Categories: Entertainment

Superman, the greatest superhero of all time (no matter what those Marvel freaks think). He’s my favourite superhero. Not because of that truth, justice and that American way crap. Because of his superpowers. Most superheroes have one, two if they’re lucky, but Supes has a ton of ‘em, all useful ones, and in the days of my youth, I’d daydream about what life would be like with them. It’s been about 20 years since he last graced the silver screen. So when I heard about Superman Returns, I was excited. Not fanboy excited, as I approach everything with a cautious optimism. I wondered whether Brandon Routh could fill the big red boots left vacant by Christopher Reeve, and if Kevin Spacey could play a convincing Lex Luthor. So did many other fans of the franchise.

Now that the movie’s out, what’s the verdict? Well, fans are divided. Some say that it was fantastic, action-packed and filled with breathtaking scenes. Others say that it was boring, and that Kevin Spacey’s portrayal of Lex Luthor was weak. So the consensus is “good, but not great.” And it seems to reflect in its box office haul. It made $52 million in its opening weekend, a measly take considering the hype. In fact, Box Office Mojo says its opening was the 46th biggest of all time. Ouch! Guess that 300 million dollar budget wasn’t such a good idea, was it Singer?

What caused its poor performance? Maybe X3 tapped out moviegoers’ pockets. Maybe fans have lost their passion of the franchise. Or maybe moviegoers didn’t have enough faith in Singer’s re-imagining of the franchise. Whatever the reason, the movie had better pick up soon, because Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest opens today, and it just might be the Kryptonite bullet that sends Superman Returns to Davy Jones’ Locker. In the battle of great superhero movie directors, which I like to call “Ratman vs Singerman,” it seems that Ratner won this round. As for me, I can’t really give my opinion on it, because I haven’t seen it yet. But knowing my habit of procrastinating, I’ll probably wait until it reaches cable.