I avoided this film for years thinking it would be bland. I finally watched it during current times and found myself deeply appreciating the care they took to honor the source material and beloved original films. Nothing like this would be made today. Despite its major flaws, I really wish we had more films like this, now.
Major flaws....being Spacey doing a lame Hackman Luther impression. And Routh was a dollar store impression of Chris Reeeve playing superman. At least Lois Lane was a disaster so......
I thought this movie was epic when it came out. I felt like they nailed the presentation, vibe, and even included the John Williams theme. - Superman catches a plane, stops a bullet with his eyeball and throws a continent into space... That all left an impression on me
The airplane sequence (along with the music) is something that gives me goosebumps just thinking about it... and here is the scene just to help y'all out ua-cam.com/video/9tU0vG9UJ2I/v-deo.html
Indeed, I had seen the original in the theater as a kid. Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lex Luthor caught the magic of when I had seen that original as a kid.
Technically I think that's the "Thy Kingdom Come" superman which is based off of kingdom come comic but with a different ending where superman kills Captain Marvel and the nuke kills everyone and he becomes authoritarian.
Well, i know you mean another shot with another Superman movie but he got his second chance in that tv show that was just mentioned, he did a pretty good job once more. ✌️👏👏👏
I don’t see any serious pacing issues. The first big action scene is less than 30 minutes in, the night of crime fighting is about 40 minutes in and from the 60 minute mark it’s pretty much non stop superman action. It’s probably got more superman and less Clark scenes than we normally get.
@@_scabs6669 but its so dumb. Being near kryptonite in the previous scene allowed lex and his goons to beat him up, but having kryptonite right infront of him doesn't stop him from lifting an entire island of it. Plus, its lame to finish a superman movie with him just lifting a big thing. They should've had lex clone him and have him fight bizarro.
@@ProjektTaku that's why it's so impactful. It's not just a big thing. It's an enormous amount of his worst weakness. It's not just heavy. Even a small amount of it is extremely painful. It nearly kills him lifting it. You literally disproved your own point brah lol
@@_scabs6669 no its not impactful, its dumb. If being near it lets regular people beat him up, then no matter how "extremely painful" or close to death he gets, he shouldn't be able to lift it. At that point batman lifting all of gotham would be impactful if it "nearly killed" him. And him lifting his one weakness isn't impactful. Its just an inconsistency.
@@_scabs6669 If they wanted to make it make more sense, have the island just be made out of kryptonian crystal with no kryptonite, but lex stabs clark with a kryptonite shard. Then, after than, have him lift the island into outer space. It still carries over the idea of it being extremely difficult, but not ridiculously impossible and inconsistent.
I remember hearing how people complained about this movie, but I watched it the first time and I was like “Why do people hate this?! Yeah the pacing is slow but it understands the spirit of Superman and the stuff with the kid is so heartwarming. This is a good movie!!” I swear sometimes I don’t understand what people want from movies anymore. This was a great Superman film.
It was too much of a first part of a new trilogy. Superman didn’t have many lines. Brandon Routh while looking the part does not have the same feel as Christopher Reeve. I really liked Superman Returns. It had a lot going for it. Brandon was just too bland.
The plane rescue sequence is flawless and gets me in the feels every time. I always thought similar to Batman Begins, it did well enough critically, if not financially to warrant a follow up.🤷🏽♂️
Yep! Love that scene. And the one where the bad guy shoots Superman in the eye and we see it close up and in slow motion. I actually prefer this one to Zack Snyder's Man of Steel.
I’m also glad that they were able to use the original themes composed by John Williams as well as some of the unused footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El.
Oh, absolutely underrated. From the opening credits giving me all the feels, to Routh’s performance as Reeve’s version (which was amazing), this was a great homage to the Donner Superman movies.
I love man of steel. And I liked this one as well, I feel this was a more homage to the traditional Superman from the old movies, tv shows, and comics. It feel very stylistic choice of the Christopher reeves continued, and the black and white Superman and cartoon 1940s Superman, and traditional Superman comics books. I feel like it wasn’t the perfect movie but in my opinion I feel people wanted a modern take on it and kinda wanted the traditional Superman out in the past. I put feel Superman was right cast, but I feel lux lethor was miscast, and should have been a different villain instead. I like this film even though it does have it’s problems like I said it’s a good movie with certain things that could have been changed but man of steel in my opinion is still the better movie. Also, the romance part of the film also felt a homage to the relationship we saw of Clark and lane in the past which I didn’t care for cause I wanted to see a Superman movie not a Lois lane and Clark Kent movie
I do believe I am the only person in America who truly loved this movie. I didn’t see it when it came out. It was later. It was one of those films where I was excited for the next chapter in the series. The story was good. Routh was truly Christopher Reeves’ spiritual successor. He’s a great actor.
