“Oh look guys, it’s Superman!”  I was so giddy.  My kids must be wondering why I was acting like a child when I first saw the Superman action figures at Superstore about two weeks ago.  

I grew up with the Superman movies and Superman has become a part of my childhood. 

I was in High School when the first movie came out.  I can’t remember exactly my movie experience but I remember explaining to my cousin Meann, who was four years younger than me, how Superman turned back time to save Lois from the San Francisco earthquake.  She couldn’t grasp it yet at that time.  She was still in grade school. 

Everytime I hear Can You Read My Mind, I visualize that scene when the handsome Superman flies with Lois and the looks he exchanged with her with those adorable blue eyes.  “Can you read my mind?  Do you know what it is you do to me?  Wondering why you are all the wonderful things you are.”  It gives me shivers every time. 

My kids have no choice but to watch the TV series Smallville with me every Tuesday nights at dinnertime.  Not only do I love Tom Welling with his blue eyes like Christopher Reeve, but the show just always brings me back to my Superman experience and that of my first love back in high school. 

We had a Superman marathon at home these past two weeks.  Superman I and II were on YTV and boy was I transported back in time. 

“Why do you like Superman so much mommy?”  My middle guy asked me. 

“Well, you guys have Spiderman and we had Superman back then,” I explained to him.  “It was a hit when I was in High School.  My classmate even thought that the movie series would continue up to number 10.  I actually had a crush on him.” 

“Was he a nerd?”  He was referring to that classmate. 

Now, my children know me too much it’s scary sometimes.  How would he have guessed? 

“Yeah, but he was smart.”    

“What’s his name?” 

“I’m not gonna tell you.  You’ll tease me.” 

“What did he look like?” 

“Well, he had a wide forehead.  And he was very smart.” 

I learned that my sister has a DVD collection of the 4 Superman movies and so we borrowed Superman 3 and 4 and the kids watched them with me. 

I didn’t realize that Annette O’Toole played Lana Lang.  I told the kids that she’s the one who plays Clark’s mother, Martha Kent, in Smallville now.  I also pointed out to them that Jon Cryer, who played Lex’s nephew, is the dad in another TV show we watch, “Two and Half Men.”  We had a laugh about his hairstyle back then. 

I explained to my kids Canada’s connection to the Superman movies.  The original comic story was written by a Canadian.  “I knew that Mommy,” boasted my middle guy.  “We learned it in school.  He was a teenager when he wrote it.”  I also told them that Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the original Superman movies, is Canadian.  And that the town of Smallville was shot in Alberta.  And that most of the special effects in the current movie, Superman Returns, was done by a Winnipeg-based company, Frantic Films. 

But none of these seemed to persuade my two oldest boys to see Superman Returns.  Only my eight-year old boy wanted to watch it.  So we went to see it today. 

Superman Returns doesn’t disappoint.  My middle guy commented that the special effects in the Christopher Reeve starrer movies look like those of a video game.  The special effects in Superman Returns have improved a lot.  So did the hair style.  Although Lex is still bald, he has quite a collection of wigs this time.  And the eyeglasses have become smaller.  Remember the huge frames in the 80s? 

I also like the plot.  After scientists discovered remains of Krypton, Superman disappeared.  He comes back after five years.  But the world didn’t stop when he left.  People moved on.  Lois had finally won a Pulitzer Prize for an article she wrote titled, “Why the world doesn’t need Superman.”  (Was she just bitter that Superman didn’t say goodbye to her that’s why she wrote that article?) She’s also engaged now (not married) and has a son who’s four years old.  Four years old.  Superman was gone for five years.  Who could be the father of this boy?  And as usual, Lex Luthor is out of prison again and is obsessed with destroying Superman.  But will he? 

Lois was agitated by the return of Superman.  It stirred back old feelings in her.  Oh! I can so relate.  I was also confused when I was “reunited” with an old love.  I thought that I still had feelings for him.  But of course not.  I had moved on.  But is Lois still in love with Superman?  And does the world really still need a superhero?  Go and watch Superman Returns to find out. 

Just a side note: Brandon Routh is so handsome and really closely resembles Christoper Reeve.  And I think the producers made the right choice of casting an unknown to play Superman as they did before.  It’s easier to believe that this person has super powers and can fly than if they had casted a famous actor.  Kate Bosworth is beautiful and fits the part of Lois Lane.  And Kevin Spacey did a fine performance as the villainous Lex Luthor.