Superman Returns

The much maligned Superman Returns is not as bad as its reputation would suggest. In some ways the eponymous character felt more like Superman in this film than he did in Man of Steel, with a few notable exceptions of course. I don't think Superman would leave Lois Lane on Earth with a love child it comes off as rather skeevy and out of character. And he definitely wouldn't stalk Lois Lane behind her back. Outside of that, Brandon Routh's portrayal of Superman does show shades of Christopher Reeves' Superman.

Superman is very charismatic and approachable in this film and he actually cares about civilians. I understand the criticism that the movie gets, the action scenes are rather sparse and Lex Luthor's real estate scheme is beyond inane. Seriously Lex, nobody's going to want to buy land on a barren wasteland your investors wouldn't be that stupid. However, there are a few positives that outweigh the negatives. The airplane sequence in the beginning is amazing and the music makes it very exciting as an action scene.

Also, the scene where Superman takes a slug to the eye by the bank robber is amazing. I also love the art deco style of the Daily Planet, and all the scenes on Lex Luther's opulent yacht are gorgeous to look at from a whole set design perspective. Back to the negatives, Superman having a kid has some emotional resonance but they didn't do much with the kid to me and he felt like a plot contrivance. If Superman Returns would have gotten a sequel the movie would have explored the rift between Brainiac and Superman's child. Both characters would have vied for the child's affection and that would have made for an interesting sequel.

Alas, we never got that sequel unfortunately. Anyway I digress, I understand that Bryan Singer was trying to do a love letter to the Richard Donner films, but he should have done something far more original and bold. However, the film does get the sunny optimism of Superman right, so I still find it rather enjoyable as a superhero movie. Honestly, if you took the emotional resonance of Superman Returns and took the action spectacle of Man of Steel, you would have a great Superman movie in my humble opinion.