He's Back!

Wow. I stand before you, a puddle of fanboy joy. My mind, honestly, cannot comprehend the awesomeness that was Superman Returns. I'm going to go spoiler free here, so please read on.

I just got back from watching Superman Returns with Cole and Kristin. They didn't like it as much as I did. So please take everything I'm about to say with a grain of salt.

Having thus disclaimed . . .

I really, honestly, truly, have never been so blown away by a first-time movie watching experience. I've been excited about movies before. Star Wars. Lord of the Rings. Star Wars always disappointed me. Even Revenge of the Sith, which was awesome, disappointed. Lord of the Rings disappointed me. Even though Fellowship and Return of the King are two of the best movies ever made (Two Towers wasn't bad).

Never, ever, have I not been disappointed. Except tonight. Superman Returns was, simply put, the best movie-going experience I've ever had.

My opinion may change, my enthusiasm dampen, after a few more viewings and a few more days. But, right now, there is simply nothing I can say about the movie that can bring me down from where I am.

The action was awesome, but it didn't overwhelm. It had its place in the story, it belonged. The plot could have been better, honestly, but it almost didn't matter. The main focus, as I see it, wasn't Lex Luthor's evil scheme, it was the relationship between Superman and Lois. Look, this thing wasn't a chick-flick. But it had this feeling, a feeling of loss and nostalgia. A feeling of regret. Superman's costume is made of primary colors, but his world is not all bright and sunny. None of the Superman movies had explored that with such depth and emotion.

Superman Returns gives us a Superman that is what he is because he knows he has to be. In the comic books, someone asked Superman why he did what he did. Superman responded: "Because no one else can." That's what comes across here.

Early in the film, when Clark Kent has to go save the day, there's a moment of hesitation, a moment of regret. He knows what he has to do, and he'll do it, but he wishes it wasn't so. It reminded me of when I used to work at the TV station in Flagstaff and I had to work overnight Friday and Saturday nights. I hated not being around for all the fun my friends were having. But I had to do it. That's how Superman felt, I think.

The movie was beautiful. It was lush and exciting and gorgeous. I can't believe how awesome the flying was. I just can't. They turned the music down so low when Superman was flying, even at the speed of sound, you couldn't help but feel a serenity about it - something that just was't there in the Christopher Reeve films. But, here, again, there was a conflict. At time it seemed that Superman loved flying, and just wished he could do it for fun, rather than have to go speeding off to save people.

The entire movie was permeated with a deep feeling of melancholy. He does what he has to do, but regrets what it costs him. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I knew Superman would win the battle against Lex Luthor. But that wasn't what really mattered. The movie shows us what has always been the case: Superman's greatest weakness is that he's not one of us, not matter how he tries. And it brings him to a point where all super heroes have to be: a point where he wishes he could trade it all in, but knows he can't. That's what good super hero storytelling on a grand scale is all about, if you ask me.

From start to finish, I was emotionally involved in this thing. I got shudders every few minutes, and I got a lump in my throat a few times.

There were many nods to the prior Superman movies. A crack about how flying is the safest way to fly. The poses Brandon Routh struck while he flew - down to the motion of his arms and the position of his feet. And, at the very end, the traditional, classic, fly-by in the upper atmosphere.

Just . . . wow. This movie is better than Spiderman, in my opinion, by leaps and bounds. It is, unequivocally, the best super hero movie ever made. And it is very close, in my estimation, to being one of the best movies ever made, period.

Go see this thing.