Last year I saw Terrence Malick's "The New World", and after seeing it, I felt like I had experienced a wave of euphoria, having experienced one of the most breathtaking visual feasts with a deeply resonating emotional core that I have ever seen. Last week, I saw Superman Returns and was equally stricken by it's use of rich imagery and metaphor to take me to a place of unimaginable life, on the silver screen. While some make take aim at Superman's running time and slower character-centric pace, I find that is what movies are, and should be about. At it's heart, Superman is still the everyman immigrant, he is every one of us. He represents something, and through all that has changed since Superman has left us on film, this return is the juggernaut it needed to be. It is not only a slice of American pop culture, but a piece of fine art to behold and witness. It's beautiful grace enveloped me, the visual effects were seamless and the character points and arcs were dealt with extreme care. The moments in which Superman is feeling and thinking and reacting are truly one's of cinematic history. No longer is Superman just a comic book adaptation or a film, he is a symbol, and what he symbolizes here is the resurrection of the Phoenix, the life and death of Siegfried, and Jesus Christ. If you are looking for a no-hold's barred action film, this isn't for you. Go watch Bad Boys II, which is, in all due respects, a wonderful action/exploitation film with unrelenting action sequences. If you want a thoughtful story with some awesome action pieces that resonate with the characters and visual that go above and beyond anything we have ever seen, Superman Returns is for you. The acting is top notch, the plot is tremendous and the meaning is all there. Every action taken has meaning and impact. If you see one superhero film, make it Superman Returns.
Review of Superman Returns
