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Look! Up in the sky. It’s a bird! It’s a plane. It’s…

Yup, the man of steel has returned and I caught him in all his cinematographic DTS glory at GSC 1Utama. I had to pay RM11.50 for the movie ticket. The reason for the inflated price (usually RM10.00) is that the movie’s a new ‘blockbuster’ and GSC charges a premium for it plus an additional RM0.50 for online reservations (per ticket!). This surcharge doesn’t really sit too well with me but it’s a story for another day. It was fortunate that the movie was good enough to make up for the overpriced tickets.

Surprisingly, the cinema wasn’t packed for a weekend screening. This got me a little worried, as there were some negative feedback from friends who have watched the movie earlier. Among other things, they had mentioned that it was slow (dull) at some points.Well, for me, the movie flowed pretty smoothly. My expectations were obviously up since the director’s none other than Bryan Singer who jumped ship from directing the X-Men franchise and brought his whole crew with him.

Sypnosis
When scientists discover what might be the remnants of his home planet, Krypton, our favourite superhero goes in search of his past. Unfortunately, the devastation to his home was total. Five years later, the Man of Steel returns to his adopted home, Earth.

Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-el (Brandon Routh), goes back to Metropolis. There he discovers that Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a child named Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu) and is engaged to Richard White (James Marsden). While he was out searching for a home that never was, the things most familiar to him have moved on without him.

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is once again up to no good. After swindling a fortune from a dying old lady, the evil genius pays a visit to Superman’s icy retreat in the arctic. Some might ask how Lex knows of this spot. If you go back a few movies, you’ll remember that he was brought there by the three Krypton stooges that tried to invade Earth in Superman II (1980). Lex steals the crystals that holds Superman’s history and the secrets of some 28 known galaxies. After studying the archives, he hatches a plot to create a new continent using crystals.

Lex’s initial experiments causes a freak disaster during an inaugural shuttle launch, with Lois Lane onboard. That triggers the return of Superman to active duty as Earth’s greatest protector. The rest, as they say, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

Random Thoughts
The sound track is by John Ottman. When I first heard the opening sequence, I thought it was John Williams (composer for the original Superman OST) as there was that unmistakable feel to it. Guess I was wrong. Kudos to the man for putting together a good composition for the entire movie.

While the action is fast, you don’t get overwhelmed by it. The cinematography is excellent as what I would expect from Singer. It gives you a front seat view of the events as they unfold and pulls you into it. Each scene is clean and with obvious focus points. You don’t have to cross your eyes trying to take in all the details. Singer has a way of showing you a picture and drawing your attention to what matters most.

I liked Lex Luthor unleashed. He has always been and always will be Superman’s greatest archenemies.

On the down side, the movie is quite predictable. Well, in some ways, that’s a good thing cause you don’t wind up walking out of the cinema scratching your head. The storyline is very straightforward, and you can more or less guess what’s going to happen next. It is what I would call a ‘typical’ Superman flick. While the plot does manage some loops and twists to try and throw you off, it isn’t enough to surprise you when the next big thing eventually happens.

For fans of the franchise, you get to see Superman’s standard pickup tactic (e.g. taking Lois on a flight trhough the clouds), and hear those famous words, “Good night Lois”. That’s a nice touch of nostalgia for you.

I liked the movie in general while WL was entertained. So you could say that it was a successful one in my books.

Spoiler
Superman has a son.