Brandon Routh, Frank Langella, James Marsden

Following a mysterious absence of several years, Superman comes back to Earth -- but things have changed. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, The Man of Steel faces the ...( read more  read more... )heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.

Flixster Users

67% liked it

477,349 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

247 critics

PG-13, 2 hrs. 34 min.

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Release Date: June 28, 2006

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DVD Release Date: November 28, 2006

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Stats: 39,734 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (39,734)


  • October 10, 2006
    This "Superman" brings the magic from the original movies and brings new life to it. It's thrilling, moving, and often humorous.
  • September 14, 2009
    Saw it again, my rating actually improved the 2nd time around. (Gave it 2 1/2 stars the first time). - review to follow, have a headache right now.

    Directed by: Bryan Singer
    Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-fi
  • September 3, 2009
    I hate this film, I don't know what gave Bryan Singer the audacity to sat 'Forget the last 2 films, I've got a better idea'. How dare he! Start again, you wont be able to top the first film but put your own mark on it! Its just so painfully crap, Singer is very overrated and the ...( read more)actors all do a pretty lousy job with their characters (apart from Spacey who is the only saving grace). My biggest problem with it is the storyline. Suddenly a whole continent of Kryptonite can't stop Superman ever though a pebble of the stuff nearly kills him. Don't get me started on the whole 'Superboy' scene. At least Superman fans are united in condemning it, I just hope it has not killed Superman's chances in the future. I'm watching Smallville from now on!
  • April 21, 2009
    " I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but every day I hear people crying for one."

    After a long visit to the lost remains of the planet Krypton, the Man of Steel returns to earth to become the peoples savior once again and reclaim the love...( read more) of Lois Lane.

    REVIEW

    Superman Returns was a fun movie to watch. Routh was a great Superman, I never questioned the character. Bosworth was less fun to watch, I kept hoping for some more Clark Kent and Lois Lane banter. She was also lacking the spunk of Lois Lane. Still, Margot Kidder wasn't that great either and the movie is in the end, about Superman saving the world. The special effects are amazing, the flying scenes are much more fun, and it was overall a great time. The biggest problem with the movie, was the Lex Luthor "evil plot". Even at the end of the movie it seemed like we were all waiting for the real plot to hatch, almost as if the entire movie was a set up for the real story. Nevertheless, Spacey was fun to watch, but they did not utilize Parker Posey's talents in her role. Overall, the movie was fun, uplifting, and a great beginning to a new Superman franchise. I hope that Routh gets a chance to return and that they give the next movie an evil plot worth today's Superman.
  • January 31, 2009
    Kevin Spacey should just stay in this role ALWAYS! LOL he was very good. Everybody else???? ugghh(?)
  • November 19, 2009
    Couldnt sit through it
  • November 16, 2009
    what were they thinking,WB , bryan singer, james marsden, did any one read this script before they spent two hundred million dollars on this crap, what really gets me is, there are unlimited storys to pick from,fantastic, tried and true kinda stories, we know who he is, so no mor...( read more)e origins was a plus, untill i saw it, a remake of superman 1 , would have been a better idea, and that idea sucks .....what were they thinking, im still telling my kids im sorry, for months we all looked foward to this, i was as excited if not more than the kids, all hopped up we went to the Franklin Institute for the special edition IMAX showing of this film, my 8 year old said he didnt like superman anymore after we saw this,it broke my heart, and they wouldnt let Smallville make Clark Superman because of this, its sad , there killing the unkillable, just let the smallville people have the franchise, they might be able to save it,..somebody save me....blueboy is dead
  • November 15, 2009
    if the 1st to fourth are good this well be good too
  • November 12, 2009
    how did they manage to turn superman into a chick flick
  • November 11, 2009
    I actually liked this movie but it's hard to fill in the big shoes of Chris Reid.

