Earlier this year my wife and I went to see an early screening of director Bryan Singer's massive film featuring the return of one of the most iconic superheroes ever created. "Superman Returns" promised to not only breathe new life into one of my favorite heroes of all time, but do it in such a way as to be reminiscent of the late Christopher Reeve's definitive portrayal. I understood through interviews that his intention was to pay an homage to the first two films as well as serve as a sequel of sorts, treating the 3rd and 4th installments as if they never happened (for which I was thankful). I expected "Superman Returns" to return me to my thrilling teenage days of yesteryear, after all Singer had created two "X-Men" films which were amongst the handful of the best superhero movies made, so surely he could pull it off with Superman. Plus he was able to cast the role of Lex Luthor with Kevin Spacey who has proven time and time again he is unparalleled when it comes to playing smarmy villain types. I believed there was no way the film could be a dud and I expected to re-enforce my belief that a man could fly. Instead, I ended up believing that Hollywood was still capable of screwing up an icon.

This month, Warner Brothers is releasing "Superman Returns" on DVD, so I thought I'd give it a second chance. Maybe my night was off or maybe my expectations were too high. So I settled in to watch it again, this time in the comfort of my own home… and found that my original perception was still right on target. "Superman Returns" is a frustrating film. Frustrating because there is so much that was done right, but for every good thing about the movie, there is an equal and opposite item that just blows it.

I guess I should start with the good and just go from there. Singer had the right idea when he decided to go with the homage style. All of the sets, as well as the overall look of the film made me feel like I was watching those early movies again. Even Brandon Routh, the relative newcomer chosen to step into Superman's boots, looked and acted like a young Christopher Reeve. His performance wasn't so much mimicry as it was delivered in essence. As Clark Kent, he was nearly perfect, as Superman he looked the part but lacked the charisma to make him an identifiable character. He wasn't really Superman, just a guy in a Superman suit.

Then there were the special effects. They have come a long way since the first two films and thanks to the magic of CGI, the flying sequences never looked better or more believable. Routh was missing the body language Reeve used to further the realistic look of a man flying, but that was made up for by the effects team. The most impressive effects scene of the film involves a crashing jet that Superman has to stop. It is a breathtaking scene and every bit as thrilling as it should be.

From there on, things go downhill. I don’t know what Singer was thinking, but he really messed with the Superman canon. Especially when it comes to his character. There are times in the movie where he seems to be little more than an obsessive voyeur, mostly when it comes to Lois Lane. The character of Superman is also presented, and in some ways visually alluded to, almost as a Christ figure. This just seems so at odds with what Superman really is… an alien from another planet who gains great powers under Earth's yellow sun. His only weakness is Kryptonite, which are the shards of leftover radioactive pieces of his home planet… which brings me to one of my two biggest complaints about the film. There is a scene in the film where Superman is forced to lift a piece of land roughly the size of Montana. It is visually stunning, but there's a big problem. The land mass is about 85% Kryptonite. It had already been shown that even a small piece of the meteorite was enough to weaken him to the point of immobility, so how in the heck can he lift a HUGE chunk of the stuff and fly off with it. He seems weakened while doing it, but that doesn’t save the scene.

Singer also goes to town with the character of Lois Lane, by making putting her in a new relationship, which would have had to have happened right after his disappearance… and giving her a son. Then he only makes matters worse as later revelations about the child come to light. Bad, bad, bad… stupid, stupid, stupid. The movie is also full of tons of little nitpicks which in retrospect aren’t really that little. For instance, there is a scene where Daily Planet Editor Perry White is barking orders to his reporters. He wants them to find out everything about Superman's reappearance. He asks, "Does he still stand for truth… does he still stand for justice??" Ummm… excuse me… what happened to the American Way? I realize using the term "The American Way" is now completely politically incorrect… but this is Superman!!

Another completely weak point of the film came in the form of the casting. Spacey, who is usually an immense addition to any cast, plays Lex with very little relish. I didn't expect him to be a carbon copy of Gene Hackman, but Hackman at least chewed the scenery with his performance. Spacey just kind of sleepwalked his way through it. And whoever decided on Kate Bosworth for Lois Lane should be shot. Bosworth is a horrible actress to begin with but she especially doesn’t have any of the feistiness that we should expect from a Lois. She was the weakest link.

Now that Warner Brothers is releasing the DVD, they are at least making up for the film's shortcomings by delivering some good featurettes. There are two versions of the DVD being released, a single disc that contains pretty much just the film, and a 2-disc version that includes these features. There are over three hours worth of featurettes dealing with every aspect of the making of the film. The main documentary, "Making Superman Returns" is broken up into five parts, and delivers and extremely detailed look behind the scenes. Probably the most entertaining chapter deals with Kevin Spacey on the set, including a look at his golf cart which he had decorated with a picture if Superman with a red circle and slash though him, kryptonite shards and dragging a Superman doll behind it. (Priceless)

There is also a short piece that shows how footage of Marlon Brando was re-created to use as Superman's father. It only runs about three minutes but the technology is fascinating. You'll also find several deleted scenes, some of which are interesting, but ultimately add little to the final product.

I'm really sad that I was so disappointed by "Superman Returns" as I was so hoping that Bryan Singer would successfully revive the franchise. There are those I've talked to who loved the film, so this opinion is one that I seem to share with only a few. In the end I can only say it is worth seeing, but whether or not you are satisfied depends upon your attention, and preference, to details.

Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey, Kevin Spacey
Extras: Making Superman Returns, Designing Superman Returns, The Joy of Lex, How Filmmaker's Re-Created Jor-El, 10 Additional Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 11/28/2006
Region 1

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We'll give Superman Returns a C-.