IMDb > Superman Returns (2006)
Superman Returns
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Superman Returns (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 210 | slideshow) Videos (see all 20)
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   96,538 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
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
User Comments:
Grand, bombastic, and entertaining revival 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:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Johnny Depp was considered for the roles of Lex Luthor and Jor-El when McG was attached to the project. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Superman is being shot with a chain gun, the bullets don't even leave their marks on his costume, but when he is in the emergency room, and the doctors are trying to revive him, they easily rip the costume off his body. 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
Soundtrack:
As Time Goes By more

FAQ

What are the similarities to Superman (1978)?
What is the song Jason White plays on the piano?
What does Superman say during his last confrontation with Lex and his henchmen?
more
273 out of 512 people found the following comment useful.
Grand, bombastic, and entertaining revival, 4 July 2006
7/10
Author: mstomaso from Vulcan

Congratulations to Bryan Singer for making another film, under challenging conditions, that meets his own relatively high standards. Congratulations to Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth, who fill a couple pairs of sizable shoes very well. Congratulations to Kevin Spacey for proving, once again, his versatility and competence within an ensemble cast. And finally, congratulations to Michael Dougherty and the rest of the writing team for Superman Returns, who have done the seemingly impossible by blending together several elements taken from disparate Superman stories over seventy or so years of the character's development in several DC comics titles into a true-to-character, intelligently written and themed, blend of romance and wild world-saving action.

I can hear the film snobs now - "just what we need, another bombastic action flick loaded with CGI and cliché in place of a 'SERIOUS' human story." Yup, it's a bombastic action flick. Yes, it is crammed with special effects. And yes, if you consider simple and largely unexamined human emotions to be cliché, then Superman Returns is loaded with clichés. My advice to the film snobs is - don't review films you are predisposed to dislike. If you do not have a standard from which you are able to measure the worth of a certain genre, then you have no business reviewing in that genre.

Let's examine this rationally. The whole point of the character of Superman is to provide a fantastic superhuman persona who is so alien and so vastly superior in terms of physical being, knowledge, and morality, that he becomes a mirror through which we are forced to critically examine our own social, political, emotional, and health problems. What kinds of problems would such a vastly superior being trouble himself with? Well, guess what, he might not have time for the day to day subtleties of social and sexual intrigues and ambiguities, the role of the media in political rhetoric or other "SERIOUS" concerns plaguing the modern intellectual elite. Superman is concerned with more fundamental issues such as whether half the world's population is going to live out the day. Yet he still manages to find time to rekindle a dysfunctional relationship with love interest Lois Lane, and to be inspired to prove himself with a flourish of light-speed heroic antics to regain his esteem among a people whose cynicism and self-contempt have apparently gotten the better of them (film snobs all?). in fact, he even MAKES MISTAKES!!!!

Kal-El returns to earth just in time to confront his old arch-nemesis Lex Luther's plot to rebuild a chunk of Krypton off the coast of New Jersey as his own continent. He must also unexpectedly confront his own feelings for the people of earth and, in particular, for Lois Lane, now an unmarried mother with an asthmatic kid and a smoking habit. Lois is also engaged to a good guy, very competently acted by James Marsden, but the paternity of her son is suspect. Considering the fact that this is a "bombastic action film" a remarkable amount of time is taken up with developing the relationships between these characters and exploring their effects on one another. And at times, you even get the feeling that at least some of Superman's heroism is inspired by his feelings for Lois.

The bigger problem is that Luther has Kryptonite, and plenty of it, and so, Superman is mortally vulnerable and must fight for his own life as well as those of his adoptive species.

Ignore the geological inaccuracies (which are plenty), forget about the occasional continuity problems, and let yourself get sucked up into this very fine and well crafted example of the superhero action genre. If you're a hardened film snob, it's worth the effort of wriggling out of your fossilized suit of cynical armor just long enough to see what the value of a film with a positive, simple, message might be.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (2316 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Superman Returns (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Wrong casting Kavadarli
Lex Luthor is not a very entertaining villain. arno_ptrs
Novel adaptation for sale davepyl
question about metropolis.... epx82
Will there be a sequel to this?? goonerook
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- -
The Transformers: The Movie Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Action section IMDb Australia section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.