Superman Returns [WS]

Overview

The Man of Steel returns to the big screen with this continuation of the icon's film legacy that picks up after the events of the first two Christopher Reeve films. Some time has passed since the events of Superman II and the world has gotten used to life without Superman (Brandon Routh) ever since his puzzling disappearance years earlier. Upon his return, he finds a Metropolis that doesn't need him anymore, while Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has moved on with another young suitor Richard White (James Marsden) in the meantime. As the hero begins to tackle the fact that life on Earth has continued without him, he is forced to face his old arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) and restore the life that was once his. Directed by Bryan Singer from a script by the writing team of X-Men 2, Superman Returns marks a return to the screen for the man in tights, whose production history has seen many failed attempts including a famous near-miss from Tim Burton and Kevin Smith with Nicolas Cage in the lead role, along with another from director McG and writer J.J. Abrams (Lost). Singer eventually won the prestigious gig when he pitched the idea to not tackle the origin story again, but continue with director Richard Donner's original vision.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/28/2006
UPC:	0012569723511
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:34:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Brandon Routh	Clark Kent/Superman
Kate Bosworth	Lois Lane
Kevin Spacey	Lex Luthor
James Marsden	Richard White
Parker Posey	Kitty Kowalski
Frank Langella	Perry White
Sam Huntington	Jimmy Olsen
Eva Marie Saint	Martha Kent
Kal Penn	Stanford
David Fabrizio	Brutus
Tristan Lake Leabu	Jason White
Vincent Stone	Grant
Peta Wilson	Bobbie-Faye
Jack Larson	Bo the Bartender
Noel Neill	Gertrude Vanderworth
Stephan Bender	Clark Kent (15 yrs. old)
Jeff Truman	Gil
Barbara Angell	Polly
Ian Bliss	Shuttle Commander
Ansuya Nathan	Shuttle Pilot
Warwick Young	777 Co-Pilot,Mission Control Flight Director
Richard Branson	Shuttle Engineer,Shuttle Specialist
Bradd Buckley	777 Navigator
David Webb	Mission Control Officer
Patricia Howson	Museum Guard
Thomas Stewart	Mission Control Navigator
Mirren Lee	Vanderworth Relative No. 1
Steve Ostrow	Vanderworth Relative No. 2
Hank Roberts	Vanderworth Relative No. 3,Riley
Raelee Hill	Hospital Nurse
Lee James	Doctor No. 1
Michael Duggan	Doctor No. 2
Karina Bracken	Hospital Ward Nurse
Frederique Fouche	French News Anchor
Julian Pulvermacher	German News Anchor
Rebecca Barratt	German Reporter
Keegan Joyce	Boy with Camera
Ted Maynard	News Anchor No. 1
Ed Wightman	News Anchor No. 2
Prue Lewarne	News Anchor No. 3
Paul Shedlowich	News Anchor No. 4
Barry Quin	News Anchor No. 5
Francine Bell	News Anchor No. 6
Penelope Heath	Sydney Reporter
Genevieve Davis	Reporter at Deli
Robert Meyer Burnett	Cape Canaveral Reporter
Terrell Dixon	Hospital Policeman
Kevin Fisher	Security Guard No. 1
John Lucantonio	Security Guard No. 2
Rob Flanagan	Bank Gunner
Darin Rossi	Home Plate Umpire
Phillip Henry	Police Sharp Shooter
Henry Browne	Taxi Driver
James Karen	Ben Hubbard
Jordana Beatty	Little Girl
Thomas W. Stewart	Mission Control Officer
Stephen Ostrow	Vanderworth Relative
Robert Flanagan	Bank Gunner
John Ottman	Composer
John Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

Michael Dougherty

Joe Shuster

Dan Harris

Bryan Singer	Director,Producer
Michael Dougherty	Screenwriter
William Fay	Executive Producer,Producer
Chris Lee	Executive Producer,Producer
Scott Mednick	Executive Producer,Producer
Thomas Tull	Executive Producer,Producer
Gilbert Adler	Producer
Jon Peters	Producer
Roger Mussenden	Casting
Ann Robinson	Casting
Neil Corbould	Special Effects Supervisor
Joe Shuster	Screenwriter
Lorne Orleans	Producer
Kerry Achurch	Special Effects
Sue Baldwin	Stunts
Erik Aadahl	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
David Brighton	Special Effects
Michael Lantieri	Special Effects
Ray Ferguson	Special Effects
Rob Heggie	Special Effects
Arran Gordon	Special Effects
Aaron Cox	Special Effects
Corina Rosca	Special Effects
Billy Aziz	Special Effects
Dan Harris	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Alan Young	Special Effects
Gareth Wingrove	Special Effects
Marlene Efrem	Special Effects
David Pride	Special Effects
Rodney Burke	Special Effects
Catherine Hart	Special Effects
Willie Burton	Sound Mixer
Chris Alderton	Sound Mixer
David B. Chornow	Sound Mixer
Paul Brincat	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

It has been years since Superman (Brandon Routh) defeated the Kryptonian arch-villains and left Earth on a mysterious quest. When he finally returns, the Man of Steel finds that Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) is a single mom engaged to Perry White's (Frank Langella) nephew Richard (James Marsden), and that arch-fiend Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is at it again, simultaneously plotting another massive real estate scam and Superman's demise. This sort-of sequel to Superman II, directed by X-Men's Bryan Singer, is predicated on the assumption that the events depicted in Christopher Reeve's third and fourth outings as the iconic superhero never happened. Singer, who has a decided affinity for the mythic underpinnings of comic book crime fighters, imbues Superman Returns with and epic sensibility; he also sprinkles humorous lines and situations throughout the film but never betrays any hint of condescension or self-parody. The result is an altogether satisfying addition to the Kryptonian canon. The Special Edition boasts more than three hours of bonus features, most of them clustered together under an umbrella title, "Requiem for Krypton: Making Superman Returns." The film's production is documented with welcome specificity, and the actors are seen plying their trade in addition to contributing the usual talking-head promo-speak. Superman's background -- not only as a character but also as a cultural icon -- is explored thoroughly, and casual viewers might be surprised at the extent to which the documentaries' subjects took the project seriously. That the cast and crew approached the film with such reverence is, quite frankly, amazing. A separate featurette, "Resurrecting Jor-El," is narrowly focused on the CGI work employed in reutilizing footage of the late Marlon Brando as Superman's father, shot for the 1978 Christopher Reeve film.