Superman Returns

I was hoping that with all the hype over this movie for the past year it would be a surprise revival of the Superman series, as was (definitely) Batman Begins.

Instead I found it un-original, deriving too much from the original Superman movie, as well as other popular movies, including Batman Begins. You never know how much of this is intentional or accidental. I'm sure Director Bryan Singer set out to pay homage to the original and the people who made it. But I think he overdid it. In some scenes, characters spoke word-for-word the lines from the first movie. It's almost a bit creepy.

Overall, it's not a bad movie. Most of the negatives were due to my expectations and my memory and appreciation of the original movie. The visual effects are spectacular. Worth watching on a big screen.

The visuals may have alot of depth, but the characters are kinda flat. Jimmy Olsen's exuberance is over-done. He might as well have been played by Screech from Saved by the Bell. Perry White is a sort of knock-off of J Jonah Jameson from the recent Spiderman movies. Everyone talks about how adventurous Lois is, but you really don't see it (she doesn't jump on an elevator with a nuclear bomb in the Eiffel Tower, does she?). Lex Luthor is played well, but you don't really get he's a diabolically evil mastermind.

Superman is not bad. Again, you don't really get the depth of his character that you do from the original, or Smallville, or especially the recent cartoons (Justice League). Justice League and the Batman animated series have THE best stories and characters of all the Superman/Batman versions. And what's with him stalking Lois & family at their home?

I hate to bad-mouth such a sentimental film, but the truth is that it's good but not great. Not from lack of quality, but mostly from trying too hard.