I saw Superman Returns yesterday at Camino Real. It was a good movie, and fairly different from the other superhero movies that have come out in the last few years. It’s trippy how much the actor looks like Christopher Reeve. What struck me most about the movie was that it did not appear to be aware that it was a movie that was going to be judged, discussed, dissected, etc - it wasn’t self-conscious.

The acting was all good, but not spectacular. I felt that Kevin Spacey’s talents were underused. There was a plot twist or two, but they weren’t set up to impress and they didn’t feel fake. Superman’s time spent as Clark Kent was, if not actually short, then seemingly short - this is a good thing. He’s such an uncertain chump.

The use of Superman’s powers was refreshingly realistic and didn’t feel overdone. The flying scenes were awesome, especially the opening scene with the plane and the scene high above the earth, listening to everything.

This is one of the few movies that’s actually worth the price of seeing in the theater.