Too many fans seem to be blown away

Lack of good storyline.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Superman Returns was a valiant effort by Brian Singer but sadly both the director and the lead actor Brandon Routh's careers haven't flourished. The film was criticized for its length upon release but it wasn't a disaster either critically or financially. This is what this film eventually is- a middling affair that would soon be forgotten in the deluge of superhero films that were to follow that decade onwards. You can give it a watch though and there are some great scenes scattered throughout.

Visual effects do not lag behind Marvel's, but unlike Marvel, DC provides something more than an empty action. Besides the default fight of good and evil, "Superman" also brings a deep human drama, a struggle within, between what we want with all our heart and what we know is right. Frankly, I do not like Brandon Routh in leading role. Although I can not give objective criticism of his performance, subjectively he simply doesn't leave impression of Superman. He seem more like pussy than superhero, but it's probably just me. On the other hand, Kate Bosworth is so cute that I am not able to objectively evaluate her acting, and Kevin Spacey is perfect Lex Lutor, incomparably better than Hackman.8,5/10I wonder if introductory monologue sounds somewhat biblical to anyone else, as if trying to compare Superman to Jesus:"Even though you've been raised as a human being, you are not one of them. They can be a great people. They wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son."

Terrible - well for anybody who has seen the original Superman movies.Soon as Superman walks into the Daily Planet's offices I just don't get it. Up till that point the movie was OK.And least in the subsequent 'Man of Steel' Superman has some facial & chest hair - no longer a kid.

Apologies for the late review but I wanted to rewatch this before jumping in.I have now seen the film 9 times, top to bottom.Conclusion: the film overall is an 8, that is, it has a hard time finding direction; it does some strange things with the traditional character arcs; and AS PER USUAL the entire Lex Luthor arc is a mess.(For the record, and I am fairly strong-minded on this, the only Superman story to ever come close to making Lex interesting and not a stick figure is Smallville, which, in its 10 year run, had great writing, Michael Rosenbaum, and, whenever the plot waned, Kristin Kruek).The biggest problem -- and this is problem I have never seen before -- is that the first big "set piece," the plane scene -- is not merely good, it is brilliant.Let me be clear -- the falling plane is not only one of the most perfect special effects I have ever seen anywhere, anytime, but it is also the first time anyone has explored the issue of what if even Superman has to deal with an object so big and clumsy that even he can't control it ...After the first 5 viewings or so, I reached the point where I would fast-forward through almost all the Lex Luthor stuff but the plane scene I could watch over and over and over. It is exhilarating.Pity that the rest of film did not keep pace. The "savior" theme as a foundation for a completely unresolved love story is ambitious; the secondary arc involving Lois's son is equally ambitious but as a unified whole the story never really gels.It is a good film. It could have been great.