DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Superman Returns (Two-Disc Special Edition)
By Patrick Luce
Nov 27, 2006, 20:29 GMT

Superman may have returned, but the film has several problems (including pacing issues, poor special effects, and a weak plot) which make the comic book icon’s comeback less than spectacular. With that said, the big blue Boy Scout still manages to thrill the audience thanks to huge stunts, an epic score, and the classic struggle of good versus evil.

Sporting an estimated $270 million budget, Superman was set to return to the big screen in style, and looked to have a team in place to make it one of the best films of the year. Director Bryan Singer (who knows how to handle comic icons thanks to his role in bringing a certain band of mutants called The X-Men to the screen) knows the material, and crafted a film that both pays tribute to the groundwork laid in past Superman films (most notably Richard Donner’s work on the 1978’s Superman) and in the comics that first brought the hero to life.

His cast (including Kevin Spacey, Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Parker Posey, and Sam Huntington) handled their roles with ease, and did an excellent job in filling the shoes of the actors who portrayed them in past screen adaptations.

Spacey’s performance as Lex Luthor makes the movie worth watching, and even comes close to passing the genius that Gene Hackman brought to the role in the 1978 version. The actor does an excellent job of balancing the villain’s evilness with a blend of comedy that was a trademark of the character in film adaptations. After seeing Spacey handle the role, it is hard to imagine anyone else playing the character.

Newcomer Brandon Routh - who steps into the role of Clark Kent and Superman – also does an excellent job in distinguishing himself from the past actors who have donned the cape and tights. It must have been a huge amount of pressure placed on Routh’s shoulders to take on the character and the young actor does a solid job in the film.

While Routh falls short of the performance done by Christopher Reeve (and I could be showing my own personal bias here), the young actor does good job making the Clark Kent and Superman characters different and equally interesting. Routh’s take on Kent is refreshing and captures some of the humor that past actors have injected into the bumbling reporter guise of Superman’s alter-ego.

Sadly, Routh’s take on Superman falls a little short, but I personally feel that is because of the less than stellar special effects – which come across as more cartoon than real. If Donner made us believe a man could fly, Singer showed us that CGI special effects could make an actor not needed at all.

The film’s plot (which is very close to what Donner did in the first film) finds Superman returning to Earth after a five year absence and takes place after the events of Superman II. Back on Earth, Superman is forced to adjust to a world that moved on while he was gone. Lois Lane (Bosworth) has a son, and is set to be married. She is no longer the starry eyed reporter in love with the superhero – even if Supes is still rather hung up on her.

While Superman/Clark Kent is adjusting to being back on Earth, Lex Luthor (Spacey) is busy planning his latest scheme. Still hung up on a need for land, Lex has come up with a plan to use Superman’s home world technology to grow new land (apparently those crystals are like Gremlins and multiple when they get wet). Once Superman is back on the scene (he makes his return in true hero fashion by stopping a falling jet), Lex alters the crystal to create a land filled with Kryptonite.

This sets us up for a classic showdown between Superman and Luthor, and Singer makes sure the last part of the film is filled with what you would expect from a superhero movie of this magnitude.

Although I enjoyed parts of the movie, Superman Returns was a bit of a letdown for me. The movie had some thrilling moments, but the special effects were so CGI heavy that it ruined what I was seeing on the screen. Routh does a good job in the Superman role, but almost every shot of him flying seems computer generated, and at times it is extremely bad – such as when he brings the plane down in the baseball field.

His face never seems quite right (again this could be my own bias to Reeve), and it seems like they were trying to animate even simple shots of him flying. While this is probably not enough to ruin the film for some viewers, it became a major distraction for me.

The film’s pacing is another huge issue that help drag the film down. It isn’t enough that we have the classic battle between Luthor and Supes, we also have to another ending wrapping up all of the silly parts of the film’s plot – which I don’t want to spoil in the review. This makes the movie feel like it is dragging on forever, and kills the momentum built with the final showdown between the hero and villain.

The Two-Disc Special Edition comes loaded with featurettes that take you into the making of the film and pretty much covers every aspect of the movie’s production – including special effects, casting, shooting and the film’s score. Featurettes include the massive "Requiem for Krypton: The Making of Superman Returns" – which is divided into five parts and runs close to three hours.

This is very interesting, but might be a bit of overkill to the average viewer. Diehard Superman fans or Singer fans will enjoy the featurettes and the inside look they give to making a blockbuster film. "Resurrecting Jor-El" runs about 4 minutes and gives a step-by-step on how they brought the legendary actor back for the new film.

Special features also include about 15 minutes of deleted/extended scenes. The scenes don’t really add too much to the overall film, but are still enjoyable. They also help show how the project was a labor of love for the director.

While I didn’t enjoy Superman Returns as much as I hoped I would, the film is still extremely entertaining, and it finally brings back one of comic’s biggest superhero icons. Some of the movie drags, and at time the special effects are less than super. I would still recommend the movie to any fan of Superman. Simply put, the movie is entertaining, and leaves you wanting more.

Superman Returns is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Dec. 4th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.