Kevin Spacey Movie:

		List Price: $34.99		Label: Warner Home Video Salesrank: 23704 Released: August 19, 2008
		Our Price: $14.20
		Used Price: $13.00
		MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/09/2008 Rating: Pg13

Description of Superman Returns [Blu-ray]:
If Richard Donner's 1978 feature film Superman: The Movie made us believe a man could fly, Bryan Singer's 2006 follow-up, Superman Returns, lets us remember that a superhero movie can make our spirits soar. Superman (played by newcomer Brandon Routh) comes back to Earth after a futile five-year search for his destroyed home planet of Krypton. As alter ego Clark Kent, he's eager to return to his job at the Daily Planet and to see Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth). Lois, however, has moved on: she now has a fiancé (James Marsden), a son (Tristan Leabu), and a Pulitzer Prize for her article entitled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." On top of this emotional curveball, his old archrival Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is plotting the biggest land grab in history.

Singer, who made a strong impression among comic-book fans for his work on the X-Men franchise and directed Spacey in The Usual Suspects, brings both a fresh eye and a sense of respect to the world's oldest superhero. He borrows John Williams's great theme music and Marlon Brando's voice as Jor-El, and the story (penned by Singer's X-Men collaborators Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris) is a sort-of-sequel to the first two films in the franchise (choosing to ignore that the third and fourth movies ever happened). The humorous and romantic elements give the movie a heart, Singer's art-deco Metropolis is often breathtaking, and the special effects are elegant and spectacular, particularly an early airplane-disaster set-piece. Of the cast, Routh is excellent as the dual Superman/Clark, Spacey is both droll and vicious as Luthor, and Parker Posey gets the best lines as Luthor's moll Kitty. But at 23, Bosworth seems too young for the five-years-past-grizzled Lois. It's nice to see Noel Neill, Jack Larson (both from the classic Adventures of Superman TV series), and Eva Marie-Saint on the screen as well. Superman Returns is one of those projects that was in development for seemingly forever, but it was worth the wait -- it's the most enjoyable superhero movie since Spider-Man 2 and The Incredibles. --David Horiuchi

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Superman Returns [Blu-ray] Reviews:
At Least It Erased The Bad Taste of 3 (and 4) Away
2009-11-09 - To me, what truly bogs this film down is bad casting, particularly Lois Lane, the pacing and the lack of originality. While Brandon Routh (who is a dead ringer for Christopher Reeve) acts very well for his role, he doesn't seem to command screen presence like Reeve (ironically the first Superman being his first big feature). Kevin Spacey uses more dry humor and has a lethal threat to him when compared to Gene Hackman. My only wish for these Superman films is STOP USING LEX LUTHOR! It's not like he's got plenty of other villains to go up against (Brainiac, Bizarro, Toyman, Silver Banshee, Mongul, Doomsday, etc.) And since they did use Luthor, again, couldn't they've turned him into the twisted business man instead of him just going after land? Again. Frank Langella does a good job with Perry White, even throwing a reference to the old TV series. Sam Huntington is bland as Jimmy Olsen (a character I don't really like anyway, he gets on my nerves too easily). James Marsden's character was a nice twist so that way Lois isn't always pining after Superman, but the guy must not be very confident in Lois' affections towards him as every time the hero's name is mentioned, he gets into some whiney attitude. Eva Marie-Saint, Jack Larson and Noel Neil (Jimmy and Lois, respectively, from the original series) cameo as well. Bosworth was a complete mistake as a Lois. I don't know if its the way they chose to go with the character or not, but she HATES Superman, almost downright dispises him. I know the guy left without saying goodbye and that can feel hurtful but to go on and write an aricle about how the world doesn't need Superman when, before he left anyway, he was always constantly saving her skin, doesn't put her in a good light. And she looks way too young for the role. When I saw Margot Kidder, I didn't see an actor, I saw Lois Lane. The other aspect I hated was the allusion that Jason is Superman's son (alluding to Supes and Lois' one night stand back in Superman II). It seems too contrived and it feels like a forced plot point. The pacing is slow, especially once Luthor's Kryptonite landmass is formed. For an action movie, the third act, which is supposed to be the climax, just feels like an extension of the second act. The effects are good but the heat vision you can just barely see and some shots of Routh flying (I suppose when its actually him) looks like he's CGI. The story feels unoriginal. I know Singer meant it as a tribute to the first two (more so the first) but Superman reiterating the line about airplanes, using Marlon Brando, Luthor's obsession with land and the romantic flying sequence just feel like they were ripping those moments off. Now, subtle references/moments which work better for me are Kitty asking if Luthor's been in the Fortress before, saving a plane and Lois' first interview with Superman. John Ottman does a fine job adapting Williams' classic themes while doing a great job with his own material (and editing the movie as well).

