Ranking Every DC Comic Book Movie - From Worst to Best
10. Superman Returns (2006)
Bryan Singer departed the X-Men franchise to bring Superman back to the big screen for the first time in 19 years, armed with a $200m budget and cutting-edge CGI that seemed poised to reintroduce Krypton's favorite son to a whole new generation of cinema audiences. However, Superman Returns was a little too reverential to Richard Donner's movies to stand on its own merits, and disappointing financial returns saw the rebooted franchise nixed at the first attempt. Wisely ignoring Superman III and IV and instead acting as a direct sequel to Superman II, Singer is unburdened by the need for origin stories and character introductions and can instead launch straight into the narrative. Unfortunately, the story is a disappointing one that offers little in the way of suspense, thrills and exhilaration, although it delivers plenty of heart and emotional complexity. Brandon Routh looks the part as Superman, but is short on the necessary charisma and screen presence needed to play the character. The plane sequence remains one of the best set-pieces in the entire Superman franchise and the movie is frequently visually stunning, but after a strong start Superman Returns falters during the third act due to some questionable plotting and an excessive 154 minute running time.
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