4. Kevin Spacey As Lex Luthor In Superman Returns
Yes I know what I said about Bryan Singer being good, but hear me out... Superman is always a bit of poisoned chalice when it comes to film adaptations. He doesn't have Batman's baggage, nor his cadre of great supervillians (let's face it, Luthor can't hold a candle to the Joker), he doesn't have the cool factor of Wolverine or Iron Man - heck, he now doesn't seem to be as mainstream a superhero as Spider-Man. So, to do a good Superman movie is tough. Singer gave it a good shot, but there were a couple of issues that ruined this film. Firstly, what gives with Lois Lane? I know in the original films she was a little derisory of Clark Kent but in Returns she is just rude. And furthermore, complaining that the world doesn't need Superman when he returns (I for one would welcome a moral super-being to solve some of the world's more pressing conflicts, but hey maybe that's just me...). Secondly, the film doesn't really feel like Superman is really up against it- while Luthor is the antagonist, Superman really just wins by...being more super than he was earlier in the film. The plot plods along around this and it kinda makes the idea of Superman's kryptonite weakness a little...weak. Spacey is a good Luthor, but he is not as good as Gene Hackman was in the role. Hackman played Luthor as a con man par excellence who was willing to nuke the San Andreas fault for a real estate scam. Spacey's Luthor has an element of that (his plot is also fixated on real estate pricing) but lacks a bit of the comedy that made Hackman's so enjoyable to watch.