Superman returns to Earth after spending five years in space examining his homeworld Krypton. But he finds things have changed while he was gone, and he must once again prove himself important to the world.
Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world's most beloved superheroes. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.Written by
Anonymous
In an interview with the Washington Post, Bryan Singer discussed a scene that was in an early draft of the screenplay, but never filmed: "At one point," Bryan recalls, "I had a scene in the script which I never shot, and I probably was never going to shoot, where Superman would be standing - after flying around rescuing people at night - would be standing at dawn at Ground Zero. Sort of standing there, almost as if to say, 'If I had been here, this might not be.'" See more »
Goofs
Clark returns to the Daily Planet and talks to Jimmy. Perry White calls Jimmy into his office. Jimmy tells Clark he has to go, but he'll be back to check on him in a sec. Jimmy turns toward Mr. White's office to walk away. In the next shot, Jimmy faces Clark again, then turns around again to walk away. Between shots, the extras in the background disappear. See 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.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The opening credits are seen in a trip through space, from Krypton to Earth, in a manner reminiscent of the Superman (1978) opening credits sequence. See more »
Alternate Versions
In the IMAX presentation, four scenes (totalling about 20 minutes) were converted from 2D to 3D: The flashback to Clark Kent's youth on the farm, the Shuttle/777 rescue, the rescue of the sinking ocean liner, and the final flyover before the credits. Bryan Singer developed a cue featuring an icon of Clark's glasses flashing in green at the bottom of the screen when it is time to put them on, and then with a red circle/slash over when it is time to take them off. See more »
(Viens, Mallika, les liane en fleurs...) Dôme épais le jasmin
(uncredited)
from opera "Lakmé, Acte 1. No 2 - Duetto"
Music by Léo Delibes
(heard during first boat scene with Lex and Kitty) See more »
Good - using the Williams score, original titles style and Brando voice-over for the start sequence: all good calls;
Bad - Kate Bosworth: bad casting. No charisma. Never for a second convinced me that she was a spunky reporter;
Good - Brandon Routh: I thought nobody could fill Christopher Reeve's shoes, but this lad does well;
Bad - costume. They got it right in the 70s movies. The effect of darkening the colours, reducing the shield size and dropping the waistline of the trunks is well-known to clothes designers - it makes the wearer look tall and thin. Reeve looked broad and imposing.
Good - saving the shuttle/plane, and dealing with the Metropolis "quake";
Bad - not enough of that stuff;
Good - Spacey's Luthor. Clearly grown from the same seeds as Hackman's, but much more definitely a villain. I believed that this Luthor was fundamentally evil;
Bad - Kitty Kowalski. What an underwhelming character. Miss Tesmacher-lite;
Good - Richard White - a potentially interesting new character, to sit in a potentially very interesting group dynamic;
Bad - Tristan Lake Lebeau. Superman's son is autistic? Sorry, kid - you were rubbish.
Good - tweaking the franchise back into life again;
Bad - forgetting that Superman isn't Batman. Superman is supposed to be light. Superman is supposed to be FUN! Don't take it so seriously, next time!
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Bullet points:
Good - using the Williams score, original titles style and Brando voice-over for the start sequence: all good calls;
Bad - Kate Bosworth: bad casting. No charisma. Never for a second convinced me that she was a spunky reporter;
Good - Brandon Routh: I thought nobody could fill Christopher Reeve's shoes, but this lad does well;
Bad - costume. They got it right in the 70s movies. The effect of darkening the colours, reducing the shield size and dropping the waistline of the trunks is well-known to clothes designers - it makes the wearer look tall and thin. Reeve looked broad and imposing.
Good - saving the shuttle/plane, and dealing with the Metropolis "quake";
Bad - not enough of that stuff;
Good - Spacey's Luthor. Clearly grown from the same seeds as Hackman's, but much more definitely a villain. I believed that this Luthor was fundamentally evil;
Bad - Kitty Kowalski. What an underwhelming character. Miss Tesmacher-lite;
Good - Richard White - a potentially interesting new character, to sit in a potentially very interesting group dynamic;
Bad - Tristan Lake Lebeau. Superman's son is autistic? Sorry, kid - you were rubbish.
Good - tweaking the franchise back into life again;
Bad - forgetting that Superman isn't Batman. Superman is supposed to be light. Superman is supposed to be FUN! Don't take it so seriously, next time!