Rating of
2.5/4
Almost as good as the Christopher Reeve version
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/08
Five years ago, "Superman" (Brandon Routh) left Earth to find the remains of his home planet, "Krypton". He returns to his adopted home, which has changed.
The first change is that his archenemy, the evil genius "Lex Luthor" (Kevin Spacey). The other, which has truely affected "The Man of Steel", is that the love of his life, "Lois Lane" (Kate Bosworth) is now a mother, and about to marry her boyfriend, "Richard" (James Marshden), the handsome nephew of "Daily Planet" Editor-in-Chief "Perry White" (Frank Langella).
However, one thing hasn't changed. "Luthor" is up to his old tricks, as he has a plan that will use "Kryptonian" technology which will kill billions of people. And to make things worse, he may have a way to destroy "Superman" once and for all.
The first thing you can't help but notice is the amazing special effects. The CGI is real good, and really enhances the action in the scenes. However, the animation itself is not perfect, as it is pretty easy to tell when computer animation is being used.
When it comes to the performances, the main cast is real good. The supporting cast on the other hand is not that good, only because they aren't given much to do. The chemistry between the entire cast is also pretty good, however the weakest, in my opinion is between Routh and Spacey, who have little screen time together.
One thing I really enjoyed were the numerous references to the various previous versions of "Superman" through the entire film. You get everything from references to scenes or line from the movies starring the late Christopher Reeve to a photograph which recreates the cover of the first "Action Comics," which the "Superman" character debuted in. Even the popular classic television series, "The Adventures of Superman" gets a very special nod with two of the main cast of the show appear in the movie. And one of them gets to interact with the actor playing the character he did on the classic series.
The biggest reference to the Christopher Reeve movies has to be the music by composer John Williams. His musical score from the Reeve series has become so iconic, that you can not think of "Superman" without thinking of the theme Williams composed. Directors, if you want your movie to have a memorable score, sign Williams is your man!
One major problem is the script. The story is real good, but the script itself has its ups and downs. A lot of scenes are either slow or they just drag. There is some suspense, but not suspenseful enough in my opinion. The story is also quite predictable. You just know who is going to win at the end, but getting to the end is half the fun of the movie.
Another small problem is continuity with the Reeve films. The movie is set after the Reeve series, since they are referenced in dialogue, but the cast is obviously younger than the Reeve cast. By this time, "Superman" should be starting to turn gray like the "Earth-2 Superman" comic book character has, who is older than the "Superman" on "Earth-1".
Despite the flaws, this is a pretty enjoyable movie. I would say it could be a good, but weak, first choice the next time you go to your local rental place.
