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I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of Superman. When it comes to comic books, I prefer darker characters like Batman, The Punisher and Neil Gaimen’s Sandman series. Superman was always too white-bread for me. I used to be a big fan of comic books but I have fell out buying them out of boredom. I haven’t picked up a new comic book in about 10 years.

I wasn’t planning on seeing Superman Returns until I started reading some of the advanced reviews, which were extremely positive. My friend, who was very enthusiastic about seeing it, called me yesterday and I decided to check it out.

First off, Superman Returns clocks in at 2hr and 45minutes! The movie starts off promising with credits reminiciant of the old Christopher Reeves movies. The first hour and half of Superman Returns was fantastic. I kept thinking that it was so good, it may be one the best comic book movies ever made! I was really glad at I decided to put aside my Superman bias and see the movie. But, as with any movie over two hours, the whole thing starts to wear thin. The main problem with the movie is that the story is really thin.

***No Spoilers***

The story goes like this, Superman leaves earth after Superman II and returns to find the world in it’s current state of chaos. He also finds out that Lois Lane has a boyfriend and kid. Lex Luthor, who just gets out of prison, is hatching a plan for world domination.

The main issue that I had with this movie is that it builds up to a big nothing. Lex Luthor’s plan sounds great on paper, but pans out an anti-climax. There is no payoff at the end of this movie, and after sitting there for almost 3 hours, I felt like the whole thing was a big waste of time. The thing that makes it worse is that the first part of the movie is just as good or better than any of the previous Superman movies. It’s a shame because the movie looks great and the performances are excellent.

One thing of note that I have to point out for you writers out there is the refreshing way Lois Lane’s new boyfriend is handled. Usually in these movies, the writers tend to make the new love interest a total jerk so that the audience will be happy when the lead characters get back together. Not so in Superman Returns. The writers made Lois’s boyfriend such a nice guy that Superman’s advances make him seem more like a creep stalker. For once, the writers didn’t take the easy way out.

There were also a lot of plot holes in the movie. The next section contains major spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie, read at your own risk)

***MAJOR SPOILERS***

1. The only thing that can weaken Superman is Kryptonite, it takes away all of his powers to the point that even old Lex Luthor can beat him up. If Kryptonite is so powerful, how is it that Superman can land island made of Kryptonite and not even realize it? Earlier in the movie, Luthor holds the Kryptonite up to Superman’s son and the kid cringes away from it.

2. Lois Lane is the worst mother on the earth. Not only does she put her son in danger by taking him on a yacht while following a story lead (which turns out to be Luthor’s boat), after she and her son are rescued, she makes her boyfriend take her and the kid back into danger to save Superman.

3. Clark Kent shows up after a five year absence, which happens to be on the same day that Superman shows back up, and no one really notices (except the kid).

4. Superman comes off as a stalker when it comes to Lois. He cruises by her house at nighttime and spies on her and her family. He uses he X-Ray vision to see where she going so that he can follow her. Very creepy.