Superman Returns has become the center of so much hype, yet one wonders, how will it measure up as a movie? The movie version of The Da Vinci Code likewise sparked an onslaught of media and marketing to build hype, yet the movie left the viewer lacking when it was unable to convey the greatness of Dan Brown’s novel. As a fan of Superman in all his incarnations (comics, cartoons, movies, and television), I sat down and tried to evaluate based upon all the various elements involved in the new movie whether or not it would succeed.

All in all, this should be not only the best version of Superman ever made, but probably the best superhero movie of all time.

The Director: Bryan Singer is unequivocally one of the top of his generation of directors. He proved with The Usual Suspects that he could have an intelligent movie that truly had even the craftiest of viewers guessing until the end. He took superhero movies to the next level as far as action and character development with X-Men and X2: X-Men United. Bryan Singer is one of few directors that covers every element, wraps up plotlines and doesn’t resort to cliche element to drive the movie. His is a genius that tries to make the best movie possible on that topic. The complete disaster that was X3: The Last Stand is a testament to how the X-Men movies’ success was based upon his direction. He was able to modernize concepts of X-Men noir to be Hollywood-friendly without selling out their essence, making him a hit with fans. From what I’ve seen in the trailers, he doesn’t seem to have lost any of his touch or style. He seems to have updated the Superman movie franchise, while still keeping it so it still fits in with their continuity. Also, we will discuss in a bit how Singer mimicked Richard Donner (who history proved to be the reason why Superman succeeded in his first film) in how he went about filming the movie. Furthermore, Singer expressed critical genius in what was revealed to the public: the plot and Superman’s new costume. Both seemed a bit controversial but over the course of a year, fans have gotten used to them and will accept them upon seeing the movie, preventing any loss of enjoyment because of viewers’ shock.

The Actors: For an entire generation, George Reeves was Superman. After him, Christopher Reeves was Superman, even more so than his predecessor. Despite lackluster story in the last two movies, it was Reeves’ performance that amounted to any level of success at the box office. Which presented the most difficult task of the new movie, was to fill the shoes he left. Like Donner did by forgoing world-renowned actors for the then-unknown Christopher Reeves, Bryan Singer revealed the nameless Brandon Routh as his Superman. Many fans were calling for Tom Welling to reprise his television character in the cinema, but I think time has proven Routh a perfect choice. First of all, Routh not only looks like a younger Christopher Reeves, but sounds somewhat like him too. The defining characteristic though is what won over Singer, and will do the same for fans: Routh being able to capture Clark Kent.

Many actors are able to be the hero, but being a believable Clark Kent at the same time? Most seem closer to Dean Cain’s version on his Superman TV series.

Kevin Spacey. One of Hollywood’s best actors period. He can bring a comic book villian to life and make him believable as well as enjoyable (reminiscent of Gene Hackman’s Luthor). In the trailers, we see glimpses of Spacey’s signature intensity along with disturbing humor. This should be the highlight performance of the movie.

The Effects: The first Superman movie took special effects leaps and bounds, by making it believable that a man truly can fly (the final scene of Superman flying towards the sun still gives me the chills). With all that computers can do now, it should be in the film creators’ ability to take this Superman to even newer heights. Epic battles, awesome flight scenes, amazing visuals, this should have it all. This category is a given.

The Story: When reports came out that the movie would take place five years after Superman II featuring Superman returning from exile to precarious situations with the various supporting cast, many fans were baffled at how such a concept could work. But the concept is so intriguing and cutting edge, only a director of Singers’ competence could pull if off (and if you saw The Usual Suspects, you know he can do so). Trailers featuring emotional scenes between Superman and Lois show how such an original concept will be used in character development. Furthermore, trailers have revealed that Superman is put in the most compromised position: Luthor has gained access to his Temple of Solitude, Lois is engaged and has a kid… what a perfect set-up for a movie. I doubt if since Return of the Jedi have things looked so grim for the leading characters at the start of a movie. Plus, tying the movie into the continuity of the previous episodes, fans of the originals aren’t disowned or put off. A rare problem with Batman Begins is the fact of how it distanced itself from characters and stories from the previous movies. This new Superman movie seems to harken back to the continuity much like the James Bond series, merely the actors being updated periodically.

The Music: Again, like with the story, one of the few qualms I had with Batman Begins was how the creators decided to completely cut it off from continuity of the original movies. By keeping John Williams and his signature anthem, this perhaps will make the movie tie into the previous stories. The Superman theme has become synonymous with the icon, and the first few bars bring to mind the hero for anyone in the Western world. Not only is the music epic and still very fitting but it pays homage to what was achieved in the previous movies, instead of disowning it.

Other: Probably the most genius aspect of the new movie is the incorporation of a long-dead actor. To further tie this movie into its predecessors, Singer opted to again use Marlon Brando (via film and sound from the first film and computer generated-images). Such a concept is so bold that it should be a final clue for how epic the film will be, with the creators pulling out all stops in making the best movie possible.