Superman Returns... Hiding in the bushes it's a bird...
2009-11-07 - Superman Returns: 4 out of 10: This movie is definitely missing the spark that made the first two Supermans fun. (Superman 3 was pretty awful and Superman 4 is one of the worst films of all time). Superman comes across as a bit of a jerk and a bully in this film and the franchise is not all that better for it.

Superman has gone away for five years in a plot contrivance that threatens to sink the film before it can begin. The claim is that he is seeking the remains of his home world (Not to sound like a comic book geek, but he if gets his powers from our yellow sun one would think he shouldn't be flying past Pluto let alone halfway across the galaxy.) He comes back, sort of says hi to mom, tortures his poor loyal dog with a tennis ball and heads to the big city where he stalks his ex-girlfriend Lois whom he did not even tell he was leaving and who has clearly gone on with her life.

I'm not exaggerating the stalking. Superman hangs outsider her house using superpowers to snoop like some DC comics version of a cautionary Lifetime movie.

Lex Luthor is also back with another stupid plan though Kevin Spacey does play the character well and a talented Parker Posey fills both the Otis and Mrs. Teschmacher shoes.

Both leads (Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth) have zero chemistry with each other and considering they were passionate lovers, their conversations are pretty stunted and mundane.

The action sequences are decent but the whole film seems to drag at two and a half hours and there is a distinct lack of joy. (You know something fun like everyone putting his or her Kryptonite up on E-bay, or Superman dating a supermodel to make Lois jealous that kind of thing, everyone seems so damn melancholy.) Speaking of melancholy, I noticed that Superman never asked about any disasters he didn't prevent while he was on his so-called vacation. Maybe a trip over lower Metropolis to see Ground Zero would have given him a reason for all the moping.


The best superhero movie since Spider-Man 2 (and Superman 2)
2009-09-10 - Superman is the Grand Old Man of superheroes, and so a movie dusting the character off after an almost twenty year absence needs to walk a fine line between reverance and pure high adventure. Bryan Singer's Superman Returns does just that ... at once a loving homage to the great work Richard Donner did in 1978 with Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman and an elegant re-imagining of a hero we all know by heart, even if we think we don't. What Bryan Singer delivers is a smart, action-packed and heartfelt movie, bringing Superman to us after a fruitless 5 year search for his home planet, Krypton. His return to earth as Clark Kent coincides with Lex Luthor's newest real estate scheme, this one involving Kryptonite and a place to detonate it. (It's funny that the Lex Luthor of the Superman movie universe is so brilliant but only obsessed with real estate. And Kevin Spacey does the arch-nemesis complete justice ... making him both funny and very terrifying.) Our first real encounter with Brandon Routh's Superman (an excellent Brandon Routh) is a set-piece involving a fiery airplane and an endangered Lois Lane. This first glimpse of him is as satisfying as when Christopher Reeve snagged a falling Margot Kidder from the Daily Planet building and she screeched "You've got me? Who's got you?" And statistically, flying is still the safest way to travel. -- Brandon Routh's Superman already has an old soul and he wins our hearts from the beginning. He is an alien on an alien world and his outsider status never fails to touch us. This is not a question of Superman Returns being the best movie since Reeves' first two outings. Superman Returns belongs on the same shelf with these two. It is, simply, the most satisfying super hero movie to come along in a long while. Epic and intimate, spectacular and touchingly ordinary, Superman Returns does proper tribute to the first (and best) superhero flying around out there. Highly recommended.

Superman returns
2009-09-05 - Movie is clean and older child friendly. The acting could have been better. Superman character was sweet and comes across as almost helpless. IT is hard to review since no one could take Chris Reeves place. As a whole, I did find it entertaining and had to buy the first 4 to find out in what original segment when Superman could have become a father. I just wish they could have carried it a little further, I felt like it left us hanging in the air. After all what part was he going to play in raising his child.

