Fans have been clamouring for months now, but director Bryan Singer's trailer for Superman Returns has finally been released. Superman (1978) was one of those defining movies for me as a kid, with Christopher Reeve's Man Of Steel a perfect incarnation of the superhero that has never been bettered. But can Singer's sequel re-capture the magic?
"Tell me everything..."What has impressed me with Singer's version glimpsed so far is his clear admiration for the original Richard Donner movie; with the Fortress Of Solitude, John Williams' Superman Theme, and Marlon Brando as Jor-El all returning unaltered in 2006.
Brandon Routh looks much better as Superman than those early publicity shots would have led you to believe. He's not as perfect as Reeve (who looked like he'd been lifted straight off the page), but he's pretty solid. The only thing that gives me slight pause is his boyish looks -- not exactly Superman.
Brandon Routh looks much better as Superman than those early publicity shots would have led you to believe. He's not as perfect as Reeve (who looked like he'd been lifted straight off the page), but he's pretty solid. The only thing that gives me slight pause is his boyish looks -- not exactly Superman.
However, Routh's Clark Kent seems spot-on if you're a fan of Reeves' bumbling nice-guy. Of course, so far it could be said Routh is just doing a good impression of Reeves, but hopefully the actual movie will reveal the depth and complexity Routh himself brings to the role.
Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane is undoubtedly an attractive lead and should be an effective damsel-in-distrel, but where's the spunk and sass gone? She seems quite meek and helpless in the trailer, so I hope this is just because the trailer wanted to focus on Lex Luthor and Superman. Again, Bosworth looks too young for the role -- she's 23 in real-life, and playing a mother to a 6-year-old. This doesn't fit with the characters' "numero uno" and very experienced reporter backstory, but we'll see how it pans out...
The standout performance in the trailer comes from Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, just as you'd expect. He seems to be channeling Gene Hackman's flamboyance with the psychotic glare of John Doe from Seven. To be honest, I wasn't expecting such a mischievous performance, but clearly Singer didn't want to make Lex too dark and unfunny.
"Bring it on!"Finally, the special-effects are simply wonderful! I didn't think you could better The Matrix Revolutions in its depiction of people flying through the air -- but I was wrong. Every single shot of Superman in flight looks fantastic, with only slightly noticeable CGI in one shot. The rest is excellent, particularly clips from an action set-piece where Supes rescues a freefalling airplane by grabbing its wing. Just fantastic!
Superman returns on 30 June in the U.S. So, as the trailer suggests, "look to the sky". I know I will be! You can download the trailer yourself from those great guys at Apple by clicking here...
Superman returns on 30 June in the U.S. So, as the trailer suggests, "look to the sky". I know I will be! You can download the trailer yourself from those great guys at Apple by clicking here...
