Superman and the Axis of Evil

Not so long ago in the history of world politics, you might recall a certain war-mongering halfwit voicing his concerns over what he had labelled the "axis of evil". I have my own cinematic equivalent, my own celluloid axis of evil. I speak of an unholy trinity, detested by me in the way that only someone who likes films too much for his own good can possibly hate something; three acts of utter folly so worthy of contempt that if you gave me the choice of wiping them from existence or banishing world hunger I'd probably need a couple of days to think about it.

What are the ingredients of this trio of motion picture pariahs? Well, there's the worst film ever made - BATMAN AND ROBIN - the Clooney-starring disaster of a Batman film that not only put the final nail in the coffin of the franchise but took a dump on the corpse and danced naked over its grave; INDEPENDENCE DAY, the alien invasion movie that took the premise of WAR OF THE WORLDS, stripped out all the good bits and replaced them with jingoistic flag-waving and garnished it with scenes that a 12-year-old would have been embarrassed to have written; and SUPERMAN III, the film where someone decided we needed an ensemble of cringeworthy characters topped off by an appearance by Richard Pryor as comic relief - a film so bad that the utter guff that followed (SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE) is watchable in comparison.

Last year Christopher Nolan managed to rescue the Dark Knight again with the wonderful BATMAN BEGINS, which finally saw someone take the bold step of making a movie which was about Batman rather than featuring him as a support act for the villains. I'm still waiting for something to eradicate the unpleasantness of INDEPENDENCE DAY though (or the ridiculous abbreviated form "ID4", if you prefer - either way it still made me want to eat my own face off) - Steven Spielberg came close with WAR OF THE WORLDS but blew it out his arse with the final scene.

And then there's the big red and blue guy. Unless you've been living on the planet Krypton, which would be pretty difficult since it's (a) fictional and (b) exploded, you'll have noticed that there's a new film out, Bryan Singer's SUPERMAN RETURNS. Naturally I couldn't wait to see if it could get rid of the lingering taste of SUPERMAN III, and the fact that I'm a total comic geek probably had something to do with it too (hence the self indulgence of using an old comic cover rather than a picture of the film above). I know, it seems incredible that someone who spends far too much time removed from people and surfing the internet could possible be a comic geek, but what the hell, I'm all about shattering stereotypes. Er, yes, I am single now you mention it.

In recent years, successful comic-to-movie adaptations (or at least the superhero ones) have been the domain of Marvel Comics. X-MEN, THE HULK, SPIDER-MAN, DAREDEVIL, THE PUNISHER - well, okay, maybe the last couple are stretching it, and I'm not going to talk about ELEKTRA - they're all Marvel properties. Only last year's BATMAN BEGINS saw their main rivals DC Comics claw their way back into the game, but now the attack is in full force with the big blue boy scout making his comeback (and Wonder Woman is to follow sometime soon, bringing the final member of DC's big three to feature films for the first time).

I'm pleased to report the film is a success. Ignoring the painful memories of numbers 3 and 4, SUPERMAN RETURNS is essentially a sequel to the first couple of movies and begins with Superman returning to Earth from a mission to outer space where he has been looking for survivors of his home planet. But five years have passed since he left, and a lot has changed - Lex Luthor is out of jail and the love of his life, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life and is now a mother and engaged to be married.

We've waited a long time for this icon to return to the screen (and unlike KING KONG, this is one that we actually wanted to see back on the big screen) and Singer carries it off with aplomb.

One of the key strengths is his concentration on story over special effects - the effects are used sparingly (for a big blockbuster anyway - unlike KING KONG) and in some places I'd even say they're a little undercooked. The story takes a few liberties with the characters, in particular the central relationship between Superman, Lois, her husband-to-be and her kid but I won't spoil it by going into detail, and given what Singer achieves here (and already achieved with X-MEN) you really have to cut him a little slack.

Any other grumbles are minor (given the pasting Lois repeatedly takes without picking up a single bruise, I can't help wondering if Superman is the only one with superpowers) and for a film of this length (about two and a half hours) the time really flies by. Unlike KING KONG. Sorry, that'll be the end of the KONG bashing for now, honest.

The casting of the main roles is another strong point. The previously unknown Brandon Routh has no trouble at all in taking up the cape, though it will be some time before he fully escapes Christopher Reeve's shadow; as Lois Lane, Kate Bosworth doesn't quite have the same dominant, smartass presence as Margot Kidder but still captures the essence of the character (headstrong and always in trouble, essentially) and if you'll allow me to be totally superficial she's quite a bit easier on the eye too; and Kevin Spacey, with the exception of a couple of OTT moments, is superb as Lex Luthor. He strikes the perfect balance of arrogance, intellect, evil and baldness, falling halfway between comic book mad scientist and an Enron boss.

In one of his most inspired decisions, Singer has also retained the legendary theme music composed by John Williams - if that doesn't make your hair stand on end in the cinema again after all these years, you're beyond saving.

And yes, there are even a few moments for the comic geeks too. Perry White gets to utter his catchphrase; there's a fleeting reference to Batman's stomping ground; the updated "S" symbol, while different to the more famous one used in the original movie, is closer to the one that was used back in the early years of the comics; and best of all, there is a lifting-up-a-car scene that perfectly recreates the image from Superman's first appearance on the cover of Action Comics #1 way back in 1938. If you like that sort of thing.

All in all, the film's a triumph. Superman does indeed return as the title promises, but it's not just about his literal return to Earth; he's returning to the cinema; returning to the public consciousness; returning to the status of American icon rather than laughing stock.

You'll believe a man can fly... again!

In a rare moment of seriousness, I encourage you to pop along to www.ChristopherReeve.org and do your bit for paralysis research.