The Undaground Review: Superman Returns

Warning: This review contains spoilers. Actually, I don't think it will spoil the movie for you, because my blog features only very minimal special effects, but I am giving away information about the film that is integral to the plot. If you don't want to see it, don't scroll down.

To take up some space, here is a photo of a man enjoying some pie:

So, last Friday, Mrs. Undaground and I decided to see "Superman Returns". I think the highlight for me was the popcorn. After stepping on the scale and seeing that I had lost four pounds, I figured I would have whatever I want. The guy stopped filling the bag of popcorn halfway through to add quite a bit of butter. Then, after it was topped off, he once again stood over the butter pump and let it fly. It was glorious.

As far as the movie is concerned, here are my thoughts:

• Brandon Routh is not Christopher Reeve. He had very few lines in this movie, considering he was the star. The thing about Christoper Reeve as Superman is that he did a very good job of acting like Superman and Clark Kent were two different people. The new guy does a decent job, but the only difference between the hero and the alter-ego is the glasses. The clumsy, comical Clark Kent portrayal is pretty much gone. RIP Christopher Reeve.
• The special effects in the film were awesome. It's worth seeing in the theater for that reason alone, unless you have a huge TV and very good surround sound. Be careful if you're pregnant. The Undaling was responding to several of the loud, sudden sounds in the movie.
• Here's the spoiler, although if you don't see it coming from the very beginning of the movie, maybe you should quit going to movies all together. Superman and Lois Lane have a son. I can't understand why Superman's son had asthma. I guess it's because health complications are possible when someone from Krypton mates with someone from Earth, but this was unexplained. I think any pediatrician who examined the boy long enough to prescribe him an inhaler, should have picked up on the fact that the boy had the ability to throw a piano across the room. If I were Lois Lane, I would shop around for another doctor.
• At another point in the movie, Superman is stabbed with a Kryponite shiv and ends up in.... are you ready for this... the hospital! Apparently, Superman has good health insurance because they admitted him immediately without any talk of transferring him to another hospital. I've heard through the grapevine that Wonder Woman has a crappy HMO.
• I'm a fan of Kevin Spacey. He was very good at times in this movie, particularly when he was attacking Superman. I wish he would have channeled the "Swimming With Sharks" character for the whole movie. I like his portrayal of the angry Lex Luther.
• I'm still troubled by the whole deal with Lois Lane's new husband. They made him very likeable. As an audience member, I had no reason not to like him. He seemed like a good husband and father. This was only a problem when they showed Lois Lane kiss Superman. I consider that cheating. The poor guy is just trying to make a life for himself when all the sudden, some weirdo in tights shows up and his wife becomes distant. She really should have shown a little more self control, or the writers should have made us dislike her husband.
• And as for Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane... meh. Lois Lane is supposed to have attitude. I think she was lacking a bit of that.
• I wish that at some point, somebody would figure out that Clark Kent was gone for 5 years. Superman was gone for 5 years. Maybe, Clark Kent = Superman. Nope. A room full of journalists assigned to cover every aspect of the story couldn't put that together. Maybe next movie.
• As somebody mentioned in Comments, Superman no longer stands for the "American way", just truth and justice. This is not a huge deal in the movie. I just took that to mean that if Superman wanted a cup of coffee, he'd fly to Columbia or something rather than walk to Starbucks.
• There are some serious cases of religious imagery, though. He is referred to as a "savior" a few times in the movie. His father says he sent his only son to help the people of Earth. Finally, when he's falling to Earth, I don't think it's a mistake that his arms are stretched out as if he's hung on a cross.

My recommendation is to see the movie if you like superhero movies. It's as good as Spiderman. The special effects are as good as any movie. As far as the story is concerned, it pales in comparison to Batman Begins, but it's worth seeing, especially if you order the popcorn with hot butter.