Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Last night we watched Superman Returns. It was an enjoyable movie. M thought it was alright, not enough action, while I thought it was pretty good. I'm not sure about Brandon Routh as Superman, for he has rather burly eyebrows. (Burly seems a good word for it :D)

Following astronomers' discovery of the remains of Krypton, Superman vanished to go and see what was left there. Five years later he returns, and this is where the narrative of the film begins. In his absence, Lois Lane has started living with someone and has a young son. She also won a Pulitzer for her article on why the world doesn't need a superhero. (Not that she's at all bitter! :D)

The easy thing to do, would to have made James Marsden's character (as her fiancé) an unpleasant person, but he is a thoroughly good egg: brave, loyal, kind, loving, strong etc etc. This makes the triangle more interesting and Superman's pursuit of Lois more complex and even morally dubious. I was quite engaged by the love sub-plot, (which often seem tacked on in these types of movie), so it was effectively done. Spoiler: I was also pleased by the outcome at the end of the film, because I feared the fiancé would be killed off in a typical Hollywood cop-out...

There were quite a few nods to the Christopher Reeve films and previous incarnations of Superman, and even to the classic lines "It's a bird, it's a plane..." :D

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