... an unnecessary sequel. Yes, it surely is. But seeing Superman portrayed by Brandon Routh is almost worthy of bringing to the screen. However, Routh's sharp look and mild, but effective acting is the best thing about this underwhelming take on the familiar and much-loved Man of Steel.
Superman jumped ship along the way, sometime after the first Superman film and its sequel Superman II, but now he's back in action, just in time to save his favorite gal Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth). However, with that memory wipe that happened to Lois in Superman II, she seems to lost her spunk and attitude which really made Lois different from most ladies on the screen in and around the city of Metropolis. What has not changed from the previous films is Lex Luthor and his obvious goal of taking over the world.

Kevin Spacey fills the shoes previously vacated by Gene Hackman quite well, but the script doesn't give him enough opportunities to crack some wit, as well as have the snarky dialogue that makes Lex so different from other Comic-book villains. Lex's drive this time around is to obliterate Superman by stealing precious crystals from what is left of the planet of his origin - Krypton - as well as using pieces of Kryptonite against him, AND create his own continent of it, so that the rest of the world will bow down to him and his new body of land. A truly far-fetched plan for any person to be successful, but it does work in the story, unlike some of the other developments and use of characters.

As far as superhero movies go, Superman Returns is lacking of what makes films of the genre great. The vibrant characters, the futuristic qualities set in a modern time frame, action-packed scenarios, and the ability to be affecting to the audience, with both emotions and human touches. But the film has practically no balance between the emotions of the characters- especially the "return" of the sexual tension between Lois Lane and Superman/Clark Kent- and the parts where Superman does his job. Director Bryan Singer has already made his mark with the first two X-Men films, but the problems that I have with those films do linger here, although in a different environment- all things to do with excitement, paying attention to characters, and allowing conflict to be not only meaningful, but have real reason and presentation that involves discussion. Or in simple terms, suffering from total blandness.

Do I hope that they continue the series with another Superman sequel? Yes, but only if there's an overhaul in acting, story, and direction - replace Kate Bosworth and Bryan Singer, and also give both the new Lois and the next film some real enthusiasm with the script. Despite the obvious issue of the script, most of the actors really do the best to their ability- even Routh's Clark Kent leaves much to be desired, not through his acting, but from what he's given to work with. The underwhelming nature of this film makes the 2 hour and 37 minute runtime drag, even though the story and pacing move quickly along. It seems to be that this time around, Superman never really seems to fly, despite getting off the ground.

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