Why Superman Returns Is Awesome

Most everyone on the planet knows who Superman is. Created in 1932, Superman has become an American cultural icon. Unfortunately, Superman’s popularity in recent years has receded. With his god-like abilities and unfaltering morals, it seems that Superman cannot compete with flawed super-heroes like Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men. It is in the opinion of this writer, however, that Superman’s flawlessness is exactly what makes him interesting. Beyond that, there has only been one film that truly capture’s Superman’s curse. That film is Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns.
This leads to the next point. With any film, story is king. The story of Superman Returns, while subtle, is the film’s strongest point. While most people will praise a film for having a smart and complex plot (i.e. The Dark Knight), few people will praise a film for abandoning plot for a character study. However, this is something Superman Returns does, and does extraordinarily well. Consider three key elements of the storyline. The first being Superman’s return to earth after finding out that his home planet of Krypton no longer exists. His “mother” is grateful of his return, but for Clark, something is still missing. The second being Lois Lane’s award-winning article, “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.” “Singer's movie is all about proving that Superman's selfless heroics are precisely what the world does need” (Travers). Some have criticized Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane of Superman Returns. Many remember Ms. Lane as a fiery and energetic reporter. However, this is a different Lois Lane. This Lois Lane is bitter and full of resentment. The world may have lost a hero during Superman’s visit to Krypton, but Lois lost a lover. The third key element of the story is Lex Luthor’s plot to create more land on earth using alien technology which “grows” land instantaneously. What makes this land different is that it is also laced with Kryptonite. So, why are all these plot points so important? It’s...