I recently watched Superman Returns for the second time. When I first saw it upon its release in 2006, I remember being disappointed. It was a decent movie that honored the Christopher Reeve films visually and thematically—and included parts of John Williams’ superb score—but was let down by a miscast Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane and an unnecessary child subplot. What cannot be criticized was Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman. If ever there was someone to carry on the purity and strength of Reeve’s Superman, it’s Routh. It’s too bad he didn’t get to continue in the role.
I’m not a comic book reader. I can’t say if one interpretation of the character is more canon than another. But for me, I want Superman to represent the best in us, to have a saint-like goodness that transcends darkness and gives us hope in times of despair. I don’t want a brooding superhero without charisma as Henry Cavill played him in the Zack Snyder misfires even if it may have been more “realistic.”
There is a place for darker superheroes like Batman, but we also need messages of hope. Superman’s father from the first Reeve’s film said:
They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you.
That’s what I want from my Superman movies—a light to show the way, and something to inspire acts of kindness from all of us.