20 Underappreciated Blockbusters That Are Much Better Than You Remember

8. Superman Returns

Superman Returns Flying Brandon Routh
Warner Bros.

If Superman Returns had come out a decade or two earlier, there's a chance it would be one of the most revered comic book movies ever made. However, by 2006 audiences had come to expect a little more bang for their buck when it came to the superhero genre (especially with a budget of $204m), and Bryan Singer's rose-tinted depiction of the character failed to relaunch the franchise.

A deliberately-paced, nostalgic blockbuster marketed to the ADD generation, Superman Returns didn't stand a chance once audiences figured out that the 3 minute trailers showed pretty much all of the super-powered action contained in the movie's lengthy 154 minute running time. But no way does it deserve the negative reputation it has somehow acquired over the last decade.

Reverential, intelligent, emotional and hopeful aren't words often used to describe comic book blockbusters which is why for some Bryan Singer's sequel/reboot has earned the stigma of being 'boring', but Superman Returns wholesome and uplifting story still holds up when viewed today.

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