Superman Returns
Superman Returns
Superman returns to Earth after spending five years in space examining his homeworld Krypton. But he finds things have changed while he was gone, and he must once again prove himself important to the world.
James Saenz reviewed11h ago
“but millions of people will die!”
“billions! once again, the press underestimates me.”
this was the first movie i ever saw in theaters where the whole room applauded at the end, as superman flew out into space right before the credits rolled. as a kid, that was a really formative moment and i retain a lot of sentimentality for this picture because of it.
it’s such a beautifully crafted film, with great production design and some genuinely astonishing cinematography; there’s constantly interesting framing, from longer cuts to the quickest few seconds of a shot (like using glasses as a lens to view kid clark); or the way the action is choreographed and how the camera moves around a constantly shifting environment; or even the way the camera moves in what would typically be a basic expositional scene greatly enhances the look of the movie. despite the massively differing aesthetic, it’s the only superman adaptation to date whose cinematography has ever rivaled the original 1978 film’s.
it’s just a shame that mostly everything else is painfully middling and constantly verging on boring. i like brandon routh well enough as an actor, but both his portrayal of clark and superman feel disengaged. there’s next to zero chemistry between him and lois, who kate bosworth struggles to breathe personality into. the best bit of character work in this entry is honestly lex luthor, whose affection for ludicrously convoluted plans and beachfront property is carried over from the original series. the actual narrative never feels particularly engaging, but i do like how patient it is; i just wish it took that time to provide more substantial character interactions.
p.s. parker posey i am BEGGING you for a chance just one chance please.