It was admirable that Warner Bros. honored the memory of the late Christopher Reeve, and the not so late Gene Hackman, with impersonations of their late 1970s/early 80s Superman movie characters by new coming actor Brandon Routh and Hollywood stalwart Kevin Spacey. Unfortunately, as keen as their performances were to the movie and fans of the late series, they were only reflective of what buried the series a few decades back. Superman was seen as an infatuated schoolboy worried about his reputation. Lex Luther, though starting out evil, just became a flat diabolical gangster out of Central Casting.
The Warner Bros. Batman series was able to shake off its campy and cartoon like TV image of the '60s using Tim Burton's vision and art direction in the 1990s. Unfortunately that series took a down turn (of the wrist) as it progressed with the Batman/Robin story line. The Studio was able to shelve the series long enough to let the Dark Knight graphic novel find its place in the new age of American comic book fan psyche. The comic book fan had grown up. And so had its Batman.
Superman Returns could have gone more than 2 ways. Since the Christopher Reeve series ended, Superman incarnations have been seen mostly on TV. He was love interest Clark and part time Superman in Lois and Clark and he was teen heartthrob Clark in Smallville. Smallville continues to have a genuine following and fan base. They would only have been appeased if Superman Returns used elements of the TV show already set in the minds and hearts of these faithful TV viewers. Unfortunately, they were left unsatisfied.
The Warner Bros.' Superman has always been a nice guy. He is the sweet, caring guy ready to save the cat or foil the bomb plan. But with Routh's incarnation when he wasn't a Peeping Tom looking into Lois's personal life, he was nary a blip on the Daily Planet's radar. Clark Kent was supposed to be an Ace Reporter but none of the last 5 movies ever delved into that.
Now Warner Bros. plans to reboot the series. They plan on retooling Superman as if he or the series was on a par with the Hulk or the Dark Knight novel. Well, let it be stated now, Superman does not need to be dark. The Superman character does not need to be brooding or have personal angst. Superman is not afflicted with our human quirks or personality traits. He has always been above such a thing. Take note, Superman is one of only a minuscule number of Superheroes ever conceived that had to hide his true self. Superman didn't need to wear his cape and costume. He was Superman. To disguise himself, he had to dress like a human, now there would be some angst!
Where will Warner Bros. take it? Probably lessen or sideline the Lois Lane love story and focus more on intricate plot lines that involve weirder, more psychopathic villains in the vein of the late Heath Ledger's Joker from the Dark Knight. Ledger set the bar before his untimely death. But the Superman format works best when its humor revolves around how much we, as humans, are such self indulgent dolts and he has to dumb down to hang with us. I look forward to seeing the next incarnation, as long as they don't kill off what made Superman a pop legend, expounding on Truth, Justice and the American way!