Superman returns, critic welcome hero

Critics agree that the movie is worth watching. The sort of sequel to Superman II, which has the last son of Krypton returning to Earth after a self-imposed exile of six years only to discover that the world, and Lois Lane, have moved on in his absence, had the reviewers reaching for the superlatives, according to the Guardian Unlimited.

Photo: Superman returns, critic welcome hero

Singer underlines this continuity by using the voice and image of the late Marlon Brando, who played Superman's father, Jor-El, in 1978's Superman: The Movie. He turns in a deeply respectful reading of an American classic, a fable that began as a comic book strip in 1938. There's precious little irony here and, despite the fears of some Hollywood executives, Routh - a coltish dead ringer for the young Reeve - manages to be sensitive, beautiful and unequivocally masculine, Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Unfortunately for Superman and his nerdy alter ego, Clark Kent, everyone has moved on. Superman's main squeeze, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), has had a child, acquired an alpha male boyfriend and picked up a Pulitzer Prize for an article headlined "Why the World Does Not Need Superman". Ouch.