A worthy addition to the mythology

A few random thoughts after attending an opening day matinee of Superman Returns:

I think the opening credits were extremely smart. I still remember how bummed I was that they made up a new theme song for the first Star Trek movie, and how the audience applauded when they finally gave us a snippet of the original music about an hour and a half into it. By using the original Superman music and fonts from the 1970s, the main titles said "We're back; let's have some more fun together."

I'm glad they kept Luthor a little humorous, but I think Gene Hackman's Luthor was downright stupid, so I'm glad Kevin Spacey played him a little more straight. And I liked Parker Posey as Luthor's sidekick Kitty a lot better than Valerine Perrine's Eve Teschmacher. I was worried when I heard they were going back to the world of the original movies, because I honestly didn't like those movies that much. The tone of this movie is more respectful of the original legend of Supes, I think.

I really, really wish they'd done more with Jason, Lois Lane's son. He just kind of sat in the back seat looking mysterious most of the time. I guess they have to save something for the sequel - but on the other hand, if the box office doesn't merit a sequel, they'll never get a chance to explore those themes. One reason I like Serenity so much is they laid it all out there, and if this turns out to be the end they went out with a bang. Superman Returns kinds of holds back and promises to go farther next time - but what if there IS no next time? There probably will be - it even has a projected 2009 release date - but nothing in life is guaranteed.

I think the new Superman, Brandon Routh, might be a better actor than Christopher Reeve was - more subtle, more range of feeling - and while Margo Kidder was great, Kate Bosworth "feels" more like Lois Lane to me. I believe her as a real reporter - and I've been around a few real reporters in my time. And Frank Langella's always great, turning in a human portrayal of editor Perry White.

Bottom line, Superman Returns is a worthy addition to the mythology, better than any of the Christopher Reeve films, with all due respect to that beloved actor. If it wasn't for the Spider-Man and X-Men flicks and V for Vendetta and Sin City and Batman Begins, it might even qualify as one of the best comic-book adaptations of all time. But those eight movies do indeed exist - at least Superman Returns might help round out the top ten.