Superman: Much Better than I Expected

I saw Superman Returns last night, and I give it 4 stars.

I'm not even a fan of Superman, but some friends were going to see it last night, so I tagged along. It was everything a comic book movie should be, and nothing more. There was just enough drama to make things interesting, but not too much. The acting was good, or at least good enough that it didn't distract from the movie. The action was slightly lacking... though there are some nice scenes, particularly Superman vs. a gatlin gun (the gun wins... JK!). The movie did a good job with its humor too. Most comic book movies have pretty cheesy jokes, but there were several "lol" moments in this one, and they were executed well. It did a good job of paying tribute to the original movie. The special effects were good.

Also, I really like the arch-villian: Lex Luthor. Superman is invincible to everything but Kryptonite, and Lex is just a normal ol' human. So the fact that he still gives Superman a run for his money is pretty cool. He is your traditional "cultured" villian, with his classical music and expencive tastes, though he has a goofball side side too, which is a nice deviation from normal "classy villains."

One of my friends complained that there is not epic battle scene at the end. It's basically Superman vs. a continent. I agree that a big fist fight would have been more satisfying, but I don't hold it against them for leaving it out, since Lex is just a normal guy.

=== Overall ===
Action: 3 stars
Special Effects: 4 stars
Humor: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Acting: 4 stars

As a side note, before the movie there was a preview for Spiderman 3, and I now have very high hopes for it.