4th July, 2006

DAVID ADAMS

Superman Returns (M)

In a word: Nostalgic

THE MAN OF STEEL: Brandon Routh stars as Superman. "This is a film which delivers what it promises: plenty of block-busting action which results in Superman saving the world. No more, no less."

"We don’t need another hero," sang Tina Turner in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. That may or may not be true, but we certainly need some recycled ones - or so Hollywood believes. Following in the wake of Spiderman and Batman, Superman is the latest superhero to get a makeover - not since Christopher Reeves starred in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 1987 has the man in the blue tights and red cape graced the silver screen. But now, in the aptly titled Superman Returns, the Man of Steel is back in a more modern rendering of his adventures. And with more than a few nods to the 1978 film Superman: The Movie, his comeback is one that should evoke feelings of nostalgia in fans of the old movies while at the same time introduce him afresh to a whole new audience. Superman Returns opens with Superman (played by Brandon Routh)...well...returning after an absence of five years. He’s been out into space to see if he could find anything left of his home planet, Krypton, but returns to earth disappointed. While he seems to be able to slot back fairly easily into the life he left behind - Clark Kent picks up where he left off at the Daily Planet surrounded by his old colleagues Perry White (Frank Langella) and a slightly older Jimmy Olsen (sam Huntington) - there have been some changes. Sure, Lex Luther (played by a bald Kevin Spacey) is once again the bad guy - he was released early from prison after Superman failed to show at his court date - but his relationship with Lois Lane (played by Kate Bosworth) is now clouded by the fact that she’s married and has a son. There’s nothing particularly new about Superman Returns - the movie’s themes and the struggles of Superman himself are much the same as they were in the earlier films - and there’s clearly been an effort to keep some continuity - Routh, for example, plays Superman and Clark Kent in much the same way Christopher Reeve did. That said, however, this is a film which delivers what it promises: plenty of block-busting action which results in Superman saving the world. No more, no less. Superman is back. What else do you need to know?

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