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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.40:1, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
After eliminating General Zod and the other Kryptonian arch-villains, Ursa and Non, Superman leaves Earth to try to find his former home world of Krypton after astronomers have supposedly found it. When he finds nothing but remnants, he returns home to Earth - to find out that Lois Lane is engaged to a relative of his boss, and that Lex Luthor is at it again - after swindling an elderly, terminally ill woman. The psychopathic Luthor, whose plans to destroy California failed because of Superman''s heroics, vows vengeance against the Man of Steel and contrives a new sinister plot - using the crystals of Krypton to build a continent that will wipe out most of North America! Embedded in the continent''s structure is Kryptonite - the lethal substance that is Superman''s only weakness. Upon learning of Luthro''s sinister scheme, Superman must again race against time to stop the psychopathic Luthor before millions are killed. Running time: 154 minutes.
"Eye-popping epic...Superman returns with a bang." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Pure exhilaration...It's beyond Super. It's Superb." Richard Corliss, Time
"Mind blowing special effects!!" Stuart Lee,
Editor's Note
For five years, Superman (Brandon Routh) has been away from Earth, coaxed into space by a belief that Krypton may still exist. Finding nothing, he comes back to a changed world--not only has terrorism become rampant, but Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has married, started a family, and won the Pulitzer for her piece "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." After a stop in Smallville to see his adopted mother (Eva Marie Saint), Superman is back in Metropolis, and Clark Kent has his old job back at the Daily Planet, with everyone still incredibly oblivious to his alter ego. But where there's Superman, there's Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), and he is likely to be planning something dastardly--in this case, using a piece of pilfered kryptonite to grow an entirely new continent that he will control. Bryan Singer (X-MEN 1 and 2), armed with a script by Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty, approaches the red cape with reverence for the lore of the character, and respect for Richard Donner's SUPERMAN (1980) and Richard Lester's 1980 sequel, films that ushered in the era of the modern superhero film. Singer's SUPERMAN is filled with melancholy, and not so subtly suggests the notion of Superman as a Christ figure, sacrificing himself to save mankind. But there are still laughs, mostly courtesy of Spacey (clearly having a blast) and Parker Posey as his moll, Kitty Kowalski, as well as plenty of gasp-inducing set pieces, including a spectacular and terrifying almost-plane crash and a sinking boat. While modern visual effects have allowed Superman to go to entirely new realms, Singer keeps them from becoming the film's raison d'être, thus keeping the Man of Steel's gigantic heart intact--heavy though it may be.
| Features | Audio: English, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Dubbed: Spanish | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Superman Returns - 2-Disc Special Edition - DVD By: Dan Owen - Blogcritics.org Reviews Published on: 12/9/2006 7:41 PM | | There's an emotional purity to Superman that no other comic-book property can match (the Jesus Christ allegory isn't an overstatement -- check out the finale), and fans of Superman's legacy will get additional thrills with the numerous in-jokes and references. Above all, Superman Returns swept me up with its performances, effects, engaging story and sense of nostalgia.
...read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 11/10/2009 |
| Running Time: 154 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2006 | | Catalog ID: 72351 | | UPC: 00012569723511 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.40:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
3 stars out of 5 -- "Spacey powers the movie with ripe, nasty fun....All the actors serve Singer's vision." 07/13/2006 p.124Entertainment Weekly
"Routh and Bosworth have a puppyish connection that grows on you, and it's tapped by a shrewd romantic story." -- Grade: B 06/30/2006 p.135 Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "It's the deftness with which the director walks this line between classic and contemporary that makes SUPERMAN RETURNS a success." 08/01/2006 p.28 Ultimate DVD
5 stars out of 5 -- "The performances are all outstanding, especially Bosworth, who is fetching and interesting as Lois Lane, but the biggest key to the film is Routh's excellent performance in the title role." 08/01/2006 p.80 Box Office
4.5 stars out of 5 -- "[The] elements -- the casting, cinematography, design and score -- ultimately serve Singer's greatest achievement, which is the storytelling." 08/01/2006 p.40 Sight and Sound
"As in the X-MEN films, Singer keeps coming up with interesting ways to demonstrate superpowers....A satisfying installment which goes beyond soap to show a genuine development in the life of its heroes." 09/01/2006 p.76 Uncut
4 stars out of 4 -- "For all the digital dazzle, it harks back to a more innocent age....This is a good old-fashioned romantic fantasy." 09/01/2006 p.121 ReelViews 9 of 10
At the end of Superman II, the producers promised "Coming Soon: Superman III." It has taken 26 years for that promise to be fulfilled. To be sure, there were movies in the 1980s called Superman III and Superman IV, but those were bad jokes masquerading as motion pictures, unimaginative stories cashing in on a pay-day. These many years later, Bryan Singer has gotten it right. In fact, Superman Returns is not only a credit to the first two Superman movies; it may be the best of the series. Its combination of romance and fantasy adventure is unparalleled in superhero comic book-to-movie sagas. - James Berardinelli
Variety 10 of 10
"Why the World Doesn't Need Superman" reads the title of a piece that wins Lois Lane the Pulitzer Prize in "Superman Returns," the latest bigscreen revival of comicdom's strongest and fastest hero. Not only is she wrong in the context of the story (not to mention real life), but she'll be wrong in the court of public opinion once the world gets a look at this most grandly conceived and sensitively drawn "Superman" saga. Sure to rate with aficionados alongside "Spider-Man 2" and, for many, "Batman Begins" on the short list of best superhero spectaculars...Topping off these aspects is the evocative, darkly lyrical score by John Ottman... - Todd McCarthy
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