Common Sense Media Review
Thrilling but violent, tense return for the Man of Steel.
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Superman Returns
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 30 kid reviews
Kids say the film is a mixed bag, with some finding it thrilling yet violent, while others feel it lacks the excitement seen in earlier Superman films. Many reviews criticize the storytelling and pacing as being slow and boring, suggesting that it focuses too much on romantic subplots rather than action, making it less appealing to fans of the superhero genre.
- thrilling yet violent
- slow pacing
- weak storytelling
- mixed reviews
- romance over action
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
After a five-year absence, Superman returns to Earth. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) now lives with her fiancé, Richard White (James Marsden) and her young son. Paroled from prison, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) starts an electromagnetic pulse that cripples a NASA plane, and Superman shows up just in time to save the frightened passengers (mostly reporters, including Lois). Before Superman travels to the Fortress of Solitude to commune with Jor-El (an archived Marlon Brando), Lex gets there, thrilled and renewed when he finds Jor-El for himself: "I'm his son," gasps Lex, as Jor-El starts dispensing wisdom: "The son becomes the father, the father, the son." To make space for his new self-concept, Lex decides to build his own continent, literally. Accompanied by his moll Kitty (Parker Posey), Lex combines crystals and kryptonite to grow a land mass to serve as his empire's base and to kill Superman. It's a brilliant scheme, nation-building a its most extreme, unnamed and insidious.
Is It Any Good?
Bryan Singer pays loving homage here to Richard Donner's 1978 Superman: The Movie, but this film features a saddened, more experienced Superman. He's seen the aftermath of world destruction, and so comes with a perspective not quite so boldly idealistic or pompously ideological. Yes, he still means to save this world, but the triumph is less complete now, the costs more visible. Superman's return in this film actually raises the question of why "we" need him. In a post-9/11 world, superheroes might seem idealistic and quaint concepts, even, as Lois has written in a Pulitzer Prize-winning article, "irrelevant."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of family connections and reconciliations, even following separations. They can also discuss how Superman faces his fear and vulnerability and still serves others generously.
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 28, 2006
- On DVD or streaming : November 28, 2006
- Cast : Brandon Routh , Kate Bosworth , Kevin Spacey
- Director : Bryan Singer
- Inclusion Information : Bisexual Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Gay Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Warner Bros.
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Superheroes
- Run time : 154 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some intense action violence
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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