Superman Returns: An IMAX 3D Experience

Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic Superman Returns. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: In one scene photographs of Superman rescuing a woman in a car are shown. The pictures are an homage to Action Comics. The shot of Superman holding the car above his head is a direct reference to the cover of Action Comics #1 from 1938 where Superman is seen for the first time. When Bryan Singer became interested in possibly hiring Brandon Routh, he arranged for them to meet in a coffee shop. When they met at their table, Routh stumbled and spilled hot coffee all over the table. Although he panicked, thinking he had just lost the part, Singer laughed and said it actually helped him get the part. The incident convinced Singer that Routh could pull off the clumsy, bumbling Clark Kent.

This was a worthy addition to the series. I especially loved the way the paid homage to the original. It was amazing sitting there waiting for the movie to start and then hearing the first eight notes of John Williams' iconic Superman Theme. But it was the IMAX 3D that really made the movie awesome. First off, it was in IMAX (a screen that is 80 feet tall by 60 feet wide) and if that is not impressive enough, this is the first live action movie to be converted to IMAX 3D (or at least four scenes were [about 20 minutes of footage]) for example, the scene in the trailer where Superman is trying to save the airliner as it plummets to the ground was coverted to 3D. I think what made it better is that it wasn't filmed to be 3D so there is no cheesy "ohhhh, this movie is 3D so we have to shove something at the screen to scare the audience" moments. One word...Cool Beans.