Superman Returns

I wanted to like this movie. Honest, I did. But, wow what a stinker. Balgavy and I had a couple hours to kill in Kansas City on a Saturday afternoon. We had had some bad luck aimlessly driving around the area looking in vain for an American Legion baseball tournament. So we decided the sweet relief of an air-conditioned theater with a huge summer hit was just the ticket for relief.

We were wrong.

Truth be told, we should have known better. Superman is just inherently a bore. So damn wholesome. So damn free of any moral dilemmas. And every single plot line has to revolve around kryptonite, don't it not? I mean, how else to combat the Man of Steel without that sinister green substance?

As I was watching this, I found myself yearning for Batman Begins which I didn't even like that much. I suppose that this film looked okay enough but as Balgavy said, "There was absolutely no suspense in this film." I did like the homage to the 1978 film version with the opening credits and the John Williams score. But nostalgia isn't enough to carry the day with this one. I just didn't care at all. Kate Bosworth stunk. Superman was boring. Lois Lane's son was an idiotic plot device. Her husband was even more bland than Superman.

As a three-year-old, my favorite superhero was Superman. By the time, I was five, I think I had moved onto Batman. Even then, I liked his more conflicted nature and the fact that he was a mere mortal rather than a a guy with superpowers. Either that or I just dug Adam West a whole hell of a lot - not sure which is the real reason why I gravitated to Batman at such a young age. Then again, my mom might correct me on this and let me know that Superman was my favorite. Either way, by the age of 33, I've figured it out - Superman is sure not where it's at.

That being said, if Zad, Ursa, and Non from Superman II show up in the next installment, I'll gladly go see it.

Did anyone else notice that in the scene when Lois Lane surprised Lex Luthor on his boat when he was eating yogurt or something that Kevin Spacey did an amazing impersonation of Dr. Evil? And when it is all said and done, I can't get over the fact how stupid it is that no one recognizes Clark Kent or puts two and two together that both he and Superman reappeared at the exact same time after both being gone for four years or something. I know this isn't Singer's fault but the absolute silliness of it all does distract. I know it is just a superhero movie but I'd like a little more plausibility - at least to the point that they didn't need to have Superman return after a long hiatus as a plot point. But I suppose that it made a snazzy title for this movie to let moviegoers know that Superman has indeed returned.

The Independence 20, Independence, MO
2006