I was pleased with the notion that Director Bryan Singer has great admiration for Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie because I too admire what Donner had installed. The Donner films were my absolute favorite. The reason being that after two great magical Superman movies, the crap fest Superman III and IV (The Quest for Peace) removed all forms of that magic. But after 19 years of waiting and development, I was happy to know that Singer was going to make a Superman film that was picking up where Superman II left off, but was given a blessing by Donner himself! Deep down, I always wanted to see another chapter after Superman II and always wondered how the writers, after many failed attempts in the 1990's, would re-establish Superman as more than just a guy who flies around in a red cape and blue tights. This isn't just a good Superman movie, it's a good movie period.

From the opening sequence, the familiar main titles flying through space got me excited beyond belief! I knew I was in for one helluva ride. After hearing the John Williams theme blaring with trumpets blasting, drums banging, and symbols clanging, I was already on the edge of my seat. Bryan Singer made this movie for a reason, to make the audience feel like a kid again. At this point, I was 8 years old again.

The story is a returns story. After leaving to search for the remains of his home world of Krypton, Superman returns, astonished to find that the world and his love, Lois Lane, has moved on without him. They seemingly have forgotten about their beloved savior, although the people realize they do need him around. Clark Kent is easily ignored from his return, but that does make it easier to focus on the relationship between Lois and Superman.

Lois, however, is on a prolonged engagement to Perry White's nephew, the assistant editor, Richard White. Together, they raise her five-year old son, Jason. Meanwhile, Superman is attempting to put the pieces of his life back together after performing several amazing "super feats". Lex Luthor, with cronies, plots away at a scheme to rid the world of Superman once and for good. Kevin Spacey as Lex was truly remarkable. He was cunning and witty, unlike Gene Hackman's version of the character. This time, Lex was out for revenge while he perfectly executed another real estate scheme to rule the world. Spacey's portrayal was nothing short of sadistic. I enjoyed him as Luthor more than any other actor's rendition. If anyone tells you that Spacey as Lex wasn't good, then they are just......WROOOOONG!!!!

Although the plot was fairly simple, after watching this film three different times, I came to accept that is what Superman movies are about. The stories don't have to be complicated. This one had tremendous amounts of dazzling special effects mixed with great character interaction which gave the audience extreme emotional drama. That is exactly what the original movies did and this is what Bryan Singer successfully duplicated.

Not only did Singer throw in several homages to the Christopher Reeve character, but also homages past Superman renditions such as the Action Comics green car. These tributes were not too corny. Had they been ridiculously forced, then the affect simply wouldn't work. But they weren't bad because the audiences all seemed to enjoy them by expressing their laughter and cheers. Many also applauded Superman's successful efforts after the plane sequence and the majority (including me) clapped at the end of the film where Superman flew over the Earth in space a la Reeve had done so magically. Of course the ending was anti-climatic! All Superman stories are supposed to end happily right? RIGHT! These stories are about inspiration, reaching into your spirit and touching the core of your every emotion. Just like the ending of the original two movies, Superman Returns ends on a high note of JOY! There is no cliffhanger because there doesn't need to be.

The biggest flaw that I felt conflicted about was the length. This movie was truthfully long. Even for a superhero film, it was long. The pacing was slightly off at times but that can be attributed to John Ottman handling double duty as editor and also orchestrating the score. Though a bit lengthy, Superman Returns still captured my attention, holding it throughout, and in the end, the 2 hours and 34 minutes were definitely worth it! The dialogue was weak at times, but the comedy, action sequences, and heartfelt emotion felt in this story made up for it's minor flaws.

Brandon Routh embodies Superman. His deep voice and strong presence captured my heart and made me remember what Christopher Reeve stood for portraying Superman. As Clark, Routh displayed Reeve moments but gracefully took that character onto his own by being dorky, but not over-the-top campy as Christopher Reeve had done. Routh's solid performance made me believe he is Superman. I loved how he delivered his lines carefully and also how he carried himself; his strong posture gave a presence of warmth and safety. I believe his Reeve moments were for nostalgic purposes and perhaps in a sequel he will make the role his own.

Kate Bosworth was a different kind of Lois Lane; one I had not seen before. Firstly, she was portraying a mother who was dating another man, seemingly a Superman. She was devoted to her precious but fragile son, Jason, while winning a Pulitzer for writing an article that didn't matter anymore. Obviously Bosworth prepared herself to play a bitter but hurt woman. I was sold on her performance. I accepted the fact that she did not have to be portraying a Lois full of spunk and hardness, but she still was irresistible with the charm. Although she was playing the smoking Lois (a la Margot Kidder), once again this shows Bryan Singer's fond admiration for Superman: The Movie.

As for the secondary characters, I really enjoyed Sam Huntington's Jimmy Olsen. He was very charming and amusing which gave this film some comic relief. Does anyone else think he resembles Marc McClure? Then we have Frank Langella as Perry White, who also gave a solid portrayal of the "Chief" editor of the Daily Planet. Not bad, but perhaps more dialogue would have helped. A very good casting choice was Eva Marie Saint, who portrayed a fantastic Martha Kent. Her interaction with Brandon on the farm was truly wonderful. It is a shame though she did not have more on-screen time.

Perhaps the real hero of this film was Richard White, played marvelously by James Marsden. Here we have a new character introduced to the Superman , who I was forced to root for. I felt bad for him because, in his eyes, he competed for Lois with Superman, which left me wonder how she will handle her feelings for Richard (who has done nothing but give his full love to her and her son). His performance was definitely heroic and I applaud the character for being true to himself and making me feel contempt for him in the end.

Speaking of sons, Tristan Lake Leabu's performance as little Jason, Superman's son, was very good. I was skeptic about this idea at first but now it has sunk in, I accept it and love it. I am glad that he was cute, but not over-the-top cute which I would get annoyed by quickly had he been written poorly. As Jason, Tristan was involved in some very shocking but important scenes that made my jaw literally drop. Superman Returns is the equivalent to a roller coaster ride. You can always have expectations going on it, but the many twists and turns are still exhilarating throughout and even in the end, it always leaves you wanting more.

Simply put, the magic of Superman has returned to the big screen by lifting my spirits with nostalgia of the original movies, complete with great dramatic sequences which took me on a thrill-ride of emotions. Full of solid performances by a new cast of familiar characters, Superman Returns restores the action, drama, and magical heartfelt emotions back into it's rightful place on the big screen.

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