I’ve been a Superman fan since The Super-friends Saturday morning cartoons. I too love this movie and have it in a metal DVD case along with the whole Christopher Reeve series and Man of Steel. With various streaming services I no longer have to wear out the DVD by watching it so much.👍🏾🇺🇸
I remember watching the director's cut version of Superman I and II and then going straight into this movie and it was a smooth transition. I consider them a trilogy. Brandon Routh's performance was so close to Christopher Reeves, was so good, it gave me chills. I think the world had moved on, though. Especially after the X-Men movies came out, what passes for a "superhero movie" changed. If this movie had come out as Superman III in 1983, it would have had a much better public reception. I will always love this movie.
Same. I consider Superman: The Movie, Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut, and Superman Returns as a trilogy. What I don't have with me is seeing how similar Brandon Routh is to Christopher Reeve. I don't really see it and I don't mean that as an insult. I still think Brandon did a good job as Superman. Lois needed to be more feisty (I think Margot Kidder and Teri Hatcher did that well).
I remember they poked fun at this movie on TED 2012, where Patrick Stewart narrates that "Flash Gordon actor Sam Jones now shares a studio apartment with fellow actor Brandon Routh. Remember Brandon Routh? He starred in that god awful Superman movie! I mean, Jesus Christ, talk about getting your hopes and then taking a big s--t on all of us!" Lol!!
Most of the other superhero films were doing well because they followed one simple rule: don’t mess with the basics. When Bryan Singer first came up with the concept for this film, Richard Donner was one of the first people he explained it to. Needless to say, Donner convinced him to pitch the idea to Warner Bros, and the rest is history.
I know it gets a lot of flack and theres definitely some bad choices made but i enjoy it. I saw it twice in 2006 and it was great at the time to see Superman back on the big screen.
I actually enjoyed Superman Returns. When I was 17 I remember being so excited about it, and I bought a Superman t shirt to go watch it. I am gutted it didn't get a sequel, but I'm glad that Brandon Routh came back in crisis on infinite earth's as Superman! I'm still hoping for more of him as Superman in a TV series I'm actually quite gutted it hasn't happened as I was very excited about it back when it was announced that Brandon Routh was going to be Superman once more.
@@renegadepyro726 no, it wasn’t a big deal, ppl shit all over it when it was first released. And it’s not that old. It’s almost completely forgotten now, making it underrated, learn what the word means, it’s a very good movie that nobody talks about, that’s just about the definition of the word
@@itsgoff I like to pretend those don’t even exist, it’s just 1 and 2 and then this one. I mean how can you have Richard Pryor in his prime and still screw it up?
@@KelticTim even Richard Pryor felt weirded out by it, I think. But by (accidentally) making him the protagonist in Superman 3, the writing was drained to fail.
I saw this when it first came out in 2006 and I did enjoyed it especially the scene where he saves the plane from crashing amazing again I really wanted a sequel to superman returns but was a brilliant film 👌👏
I was there in 2006, too. Having seen Superman 3 and 4 with my mother in the 80s, I was teary eyed when Superman was flying through the street with lasers coming out his eyes and the John Williams theme blaring.... Just beautiful 😢
I think one of the issues with the film is that it was a continuation. I remember seeing this in theaters and being confused, like a part of the story was missing. However, I think Brandon Routh did a great job and should be able to play the role again if he wants and it's offered.
This was actually the first Superman movie I'd ever watched as a kid. I absolutely LOVED Superman at the time(still do, but for better reasons having read more of the comics) and this movie was something I rewatched time and time again. I know a lot of people don't like it but I don't care, it was my first live action Superman and I'll never forget that
It was the ideal continuation to the Reeves Superman films. Brandon Routh truly looked the part of the Silver-Age Superman/Clark Kent. The story was fantastic. This film is just like the Ang Lee Hulk film, underappreciated, over-critiqued, and just misunderstood. Worth the watch, the rewatch, and the praise.
I really loved this movie and would have like to see where Routh's Superman could have gone (in the movies) if the sequel wasn't cancelled. In the end, it was satisfying to see Routh reprise his Superman in the Arrowverse's Crisis crossover.
nah, ill compare himt o Andrew's spiderman, both were underrated and got a second chance and people like em now, i think he was perfect cast for Superman, he looked the part too
I remember thinking this movie was painfully boring as a kid. But as an adult my opinion on it has changed immensely. It's honestly such a precious, wonderful continuation and soft reboot of the Reeve movies. I love the scene when Clark takes Lois flying and takes off while he holds her in an embrace. I love the scene where he's in space and listens to everyone on Earth's longing for help. Little nuances like that are what I wanna see in a Superman movie.
I never thought anyone could come close to emulating what Reeve and Donner did with Superman, but Superman Returns came so damn close. Routh did a fantastic job and it's criminal that they didn't make more movies with him. My dream now is to see the Injustice storyline come to the screen, have Cavill's Superman go full dictator mode then at the end when they bring in the Superman from another universe to fight Cavill, it's Routh/Reeve's Superman, complete with theme tune. I can dream I guess. What's more, I think Routh is now about the perfect age to play him again.
