More Balanced Storytelling Needed for Promising Superman Returns

Superman Returns arrives in theaters nearly twenty years after Superman IV, the flat fourth installment of the Christopher Reeve capers. Superman, the first movie in the series, featured the relative newcomer Reeves and an all-star cast that included screen legends such as Marlon Brando, Jackie Cooper, and Glenn Ford and one in the making in Hackman. Superman Returns is more similar in its tone to the first film than the three subsequent films, which were progressively worse. At nearly two hours and forty-five minutes, Superman Returns is long and somewhat ambitious for a film of this genre, but it is not quite the rousing success this viewer anticipated.

Superman Returns was directed by Bryan Singer, a seasoned and talented albeit young filmmaker. The thirty-seven-year-old, who directed Usual Suspects and the first two X-Men movies, jettisoned his directorial duties on the third mutant film in order to preside over this project. His passion for the story is evident, but there is a lack of clarity and exactness in the storytelling and editing that prevent this film from being the summer spectacle it should have been. In the opening moments of the film viewers have the opportunity to hear words from Marlon Brando’s Jor-El character, but his words are garbled here. Only the most ardent Superman fans will understand his character’s words and their significance. Shortly thereafter, Superman literally returns to his grandmother’s backyard, but the explanation given for his return is murky at best. In addition, there’s a general lack of attention to the details surrounding Lex Luther’s escape from his predicament in the earlier films and his maniacal plots to use kryptonite to kill Superman and to destroy most of the world’s population.

The production of Superman Returns has a storied history that dates back at least one decade and involves multiple tales of cast changes and a revolving door of directors, screenwriters, and producers. (Alias creator and Mission Impossible director J.J. Abrams and Nicolas Cage were once attached to the project.) When the carousel of top directors in the running finally stopped, Singer, fresh off rave reviews from his X-Men pictures, was the last one standing.

Singer’s film is both a revision of the 1978 and 1980 movies and a continuation of the story that unfolded during the course of the earlier movies. And this might be the problem. A major plot point in Superman Returns is the relationship between Lois Lane, an investigative reporter, and Superman, which has supposedly cooled since the events of the earlier films. When we see Lois Lane here, she is engaged to an associate editor at the newspaper and she has a young son, whose paternity is in question. He may or may not be the product of an encounter between Superman and Lois Lane. This sudsy component to the Superman Returns story takes center stage, and while the performances are entertaining and engaging, the length of time devoted to that portion of the story prevents the audience from understanding other crucial elements of the saga.

Superman Returns boasts a solid cast that includes newcomers and veterans. Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth, both emerging from near anonymity, deliver satisfying and engaging performances. They are as fresh and likable as Reeves and Margot Kidder were in their star-turning roles and arguably have as much on-camera chemistry as the two previous actors. Kevin Spacey is reliable and competent as the loud and diabolical Lex Luther. The slick and over-the-top villain is accompanied by a comedic and slightly dim-witted sidekick, nicely played by Parker Posey. Spacey and Posey are two tremendously talented performers who unfortunately need much more to do than this screenplay allows. Frank Langella, James Marsden, and Eva Marie Saint round out the cast.

Superman Returns is far less clear in the way it addresses themes of justice for the marginalized, call, and vocation than a movie like X-Men. Like the original X-Men movie by Singer, Superman Returns is most concerned with establishing its characters and their motivations for future films that promise more substantive storytelling. Singer benefited from a tightly written screenplay in the original X-Men movie and could have used that same precision and narrative clarity and focus in the screenplay for Superman Returns, which he has written with Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. These weaknesses prevent Superman Returns from joining X-Men 2, Spider-man 2, and Batman Begins as the superior films in this rapidly expanding genre. Nevertheless, Superman Returns is above-average entertainment that impresses and enthralls us more often than not. Its director’s vision and passion may well be enough for this broad movie for the masses to best most of the competition in what has so far been a lackluster and disappointing summer at the movies.

Grade: B-

NEWS AND NOTES

Weekly Box Office Report

Below are gross ticket sales of the five highest grossing movies as of Friday, June 30. Year-to-date grosses have also been included.

Superman Returns $52.5 million $108.1million
The Devil Wears Prada $27.5 million $40.1 million
Click $19.9 million $87.6 million
Cars $14.6 million $190 million
Nacho Libre $6.6 million $68.5 million

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman have agreed to star in The Bucket List. They will play two terminally ill men who set out to complete a wish list of activities before they die.

The much anticipated sequel, Pirates of the Carribean will open on Friday, July 7. The film will star Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley. It was directed by Gore Verbinski.

Katie Cassidy, daughter of former teen idol David Cassidy, has reportedly won the part of Lucy Ewing in the motion picture adaptation of Dallas. Rumors are circulating that Cassidy won the part over Jessica Simpson and several other actresses. John Travolta has already signed on to star in the film.

Leonardo DiCaprio is pursuing the possibility of playing Tim Leary in a film that Craig Lucas (The Dying Gaul) is slated to direct.

Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li are set to star in Curse of the Golden Flower. Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon and The House of Flying Daggers were huge worldwide hits, and studio insiders predict the same sort of success for this upcoming film.