The Speculist

I took my wife and four sons to see Superman Returns last night. It is definitely worth the 8 - $10 ticket price.

The first question many people will have is whether this movie is a sequel to the Christopher Reeve movies. Well, yes and no. First, forget Superman 3 and 4 (no problem for me, I had already). If this film is a sequel at all, it follows Superman 2.

But it's more of a impressionistic than literal sequel. The director obviously paid homage to those first two Superman movies but didn't feel constrained by them. He took what worked from those films and then moved forward. I think it was a good choice.

To me, the most significant change was Lex Luthor. Gene Hackman played Luthor as a sort of super-smart buffoon. This Luthor is darker, but more understandable. He sees himself as Prometheus - stealing the fire of alien technology from a selfish god for the benefit of mortals. If that theft requires the death of a few billion people, well the ends justify the means. And yes, it's Superman that Lex sees as a selfish god.

These Religious themes, particularly the references to Christ, are impossible to miss. When Lois Lane's tells Superman that the world doesn't need a savior, he flies Lois above Metropolis. Floating above the city he says that he hears everything below and "the world is crying out for a savior."

One professional reviewer wondered why Superman bothers with the Clark Kent persona. It's true that because this movie was emphasizing Superman, Clark's role is rather light in this film. But I think Superman Returns explains the need for Clark Kent better than ever before. Hero work, particularly if you are very different from others, is lonely. Sometimes you just want to be a normal guy. Sometimes you want the weight of the world - note the Atlas images in this film - lifted.

I had a friend ask whether this Superman movie was "gay." Apparently this movie has been embraced by the homosexual community. After seeing the film, I'm not sure why. Maybe gays like this particular actor in the Superman tights - or maybe the new tights. But, no, I didn't notice any particularly gay themes - unless you count the more universal theme of how an outsider can be a hero. If anything, heterosexuality was necessary to the plot.

Does this movie play well to kids? My 9, 6, and 3-year-old all loved it and said so (and the baby cooed excitedly a couple of times).

There are a several incredible action sequences that kids of all ages will love. The improvement in the special effects since 1980 is very evident in these sequences. Superman moves quicker at times, and simply floats at other times, the physics just seem more believable.

With A+ being the highest possible mark, I give this film an A. You'll enjoy it.