The movie may not be a single-bound building-leaper but Bryan Singer reconfigures the daddy of all comic-book sagas into something knowing, witty, and even sensitive.
Reverse Shot
July 06, 2010
The movie runs nearly half an hour longer than it should, with a new plot strand introduced in the third act that has questionable vitality in the presumed sequel.
Would have benefited greatly from Singer trusting his talent and assembling a Superman movie that attempted to soar beyond the heights previously achieved decades ago.
Superman, born in 1938, is still very much alive in 2006. The Man of Steel has so skillfully bent the bars of our imagination that he seems real to us. And in a sense, he is.
Superman Returns is a great kick start to a potentially knockout new franchise, which ultimately leaves the audience, like the people of Metropolis when its greatest hero returns to the skies, brimming with hope.
What could possibly justify making a Superman movie that runs 154 minutes? Plenty of films last longer, but their characters are generally sharp enough to recognize a guy with or without his glasses.
There's a thin line between preserving an icon and merely delivering on an expensive franchise, but Singer's genuine connection to the Superman legend overcomes his predilection toward playing it safe.
Film4
July 12, 2010
For all the mountains of kryptonite ranged against him, you never fear for Superman or Lois Lane, never experience anything more intense than the fret of mild peril.
