 | Studios: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release: | June 28, 2006 | |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation | |
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 for some intense action violence. |
The story takes place after the 2nd Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve, and I think it is a tribute to the better Superman movies (speaking for myself, I can't remember what happened in the latter Superman movies). After a long absence, Clark Kent aka Superman finds that Lois is married to someone else, who by the way isn't the father of her son. Though not specifically mentioned, it is implied that Jason could have been fathered by Superman... conceived during that bed scene in a previous movie where Clark had to choose between being an ordinary human or keeping his powers.
Brandon Routh does not only look so much like Christopher Reeve, but he pulls off the switch between confident Superman and the bumbling Clark Kent well. Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane on the other hand is only mildly similar to Margot Kidder's. Kevin Spacey captures the essence of Gene Hackman's portrayal of Lex Luthor without looking too much like a copy. James Marsden plays a very likeable Richard White that I forgive him for disappearing too early from the last X Men movie.
Richard White is actually a bigger hero in this story - supportive father to a kid who's not his son and supportive husband to a woman who's probably still in love with the implied real father of her son. If that isn't enough, White got enough movie action and lived through it even though he had no superpowers.
There are cool computer graphics, and I think everyone will remember the bullet hitting Superman's eye sequence.
I think Superman Returns will have no problem reviving the Superman franchise just as Batman Begins revived Batman.
