Superman Returns

Bryan Singer, like Christopher Nolan, has done honorably at breathing new life into his comic book hero, but his Superman Returns is a long way from Nolan's Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. It's hard to say whether it's the fault of the director (which I doubt) or the studio that despite such an ungodly fat budget, the result is basically a slightly above average flick. I wasn't disappointed, but my expectations were not exceeded (as they were with the Batman films). Still, I remain optimistic and look forward to The Man of Steel. Something tells me that this time Singer will step it up and film it to perfection, we'll see. For "Superman’s return" it's rather an incomplete 4 stars. (09/05/2009)

A comic-book romance at a cost of 260 million dollars? In relation to today’s Spider-Man and X-Men movies, shifting focus from dynamics and action to a love motif is a very bold move in a 150-minute film. Superman Returns doesn’t conceal the fact that it’s a different kind of comic-book movie, but viewers longing for an exciting adventure won’t care about that. Brandon Routh is cool, but the cloying Kevin Spacey comes across as a caricature in his fascist jackboots and thus doesn’t inspire respect. I wasn’t bored by this film, but I would have liked more excitement. (18/09/2006)

A Blockbuster with a soul. It captivates in several action moments (even a train accident on the big screen can be a blast), and the intimate scenes are very pleasant, mainly thanks to the main cast and the chemistry between them, which works flawlessly. Brandon Routh was born for the role of Superman and Kate Bosworth, who is not a bland Jessica Alba-type Barbie doll, exudes soulful beauty and fragile femininity. I don't accept the criticism that Singer is too reverential towards the source material and doesn't try to make it realistic and humanized. It’s Superman! A legendary comic book icon whose existence doesn't need to be subject to fashion trends and it simply doesn’t matter how he can hide his cape under his shirt or what kind of miraculous hairspray he uses. I just hope that some of the themes (fatherhood) will be developed in the sequel. With a margin of about 50% for cinema operators, it is now clear that Singer's film will not pay for itself due to the absurdly high budget (which is not visible in the result) and it would be a great pity to postpone further filming. It’s one of the best comic book adaptations in recent years and it does deserve a sequel. PS: You have to watch it in a cinema with perfect sound! (20/07/2006)

Surprisingly moderate and quite monotonous for Bryan Singer’s standards, without any significant deviations in both style and plot. However, one cannot deny its clearly visible openness and honesty, which impresses the viewer from the very first minute. The action sequences are almost perfectly filmed – the scene with the airplane is thrilling – but the colossal budget is difficult to understand. Perhaps the missing element of realism is bothersome, it is not present even in terms of the protagonist’s characteristics, but it also applies to the setting where he appears. The airplane they call a Boeing 777 is actually not that, a 4G speed would tear it apart immediately, whereas here it comfortably continues to fly. This is just a fraction of the gigantic nonsense this film has. But if you are willing to accept that and the shots of the embracing couple against the backdrop of the night city do not cause any problems (rather the opposite), you will thoroughly enjoy this movie. (20/07/2006)

Brandon Routh is not Christopher Reeve, but no one is. As Clark Kent and as Superman, he is tolerable, the problem rather arises with Lois Lane. For me, Margot Kidder will probably always be the best Lois Lane we could see on the screens. In the case of the movie "Superman Returns," the creators tried to give her some emotional depth, make Lois and Clark's relationship a bit more complicated, but all of this only contributes to the fact that this film feels incredibly small, intimate, and at times also boring. Yes, it is an attempt to make a comic book different, less colorful, exaggerated, and cluttered, but it's been somewhat forgotten that this was not supposed to be showcasing a relic, but it was supposed to be something that would excite, impress, captivate, and above all, entertain the audience. "Superman Returns" does not entertain nor impress, it just takes nearly two and a half hours of your time. More: http://www.comics-blog.cz/2013/08/242-superman-se-vraci-2006-50.html (21/08/2013)