Chinese movie fans won't be totally disappointed this summer.

 

Those who have developed an emotional attachment to the old Superman story will be able to enjoy Superman Returns from Warner Brothers.

 

After 19 years, Superman returns to the silver screen as various types of superheroes run rampant in cinemas, critics say.

 

Nevertheless, this age-old superhero, it turns out, still flies high and steady.

 

Superman Returns traces the superhero's homecoming after a mysterious five-year absence. Played by newcomer Brandon Routh, Superman finds that the love of his life, Lois Lane, played by Kate Bosworth, has already moved on since he left without a word.

 

In the meantime, his old enemy Lex Luthor, played by Kevin Spacey, has hatched a new plot to control the world. At this special moment, Superman justifies again why the world still needs such a superhero.

 

Meanwhile, in the real world, the stunning box-office revenue of Superman Returns also points to the importance of this superhero.

 

According to statistics from the local trade media, Superman's return to Chinese cinemas from July 11 took in 31.71 million yuan (US$3.96 million) over the opening weekend, earning it the title of weekly box-office champion.

 

Box-office revenues in Beijing alone has mounted to 5.27 million yuan (US$ 658,000) since its China premiere.

 

According to a latest survey on Superman Returns by the Sina website, 62.33 percent of moviegoers watch Superman Returns because of their indelible "Superman Complex."

 

"It's touching to think that the first time I watched a videotape of Superman was in the early 1980s. After watching that, you'll believe a man can really fly freely, defying gravity."

 

Yang Weiwei, an employee of a foreign company, recalled, "Many years later, Bryan Singer (the director of Superman Returns) has gotten it right. My superman is back!"

 

"Basically, I'm satisfied with the new superman. Compared to Christopher Reeve, this guy is less gawky. But his smile, the stretch of his arms and his eyes did convince me of the return of Superman," Chen Ge, a freshman from Peking University told China Daily. "Kate Bosworth provides an altogether different Lois a sexier, more modern view. She's prettier than Kidder, and there's more chemistry in her scenes with her co-star."

 

The heated discussion on the old and new supermen brought out a touch of nostalgia for this long-time superhero.

 

When asked about how much they know about Superman along Wangfujing Street, a commercial hub in downtown Beijing, a great many youngsters replied that they could still clearly narrate the basic storyline of the previous installment of the Superman series.

 

"Under the Earth's yellow sun, he can do two things humans can only dream of, but to co-exist with them he must live a dual life as mild, unassuming Clark Kent, secretly transforming into the Man of Steel when the world cries out for him."

 

As such, promising that "you'll believe a man can fly" in 1978, the Superman movie delivered US$134.2 million in box office revenues by its close, which would equal around US$380 million today, industry analysts say.

 

Superman II also set a new weekend record in 1981. However, the third episode faltered and the fourth, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, was a failure in 1987.

 

Nineteen years later, the "Man of Steel" seems to have made a pretty splendid comeback in this blockbuster that does Christopher Reeve's memory proud.

 

Tom Cruise's mission

 

Meanwhile, Tom Cruise landed on China's big screen with his Mission: Impossible III last Thursday. The scene design has very impressive visual effects: the car explosions, the crushed metal and the zippy seamless mutability of a world gone CGI. The director J.J. Abrams and the co-creator and executive producer of Lost and Alias are regarded by many as craftier in presenting this new series of Mission Impossible. Several Beijing cinemas predicted that the box office collections of Mission: Impossible III would very likely surpass that of Superman Returns.

 

Kung fu comic series

 

The Dragon Tiger Gate (Long Hu Men), one of the most talked about martial arts films of 2006, is expected to be released nationwide on July 28. The Dragon Tiger Gate comic series were once popular all over Hong Kong. More than 30 years later, this US$10 million comics adaptation, directed by Wilson Yup and Donnie Yen, stars Nicholas Tse, Donnie Yen, Shawn Yu, Dong Jie and Li Xiaoran. It features lengthy fights involving the three fast, hard-hitting and energetic lead characters Dragon (Donnie Yen), Tiger (Nicholas Tse), and Turbo (Shawn Yue). Dragon fights off his opponents with powerful arm-to-arm combat, Tiger with his acrobatic and precise kicks, and Turbo with his deadly nun chucks.

 

"I'd like to call it a comic-type kung fu. As the action director, my job is to preserve a coherently exciting style in depicting the kung fu scenes. I think I've done my job," Donnie Yen was quoted as saying. "The kung fu in this movie combines the realistic mode of S.P.L (Sha Po Lang) and the illusory style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

 

(China Daily July 25, 2006)