Critic Reviews


June 28, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Superman, born in 1938, is still very much alive in 2006. The Man of Steel has so skillfully bent the bars of our imagination that he seems real to us. And in a sense, he is. full review

June 28, 2006
Kurt Loder, MTV

The bittersweet love story is interesting, [and] the digital action looks as costly as it obviously was ... but despite the considerable amount of time that Superman spends flying around the sky, his ... full review

June 27, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

It delivers all the thrills, suspense and amazement fans could demand of a comic book story, leaping from scene to scene with superheroic agility. full review

June 27, 2006
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Superman Returns should swoop away with a big chunk of the summer box office, and deservedly so. full review

June 27, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

The world needs him, all right, and it should welcome his Return. full review

June 27, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is a glum, lackluster movie in which even the big effects sequences seem dutiful instead of exhilarating. full review

June 26, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

It's good to have him back, even if he is a bit more fragile. full review

June 26, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

The final scenes would make Wagner check his watch. It's not that the movie is 157 minutes; it's that it feels like 157 minutes. full review

June 26, 2006
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

Picture my disappointment as I realized that, for all the pizzazz of Superman Returns, its global weapon of choice would not be terrorism, or nuclear piracy, or dirty bombs. It would be real estate. full review

June 22, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

That 'S' on his suit has a whole new meaning: He's a Soul man. full review

View more Superman Returns reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • ellamarie142002
    July 17, 2009
    the best movie ever... i hope the next superman film will reveal that the boy's real father is superman
  • mcglint1820
    April 20, 2009
    it's been 3 years since they made the last superman movie,when are they gonna make another superman movie with brandon routh in it again (even if his married already)? hope they will make it this year or next year...
  • MadaboutHatters
    March 19, 2009
    Why is this movie getting such a great rating?
    This is a really bad movie, it's not the actors fault either, it was the script.
    I saw it in the theater and hated it and even blocked it out until I saw it on tv and I remembered how much I hate this movie.
    What ruined it for me was the fact that a little kryptonite can Hurt Him and yet he lifts a whole ISLAND made from it?
    Yeah that makes friggin sense!!!
    Whoever wrote that script I hope they're banned from writing movies forever.
  • MichaelPhelps
    July 30, 2008
    I really enjoyed watching this movie. I thought it was the best!!! =)
  • cantlivewithoutnarnia92
    June 6, 2008
    This movie is great and I absolutely love the music in it!! It's awesome because he's from my hometown and my friend is is clost cousin. It's sweet!
  • itbegins2005
    March 2, 2008
    I really liked this film. There. I said it. Sure, it was so inured in trying to bring out character moments that it barely gave the plot a once-over, and it referenced the original film WAY too many times, but as the first Superman film in a little less than twenty years, it was great! The action was all intense, and those afore-mentioned character moments are well-played and interesting. My ONLY quibble was in the casting and portrayal of Lois Lane (I never liked Margot Kidder, but Bosworth has nothing on her), but save that little (well, major) caveat, it was a fantastic film that I feel only disappoints because of how overly-hyped it was. It's not Spider-Man... but then again, it's not supposed to be.
  • MadaboutHatters
    January 14, 2008
    I couldn't remember if I commented years b4 or not but here goes.

    I hated this movie, it really let me down, I was all pumped up to see it and then BOOM!!!
    It died on the table and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
    the special FX were great I'll give it that but there were so many things wrong with this movie it was sad.
    One of the few movies to make me cry, not because it was touching but because it turned one of my favorite superheros into a pathetic wimp.
    It's rather sad really.
    I thought if anyone could get it right it would have been Singer but I was sadly wrong.
  • lileric70
    December 20, 2007
    hey dam n i uv da whole smallville "superman part1-6 and superman return "chris hes awful "branddon & thomas da new hero hahahhahah "st***n ,luv dat part kissi lana lui
  • haxc100
    December 12, 2007
    there is a great trailer out there for this film with jorel voice over
  • buckzster
    August 23, 2007
    This was the first movie that made you believe that he was actually flying. If you didn't knowest all the other movies his hair never moved. I don't know what proda they were using but if you are flying as the speed of sound, your hair will move!

    P.S
    I made a quiz for those who enjoy "Smallville" too.
    http://www.flixster.com/user/buckzster/quiz/smallville-trivia?invitorId=788981885

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Superman Returns Trivia


  • Who directed Superman Returns?  Answer »
  • What actor played Lex Luthor in the movie "Superman Returns"?  Answer »
  • "Superman Returns" is suppose to take place after which Superman film?   Answer »
  • Who plays superman/clark kent in superman returns  Answer »

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