This movie was about 5-10 years ahead of it’s time, and also happens to pick up the themes of the Donner version. Some of the moment to moment beats don’t land, but the story itself is solid
I think this movie is similar to "Hulk" (2003) where you have a director take a well known character into a different direction than what people expected. Both films are very slow paced and less action oriented than what general audiences would have been expected.
I always hoped to get a Superman crossover with Brandon Routh and Henry Caville. I think it would've been interesting. I liked Superman Returns and was disappointed to not get a sequel.
I really love Superman Returns. Brandon channelling Chris Reeve is excellent. I feel it's better than Man Of Steel, which I enjoyed, but not as much. Maybe it's because the Donner film(s) were such an important part of my childhood.
Better then Man Of Steel? Are you trolling??? MOS has aged like fine wine. Name one sequence from this boring film that is on the level of First Flight in MOS?
@@eskanda3434 unpopular maybe, but not unjustified at all. Man of Steel is a steaming pile of dog crap. Snyder doesn’t understand the character of Superman whatsoever.
Brandon Routh did a fine job as Superman, even though he had struggle against some questionable directing. At the end of the day, Superman Returns is a movie I can appreciate on some theoretical perspective despite the problems I found with it.
This movie looked great, but was rather dull at times. Brandon Routh was great as Superman, but he needed action scenes outside of the airplane rescue. Glad he redeemed himself as Atom and as older Superman. I still think Kevin Spacey was a fantastic Lex Luthor, despite his diddling. The biggest flaw was the lack of conflict in the movie.
I for one am glad that Brandon ended up with another chance to portray Superman (a saving grace for "Crisis on Infinite Earths"). While Superman Returns turned out not to be the final occasion for Mr. Routh to don the iconic cape, it _did turn out to be the final time for the main theme composed by John Williams_ . 🎥😔
The thing that confused me about Superman Returns is if this movie takes place 5 years after Superman 2 which I assume takes place in 1981 when it was released,then five years later then it should be 1986 & the technology in this movie & cars wouldn’t exist. Other than that Superman Returns is a fantastic movie. It had a lot of good things going for it!
I like his suit in this movie, though I enjoy his Kingdom Come suit slightly more than this one. I like the larger crest, the bright colours, it’s all just… incredible to me.
Without "Superman Returns" incorporating the Marlon Brando footage shot by Donner for Superman II, we would not have The Richard Donner Cut, let alone the different variations of Superman II blending in both (at 50/50) the Donner and Lester footage.
I’ve always loved this movie. The tone, accomplished by the cinematography, production design and music, gave the movie a dream-like feel to it that I enjoyed.
I still think this movie is great overall, and includes a few priceless gems like the boat scene at the end, which is truly gut wrenching and and all the more satisfying when it resolves beautifully with the Superman theme. Need to rewatch that :)
As i was born in 2005 my dad showed me the raimi spiderman movies, reeves superman movies, this movie and the 6 starwars movies so early that i dont even remember when. I must have been around 4 or 5 even so all these are very special to me 😭🙏
Brandon Routh is perfect for the classic Christopher Reeve version of Superman, Henry Cavill is perfect for the updated current look of Superman. Wish they both could co exist in a multiverse. So we can have them both back again on the bigscreen.
Loved this movie, still do. It really does feel like a proper continuation of the Donner film(s). The ending is bad and drags, but I still love the movie.
I feel like most fans of this film are fans of the Chris Reeves films as well. All of my friends whom I dragged with me to see Returns thought it was lame, but they also are not big fans of the Reeves films either. Nostalgia plays a big part.
I don't blame Brandon Routh for the poor reception, the superman was way too emo and has too much of Luther with his same land scheme. It was the third film to the donner films but that was never mentioned during its press release or interviews when it clearly was.
Great review and video. Superman Returns is a movie that got positive reviews from critics but the mainstream audience didn't seen to like it, a rare situation. I personally liked the film.
Lex Luthor should have tried to make a army of cloned Supermen, but Superman stops him. Not before one clone is born. Since the clone wasn't done with the gestation process, the clone was born imperfect and backwards. Introducing Bizarro. It would have been better than the crystal storyline and gave Superman someone to fight. It would also have had parallels of Victor Frankenstein and his Monster to Luthor and Bizarro. Also, I would have gotten rid of the whole connection to the Donner Superman movies and would have gotten rid of the kid. It should have been its own Superman movie.
Parker Posey is from like 20 mins from where I live. Her dad owns a small, but popular car dealership here. Homie is soooo country too. It is amazing how you would not know that Parker was from South MS.
One of the most underrated comic book movies ever made. Guy Hendrix Dyas' production design is forever seared into my mind. I think for me the main issue is Kate Bosworth and Parker Posey. If they switched roles and some tightening this film would have been perfect.
👌🏽Went twice to watch the film in theaters (had a free ticket). Watched it with my son all the time. And then Man of Steel came out and I completely forgot about Returns. MOS is a masterpiece. “It was perfect. PERFECT. Down to the last minute detail.”
