Look! Up In The Sky!

What can I tell you? Superman has returned.

We just got home, and, well, the film is awesome. Superman Returns is, for we geeks, the Lord of the Rings of superhero films – in both scope and emotion of the story. Our beloved Bryan Singer wasn’t simply content with making the prettiest Superman film ever made – he had to go and make the most tear-jerking, heart-rending, pulse-pounding superhero film ever made.

Now, obviously I was predisposed to love this film. I grant you that. You should know that Nancy came to the screening prepared with Kleenex for my inevitable crying fits. It's also worth mentioning that Jen? At work? She was sincerely worried about me making it through the first viewing... she knew I'd be a wreck, and you know what? She was right. Julie, James, Lindsay, G, Christina, Sarah? They all knew too... their support didn't actually keep me from being a wreck, but as I sat there gripping Nancy's hand and fighting back the tears of outright joy I have to tell you their support (and thanks, Julie, for knowing exactly what I was talking about when I said "No, really: I'll be crying the whole time.") made being a wreck somehow... comforting. I owe all of them... which they'd deny, of course... which is, I should point out, a very "Superman" kinda' thing to do....

How much of a wreck was I? I fell apart during the opening credits.

During.

The.

Credits.

The theater went dark, the WB logo played, followed by the Legendary Pictures logo…and I was doing okay... even during the revamped DC Comics logo that followed... but then the screen went dark one last time. Marlon Brando's voice drifted out from the darkness; John Williams’ familiar Superman march blared out of the speakers and all of a sudden, the familiar blue outlined credits floated toward the audience then streaked straight at us... and I realized... I was about to watch a SUPERMAN movie. All of a sudden I was twelve years old again... and that feeling? It never went away. Not for two and a half hours.

This film plays to every geek sensibility you have, my friends, equally striking chords of the comics (with shots that emulate some of the all time great Superman covers and panels, including a nice reversal of Action Comics #1)) and the footsteps of the films it is boldly attempting to follow. This film... soars.

Speaking of soaring... when Superman flies... it's graceful; it’s ballet. It's poetic. He flies exactly the way we’ve always dreamed he could – the way every comic panel we’ve ever seen has tried to show us. Yes, it needs to be said: you will believe a man can fly. Again.

But while the special effects in this film are simply astounding, you won’t walk out talking about the explosions or the fights or the physics of saving a dead-stick 777 (okay, we did discuss that one) or cities being torn apart. You’ll be talking about the heart. Make no mistake: this movie is a love story. In fact, it’s two love stories. The first is the classic story of the Clark/Lois/Superman love triangle – with the added twist of new complications. But it's also the story of our (and Bryan Singer’s) love of Superman, the icon, the hero, the man we all wish deep down inside we could be.

Bryan Singer... he just... he just gets Superman right. Every aspect. There isn’t a single moment here that would make a single Superman fan wince. On the contrary, there are scenes that will bring tears to your eyes – not because they are emotionally manipulative moments at which you are supposed to cry, but because you are actually seeing the first truly amazing Superman rescue of your adult life. It sounds hokey, it sounds corny, but goddam if I didn’t look around and see some bleary-eyed little fanboys tearing up... after Nancy lovingly handed me a tissue to dry my own eyes, that is.

Brandon Routh is amazing; he defies all expectations. There is no question in my mind that he is Superman. I’m not saying he’s better than Christopher Reeve – but I will say that he is more than capable to fill his red leather boots. Nancy pointed out that Christopher Reeve's Superman made her swoon, while it was Brandon Routh's Clark Kent that did her in tonight. I have this idea that I should feel threatened or petulant about that... but honestly, I'm just too delighted by Brandon's performance to feel anything but happy, and confident in knowing that Superman is, at long last, back.

Kate Bosworth? Noel Neill still will always be Lois to me, but Kate? In many ways she is the definitive Lois Lane. Headstrong, beautiful, relentless and all the while a damaged woman in love but afraid to admit it. Bryan Singer offers up a very complicated Lois Lane, one of tremendous depth, and Kate meets every challenge thrown at her.

