It has been 19 years since the last Superman film. The release of the first X-Men movie in 2002 was the start of a flurry of comic-book-based feature films coming out of Hollywood. It seems as though movie studio execs have once again seen the mass appeal and profitability of creating such films; the majority of them being Marvel Comics-based films.
With its long awaited June 28 release behind us, DC Comics’ “Superman Returns” can undoubtedly be placed among the best comic book based films, such as Marvel’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” and Vertigo Comics’ “V for Vendetta”.
In “Superman Returns”, we are introduced to a world without Superman (Brandon Routh). After finding out that astronomers might have discovered Superman’s home world Krypton, a planet believed to be destroyed, Superman mysteriously vanishes for five years. Crime in Metropolis and beyond climbs to a new high, and in the meantime, accomplished journalist and Superman’s love interest, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), publishes an article for which she wins a Pulitzer Prize; “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.”
After the disappearance of Superman, Lane seemingly moves on, gets engaged to “The Daily Planet” editor’s son, Richard White (James Mardsen) and has a child. But when the Man of Steel returns, you find out if she has truly forgotten him, and what secrets she withholds from him.
The main villain in the comics and in the film is Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey). Luthor, who has just gotten out of prison and is known for having a personal vendetta with Superman, has devised a most sinister plan. It is up to the Last Son of Krypton to once again stop Luthor and essentially save the world.
With films like this one, it is important to create an experience for the audience of epic proportions. Director Bryan Singer, who happened to direct the first two X-Men films as well, did have enormous shoes to fill, after all. The X-Men films were the first ever done. Superman, however, is a franchise that has already seen four previous films, each of them starring the late Christopher Reeve.
“Superman Returns” combines a solid storyline, with a major plot twist inserted; good acting; and state of the art visual effects, to deliver a visceral viewing experience. Early in the film, moviegoers are treated to a scene where Superman has to stop a commercial-sized airliner which is barreling out of control from plowing into a Major League baseball field.
Those who wish to take their movie experience to the next level can actually see it with select scenes in 3D at the IMAX theatre at Lincoln Square. Whether you see Superman Returns on a gigantic screen with 3D glasses propped on your face or on a screen no bigger than your wall, it is a film not to be passed up.