Was that a dig at Australia? We do good work. One of the locations is actually a major public transportation hub in Sydney that I'd pass through to get to work. I was only 15 at the time it was made though. Presumably they filmed in the wee hours of the morning.
I didn't think Superman Returns was too bad, it wasn't too good either, but it was watchable. I liked the inside jokes in it, like when Lois's boyfriend compared Clark to Superman and they both said, nah 😆 The other was where Lois's son showed that he was Clark's son 😄
I avoided this film for years thinking it would be bland. I finally watched it during current times and found myself deeply appreciating the care they took to honor the source material and beloved original films. Nothing like this would be made today. Despite its major flaws, I really wish we had more films like this, now.
Ironically, bland has always been the first word to come to mind any time I think about this film. The second is “poorly-casted.”
Major flaws....being Spacey doing a lame Hackman Luther impression.
And Routh was a dollar store impression of Chris Reeeve playing superman.
At least Lois Lane was a disaster so......
just finished watching returns! it’s really excellent
I thought this movie was epic when it came out. I felt like they nailed the presentation, vibe, and even included the John Williams theme. - Superman catches a plane, stops a bullet with his eyeball and throws a continent into space... That all left an impression on me
The airplane sequence (along with the music) is something that gives me goosebumps just thinking about it... and here is the scene just to help y'all out ua-cam.com/video/9tU0vG9UJ2I/v-deo.html
Indeed, I had seen the original in the theater as a kid. Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lex Luthor caught the magic of when I had seen that original as a kid.
Brandon Routh was so perfectly cast. I'm glad he got a second chance with DC on TV.
He wasn't the BEST superman, that honor goes to Christopher Reeve, but he did play as a pretty dapper vegan in Scott Pilgrim vs The World.
I wish I could agree. Maybe if he had better dialogue and was better directed, he could have been...aside from looking too young.
Brandon Routh has done the only television/film adaptation of Kingdom come Superman and I feel he deserves more praise, apart from that nice video
@Bad Boys Boogie yes I think it was.
Technically I think that's the "Thy Kingdom Come" superman which is based off of kingdom come comic but with a different ending where superman kills Captain Marvel and the nuke kills everyone and he becomes authoritarian.
Despite the pacing issues, i really loved this film and was hoping for a continuation. Brandon deserves another shot at least.
Well, i know you mean another shot with another Superman movie but he got his second chance in that tv show that was just mentioned, he did a pretty good job once more. ✌️👏👏👏
I don’t see any serious pacing issues. The first big action scene is less than 30 minutes in, the night of crime fighting is about 40 minutes in and from the 60 minute mark it’s pretty much non stop superman action. It’s probably got more superman and less Clark scenes than we normally get.
Let's go Brandon!
I really enjoyed it also.
and he did get another shot
The plane rescue is still the best superman scene ever put to film. Its amazing.
Agree. It was so dramatic.
When he asked Lois was she told ok. I was like he’s back.👍🏾🇺🇸
On IMAX it was like if it was really happening.
The way the whole plane 'shivers' as Superman stops it hitting the ground is a nice touch. 🦸💪
I supposed in a self contained world of the Donnerverse it is. To me, the Smallville fight in Man of Steel is the best
I love this movie. Probably my favorite Superman movie. Lifting the kryptonite island at the end is so badass
@@alphavecto that's the point, it gave him trouble, it was extremely hard and nearly killed him
@@_scabs6669 but its so dumb. Being near kryptonite in the previous scene allowed lex and his goons to beat him up, but having kryptonite right infront of him doesn't stop him from lifting an entire island of it.
Plus, its lame to finish a superman movie with him just lifting a big thing. They should've had lex clone him and have him fight bizarro.
@@ProjektTaku that's why it's so impactful. It's not just a big thing. It's an enormous amount of his worst weakness. It's not just heavy. Even a small amount of it is extremely painful. It nearly kills him lifting it. You literally disproved your own point brah lol
@@_scabs6669 no its not impactful, its dumb. If being near it lets regular people beat him up, then no matter how "extremely painful" or close to death he gets, he shouldn't be able to lift it. At that point batman lifting all of gotham would be impactful if it "nearly killed" him.
And him lifting his one weakness isn't impactful. Its just an inconsistency.
@@_scabs6669 If they wanted to make it make more sense, have the island just be made out of kryptonian crystal with no kryptonite, but lex stabs clark with a kryptonite shard. Then, after than, have him lift the island into outer space. It still carries over the idea of it being extremely difficult, but not ridiculously impossible and inconsistent.
I always thought the bullet flattening on Superman’s eyeball was an epic way to show how invincible he is.
It was lame.
@@titusmccarthy No, it wasn't
@@titusmccarthy u r lame,
Thats was one of the most epic scenes ever .
More Invulnerable but yeah the scene is epic as hell!
@@titusmccarthy Yeah. Just like when a jemmy bar bounced off his head and vibrated.
Unfortunately for you a giant mechanical spider wasn't involved.
