Superman Returns review

Bryan Singer's Superman Returns soars above nearly all of the superhero films we have seen in recent years, and joins the second installment of Spider-Man as the best examples of taking a legendary character from page to screen. Some might argue that Singer has done little more than remake the 1979 film which launched Christopher Reeve's career, but the director has defended these accusations, citing his film as a continuation from where Superman 2 left off. As soon as the excitement of hearing John Williams' original them has worn off, it's clear that we are in for a thrilling new ride.

As a result we are thrown headfirst into a plot which sees our hero return to earth after a futile trip to his home planet, which now lies in ruins. Clark Kent's unexpected return to the Daily Planet causes some raised eyebrows, not least those belonging to the newly-married Lois Lane, whose nice guy husband (James Marsden) is the nephew of the Planet's owner, and whose young son has an intuitive interest in (and a remarkable resemblance to) our bespectacled reporter.

Kent may have returned to a different world - Lois has just won a Pulitzer Prize for an article entitled 'Why the World Doesn't Need Superman' - but it is still one with dangers, and when Public Enemy Number One reappears in the shape of Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor it's time for the cape and red knickers to come on. A number of spectacular and entertaining cat and mouse chases ensue, while all the time Lois gives Clark the puzzled look that Margot Kidder gave Reeve back in the late 1970s.

Singer doesn't limit himself to enormous set-pieces however. He works with a screenplay that has a good deal of depth, and for once the perpetual 'will they/won't they' question between Clark and Lois is given plenty of space. He's also blessed with an engaging cast: while Brandon Routh may well be the spit of his predecessor, he imbues Clark with enough clumsiness and Superman with enough steel to effortlessly brush off any questions as to why a relative unknown was cast. As Lane, Kate Bosworth is excellent, while Spacey does a masterful job of not stealing every scene he is in, and reminds us of just why Luthor is such an excellent baddie. Best of all, Singer has paced his work perfectly, and despite its lengthy running time, it never flags.

All in all this is top notch family entertainment, and any family in the London area should seriously think about seeing the film at the BFI's Waterloo IMAX screen. Singer has converted twenty minutes of the feature into 3-D, so not only will you get the fun of putting on Elton John's glasses, but some of the most spectacular sequences in the film will jump out of the screen at you. After this, expect a whole new generation to believe a man can fly.

Paul Hurley