Not what we expected

We finally got around to watch a couple of movies we missed when they came around to the cinemas.  Neither one was what we expected, but for different reasons.  

Starting off, Superman Returns, and very nearly lulls me to sleep.  It wasn't a bad movie, but just wasn't that...I don't know...exciting...engaging...it was missing something.  Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther is pretty excellent.  He provided the bulk of the entertainment with his performance and was a real treat to watch.  Brandon Routh is not just Superman, he's also Captain Even Keel.  He's so generally unexcitable that he doesn't really bring a lot to the movie.  This is likely the intent...Clark Kent/Superman as a mild mannered guy, just trying to save the world, but they could've let the guy get a little more worked up in my opinion.

WALL-E also wasn't what I expected, but not for the same reason as Superman.  The main character, WALL-E, is absolutely adorable.  The film is splendid.  What was unexpected was what a sad commentary the film makes about human existence.  WALL-E is the last of his kind and has been left on the abandoned planet Earth to clean up the monumental mess left behind by the humans, who left the planet in a completely uninhabitable state.  It borders on heavy-handed in its coverage of consumerism and obesity, but is told with a really sweet relationship between machines.  This continues Pixar's streak of great films, and we're becoming fans of Brad Bird's work as well.  This one's worth renting, and if you have children (like us), it's probably worth a purchase.