Superman Returns

In recent years I have found myself questioning the relevance of Superman in today’s world. I’ve never been a fan of the comic, although I really dug Christopher Reeve as Supes. But why do we need a Superman movie now? His origins have him as an alien, his perspective is pure so his decisions are based purely on right and wrong, and he is a relic of the past that hasn’t evolved through the ages like other similar characters have.

Much to my surprise, Bryan Singer questions the same idea of relevance in Superman Returns. His answer: Superman is only relevant by the ripple effect that his actions cause. More a dissection of humanity and heroism than it is a blockbuster-type super-hero flick, Superman Returns is a respectful homage to the Supermen of the past while making him relevant once again.

Set five years after Superman II (Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace must no longer exist in the franchise’s filmic continuity), Superman returns to Earth after searching to see if his home planet of Krypton had somehow survived. On screen, the world has changed a lot since Superman left: Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a son, a long-term boyfriend (James Marsden), Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) escaped conviction and flat-screen technology has emerged on television sets. It turns out the world’s gotten along just fine with the man in tights.

Now Superman, and in turn his geeky alter ego Clark Kent, has to find his place in the world once again. An alien once before, he is alienated once again as his love has moved on. Or has she?

Much of Superman Returns focuses on the many relationships surrounding Superman, particularly his connection with Lois. Rather than being melodramatic and having Superman swoop down and save Lois at every turn, she’s a strong woman in her own right. Although she still obviously has feelings for Superman, she also has a good man on her arm and a son to look after. She’s fine without him. As for Clark, nobody seemed to notice he was gone other than Jimmy Olsen (played by a delightful Sam Huntington). Again, everybody’s fine without him.

Singer moves the focus of Superman Returns from Superman himself to those who surround him. They are the ones driving the action and he is just there to react. Whether it’s Luthor’s plan to create new oceanfront real estate or Lois reversing the old damsel in distress routine, it’s the humans who are making things happen. But Singer doesn’t betray the Man of Steel. He argues that people became this way because of what Superman showed them. It’s really quite touching at its soul.

Singer relates to the past rather directly in Superman Returns. The most visible is the inclusion of unused footage featuring Marlon Brando as Superman’s father Jor-El. The catch here is that Brando had passed away before Superman Returns went before the cameras. As creepy as it is, it lends to the themes of family and lineage that thread their way through the film. Singer also recreates iconic covers of Superman’s past, including the composition of the classic first appearance in “Action Comics #1.”

Overall, I found Superman Returns to be a tender film that steps outside of its expected genre. While I went in expecting lots of action and flying, it’s actually limited to just a select few scenes, which were made even more intense as I viewed the film in 3-D IMAX.

There are some quibbles that I had with the film, though. Kevin Spacey is very good as Lex Luthor. He is cold without remorse and balanced nicely by his dimwitted partner Kitty (Parker Posey). While Spacey had the role down, he didn’t have a lot to work with. Luthor’s plan of using Kryptonian technology to create a new continent of his own, while washing out much of the world, was outlandish even for a comic book plot. So outlandish was it, that it didn’t even make much sense when he went on to overtly explain his diabolical plan.

Singer conveys a very strong image with Superman Returns. Given the high-profile nature of the property, it had to have been risky. But I respect his attempts to make Superman relevant to our current world of uncertainties and grey matter.