Superman Returns isn’t as bad as some of the bad reviews are making it out to be. But it’s also not that good either. Disappointing, I think, is the best word to describe the movie.
I think it’s unfair to lay the blame for that disappointment at the feet of star Brandon Routh, however, which some of the reviews appear to be doing. While I’m sure his passing resemblance to a young Christopher Reeve was a factor in the casting — maybe even a major factor — I also think Routh acquits himself admirably in the role, or at least as admirably as possible given the material. His Superman never really comes alive on screen, but I don’t think that’s the actor’s fault.
I think the problem lies more with Bryan Singer wanting to direct a story about Superman so much that he sort of forgot the story part along the way. This isn’t a Superman for a new age; and while the film is not without its moments, it really doesn’t bring anything new to the table.
The film has essentially three types of moments in it: moments when it’s emulating, if not outright impersonating, the 1978 Superman movie; moments when the film is caught up in the mechanics of its surprisingly lightweight plot; and moments, rarer and fewer than the other two, when it’s doing something different, when there’s obvious fun being had on the screen. There was only one moment, early on in what became a very long movie, where my heart actually began to race, when the film acted on what is maybe the most fundamental and important level for any action movie: excitement.
I tried to prolong that moment, but the thing is, that’s the movie’s job. There’s only so much heavy lifting that John Williams’ familiar theme music can do. I wouldn’t go as far to call the movie tedious, but it does consistently fail to excite.