slightly timid portrayal of the daily planet's (seemingly only!) photographer.
all in all, the movie kicks ass. it took me a coupld of days to come to my final verdict, but here it is. the film really focusses on the relationship between lois and superman/clark, rather than his powers or how great he is. it shows us that on the other side of the coin, there's more to being a superhero than the costume and super-powers.
-LOki
