Superman Returns revisited

Ok, after buying the "Ultimate" Superman box set, I've been rewatching the movies this weekend, along with some of the interviews and stuff, and I was struck by a couple of things in Superman Returns that I thought I'd share. If you haven't seen the movie yet, go away.

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You will be different, sometimes you'll feel like an outcast, but you'll never be alone. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son.

Marlon Brando as Jor-El to baby Kal-El in Superman (1978)

The above quote is the ENTIRE plot of Superman Returns. All the stuff with Lois Lane and Lex Luthor is just subplot. The main point of the whole thing is about how Superman and his son see each other. Watch it again, and you'll realize what I mean. Every single scene that Jason's in, there are close-up shots showing him, then showing what he's looking at. EVERY SCENE. Jason even figures out that Clark is Superman, when no one else does.

And that's why Superman repeats the above quote, word for word, to his son at the end of the movie, because that really was the main point of the whole thing.

Also, Jason uses his super-powers more often than people realized in this. The piano thing was pretty obvious, and the door handle where you can't tell if he did it is, too. But did you notice the part where they're trying to get their plane in the air to escape the crystals and the camera keeps flashing to Jason? I think it's implied that he's helping the plane fly. And of course, there was the fact that Jason's keen eyes spot Superman in the water before anyone else sees him.

There's also a lot of Christian symbolism in this movie. Superman is an obvious Christ figure, especially at the end where he saves the world, then spreads his arms like he's on a cross before falling to Earth as if dead. And of course, then he returns from that death. That part was pretty obvious even the first time I saw this movie.

About the choice of casting - Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman is still the single greatest casting decision in Hollywood history. Brandon Routh is ok as Superman, but he just doesn't give Clark Kent as much personality as Reeve did.

For that matter, Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane also lacked personality. I've gained a new respect for Margot Kidder rewatching the old movies, and seeing the screen tests of the women she competed against for the role.

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor and Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen were both good.

I also liked Parker Posey as Kitty. I kept wondering why they didn't have her play the role of Miss Tessmacher from the first two films, but I realized the answer rewatching this one. She met Superman for the first time here, and it wouldn't have worked if she was a character that he should have recognized.

As for the action of the movie, it worked pretty well. I'm not quite as impressed with this movie the second time around, but the airplane scene was probably the best Superman action sequence ever.

Enough of my babbling for now. What did everyone else think?

YAGS