I loved it I totally thought Brandon deserved a second film… he was a perfect Superman
Whenever I talk about this movie, I always say how none of it was Routh's fault, he did great... it was the writing
I remember hearing how people complained about this movie, but I watched it the first time and I was like “Why do people hate this?! Yeah the pacing is slow but it understands the spirit of Superman and the stuff with the kid is so heartwarming. This is a good movie!!”
I swear sometimes I don’t understand what people want from movies anymore. This was a great Superman film.
Agreed
Because it was crap
Jesker,I felt the same about Man of Steel,I thought it was GREAT and the musical score is AWESOME !!! I listen to it almost everyday.
Oh I agree I love man of steel
It was too much of a first part of a new trilogy. Superman didn’t have many lines. Brandon Routh while looking the part does not have the same feel as Christopher Reeve. I really liked Superman Returns. It had a lot going for it. Brandon was just too bland.
The plane rescue sequence is flawless and gets me in the feels every time. I always thought similar to Batman Begins, it did well enough critically, if not financially to warrant a follow up.🤷🏽♂️
Yep! Love that scene. And the one where the bad guy shoots Superman in the eye and we see it close up and in slow motion. I actually prefer this one to Zack Snyder's Man of Steel.
@@JustWasted3HoursHere there’s no contest. Superman Returns is infinitely better than Man of Steel.
@@spencergsmith Absolutely.
Yeah funny enough it made more at the box office than begins although they did have different budgets
Routh was a GREAT Supe....regardless of how I feel about the slow moving plot he managed to put in a damn fine performance!
I’m also glad that they were able to use the original themes composed by John Williams as well as some of the unused footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El.
Have you watched how they did that scene with using footage of Marlon Brando? Really well done
@@hardeepbasran9006 I agree with you on that.
Definately underrated. It keeps the hopeful, whimsical feeling of the originals. Unlike the newest iterations.
The only exception being Superman And Lois.
Oh, absolutely underrated. From the opening credits giving me all the feels, to Routh’s performance as Reeve’s version (which was amazing), this was a great homage to the Donner Superman movies.
I love man of steel. And I liked this one as well, I feel this was a more homage to the traditional Superman from the old movies, tv shows, and comics. It feel very stylistic choice of the Christopher reeves continued, and the black and white Superman and cartoon 1940s Superman, and traditional Superman comics books. I feel like it wasn’t the perfect movie but in my opinion I feel people wanted a modern take on it and kinda wanted the traditional Superman out in the past. I put feel Superman was right cast, but I feel lux lethor was miscast, and should have been a different villain instead. I like this film even though it does have it’s problems like I said it’s a good movie with certain things that could have been changed but man of steel in my opinion is still the better movie. Also, the romance part of the film also felt a homage to the relationship we saw of Clark and lane in the past which I didn’t care for cause I wanted to see a Superman movie not a Lois lane and Clark Kent movie
It was awful and they didn't try hard enough. Man of steel will always be the best superman movie.
I do believe I am the only person in America who truly loved this movie. I didn’t see it when it came out. It was later. It was one of those films where I was excited for the next chapter in the series. The story was good. Routh was truly Christopher Reeves’ spiritual successor. He’s a great actor.
I too love this film. I like everything about it. Can't understand the hate!
I’ve been a Superman fan since The Super-friends Saturday morning cartoons. I too love this movie and have it in a metal DVD case along with the whole Christopher Reeve series and Man of Steel. With various streaming services I no longer have to wear out the DVD by watching it so much.👍🏾🇺🇸
Nah it was straight cabbage
@@kenb2671 I have the same metal case DVD collection lol. I absolutely adored this movie then and now.
I remember watching the director's cut version of Superman I and II and then going straight into this movie and it was a smooth transition. I consider them a trilogy. Brandon Routh's performance was so close to Christopher Reeves, was so good, it gave me chills.
I think the world had moved on, though.
Especially after the X-Men movies came out, what passes for a "superhero movie" changed. If this movie had come out as Superman III in 1983, it would have had a much better public reception.
I will always love this movie.
Same. I consider Superman: The Movie, Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut, and Superman Returns as a trilogy. What I don't have with me is seeing how similar Brandon Routh is to Christopher Reeve. I don't really see it and I don't mean that as an insult. I still think Brandon did a good job as Superman. Lois needed to be more feisty (I think Margot Kidder and Teri Hatcher did that well).
I remember they poked fun at this movie on TED 2012, where Patrick Stewart narrates that "Flash Gordon actor Sam Jones now shares a studio apartment with fellow actor Brandon Routh. Remember Brandon Routh? He starred in that god awful Superman movie! I mean, Jesus Christ, talk about getting your hopes and then taking a big s--t on all of us!" Lol!!
Ruined the X-Men franchise as well.
Was Seth MacFarlane predicting A Million Ways To Die In The West?
Completely agree! I’ve never been more excited for a movie and then beyond disappointed and bored!
*Stewart
The Airplane rescue scene is my fave from all of Superman films
Most of the other superhero films were doing well because they followed one simple rule: don’t mess with the basics. When Bryan Singer first came up with the concept for this film, Richard Donner was one of the first people he explained it to. Needless to say, Donner convinced him to pitch the idea to Warner Bros, and the rest is history.
They need to get Routh back to continue the Donnerverse.
This is a pretty damn good Superman movie. The airplane rescue scene along with the rescue of Metropolis are worth the price of admission.
I agree... That airplane scene was one of the best scenes of the movie..
agreed...and the bullet to the eye
Are you joking? It's the worst Superman movie ever made... The stuff with the kid, lifting up an ISLAND OF KRYPTONITE?? Terrible writing.
I loved it. When I saw it in the cinema everyone cheered at the end of the airplane seen. Much prefer it the newer moody, serious versions of Supes.
I also love when he did the sweeping eye Lazer to burn up all of the falling glass! Awesome action scenes in this one!
I know it gets a lot of flack and theres definitely some bad choices made but i enjoy it. I saw it twice in 2006 and it was great at the time to see Superman back on the big screen.
I actually enjoyed Superman Returns. When I was 17 I remember being so excited about it, and I bought a Superman t shirt to go watch it. I am gutted it didn't get a sequel, but I'm glad that Brandon Routh came back in crisis on infinite earth's as Superman! I'm still hoping for more of him as Superman in a TV series I'm actually quite gutted it hasn't happened as I was very excited about it back when it was announced that Brandon Routh was going to be Superman once more.
Brandon Routh deserves to be the best superman after Reeves
Such an underrated movie. The bar was set so high for it, they never could’ve achieved it.
Certainly surpassed parts 3 and 4
Definitely not underrated. It’s just old, but was a big deal back then. People need to get this “underrated” shit right
@@renegadepyro726 no, it wasn’t a big deal, ppl shit all over it when it was first released. And it’s not that old. It’s almost completely forgotten now, making it underrated, learn what the word means, it’s a very good movie that nobody talks about, that’s just about the definition of the word
@@itsgoff I like to pretend those don’t even exist, it’s just 1 and 2 and then this one. I mean how can you have Richard Pryor in his prime and still screw it up?
@@KelticTim even Richard Pryor felt weirded out by it, I think. But by (accidentally) making him the protagonist in Superman 3, the writing was drained to fail.
I just watch the plane sequence from time to time. Still looks good today.
It does…. Except for the very last second when we get a close up of bad cgi face. But man it does give me chills
I saw this when it first came out in 2006 and I did enjoyed it especially the scene where he saves the plane from crashing amazing again I really wanted a sequel to superman returns but was a brilliant film 👌👏
I was there in 2006, too. Having seen Superman 3 and 4 with my mother in the 80s, I was teary eyed when Superman was flying through the street with lasers coming out his eyes and the John Williams theme blaring.... Just beautiful 😢
That would have been wild if Shawn Ashmore got the part of Jimmy Olsen considering his twin brother Aaron Ashmore played Jimmy Olsen on Smallville.
yep
I never understood the hate for this film. I always loved it. It really captured the magic of the character.
I think one of the issues with the film is that it was a continuation. I remember seeing this in theaters and being confused, like a part of the story was missing. However, I think Brandon Routh did a great job and should be able to play the role again if he wants and it's offered.
This was actually the first Superman movie I'd ever watched as a kid. I absolutely LOVED Superman at the time(still do, but for better reasons having read more of the comics) and this movie was something I rewatched time and time again. I know a lot of people don't like it but I don't care, it was my first live action Superman and I'll never forget that
It was the ideal continuation to the Reeves Superman films. Brandon Routh truly looked the part of the Silver-Age Superman/Clark Kent. The story was fantastic. This film is just like the Ang Lee Hulk film, underappreciated, over-critiqued, and just misunderstood. Worth the watch, the rewatch, and the praise.
I really loved this movie and would have like to see where Routh's Superman could have gone (in the movies) if the sequel wasn't cancelled. In the end, it was satisfying to see Routh reprise his Superman in the Arrowverse's Crisis crossover.
Brandon Routh's Superman is equivalent to Tobey Maguire's Spiderman. I don't care what anybody says i love this movie!
nah, ill compare himt o Andrew's spiderman, both were underrated and got a second chance and people like em now, i think he was perfect cast for Superman, he looked the part too
Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer.. what a team
😬 that’s fr scary
Super Predators for sure
oh i know what you mean
I remember thinking this movie was painfully boring as a kid. But as an adult my opinion on it has changed immensely. It's honestly such a precious, wonderful continuation and soft reboot of the Reeve movies. I love the scene when Clark takes Lois flying and takes off while he holds her in an embrace. I love the scene where he's in space and listens to everyone on Earth's longing for help. Little nuances like that are what I wanna see in a Superman movie.
I never thought anyone could come close to emulating what Reeve and Donner did with Superman, but Superman Returns came so damn close. Routh did a fantastic job and it's criminal that they didn't make more movies with him. My dream now is to see the Injustice storyline come to the screen, have Cavill's Superman go full dictator mode then at the end when they bring in the Superman from another universe to fight Cavill, it's Routh/Reeve's Superman, complete with theme tune. I can dream I guess. What's more, I think Routh is now about the perfect age to play him again.
This movie was about 5-10 years ahead of it’s time, and also happens to pick up the themes of the Donner version. Some of the moment to moment beats don’t land, but the story itself is solid
It was neat that WB released almost everything Superman related on DVD at the time this movie was released.
Snapped up all the box sets. 🙃
I like this film. It has a special and bittersweet place in my heart.
"Planet Krypton," is my favorite piece of John Williams music. It's short, but moves me every single time I hear it!!!! Beautiful!
Truth !
I loved Brandon routh! I didn't get why they changed him? It was great when he got to play superman and atom man on crisis
The Atom, not atom man
@@spencergsmith ah yes but yet you know who I was speaking about....🤪
I think this movie is similar to "Hulk" (2003) where you have a director take a well known character into a different direction than what people expected. Both films are very slow paced and less action oriented than what general audiences would have been expected.
Thanks!
Loved this movie and I still do.. It was a part of mass nostalgia for me..
This movie was more serious and less campy than the classics, but more hopeful and enlightening than what followed
I remember seeing this on release and loving it. Definitely due a rewatch and I feel it's a very underappreciated film.
I always hoped to get a Superman crossover with Brandon Routh and Henry Caville. I think it would've been interesting. I liked Superman Returns and was disappointed to not get a sequel.
I really love Superman Returns. Brandon channelling Chris Reeve is excellent. I feel it's better than Man Of Steel, which I enjoyed, but not as much. Maybe it's because the Donner film(s) were such an important part of my childhood.
Better then Man Of Steel? Are you trolling??? MOS has aged like fine wine. Name one sequence from this boring film that is on the level of First Flight in MOS?
I'm not trolling, I'm a real person, who obviously has a different view. Get over it.
@@UncleKeith567 unpopular and unjustified views
What makes you think, I need to justify myself? To you, to anyone? Popularity, homogeny and sheep mentality are the bane of true humanity.
@@eskanda3434 unpopular maybe, but not unjustified at all. Man of Steel is a steaming pile of dog crap. Snyder doesn’t understand the character of Superman whatsoever.
Brandon Routh did a fine job as Superman, even though he had struggle against some questionable directing. At the end of the day, Superman Returns is a movie I can appreciate on some theoretical perspective despite the problems I found with it.
This movie looked great, but was rather dull at times. Brandon Routh was great as Superman, but he needed action scenes outside of the airplane rescue. Glad he redeemed himself as Atom and as older Superman. I still think Kevin Spacey was a fantastic Lex Luthor, despite his diddling. The biggest flaw was the lack of conflict in the movie.
Brandon Routh really captured the soul of Superman and brought back memories of Christopher...
I remember waiting in line for this movie when I was 7. One of the first movies I can remember watching in theatres that I loved.
Parker Posey should have play Lois lane. She looks more like Margot Kidder then Kate Bosworth
I for one am glad that Brandon ended up with another chance to portray Superman (a saving grace for "Crisis on Infinite Earths"). While Superman Returns turned out not to be the final occasion for Mr. Routh to don the iconic cape, it _did turn out to be the final time for the main theme composed by John Williams_ . 🎥😔
The thing that confused me about Superman Returns is if this movie takes place 5 years after Superman 2 which I assume takes place in 1981 when it was released,then five years later then it should be 1986 & the technology in this movie & cars wouldn’t exist.
Other than that Superman Returns is a fantastic movie.
It had a lot of good things going for it!
This movie really wasn't that bad. It was a little slow and a bit too long, but not bad
What would you have altered?
@@darthkurland I would have just had it be quicker paced
@@Omar-wq9dz edited in the style of Stuart Baird, who edited “Superman: The Movie?”
Brandon owned this role and he, by far, still has the best Superman costume to date in this film. It's perfect!
Brrrtttz
I like his suit in this movie, though I enjoy his Kingdom Come suit slightly more than this one. I like the larger crest, the bright colours, it’s all just… incredible to me.
No it's far from perfect but it's perfect to Match reeves suit but not the best suit. Henry cavill had the best suit hands down.
It is not Panasonic, it is Panavision
Without "Superman Returns" incorporating the Marlon Brando footage shot by Donner for Superman II, we would not have The Richard Donner Cut, let alone the different variations of Superman II blending in both (at 50/50) the Donner and Lester footage.
14:27 Excuse me; Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey did indeed have happy endings. Just not with age-appropriate people.
I’ve always loved this movie. The tone, accomplished by the cinematography, production design and music, gave the movie a dream-like feel to it that I enjoyed.
In a perfect universe, Singer would've directed x men last stand and had a perfect trilogy
I still think this movie is great overall, and includes a few priceless gems like the boat scene at the end, which is truly gut wrenching and and all the more satisfying when it resolves beautifully with the Superman theme. Need to rewatch that :)
Funny how Shawn Ashmore's brother plays Jimmy Olsen in Smallville.
As i was born in 2005 my dad showed me the raimi spiderman movies, reeves superman movies, this movie and the 6 starwars movies so early that i dont even remember when. I must have been around 4 or 5 even so all these are very special to me 😭🙏
Bring back Routh as a mature, fatherly iteration of Superman.
Edit: I believe that Superman is the character moder audience needs.
That narrator is in love with his own voice--hard to appreciate the presentation with a vocal delivery so smugly grating it peels paint.
One of the most epic teasers made.
Best Superman suit in my opinion
Brandon Routh is perfect for the classic Christopher Reeve version of Superman, Henry Cavill is perfect for the updated current look of Superman. Wish they both could co exist in a multiverse. So we can have them both back again on the bigscreen.
"Like, oh my God, no way!"
Brandon Routh is the best Superman next to Christopher Reeve. Charming, warm and friendly.
Loved this movie, still do. It really does feel like a proper continuation of the Donner film(s). The ending is bad and drags, but I still love the movie.
A very underrated film, and it’s a shame WB/DC did not build the DCEU with this.
I feel like most fans of this film are fans of the Chris Reeves films as well. All of my friends whom I dragged with me to see Returns thought it was lame, but they also are not big fans of the Reeves films either. Nostalgia plays a big part.
I don't blame Brandon Routh for the poor reception, the superman was way too emo and has too much of Luther with his same land scheme. It was the third film to the donner films but that was never mentioned during its press release or interviews when it clearly was.
This is honestly one of my favorite Superman films. I'm happy they gave Routh's Superman closure in the CW tv shows.
Love superman retunes, Brando was and still is fantastic. So underrated .
This movie was Epic I saw it in Imax 3D and was blow away by the part with the cell phones flying in the air with the Aire plane scene.
Great review and video. Superman Returns is a movie that got positive reviews from critics but the mainstream audience didn't seen to like it, a rare situation. I personally liked the film.
Lex Luthor should have tried to make a army of cloned Supermen, but Superman stops him. Not before one clone is born. Since the clone wasn't done with the gestation process, the clone was born imperfect and backwards. Introducing Bizarro. It would have been better than the crystal storyline and gave Superman someone to fight. It would also have had parallels of Victor Frankenstein and his Monster to Luthor and Bizarro. Also, I would have gotten rid of the whole connection to the Donner Superman movies and would have gotten rid of the kid. It should have been its own Superman movie.
Surprised no one has mentioned yet how Sean Ashmore's twin brother, Aaron, was Jimmy Olsen in Smallville! Small world!
I love that clip you included from "The Big Lebowski"!
I remember seeing this movie twice in theaters as a kid. It's disappointing that it never got a sequel.
Parker Posey is from like 20 mins from where I live. Her dad owns a small, but popular car dealership here. Homie is soooo country too. It is amazing how you would not know that Parker was from South MS.
She should of been Lois Lane
One of the most underrated comic book movies ever made. Guy Hendrix Dyas' production design is forever seared into my mind. I think for me the main issue is Kate Bosworth and Parker Posey. If they switched roles and some tightening this film would have been perfect.
That was a great time. I liked that movie because I’ve been a Superman fan since about 1983 and was ready for a new film
👌🏽Went twice to watch the film in theaters (had a free ticket). Watched it with my son all the time. And then Man of Steel came out and I completely forgot about Returns. MOS is a masterpiece. “It was perfect. PERFECT. Down to the last minute detail.”
I hated it.
Such an underrated movie. Surprisingly, a lot of people didn't know this was a direct sequel.
"And what has Kevin Spacey and Brian Singer been up t... OH DEAR GOD!!" 😂🤣🤣😭👍
I have this movie on dvd. It’s very dear to me. Great movie. ❤️
Thank God Burton's Superman was canceled.
A McG and JJ Abrams Superman? Thank God that never happened!
Was that a dig at Australia? We do good work. One of the locations is actually a major public transportation hub in Sydney that I'd pass through to get to work. I was only 15 at the time it was made though. Presumably they filmed in the wee hours of the morning.
I didn't think Superman Returns was too bad, it wasn't too good either, but it was watchable. I liked the inside jokes in it, like when Lois's boyfriend compared Clark to Superman and they both said, nah 😆
The other was where Lois's son showed that he was Clark's son 😄
The child is the worst part of the movie for me.
Great report. And we still haven't gotten a great Superman film since Superman 2 in 1980. Thats horrible
I wish Brandon Routh got a sequel he’s not even a bad Superman his movie could have been written better
Till this day, the airplane on the baseball field is the definition of Superman
"Any known person drew you out of the scene"
A thousand times YES!
I actually really enjoyed this movie. Didn’t understand why it was so poorly received.
Because it was boring