As I have mentioned before, movies are an important part of birthdays in my family — I know, I know, you are thinking, “Umm Matt, when are movies not an important part of anything in your family…?”   I actually saw Superman Returns in the theaters during the weekend of my birthday in 06.  While I was glad to have seen it on the big screen, I remember walking away from the theater feeling apathetic about the experience.

So I popped the disc into the old DVD player to give the movie a second chance.   Unfortunately, I still had the same feelings a year later.

Kevin Spacey was the lone bright spot — great commitment, and a more convincing Luthor than Hackman was.  Kate Bosworth was made to look like Rachel McAdams playing Lois Lane and several times I was wishing that Lois was being played McAdams.  Brandon Routh nailed the Clark part, channeling Christopher Reeve’s performance; but his Superman was as wooden as any pirate’s peg leg.

The story was a basic retelling of Superman (1978) , with some minor updates.  this is probably why I wasn’t wowed with it — I had already seen it 30 years earlier.

My advice:  not bad for a Saturday afternoon — you could make worse choices…

With the release of Superman Returns on DVD, Warner Brothers decided to make up a special set, similar to what they did with the Alien series and The Matrix series.  In a nice metal tin, all of the Christopher Reeves’ Superman movies, Superman Returns, and bonus discs were included.  One of the bonus disc contained a documentary made 6 months prior to coincide with the release of Superman Returns in theaters.

The Amazing Story of Superman is not just another piece of PR fluff.  It is a fairly well-done documentary chronicling the beginnings of Superman in comics, TV, movies, and American culture.  Kevin Spacey does great job as narrator, taking us through the time periods  as easily as if he were telling us tales of his childhood.  While I knew most of the big facts, there were several nuggets that surprised me.

My advice: Look for this documentary on cable or find it on DVD.  A must-see for anyone who has enjoyed any of these movies, TV shows, or comics.