"Superman Returns"
Family night. We rented Superman Returns and I have to say that I just wasn't crazy about it. The actor is a dead-ringer for Christopher Reeve and seemed to go out of his way to adopt Reeve's mannerisms and vocal tone which I think was a mistake because those old Superman moves are painfully dated and almost unbearable to watch. Plus, why try and out-do Reeves? Why not reinvent and do something new with the role?
I should qualify this pseudo-review by admitting that Superman has never been my favorite hero. The whole father sending the son to earth to help us poor stupid earthlings plot line is just too didactic. And as a hero Superman is lacking any real personality. With Batman you’ve got gadgets and training and commitment and the internal conflict of hero vs. vigilante. Spiderman has this too to a lesser extent. With Superman you’ve got what . . . a guy who grew up in a corn field and flies around in tights? The guy is bulletproof, heat resistant, can fly and has no sense of humor. His day job is also weak and Jimmy Olsen is annoying. I think this franchise needs to be radically reinvented or scrapped entirely. My kids were bored.
By Myron Gushlak