Plot
In Superman Returns the Man of Steel has departed Earth in search of what may remain of his home planet Krypton1. When he returns several years later, he finds that the world no longer needs a hero, and neither does Lois Lane. The woman he loves has moved on with her life. One person who isn't happy with Superman Returns is his longtime nemesis2 Lex Luthor who is out of prison with another scheme up his sleeve3. Superman must overcome his most obstacles yet and reclaim the heart of Lois and go out to prove that the world needs an example to follow... and a hero.
Meeting Them
Bryan Singer, director of the Academy Award-winning Usual Suspects and the two X-men films, didn't know what to expect at a conference on July 16th. He was there to answer questions and show a few minutes of footage4 from Superman Returns， but was unsure if Brandon Routh would be accepted as the new Superman. The answer was obvious when 7,000 fans gave a standing ovation5.
Singer provides a first look at the greatest superhero of all.
Q: The double identity of Superman and Clark Kent has been dealt with in different ways in terms of6 who is the real person and who is in the disguise7. How do you view it?
Bryan Singer: Clark Kent is definitely the disguise. Superman, I think, inhabits8 three characters—there's Clark on the farm, raised by the Kent family; there's the bumbling9 Clark, who has to hide his identity at The Daily Planet; and finally there's Kal-EI, the last surviving son of Krypton, who is Superman.
Q: Why did you choose Brandon Routh to play Superman?
Bryan: Brandon is a really fine actor. Also, it was always my intention to cast10 an unknown in the role. When you're casting Superman, he has to appear as though he's stepped out of the comic book or out of your collective11 memory of who Superman is supposed to be, which is why casting a celebrity was never really an option for me. Brandon very much inhabits that character.
Q: The original movie had a lot of campy12 humor. What is the tone of this film?
Bryan: There's a lot of humor, but there's also a dark side to what we're doing.
Q: What does Superman mean to you on a personal level?
Bryan: I am adopted. I am an only child. I am an American.
Brandon Routh looks a lot like a young Christopher Reeve, and out of all the actors who have played the role, it's Reeve that Routh most likens13 his performance to. Taking on such a beloved character, he said, “It was very exciting and challenging. It's from my vision of the character and how I see Superman and what I want out of Superman. The cartoons, the image, how society views Superman, and how everybody feels about it. All of that wrapped up14 into my interpretation of it.”
Q: What did you bring to the role?
Brandon Routh: The only thing that I can think of is my approach to Clark, that he's a spy for Superman which is kind of fun. He's just really excited about everything he does. He's not actually clumsy15 for the sake of16 being clumsy, but he gets really excited and his hands go and stuff happens.
Q: What can superman fans expect of Superman Returns?
Brandon: They can expect a lot of action and a lot of flying. And I think there are a lot of new things to see that they won't expect, which is a really great story and relationships and some deep emotions.
Q: If you have had any weird encounters with Superman fans?
Brandon: No, the coolest things though are when people have tattoos. It's kind of cool. They want me to take pictures by their shoulder, which is kind of interesting.
剧情简介
在《超人归来》中，这位钢铁勇士离开地球回到自己的家园氪星上寻根溯源。几年后当他重返地球时，却发现人们已不再需要英雄，路易丝·莱恩也不再需要他。他心爱的女子已有了自己的生活。而对他归来极为不满的宿敌莱克斯·卢瑟已逃出狱中，正在酝酿新的阴谋。超人还必须克服他的最大障碍，重新赢回路易丝的芳心，并向世人证明他们仍然需要一个追随的榜样……需要英雄。
人物访谈
布莱恩·辛格
身为奥斯卡获奖影片《普通嫌疑犯》和两部《X-战警》的导演，并不知道7月16日的记者招待会将是怎样的情形。他亲临现场回答影迷提问，并放映了几分钟的《超人归来》片断，但他无法确定布兰登·罗斯是否会被大众接受，成为新一代超人。当7000个影迷起立欢呼时，答案已经不言自明了。
辛格让我们先睹为快，领略这位最伟大的超级英雄的风采。
问：影片根据谁是真人，谁是伪装者对超人和克拉克·肯特的双重身份作了不同处理。你是怎么看这个问题的？
布莱恩·辛格：克拉克·肯特无疑是伪装者。我认为超人具有三重角色——在农场里被肯特家族养大的克拉克；在《每日星球报》隐藏身份，装模作样的克拉克；以及氪星上最后的幸存者凯尔，也就是超人。
问：为什么你会选择布兰登·罗斯扮演超人？
布莱恩：布兰登是个很优秀的演员。我也总是有意选用新人。当你为超人挑选演员时，他一定要看起来已经跳出了漫画书或你们公认的超人形象的框框，这就是为什么我不选择名演员的原因。布兰登完全具备这一特征。
问：原先的影片中有许多幽默表演得不够自然。这部影片的基调是什么呢？
布莱恩：影片也有许多幽默之处，但也有阴暗面。
问：超人对你个人来说意义何在？
布莱恩：我和他一样，是一个美国人，一个独生子，并且被人收养。
布兰登·罗斯外型酷似年轻时候的克里斯托夫·里夫，在所有饰演超人的演员中，罗斯的表演最有里夫的味道。能有幸扮演这样一个钟爱的角色，他说：“这确实令人兴奋，也颇具挑战性。影片从我对超人的想像、看法和期望出发来进行演绎。超人的卡通形象、图片、社会对他的看法，以及每个人对他的感受，所有这些都融入到了我的演绎中。”
问：你给角色注入了什么新内容呢？
布兰登·罗斯：我惟一能想起的就是我对克拉克的演绎方式，我把他演成了超人的间谍，这非常有趣。他对自己做的任何事情都兴奋不已。他其实并不是为了装笨拙而故意显得笨手笨脚，而是因为实在太兴奋了，所以一动手就会出错。
问：超人迷们能从《超人归来》中期待什么？
布兰登：他们能期待许多精彩的动作和飞行特技。我想还有许多新看点他们想都想不到，如跌宕的情节、不朽的爱情和深刻的感情。
问：你是否与超人迷们有一些奇特的遭遇？
布兰登：没有，但最酷的事是遇到一些有文身的超人迷，简直酷呆了。他们想要我和他们一起照相，很有意思。
1. krypton n. 氪
2. nemesis n. 强硬的对手
3. up one's sleeve 秘密备用
4. footage n. 连续镜头
5. ovation n. 喝彩，欢呼
6. in terms of 根据，在某方面
7. disguise n. 伪装
8. inhabit v. 存在
9. bumbling adj. 装模作样的
10. cast v. 派(角色)
11. collective adj. 共有的
12. campy adj. 演得过火的，不自然的
13. liken v. 把…比作
14. wrap up 包起来
15. clumsy adj. 笨拙的
16. for the sake of 为了
17. tattoo n. 文身
18. newsstand n. 报摊，杂志摊
19. come up with 想出，提出
20. pulp n. [美俚] 庸俗杂志
21. approximation n. 接近，走近
22. rendition n. 再现，表演
23. agility n. 敏捷，活泼
24. wink n. 眨眼，闪烁，信号
25. grandstand v. 哗众取宠，卖弄
26. overplay v. 演得过火