Movie Review – Superman Returns

Okay, I know this review might be a little late since Superman Returns has been in the public domain for a few years now, but every time I watch it, and try to review it, I just can’t seem to muster the energy to do so adequately. I’ve probably rewritten this review a half-dozen times since its release, and I figured, regardless of how muddled, ambiguous, or unclear my thoughts might be, I simply have to jot them down.

The long, sordid history of the Superman film franchise post-Quest for Peace is well documented (and full of moments where you think, “Thank God THAT didn’t happen”). Suffice to say, it had been a long time since we’d seen the Man of Steel on the big screen, and expectations were high. Enter Bryan Singer, a director who had already delivered excellent superhero fare with X-Men and X2, and who professed a deep love for Superman. Add to that a relatively solid cast—Frank Langella, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth (whom I admittedly hadn’t seen much of before this film)—and a promising no-name in the title role, Brandon Routh. Special effects had advanced significantly since Superman IV, so surely, this would be the most believable Superman film yet, right?

And so, Singer gave us Superman Returns.

I so badly wanted to love this film. So much so that I ache every time I watch it and see the potential it squandered in its effort to be either canon or respectful of what came before. The biggest flaw, without question, is the storyline.

The film opens with Superman having been missing from Earth for five years, apparently off on some fact-finding mission to the remains of Krypton. In his absence, the world has moved on. Lois Lane, still at the Daily Planet, is engaged to Richard White (nephew of Perry White) and has had a child. She’s also written a bitter article titled Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman. When Superman inevitably returns (along with his bumbling alter-ego, Clark Kent), people naturally freak out—Lois included. Meanwhile, our favourite bald villain, Lex Luthor, is up to no good, hatching a plan to create a new continent off the coast of the US using stolen Kryptonian technology, all conveniently infused with enough Kryptonite to ensure Superman’s suffering.

Got all that? Good. Now, let’s talk about that kid. Because the moment Lois’ son appeared, the audience was left wondering, “Wait… is that Clark’s kid?” And sure enough, the film drops not-so-subtle hints that little Jason might have inherited some superpowers—such as when he throws a grand piano at a bad guy threatening his mum. Superman Returns supposedly follows the events of Superman II, where Lois and Clark finally got intimate after years of unresolved tension. So, naturally, the film suggests that this child is theirs—without ever outright confirming it. This ambiguity is frustrating, and instead of being a powerful emotional through-line, it becomes a clunky subplot that ultimately leads nowhere.

The biggest problem, however, is the film’s attempt to inject emotional drama by having Lois move on with another man and start a family. This is Superman we’re talking about—one of the most hopeful, idealistic figures in fiction. Watching him pine over a woman who has clearly moved on (and then creepily spy on her using his X-ray vision) turns him into a lovesick stalker. This isn’t the Superman we know and love—this is a brooding, awkward, and borderline unsettling version of the character. At no point does the romance feel natural or engaging. The chemistry between Lois and Clark is nonexistent, and every time they share the screen, it’s painful. Remember the Lois & Clark TV show with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher? Now that had spark. Here, Superman looks like he’s just shat out a pineapple every time he’s near Lois. It’s excruciating.

As much as the story has issues, the cast doesn’t help matters. Brandon Routh is a near-perfect looking Superman—he’s got the chiselled jaw, the noble stance, and the overall appearance of Christopher Reeve reincarnated. But his performance? Wooden. Reeve had a twinkle in his eye—he knew he was having fun in the role. Routh, on the other hand, looks perpetually confused, unsure whether he’s supposed to be mopey or heroic. And when your lead lacks confidence, the whole film suffers.

Then there’s Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. On paper, great casting. In execution? An over-the-top, scenery-chewing man-child who lacks any real menace. He stomps around, yells a lot, and generally comes across as a more obnoxious version of Gene Hackman’s 1978 Luthor. Considering how far comic book villains had come by 2006 (Batman Begins had already given us a grounded take on Scarecrow and Ra’s al Ghul), Spacey’s Luthor felt like a relic of a bygone era—cartoonish, campy, and ultimately forgettable.

And poor Kate Bosworth, as Lois Lane, remains one of the most baffling miscasts in superhero movie history. Lois is supposed to be a hard-nosed, sharp-witted, take-no-crap reporter—someone who can match Superman’s strength with sheer willpower. Bosworth plays her as a nervous, uncertain, almost timid presence. There’s no fire, no energy, and certainly no charm. Margot Kidder’s Lois may not have been the most traditionally beautiful, but she owned that role with spunk and charisma. Bosworth? She fades into the background.

As I’ve already mentioned, Tristan Lake LeBeau’s Jason is another frustrating element. The poor kid barely gets any lines, yet he carries an enormous narrative burden. It’s as if Singer wanted to introduce a major new element to the mythology but had no idea how to handle it. Instead of making the Superman-Lois dynamic richer, Jason’s existence just complicates things in a way that no future sequel could ever hope to resolve (which, of course, Superman Returns never got).

Despite my many criticisms, Superman Returns does get a few things right. John Ottman’s musical score, for instance, is excellent. He takes John Williams’ iconic Superman theme and builds upon it, crafting a soundscape that feels both nostalgic and fresh. The film’s special effects are also top-notch, particularly the aerial sequences. The plane rescue scene is phenomenal—arguably the best sequence in the film. Superman saving a plunging space-shuttle hybrid, culminating in him standing triumphantly inside a baseball stadium? Now that’s the kind of heroic spectacle we expect from a Superman film.

But here’s the issue: these moments are too few and far between. By the time Superman finally gets into his costume and does something heroic, we’re already 30 minutes into the film. If you’re doing an origin story, that’s one thing. But in a film that’s not an origin story, delaying the action is a fatal mistake.

Superman Returns isn’t a bad film, but it is a frustrating one. It tries too hard to be a reverential homage to Richard Donner’s original, rather than carving out its own identity. The story meanders, the characters lack chemistry, and Superman himself feels less like an inspiring hero and more like a brooding lovesick voyeur. There are glimpses of brilliance—moments where you see what could have been—but ultimately, Superman Returns squanders its potential, leaving us with a film that is, at best, an average entry in the Superman cinematic saga.

Who wrote this?

Rodney Twelftree

Rodney has been writing about films for well over two decades, appreciates a good wine, the love of his wife and kids, and the affection of his dog and cats. He has a fondness of cheesy 90’s action and classic Hollywood, hates that physical media is disappearing, and wishes somebody would make a high-budget series of The Neverending Story.

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