The Glasgow premiere of the first Christopher Reeve ‘Superman’ movie was on a Thursday night in 1978 at the Regal Cinema in Sauchiehall Street. I was there with my wife of three months. We cheered - at least I did - when Clark Kent ripped open his shirt to reveal the famous ‘S’; we chuckled - at least I got the joke - when he decided not to get changed in a perspex telephone booth; and our hearts soared - and I think the ‘we’ is appropriate this time - with John Williams’ majestic music.
And here lies the problem with this attempt to tell the old story in a new way. It just doesn’t touch you at any level. It was a good idea to tell something of the Krypton back-story and the circumstances which bring Kal-El to the earth but it goes on too long. We learn about Clark’s early life in flashback and the problems he had coming to terms with his special powers and his alien identity. This was promising but we didn’t get enough of it. What we get more than enough of for the last third of the film are migraine-inducing special effects: buildings imploding and exploding, roads being ploughed up, fearsome weapons bringing death and destruction. I was glad I went to the 2-D version.
No cheers, no chuckles, no triumphal chords. One thing though. From my first encounter with her in a DC comic I have always thought Lois Lane to be a pain. Amy Adams has made me think again.