Kevin Spacey? Come on. No brainer. The man owns every second he’s on screen and displays the exact type of menace the role of Luthor demands. The guy’s just ruthless and is given a few perfect little moments to showcase just how dangerous he is. I especially liked that we got "Mad Scientist" Lex... a nice nod to the days when he was just "Luthor" in the comics.

And the rest of the cast works just as perfectly as the leads – especially the ones I was unsure of. Parker Posey, who I normally grit my teeth while watching (Oh, gee, I wonder if she’s going to play another chain smoking, catty, uptight, bitchy character? Oh look. She is!) actually bowled me over. I loved her here. She’s funny as hell, playing perfectly off of Kevin Spacey at every step. And Sam Huntington’s Jimmy Olsen is the perfect mix of puppy dog charm and over exuberance that has made the character of Jimmy Olsen stick around for so long. Sure, he's no Adam Brody (and our signed Superman Returns poster suffers for it), but he's terrific anyway, trust me.

But what amazes me most about this film is the fact that it maintains the soul of a kids' movie. It’s very wholesome and cute, in just the way a Superman movie should be, without sacrificing the mature themes that they were striving for. For instance: this is a movie all about being adopted.

I have friends who were adopted as infants, and to this day they ask themselves "Why didn't they love me?" and "Who am I, really?" They're well-adjusted, loving (and beloved) people who know and appreciate all they have... but those questions haunt them still. They don't care much about Superman... but I'm sure they'll love Superman Returns. The film plays directly to that sense of abandonment. The whole reason Superman left for five years was because there was a slight chance he might be able to discover some new information about Krypton. This turns out not to be true, but he was willing to throw all responsibility and personal connection aside to go find out.

We’re going to have to tread into spoiler territory to fully discuss this, so be warned. If you don’t want to know anything else about the actual story, just skip past the next paragraph now. Just in case, here's a buffer for you:













Okay? Ready? Superman searches the cosmos for his heritage, but instead finds his own son on his adopted homeworld... only to have to watch him be raised by someone else. Five years ago he had a child with Lois he never knew about... and he left. When he first shows up and sees her son Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu), he’s hit by a wave of regret, asking himself, “What if he had been my son?” You can see the regret on Clark's face as he gazes incredulously at Lois' family portrait. By the end of the film though, once he learns the truth, he looks at the boy in a whole new way, and it’s amazingly affecting. Later, Superman’s decision to allow his son to grow up with another father is a selfless one, and it ties things up perfectly.

Now, to be fair, I have a few nits to pick: First of all, how come no one even questions that just as Superman miraculously reappears, Clark Kent strides back into the Daily Planet bullpen? I know these same absences and reappearances happen almost regularly in the comics, but at least they try to explain what happened. "Oh, yeah... while Superman was out extinguishing stars with his super breath, Clark was, uh... trapped under this rubble." Oh, and who would want to live on that Kryptonite-laced island Lex built, anyway? Never mind wanting to live there, who could afford to live there after it swallowed half of North America, and most of the global economy along with it? And if Lex reall-- you know what? I don't care.

You know whay I don't care? Because of that grin on Superman's face as he looks up from the bullet that just bounced harmlessly off his eyeball. Because Lois stepped, barefoot, onto his boots like she was used to it. Because Lex had another real estate swindle to engineer, and he had to steal a 28-year old meteorite (found in Addis Ababa) to help realize his vision. Because when Superman is hurt, and suffering, his mother has to stand alone in a crowd of strangers staring at his hospital window while others get to go inside and comfort him. Noel Neill's cameo. Jack Larson's cameo. Because Clark has a dog, still pushes his glasses up with an uncertain finger, and still has trouble with revolving doors. Because Superman is passionate, powerful, polite and... present. Up in the sky.

Right where we need him.