Super, Super, Superman!

What's special about this film, however, is that it is where Superman sort of grows up, understanding, finally, his reason for being. It's actually a lovely superhero movie, both poignant and fresh. It is poignant as a tribute to the old "Superman" of twenty-plus years ago; and it is fresh because it breathes into an old superhero new relevance.

I didn't realize how much Superman was part of my childhood until last Saturday, when I caught the last full show of "Superman Returns" with my classmates. We were there, after an afternoon of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, upon the insistence of Junie, who had even texted us the day before to wear Superman shirts, or, at least, Superman colors. I came in bright red. But only because I'm always game when it comes to things like that.

Sitting in the theater with a host of Superman fans, however, I soon realized I wasn't as indifferent to Superman as I had always thought myself to be. Maybe too much familiarity had pushed Superman into the background-like many of my teenage friends, I'd followed "Lois and Clark" religiously; Superman merchandise is always a ubiquitous presence in toy stores and children's clothing sections; and then, of course, there's "Smallville".

Whatever the reason, to my surprise and amusement, the moment the Superman theme played, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. If I hadn't found that embarrassing, and if I had been watching alone, I would have probably been sniffling my way through the movie-although there's a very high probability that Kate Bosworth's first appearance as Lois Lane would have snapped me out of it. That, or my friend Louie whispering, "Remember how Tito, Vic, and Joey spoofed that in 'Super 1,2,3' ?" when the scene where Martha Kent drives out into the field to check out the crater was showed.

I was overwhelmed with nostalgia, hearing the familiar theme; the lovely strains of "Can You Read My Mind?"; seeing the old (though updated) landmarks, like the office of "The Daily Planet", the landscape of the Kents' farm; even asking, again, the long-time mind-boggling question of how in the world a pair of glasses can be a disguise sufficient enough for someone like Superman!

I suppose this has to do with how director Bryan Singer crafted "Superman Returns" as a loving tribute to the Reeves (Christopher and Dana), and to the first two (and widely recognized as better) installments of the "Superman" series, which were both directed by Richard Donner.

Christopher Reeve will always be the perfect Superman/Clark Kent to me, but gorgeous newcomer Brandon Routh is definitely not a bad choice. Prior to the announcement of the production of "Superman Returns", there was a buzz that Nicholas Cage (a fan of the Man of Steel himself, so much so that he named his son Kal-el) was portraying Superman in a Tim Burton movie. I have nothing against Nicholas Cage, but when the film ("Superman Lives") was shelved, I was relieved.

Kevin Spacey does a brilliant and hilariously deadpan Lex Luthor, but I think Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski stole a bit of his thunder.

I had a problem with Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, though. For starters, she's not exactly the intense, quirky, and klutzy reporter I pictured Lois Lane to be. She doesn't even look like a mother of a five-year-old. And, on top of that, she doesn't strike me as someone who can win a Pulitzer. It's probably a combination of the casting and how Lois Lane the character was fleshed out-why would a Pulitzer Prize winner do stupid things like take a five-year-old asthmatic boy to the villain's lair, or take off her seat belt when the plane she's on hits turbulence?

What I enjoyed most in "Superman Returns" is the wisecracking dialogue and scenes, especially those of Lex and Kitty. What's special about this film, however, is that it is where Superman sort of grows up, understanding, finally, his reason for being. It's actually a lovely superhero movie, both poignant and fresh. It is poignant as a tribute to the old "Superman" of twenty-plus years ago; it even has an old clip of Jor-El (Marlon Brando) delivering a post-mortem message to Kal-el. And it is fresh because it breathes into an old superhero new relevance.

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