It's a bird! No, it's a plane! No, it's...

I was 8 years old when I convinced my parents to give me my own key to our house, so that I could go directly home from school rather than go to the nanny. Why? There was a Superman movie on TV (we only had one TV channel at the time, and this was before the age of our VCR, so it was kind of a big deal) . And during my formative teenage years, I loved, loved, loved the TV-series "Lois and Clark" and had (and I say this with only a mild embarrased blush) a poster of Dean Cain in my closet. I have owned several clothing items with the infamous "S" logo (including undergarments) and have been known to take an extra look at members of the opposite sex if wearing the same logo. Yes, I guess it is fair to say that I have had a crush on the Man of Steel for quite some time.

So - expectations were undoubtedly high for the new Superman movie. Could the young Brandon Routh live up to the legacy of the previous tight-wearing superheroes? Could the movie manage to bring back the magic of memories past? My own personal superman somewhat reluctantly agreed to come with me (I promised not to drool openly) and for 2 hours and 38 minutes we watched the cape-clad hero struggle with familiar issues like protecting his supersecret superhero identity, dealing with his hidden-yet-not-so-secret love for Lois Lane (now a mother), fighting the arch enemy, Lex Luthor, and saving Metropolis and the world from their oblivious fate of heading towards certain destruction.

And the verdict? It was fun. And at times it really did revive the old feeling of being lost in a universe of superheroes and supervillains. Sure, it is a little odd that the man himself looks much younger now than when he left the planet five years ago (young Brandon actually looks a lot better as Clark Kent than he does without glasses), and if I had it my way, Lois would dump the geezer so she and Superman could live happily ever after and spend their evenings flying around in the clouds. The ending is beyond cheezy, but I don't want to spoil it - you'll have to see it for yourself. As for me, although I was very happy to have enjoyed a fresh refill of
Supermanliness, I was even more happy to go home with the less cape-clad but much more approachable superhero of my own - and I suspect he is a better kisser, too.