A week before its release in the US, Bryan Singer's Superman Returns is already flying high - critics are giving it an emphatic two thumbs up, calling it "grandly conceived and sensitively drawn" and "a worthy successor to Superman: The Movie and Superman II".
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.
The Hollywood Reporter described Singer's film as "a heartfelt Superman movie that plays to a broad audience thanks to an emotionally troubled Man of Steel." Empire, on the other hand, laid garlands at the feet of the latest Superman: newcomer Brandon Routh: "The polished, character-driven narrative and Routh's fine performance ensure that the Man of Steel will remain a magnet for moviegoers."
Variety, too, loved it, saying that it was "sure to rate with aficionados alongside Spider-Man 2 and, for many, Batman Begins, on the shortlist of best superhero spectaculars ... One can praise newcomer Routh very highly indeed."
One reviewer remained unimpressed, though: "Where to start on Superman Returns? It's terribly cast, poorly conceived, extremely light on action, features a romance that is not remotely romantic, doesn't feature a single memorable, 'gosh, that was great' repeat-to-your-friends moment in a positive way, will be crushed by Pirates of the Caribbean II and played out completely before August 1," wrote David Poland of Movie City News.