IMDb > Superman Returns (2006)
Superman Returns
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Superman Returns (2006) More at IMDbPro »

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Superman Returns (2006) -- 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 of Lois Lane.
Superman Returns (2006) -- Clip: I Love That He Can See Through Anything
Superman Returns (2006) -- 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 of Lois Lane.
Superman Returns (2006) -- 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 of Lois Lane.
Superman Returns (2006) -- 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 of Lois Lane.

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   96,143 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Bryan Singer
Writers (WGA):
Michael Dougherty (screenplay) &
Dan Harris (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Superman Returns on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 June 2006 (USA) more
Plot:
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 of Lois Lane. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 21 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(726 articles)
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Brett Ratner takes on The Wolfman, Avatar, Prince of Persia and more
 (From The Geek Files. 10 November 2009, 11:23 AM, PST)

User Comments:
The name was perfect for the film. more (2316 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Red Sun (USA) (fake working title)
Superman Reborn (USA) (working title)
Superman Returns: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
Superman V (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some intense action violence.
Runtime:
154 min
Country:
Australia | USA
Language:
English | German | French
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and 'Kevin Spacey (I)' signed on without having read the script. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Superman flies towards Luthor's new island, his x-ray vision shows the crack in the sea floor heading away from him along his flight path, towards the island. When he turns back towards Metropolis, the crack is running towards the city. The only place where cracks should be spreading in opposite directions is the island itself. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Jor-El: You will travel far my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you. Even in the face of our deaths. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father, the - The son.
more
Movie Connections:
References "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (1988) more
Soundtrack:
Habanera more

FAQ

What does Superman say during his last confrontation with Lex and his henchmen?
How can Superman lift the Kryptonite continent?
Why does Superman's suit not get torn up when he is hit by things?
more
54 out of 90 people found the following comment useful.
The name was perfect for the film., 10 December 2006
7/10
Author: MeloDee from Texas, U.S.A.

What can I say about this movie? To say the least, it was beautifully crafted.

Brandon Routh- who, as Shaq pointed out at the film's premiere in less flowery language- sometimes appears to be Christopher Reeve reborn. Not in appearance and voice alone, but also in his representation of Clark Kent. Of course, this should not be too surprising seeing as he has admitted to studying Reeve's performances in the earlier Superman films.

Nonetheless, Brandon Routh is excellent in his own right. He "is" Superman as wholly and perfectly as Smallville's Tom Welling (who is, ironically 2 years older).

The other characters of the cast were as equally well -chosen. I had perhaps biased doubts about Kate Bosworth's portrayal of Lois Lane, but she does extremely well with the part. I had even more doubts about Kevin Spacey...I mean, come on, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor? To my delight, however, he did more than just shave his head to prepare for the challenging role.

Over an hour of the two and a half the film provided was spent with Superman "returning." Note, that I already have a slightly biased dislike of Superman. You can probably guess what that dislike concerns.

However, I found myself enjoying Superman's excessive showing off.

The movie in general is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing superhero movies that I have ever seen. I usually hate to focus too much on good graphics, but the 3D scenes are done amazingly well most of the time. Superman's red underwear is lacking most of its usual luster and utterly underwearish shape, much to my relief. In fact, thanks to the perfect length of his cape and good use of the camera, we avoid even seeing it most of the time.

All this, combined with that classical Superman theme song, makes our hearts cry, "It's Superman!" with a surprising joy.

The problem is, despite the perfection found in the cast and direction, the plot is sadly lacking. Lex Luthor's plan is foolish, rash, and surprisingly cheap coming from someone of his caliber. Last I saw of the old Batman and Superman adventures TV show on Cartoon Network those years ago, Lex Luthor was a man devoted to subtle mechanics. He would do things, like destroy land by draining oil from the wrong areas, sell weapons to the enemies of metropolis. Mass destruction was never his goal, although people were inadvertently hurt by his methods. He had huge factories, all covered with lead so that Superman could not see inside, and worked tactfully with the enemies of Superman to bring about his demise.

The one villain who could have saved this movie- Metallo, a.k.a. "The Man With the Kryptonite Heart" was left out much to my disappointment.

Instead of either adding a more powerful villain or making Lex Luthor the intelligent- however insane- businessman that he is, they surrounded him with idiots and gave him a faux plan.

In this way, they insulted the intelligence of the audience. They perhaps thought that an involved, complicated plot was the wrong way to bring Superman back, and the movie was probably also geared to young children (despite it's PG-13 rating, which was not understandable to me as the movie was quite mild) who were just being introduced to the Man of Steel.

Despite these major flaws, though, now that they have gotten over "bringing Superman back" the seeds have been planted for an excellent sequel. Sequels usually make me wary and I do not want them, but ironically, with this movie of all things, I hope for one with absolute anticipation and excitement.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Superman Returns (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Will there be a sequel to this?? goonerook
100 things we learned from Superman Returns darren-osullivan
Starts well---ends weak Hire script consultant for sequel! movie-viking
Brandon's Eyes as Superman cluvonj
it needed yellowchick
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