Superman Returns (2006)

Superman comes home after five years in space and spends a surprising amount of the movie floating outside Lois Lane’s house, listening in on her family. Romantic? Kinda creepy, actually. Superman Returns is a love letter to the Christopher Reeve movies, so loyal it brings back the John Williams music and the old flying opening credits. That loyalty is the problem. At 154 minutes it’s slow, moody and stuck in the past. Brandon Routh does a solid Reeve, gentle and shy, but Kate Bosworth’s Lois has none of the old snap, and Lex Luthor’s master plan is, once again, a real estate deal. Then there’s the plane rescue. Superman catching a falling jet and setting it down in a packed baseball stadium is one of the great superhero scenes, and the crowd going wild is pure joy. It made $391.1 million worldwide on a reported $223M budget. A 5.6 because one perfect rescue can’t carry a movie this sleepy. $7.53 says the next time you put on glasses, you check the mirror to see if anyone would still recognize you.

What works: The plane rescue over the baseball stadium is a top-tier superhero scene, and Brandon Routh captures Reeve’s gentle charm.

What doesn’t: It’s slow and gloomy for 154 minutes, Lois has no spark, and Lex’s scheme feels like a rerun of the old movies.

Who it’s for: People who grew up on the Christopher Reeve movies and want a long, sentimental trip back to that world.