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.

Her take on Lois Lane was terrible then again she is a very limited actress. SHe was also WAY TOO YOUNG AT THE TIME to play Lois Lane. She was 23. In this film she won a Pulitzer Prize and has a 5 year old! Her Co-Star Parker Posey SHould HAve Played Lois Lane. The talent less Kate could pf played the Parker Posey Role "Kitty Kowalski" Parker Posey e is a much better actress and would have been much easier to buy her as Lois. In fact she seemed born to play Lois. Everyone else in this film however is fine. Brandon ROuth made an excellent "Superman". However the screenplay let him down. There is not much going on in this film. It like a Merchant Ivory PRoductions made this film. If Kate is reading this I hope in these past few years you paid for an acting coach. IF you still want to act you need one. You are fast approaching the "DIstrict Attorney Roles" in movies. After that it "DRiving Miss Daisy"

I have always had a love hate relationship with the Superman Movies.first I loved Superman:The Movie(1978)..I consider that one to be a true American all time classic 2nd, I equally loved Superman II(1981) just and much as I loved the original Superman movie...both of those movies set the standards that I believe all comic book movies should be measured by. they are great.3rd, then came Superman III(1983)...okay, this one isn't quiet as good as the first 2 movies. but none-the-less, it does have its moments, and it isn't bad..it just wasn't that great.,,,a few plot holes, but it was still an enjoyable movie 4th, Superman IV:The Quest for Peace....what the hell happened? Its daylight in America and China at the same time, Supes steals all of the worlds nukes, Nuclear Man isn't really nuclear powered(nope he's solar powered)....Mariel Hemmingway can breathe in outer space... and the movie only got worst and worst. so bad that I found myself wondering if adults had really wrote the script, or was it written by a bunch of 3rd graders 5th, then came the Superboy TV series in the late 1980's(which depicted Superman/Clark Kent in college)..not all bad..but not really good either (it lasted one season and then got the ax) 6th, Hollywood just would leave Supes alone...then came Louis & Clark: The new Adventures of Superman. ...again, not bad, ...but not great either...And I never liked Dean Cain as the man of Steel, he was too boyish looking 7th, then came Smallville......Smallville destroys the entire background of Superman's past(Earth past) by placing him in the same high school with Lex Luther in the same town(and they are best friends...but Lex doesn't recognize him when he's superman ...this is pathetic I had given up on the Superman franchise after Smallville.But then came "Superman Returns" .........this was the first truly enjoyable Superman since 1983. Although it still falls short from the Glory of Superman I&II, it is better than Superman III and all of the skimpy Superman related TV shows that have been hasten onto the airwaves over the last 20 years.Brand Routh gives a solid performance as Clark Kent/Superman the special effects are wonderful(fantastic) ..the producers reused the old John Williams music score.....the story is good(although I admit that I did have some issues with Supes using his superpowers to stalk Lois Lane at her home) The writers went back to the basic for this one.this is a must see movie,it gets it right! and it makes up for the 20 years of bad Superman TV shows ! ! ! ! ! !

The Superman returns after a 5 year absence, but finds a world that has learned to live without him, and now has to accept that Lois Lane has followed her life with another man, as well as facing again the ever-persistent maniac Lex Luthor. Contrary to previous adaptations of Chris Reeve's Superman, this film excels by being more realistic and without excessive stupidity, focusing on the drama of the relationships and motivations of the characters, has an excellent camera work and the mythical soundtrack redesigned from the original, some spectacular action moments and finally a movie worthy of this super hero who treats him with due respect without making him or the film a stupid comedy or joke like the previous ones.But it also has negative aspects that I do not agree with and that greatly harm the film: it could have more moments of action (after all this is a Superman movie); Superman spying on Lois Lane is just weird; Lois Lane should have a personality with more vitality, jovial and restless (despite the circumstances) and the son is a character that is not needed. The final battle on the island could have been better crafted without editing the transition to the sequence in which Lois wakes up on the plane, as such cuts on a climax breaks the tension and attention on the viewer. That is wrong. And in this final battle, I was very angry and disillusioned that Superman did not even once offered resistance or a bit of a fight. After he sends the island into space, the end of the film unnecessarily extends for another 20 minutes with melodramatic scenes more appropriate to a romantic drama than a Superman movie. I'd end the movie with Superman at the hospital and Lex Luthor's scene on the desert island. The rest is unnecessary.I'd really like to have a Superman movie in my collection, but in the overall assessment, unfortunately and despite some positive aspects, this movie does not accumulate enough points for that honor. Although it has elements that indicate to be a sequel to the first two films (forgetting the others completely), it is better seen as a stand- alone, assuming that there was already a story before which is not to relevant for this movie, not at all. In short: this movie has some good moments but lacks more action because it focuses too much on the romance between Louis and Clark, and being so is just a melodrama with Superman.