Brandon Routh (Clark Kent/Superman) does a nice job in the reprise of the roles. In fact, Routh’s voice sounds strangely similar to that of Reeve. My only regret is that, due to the nature of the plot, he spent less time in the role of Clark Kent; a role which he plays as well – and sometimes even better – than Reeve.

Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor) plays his role noticeably (but not substantially) “darker” than Gene Hackman did in the 1970s movie. While Spacey plays the part more “sinister” (compared to Hackman’s more “comical” approach), his performance is very enjoyable. But although I enjoyed Spacey in the role, I have to say that Hackman, to me, was a better performance. Not because the latter “did better” than the former, but because personally I prefer the light-hearted approach to Lex Luthor. To this day I still laugh when I think of some of Hackman’s scenes, especially from “Superman 2”.

Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane) was the big letdown. She may be attractive, but in no way does she look like – or comport herself – as a newspaper journalist. Margot Kidder, in contrast, had the perfect pacing, patter, and “air” of a reporter. Bosworth appeared more like a summer intern at the Planet trying to get college credit.

Over the years I’ve associated Frank Langella (Perry White) more with sinister, duplicitous characters. To see Langella play a comparative “good guy” role in “Superman Returns” was actually a joy for me. My sole problem with Langella’s performance is similar to one of my issues with Bosworth’s performance: Langella acted more like a corporate CEO than a newspaper publisher. In the 1978 movie, Jackie Cooper had the fast-talking, high-energy aura of Perry White down cold; Langella, with his slow, deliberate monologues, wasn’t believable. Despite that, and while I prefer Cooper’s performance in 1978, I still highly enjoyed Langella; again, because it was nice seeing him play a nice guy.

Did I like “Superman Returns”? Yes, very much. Despite that, it’s inevitable that one has to draw comparisons to the 1978 movie.

The primary hallmark is this: if one forgets the change in actors playing the roles, one can easily believe that “Superman Returns” is a continuation from its previous iteration. The movie begins with a strong reference (and occasional references later on) to the first “Superman” in 1978 (no references to its three sequels); the strongest reference being the theme written by former Boston Pops conductor John Williams.

The screenwriter and director also throw in “blatant” references to the movie’s 1978 predecessor. These references, because they are so obvious (bordering on gratuitous), really detract from this new movie. In one scene where Superman saves the life of Lois Lane, Routh says a line taken verbatim from the 1978 movie … I could almost picture Bosworth saying “Hey! You said that to me 28 years ago!”. Another line, spoken by Luthor’s female flunky (played by Parker Posey) was spoken almost word for word by Hackman’s flunky (played by Valerie Perrine). It’s instances like these that make you think “Yeah, you can try too hard.”

Do I recommend that you see this movie? Yes. In the cinema (instead of waiting for the DVD)? Yes. Does “Superman Returns” pique my desire for a sequel? Absolutely.

For those of you who remember the Superman movies from the ’70s and ’80s, it’ll be both a new and nostalgic 2 hours. You may reminisce about Christopher Reeve; but in the end, you’ll enjoy it. And “Superman Returns” does honor its predecessors. For those of you who are too young to remember, it’s a good way to start with what may turn out to be fresh sequence of the saga.

I was intentionally vague about the movie’s plot; had I gotten any more specific, I would have ruined it. But here’s a tip: there’s a plot twist that you couldn’t even imagine.