Superman Returns is the greatest Superman film of all time. Directed by Bryan Singer and starring Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, and Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns is fantastic in just about every way possible.

SUPERMAN RETURNS from his homeworld of Krypton after rumors spread that astronauts have discovered the remains of the planet. Unfortunately, all he finds is a Kryptonite-filled disaster and barely makes it out alive. Once back on Earth, SUPERMAN RETURNS to his journalism job at the Daily Planet. He chats with Jimmy Olsen before SUPERMAN RETURNS to Lois Lane's desk, only to discover she's married... and has a kid!!

Then SUPERMAN RETURNS to Perry White's office and learns Lois is trapped on a passenger plane that's attached to a rocket. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor somehow sneaks into the Fortress of Solitude and steals Superman's Kryptonian knowledge. Lex uses it for an experiment that causes a massive citywide power outage, shutting down the plane and sending it into a terrifying dive.

All chaos breaks loose as people are thrown around the cabin... until everything suddenly stops.

It's Superman.

SUPERMAN RETURNS to... well... being Superman and saves everyone on board, including Lois, who might be starting to fall for him all over again.

Later, Lois and her son are lured onto Lex Luthor's yacht. Oh no!

Lex throws a giant chunk of Kryptonite into the ocean to create a brand-new continent because apparently that's his retirement plan. He figures he'll get richer... and somehow even balder. While all this is happening, James Marsden Jr. plays the piano for one of Lex's creepy henchmen—the guy with the clown tattoo on the back of his head. Sounds wholesome, right? Nope. The kid ends up throwing a piano at the guy and actually kills him.

Soon, the real James Marsden and Superman figure out that Lois faxed them the yacht's location. Like any good husband, James flies a helicopter out to rescue his family. Then, because this movie loves making things worse, a giant Kryptonite continent erupts through the yacht, splitting it in half and sending Lois, James, and their son into the ocean.

SUPERMAN RETURNS to the water and rescues everyone, but the Kryptonite starts poisoning him. He sinks beneath the waves until Mini Marsden spots him and tells his parents to circle the helicopter back and save his SuperDad.

When SUPERMAN RETURNS to the helicopter, he immediately wants to RETURN to Lex Luthor and put an end to this nonsense once and for all.

Lex ambushes Superman and nearly kills him, but Lex's "girlfriend" finally has enough and throws all of Superman's stolen Kryptonian crystals into the ocean. Lex and his assistant end up stranded on their own island while Superman performs one of the coolest superhero moments ever by lifting the entire Kryptonite continent into space.

Now that I've summarized the movie, here are my thoughts.

I really only have one complaint, and it's a small one: Superman's "S" emblem is just a little too tiny for my liking.

Everything else is awesome.

The Superman suit looks great, the CGI still holds up surprisingly well, and Brandon Routh absolutely nailed the role. The rest of the cast is excellent too. On top of that, they use John Williams' classic Superman theme throughout the movie, which automatically earns bonus points from me.

Overall, Superman Returns gets 4 out of 5 stars.

This movie is really... super, man.

MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 154 mins
Director: Bryan Singer
Writer: Michael Dougherty
Cast: Brandon Routh; Kevin Spacey; Kate Bosworth
Genre: Superhero | Action
Tagline: Dawn of Justice
Memorable Movie Quote: "You can print money, manufacture diamonds, and people are a dime a dozen, but they'll always need land. It's the one thing they're not making any more of."
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Official Site:
Release Date: June 30, 2006
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: