Superman Returns: A Neglected Near-Masterpiece

Bryan Singer’s much-maligned man of steel movie has been vastly underrated, and deserves reappraisal ahead of James Gunn’s new Superman film

Credit: Warner Brothers

Warning: Contains spoilers.

It’s arguably inaccurate to say Bryan Singer’s 2006 sort-of sequel to Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980) was badly received. After all, most reviews were positive (here’s Empire’s five star take, for instance), and whilst the film didn’t make tons of cash, it did make a decent profit. The detractors were mostly vocal fans of the comics (here’s an example), who took exception to some of the more daring elements of the plot. To this day, said fans dominate the narrative on Superman Returns, at least online.

Personally, I’ve always loved Superman Returns. I thought Brandon Routh was great in the lead, and at the time I gave it a rave review. I hoped for a sequel but alas, instead we got the Zack Snyder-Henry Cavill era. I never felt Snyder understood what made the character great, as he failed to capitalise on Superman’s major selling points: 1) The mild-mannered Clark Kent alter-ego and his inherent comedic potential, 2) The romantic chemistry with Lois Lane, 3) Superman’s awe-inspiring feats of strength and heroic rescues (I’ve always preferred these sequences to Superman’s supervillain dust-ups), and 4) His Achilles heel: Being undone by the brains over brawn cunning of Lex Luthor because he’s too good to spot the devilish evil of his snares.

As a result, Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman (2016), and both iterations of Justice League (2017/2021) proved a crashing, murky bore (either coherently or incoherently, depending on whether one views the Snyder or Josh Whedon cut). None of this is Cavill’s fault. He’s a fine actor who deserved better. But all this brings what Singer and Routh did in Superman Returns into sharp focus, ripe for reappraisal ahead of the release of James Gunn’s new Superman film in cinemas, later this month.