Superman Returns

Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's....

Kevin throwing his useless TV out the window. Bah!

To cheer myself up, I went to see Superman Returns. Yes, again.

I did miss the first 10 minutes, mainly because of a group of feckless morons, sorry I mean teenagers, who couldn't decide what flavour of popcorn to have, so I arrived in time to see Gertrude Vanderworth die. Not a great start, and I was peeved I'd missed the opening credits. Incidentally, Noel Neill who plays Gertrude played Lois Lane in the 1950s TV series. This was to be the first of many cameo appearances.

Brandon Routh pulls off the parts of both Clark and Superman very nicely. Like his predecessor, Christopher Reeve, he manages to look different as the two roles, unlike Dean Cain's Superman. How Teri Hatcher's Lois took 2 years (and a kiss) to figure out his secret identity still baffles me (ITV2 7pm Weeknights folks!). Here, I totally bought his bumbling Clark. He gives the impression that Clark is his normal persona and Superman is him being confident (as opposed to the source material which says he works very very hard to be Clark Kent).

Kate Bosworth does an able job as Lois. Too tied up in her own life and news stories to really pay attention to Clark, which he both loves and hates. (Loves because she won't guess his secret, but hates because he'd love her to notice him).

Kevin Spacey is superb as Lex Luthor.

And how could I miss that Richard White is Scott Summers (aka Cyclops)?!? Certainly helps explain what happens to poor Scott in X-Men 3.

And there are plenty of jokes and references to the original movie:

"Kitty, what was it my father said to me?"

Addis Ababa

Oh, and you think that image of Marlon Brando is just re-used footage? Pah! A fully formed CGI puppet based on his archive footage, coloured using his skin pigmentation and animated to slightly different dialogue (actually dialogue shot for Superman II, which couldn't be used because of a legal tussle, so his mother was put in the movie instead.)

Yes, I checked. It is Richard Branson in the shuttle. He even has a couple of lines! Watch for the beard, you can't miss it.

Overall, it's a great film. Ignore what the critics say. Go and see this on the BIG screen while you can!
You will believe a man can fly.
(But you won't believe that Lois didn't break any bones during the plane accident.)

Score: Well, I went to see it twice. What does that say?

OQ: "I hope this doesn't put any of you off flying. Statistically speaking, it's still the safest way to travel."

Trivia: (courtesy of our lovely friends at IMDB.com):

Bryan Singer makes a cameo as a reporter in the Daily Planet. Look for the guy who notices the tremor first.

Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris, the two writers of the screenplay, make an appearance as school kids making notes as Lex Luther arrives to steal the meteorite.

At the end of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Superman drops Lex Luthor off in jail and says "See you in 20". That film was made in 1986 (released 1987).

Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey signed on without having read the script.

Milliskin, a type of cloth, was used as the material of Superman's suit. Unfortunately, this cloth restricts movement when new. Worse, it sags after being worn and becoming comfortable. As a result, 80 suits, 100 capes, 30 boots and 90 belts were made. eBay anyone?

And this one is my favourite: When Bryan Singer became interested in possibly hiring Brandon Routh, he arranged for them to meet in a coffee shop. When they met at their table, Routh stumbled and spilled hot coffee all over the table. Although he panicked, thinking he had just lost the part, Singer laughed and said it actually helped him get the part. The incident convinced Singer that Routh could pull off the clumsy, bumbling Clark Kent.