Emo, Emo Superman . . . .

Once again, I've got that punch-drunk feeling of getting too little sleep, because we went to a late-night mid-week showing of a new superhero epic. Last month, it was X-Men 3; this time, it's -- of course -- Superman Returns.

We caught the 10 pm show at The Bridge Cinema's Imax Theatre (complete with nifty-keen 3-D scenes -- green glasses on screen to don specs, red glasses means doff them). That was also the chosen showing for a bunch of industry types (including a licensing exec from Warner who sat next to us at the X-3 movie), who stayed through the closing credits and cheered lustily when the LA special effects crew's names appeared.

As for the movie: Was it the spiffiest, coolest, hi-octane-ist lalapalooza ever?

No.

Was it a fun, thought-provoking, and often nail-biting epic?

Yep.

I definitely missed Christopher Reeve in the lead role (he's unavailable -- unlike Marlon Brando, who won't let death get in the way of another cameo); Mr. Routh is capable enough in most scenes, although he has a tendency to severely underplay most of his role. To balance that out, however, Kevin Spacey is a terrific Lex Luthor, far more menacing than Gene Hackman. (And he finally got himself some choice thugs -- they can use micro-callipers, and beat people up!)

I was impressed with how well Bryan Singer cherry-picked the look and feel of the first Reeve movie, while excising the goofier bits and replacing it with a more quiet humor (as well as his own visual touch -- the cinematography looks like polished alabaster, and should win an Oscar.)

But one of the problems with cutting the silliness was also cutting a lot of the joy. I kept wishing that someone in the movie (other than the strangely old Jimmy Olsen) would crack a damn smile. I haven't seen such glum faces since Schindler's List. Especially the kid, who lets nary an emotion reach his shaggy-bang-wreathed face.

The big treat, of course, is the action. The set pieces are as big and loud and thrilling as you could wish. Those who loved Reeve's Superman pushing the San Andreas Fault back into place from underground will have their dreams of spectacle fulfilled. Just about my favorite scene (tiny spoiler warning): Supes zooming above a city street, on his back, heat vision vaporizing rubble falling from a block of skyscrapers.

The movie is, at heart, a sometimes uncomfortable marriage of emotional depth and shallow action thrills. When they meet in the crucible, they reach a middle ground that may entertain you, turn you off, or accomplish both.