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SUPERMAN RETURNS A viewer would have to go back 28 years to find the motion picture that still ranks as the finest superhero movie ever made. The 1978 version of Superman still holds up beautifully, with dazzling special effects, plenty of heart and spunk, and career performances by Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder as Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Director Bryan Singer (X-Men and X2) has a great affinity for that film, and he pays his respects with a new picture that's neither a remake nor a direct repudiation; instead, he imagines Superman Returns as a continuation of the original saga, a chance to advance the story without radically altering it. Like Christopher Nolan with Batman Begins, Singer has elected to add dramatic heft to a deceptively simple comic-book framework, by spending as much screen time on the characters' mental battles as on the gee-whiz theatrics of Superman's crime-fighting prowess. The script's mixture of melodrama and mirth seems just right, and newcomer Brandon Routh is effective as the Man of Steel and his bumbling alter ego. ***1/2

WORDPLAY An entertaining and enlightening documentary on, of all things, crossword puzzles, this lovely piece showcases the power of the American language and the pure, untainted joy that puzzle aficionados feel as they interlock their answers in the grids found within the pages of the New York Times. The film's central figure is the Times' crossword editor Will Shortz, though celebrity puzzle fans (Bill Clinton, Ken Burns and Jon Stewart among them) also have their say. As in many recent docs, the movie wraps up with a major competition, in this case the 28th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. This finale will inevitably be compared to the nail-biting contest at the end of Spellbound (a great film that's already established itself as the gold standard in this sub-genre), and in that respect, it does fall short of generating the same level of excitement. But because we're watching a documentary about intellectual excellence, we're not really expecting to find our hearts racing anyway. Wordplay functions as a playful celebration of brain power, and in that respect, it gets its point Across. And Down. ***1/2

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND The 2000 hit X-Men, which introduced Marvel's band of mutant outsiders to a wider audience and helped spearhead the current boom in superhero flicks, appealed to fans of the comic book but also offered comfort to anyone who could tap into its obvious symbolic gestures (most equating the fantasy world ostracism of mutants with the real world shunning of homosexuals). Director Bryan Singer returned for 2003's X2, and, bucking the trend, managed to make a follow-up that nearly matched its predecessor. Alas, Singer has fled the series to helm Superman Returns, and Brett Ratner (the Rush Hour duo) and his scripters prove to be shaky replacements. Yet it's a testament to the durability of the original comic created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that the movie survives this hostile takeover. There are plenty of boneheaded decisions plaguing this action-packed chapter -- too many players, stagnant characterizations -- yet there's also enough of merit to earn it a passing grade. **1/2

OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 14:

LITTLE MAN: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans.

A SCANNER DARKLY: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder.

YOU, ME & DUPREE: Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson.