"superman returns"
starring brandon routh, kate bosworth, kevin spacey and james marsden
directed by bryan singer
watched at the metreon 3D imax, san francisco
yet another superhero movie that's got more humanity than the majority of films you'll ever see. fresh off the "spider-man" series and "batman begins" comes "superman returns", which is one of the most gorgeous films you'll ever see. there really aren't many directors out there that can pull this off any better than bryan singer. his films are complex yet simplified, mature yet fun. he's a master.
like i said, there's a real humanity in this. that's been the brilliance of these recent superhero films: if you think they're just superhero movies, you're missing the point. they've got these strong human truths that steer it and, on top of that, there's elegance in how they're told. this movie doesn't waste time, but doesn't rush to move the plot along. it's exciting and romantic, thoughtful and deep, reverent and forward. the story left me with goosebumps on my skin and a lump in my throat. it's just a beautiful film and story to watch and feel. can i stress this any more?
routh looks and sounds like christopher reeve. he doesn't do much acting other than that impression and, to be honest, he didn't really need to do much more. bosworth is stunning, and she plays a lois lane that's much more modern and much less annoying than margot kidder. i get why superman fell for her now, i fell for her. that was never the case for me before. and spacey and parker posey just work so easily together, both evil and light.
it's not a perfect movie. i didn't care for the end. in fact, it was hokey. and routh and bosworth are just too young for the roles they play - especially since this story takes place five years after superman II. and i didn't dig the ending. but what i didn't mind - at all, actually - was the whole jesus/superman allegory. and, at times, it seemed heavyhanded. but it's told in such glorious terms that i just really didn't mind it much, if at all.
one more thing: hbo has been playing "superman" and "superman II" a lot recently. i love those films, even though when you watch them back-to-back, you see how richard donner and richard lester gave them vastly different feels. anyways, this film, bryan singer's film, references a ton from both of them, and it's a really welcomed extra layer of storytelling. if you can, check them out before this one.
did i mention how gorgeous this film is?
1 comment:
That movie had major problems. Like the ending, which took place a full ten minutes before the end of the movie. I've heard of dénouement, but that was retarded.
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