X-Men director Bryan Singer’s attempt to jump-start the franchise is virtually identical to 1978’s Superman. Singer may have wanted to give his film a quaint, retro feel, but trotting out the same corny humor, simplistic characters and even John Williams theme music makes Superman Returns feel out of touch, especially in this era of angst-ridden, conflicted crime-fighters (Spider-Man, Batman Begins). The performances, meanwhile, range from the perplexing (Brandon Routh doing an uncanny Christopher Reeve impersonation) to the off-putting (an egomaniacal Kevin Spacey as the egomaniacal Lex Luthor).
