Writing a review for this epic new Superman movie is proving a daunting task. It’s hard to love a movie as much as I loved it and explain why in reasonable terms. On one level, my enjoyment was just pure awe. The movie works on other levels, however, but to explain all of them would be to give away much of the film’s important developments. Let’s just start things off with a simple “Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns is, from an objective standpoint, the best superhero movie ever made.” I’d like to think I’m qualified to say this, as I’ve seen a lot of superhero media, from the 1940s Batman serials to the 1991 Captain America movie (I have yet to see Supergirl, however).

I know you might have misgivings about Superman: he is, after all, the face of the establishment, a symbol of outdated optimism and the naïve belief that America stands for all that is good in the world. His city of Metropolis is at times, disgustingly perfect, and Superman rarely spends time in the slums, fighting the good fight for the common man (though in the early comics, that is the only thing he does). But that is who Superman is; get over the cynicism that has been ingrained into ever generation since Kennedy was shot, get over the knowledge of what America did in Chile, Guatemala, and Vietnam – get over your desire to be the coolest cynic on the block. A little optimism is good for everybody now and then.

In the film, Superman (Brandon Routh) has been gone for a long five years. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), perhaps representative of the world’s attitude, wrote an angry article called “Why The World Doesn’t Need Superman,” for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. The fact that Superman has been gone for five years means that Superman missed September 11th, when the notion of a hero was redefined. Perhaps in the film’s world, people are angry at Superman for not preventing the attacks, and have decided resentfully, like Lois, that the world has no use for him. Singer wisely does not address this directly, but does prove that in today’s world, a Savior is necessary.

The Christ allegory is one that has long been associated with Superman, an allegory that at times this movie takes over the top, but is stirring nonetheless. It is an interesting choice by Bryan Singer, a Jew, directing a film based on material created by two Jews, to use so much Christian imagery and motifs, but in the end the symbolism is effective, if overt.

As much as he pretends to be, Superman is not a human being, but is something more, not only in physical prowess, but in his soul too, it seems. Little time in this film is spent on Clark, thankfully, and we see who Superman really is: Kal-El, a Savior sent to Earth by his father many years ago, come to right the wrongs and the “the light to guide” us. It is interesting enough to hold up a 155-minute film, even if the love story, does, at times, fall short.

That’s not to say it’s a poor love story; in fact, it is quite good. But I miss the chemistry that Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve had, her biting wit and his stalwart charm. For someone who has seen the first two films recently, it is hard to believe at first that the Lois and Superman onscreen have a deep past. You believe that Superman is in love with her, but you just cannot figure out why. I would put most of the blame on Bosworth, who had a harder job as Lois than Routh had with Superman: any woman could be in love with the perfect man, but it’s up to the actress to convince us she is worthy of Super-attention. She lacks the presence of Kidder, and looks too young to be the mother of a five year-old. The film soon overcomes this problem, however, with a fantastic and romantic flying sequence that is as good as the famous scene in the first Superman film. I truly believe that any well-made flying scene can overcome most faults in a film, which is part of the reason Matrix Reloaded was such a poor excuse for a film.

The popular (and interesting and successful) thing to do with major superheroes now seems to be to give them father issues. Last summer’s version of Batman was a tortured soul who looked to his dead father for guidance, and it worked. This summer’s Superman is less tortured, but with the same idea: he looks to his dead father for guidance. Marlon Brando, resurrected to reprise a relatively small part in the original movie that he got paid roughly a bajillion dollars to play, is constantly talking in Superman’s mind. Continuing the Christ allegory, he is God, telling his son why he has sent him and what he must do. The importance of the father Kal-El (Superman’s Kryptonian name) never met is the most moving aspect of the film. (Spoiler warning) And it proves to be so when, at the end, Superman gets to repeat Jor-El’s powerful words to his newfound son.

Routh, while he doesn’t measure up to the standards set by Christopher Reeve, brings a great mix of vulnerability, compassion, and tenderness to the role. His goody-goody charm is lacking, as is his bumbling Clark Kent (though I have a feeling they had him tone down the bumbling that Reeve did so well), but in scenes of solitary contemplation or stoicism, he shines.

The last thing I should address, something you probably want to know, is how good the effects and action are. I am not afraid to say that most of the effects are the best I’ve ever seen. Something about Routh’s face makes him look made out of wax all the time, so the switches to CGI are usually indistinguishable. The first time we see Superman in his costume is one of the best and most tense action scenes I’ve ever seen, a ten minutes sequence that alone is worth the price of admission.

Superman Returns is a movie you cannot afford to miss. Its message is inspiring, its story interesting, and its action nothing short of exhilarating. The original film’s tagline was “You will believe a man can fly,” but in this film we know Superman is more than just a man, more than just a Superman. He is a symbol, something that cannot die, something more important than a man in a cape. But he can fly, and how.