Superman Returns: Enjoy the Homage for What It's Worth
2009-09-04 - In the Summer of 2006, nearly twenty years after Superman last soared across movie screens, the much-delayed, much hyped "Superman Returns" premiered to mostly positive feedback from moviegoers and better-than-average acclaim from film critics. Yet, despite racking up an astronomical total of nearly $400 million dollars worldwide in box office receipts, the movie was still deemed a relative failure, and, as of this date, shockingly enough, a sequel isn't even on the horizon yet. Why, one wonders? The pieces for a successful update of the beloved Superman film franchise were seemingly all there: a relatively solid cast (including Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor); a virtually limitless special effects budget; the classic score by John Williams; and, most importantly, a truly sincere appreciation for Richard Donner's original films starring Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman from 1978 and 1981. Yet, like some puzzles, this film's pieces simply didn't all fit because they were put in the wrong order. For that very reason, "Superman Returns" could have and should have been better than the finished product.

In terms of the storyline, director Bryan Singer and his co-screenwriters lovingly reference the original Donner films repeatedly, including never-before-seen footage of the late Marlon Brando as Jor-El. As much as I enjoyed these generous helpings of nostalgia, the recurring problem is that this film completely lacks the romantic exuberance and playful charm that Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder had previously embued. Instead, good-natured charm is replaced here by some surprisingly dark scenes of violence (inappropriate for young viewers, I might add). Considering that "Superman Returns" clocks in at roughly two and a half hours, the absence of any tongue-in-cheek comic relief is mind-boggling, and, as a result, the film really sags at times. Further, Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor needs to take an originality pill, as his latest land grab scheme seems nothing more than a more intense reworking of Gene Hackman's original Luthor. Aside from Luthor, a new villain like Brainiac or even Doomsday would have made more sense to avoid criticism that this film borrows too often from the Donner films.

Second, while Kevin Spacey is no doubt a perfect choice as Lex Luthor, he isn't able to carry this movie alone. Romantic leads Brandon Routh (as Superman/Clark Kent) and Kate Bosworth (as Lois Lane) aren't able to muster any magical chemistry together despite their best efforts. Routh is passable as the Man of Steel, and, if a sequel is ever made, he deserves another chance to improve upon his performance, which simply lacks the timeless charisma and depth Reeve had brought to the role. As for Bosworth, she is a solid actress, but she is completely miscast here. Singer's miscalculation casting Bosworth isn't nearly as bad as hapless Denise Richards playing a nuclear scientist next to Pierce Brosnan's 007 ten years ago, but it still ranks about the same as Katie Holmes' forgettable performance as an assistant DA in "Batman Begins," in 2005. In other words, Mia Kirshner and Megan Fox should be front runners for the next incarnation of Lois Lane.

However, "Superman Returns" has a strong supporting cast of James Marsden, Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Eva Marie Saint, and Sam Huntington, in addition to cameos from Jack Larson, Noel Neill, and, of course, Marlon Brando. Also, the young actor playing Lois' young son does an excellent job, although his character's presence is rather unsettling when one considers who his father turns out to be (a subtle hint about "Superman II.") Speaking of which, I'll give Bryan Singer credit for coming up with at least one original plot twist, but the romantic love triangle between Routh, Bosworth, and Marsden should have been permanently resolved by the film's end. Instead, the film's conclusion, unfortunately, is rather unsatisfying after well over two hours building up to it.

Third and lastly, the film's production design and special effects are, no question, simply awesome (countless millions of dollars will do that). However, Singer, I think, again miscalculated by relying far too much on computer-generated effects (sometimes, they are incredibly obvious), because it feels often like one is watching a video game's graphics. Further, Routh often seems indistinguishable from his CGI counterpart, and I'm afraid that's not a compliment because his expressionless face doesn't convey that it's really him flying. Make no mistake: Christopher Reeve made his flying sequences exhilarating fun because you could actually see his facial expressions clearly enough to make one believe in the fantasy that he really is flying. Routh, in comparison, instead looks more like another special effect.

Despite all of the nostalgic joy I felt hearing John Williams' familiar score (not to mention, the ghostly echoes of Marlon Brando's distinctive voice) once more, I think "Superman Returns" ultimately missed a wonderful opportunity to send the Man of Steel soaring into the 21st Century. This movie simply forgot to borrow the one vital element the 1978 Donner film possessed more than anything else: charming, adventurous fun with a classy sense of humor. Nonetheless, despite its flaws, "Superman Returns" is still well worth seeing for the loving homage to Christopher Reeve's memory, and to ours of him as the timeless Man of Steel.

Rating: a strong 3/5. (Please think twice before letting pre-teenagers watch this movie).