Superman Returns - the Man of Steel is Back!

Like the undying, loyal Spidey fans before Toby Macguire became everyone's "friendly neighborhood Spider-man", Superman fans the world over have had to wait patiently, often despairingly for Krypton's last son to once again explode onto the big screen accompanied by John Williams' trademark Superman music.

Though their "Man of Tomorrow" thirst was held at bay by a slew of television shows; several well-done cartoon incarnations, the adequate Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and the groundbreaking new mythology Smallville, their hunger never abated as they waited breathlessly for Christopher Reeve's heir.

They were patient through an endless slew of casting calls that rumored everyone from David Boreanz, (Angel, Bones) to Heath Ledger (A Knight's Tale, The Patriot), and certainly breathed a big sigh of relief when the Timothy Burton (Batman) and Nicolas Cage (The Rock, Face/Off) ship passed. Don't get me wrong, Nick is absolutely perfect for Marvel's next big screen dash, Ghostrider - he is a promising cast for Johnny Blaze. But Supes? Sorry.

Finally, when Brian Singer (X-men, X-men 2) signed on, Superman fans breathed a big sigh of relief.

However, trouble was on the horizon. Were they over-budget? Brandon who? And what's up with that cod-piece?

Look, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's….a flop?

As all movie goers got the chance to see this past week, that was hardly the case. Although not quite the resounding success of another rejuvenated series, Batman Begins, (to steal a phrase from Connor Mcloud - there can be only ONE Batman, and he is Christian Bale), Superman Returns was a solid return to the box office. Even if he needs a little work on his Superman - which is debatable - Routh nails Clark Kent much better than I ever felt Reeves did, taking a bumbling moron and transforming him into a well-intentioned, kind if somewhat nice guy who often gets over looked (Although, the determined face he makes when his glasses fall off and he's on the verge of revealing himself to Lois was so reminiscent of the late Christopher Reeve, it was kind of spooky).

Kevin Spacey was good as Lex Luthor, but he caters more to the Gene Hackman school of the character - a con man, certainly amoral and therefore a menace, but really in it for a quick buck. I truly hope Warner Bros gives the Smallville cast a shot at big screen fame, I personally feel the Michael Rosenbaum Luthor to be far more evil and malicious.

There are enough twists and virtual plot bombs - sorry, you can't twist the arm of this reviewer - to make watching the movie a worthwhile experience. That, and as someone who was never a personal fan of Margot Kidder, (sorry Margot - Terri Hatcher you're not), I liked Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane.

The only downside of the movie was Luthor's master plot. It wasn't bad, and the resulting Christ imagery of a kryptonite-weakened Superman getting beaten down and kicked as if he was on the way to Golgotha was moving and actually quite a daring move by Singer, but it was just a money-making scheme. I would have liked it a little better had there been something a little bigger as the big, bad plot in the movie. Oh well, rumor has it the next movie is going to examine the groundbreaking Doomsday and Death of Superman comic book line, and THAT is a breathtaking thought...as long as they don't hire Ang Lee to direct and have the "Comish" play Doomsday in a big rubber suit.

Can anyone say "Hulk Smash?"

A final note for all you gals: wives and significant others who equate superhero movies with testosterone and men in tights, (look….is that Carey Elwes?), Singer has been quoted as calling this movie a chick flick, and it really is. It has a surprising emotional depth lacking in most comic book movies, with the exception of the Spider-man series.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Kevin Lucia is a book review columnist for The Baptist Voice. His reviews and short fiction have appeared in Millennium Science Fiction Magazine and The Colesville Carrier. Kevin currently works as a middle school English & Literature teacher at St. John the Evangelist School in Binghamton, NY.