A good performance by Routh, solid production values and great action can't overcome a heavy-handed script, weak characters and poor pacing
Comment
06/29/06
Rate this Movie 
Superman Returns (2006)
77 %
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted: 249
Fresh: 191
Rotten:58
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Consensus: Singer's reverent and visually decadent adaptation gives the Man of Steel welcome emotional complexity. The result: a satisfying stick-to-your-ribs adaptation.
Theatrical Release: Jun 28, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $200,006,305
Synopsis: For five years, Superman (Brandon Routh) has been away from Earth, coaxed into space by a belief that Krypton may still exist. Finding nothing, he comes back to a changed world--not only has terrorism become rampant, but Lois Lane (Kate... [More]
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden
Director: Bryan Singer
DVD Info
Reviews for Superman Returns
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticClick to read the article
06/24/06
Top Critic
Top Critic
Retaining the spirit of the comic strip, Superman Returns delivers a larger-than-life hero a sardonic villain, splashy special effects and an emotional heart that reinforces the Man of Steel's vulnerability.
06/21/06
Top Critic Superman Returns feels eager to please, and it frequently succeeds, but despite its best intentions, it seldom soars to the height of 1978's Superman: The Movie
07/07/08
Superman Returns is a bombastic, rousing, explosive burst of summer fun and fantasy, enriched by its predecessors and rejuvenated by the new blood and slavish religious devotion of director Bryan Singer.
02/28/08
Solid and emotionally direct but not the concussive powerhouse many will be hoping for.
09/23/07
the tragedy of 9/11 and Lois' super sex with the 'man of steel' are two major selling points of the film, but they remain as sublimated as Clark Kent's secret identity.
08/06/07
The Man of Steel as a morally-compromised and ethically-challenged figure has the potential to be quite compelling, but if and only if he is portrayed as confronting his demons in a more meaningful way.
06/16/07
Resembling Reeve both physically and vocally, Routh certainly has large red boots to fill. And he fills them admirably
12/13/06
After nearly 20 years in hiding, one would expect Superman's return to be special. Alas, the most noteworthy thing about director Bryan Singer's new movie is the hype surrounding it.
10/09/06
Latest News for Superman Returns
October 31, 2008: Brandon Routh Peers Into Superman's Future