Where do I begin? Without trying to sound like one of those grizzled old cops in the movies who sound so incredibly old as they address their young charges, I should state for the record I have been a fan Superman for over 40 years. I mean, like, a number one fan. This includes starting with the '50s TV show The Adventures of Superman (starring the inimitable George Reeves), syndicated reruns of which played all during my childhood years. Combined with the DC comic books, this forged my entry into what we now called fandom.

Ignoring the Broadway musical I never saw, the next major incarnation of Superman would occur in the late '70s as an up-and-coming soap opera star named Christopher Reeve (no relation to George Reeves) donned the tights and cape and became, for all intents and purposes, the definitive Superman for the next generation. Truly deserving of all the praise he got for his portrayal, Christopher Reeve's bigger contribution, in my opinion, was the fleshing out of the character of Clark Kent, Superman's more "mild-mannered" alter-ego. For the first time, I believed someone could live as two different personas so that even his friends might not recognize him (a perennial sore spot for Super-fans). Whoever took over this role in some future installment had some mighty big shoes to fill.

In this newest version/sequel of Superman, director Bryan Singer has taken the reigns and faithfully recreated the universe created by Richard Donner (director of Superman: The Movie) in the '70s. To this end, he hired another talented up-and-comer, 26-year-old Brandon Routh, to inhabit the costume and become a virtual recreation of not only Superman, but Christopher Reeve's Superman. The resemblance is not only physical, but aural: close your eyes and it doesn't take much to imagine your hearing Christopher Reeve. I wonder how this impacts Routh's ego, as the comparisons to Reeve will be compulsory and unavoidable. I'm sure he also wants to be seen as his own man (an appearance on a recent Regis & Kelly episode showed him to be extremely likable, personable and humbled by the attention) ---but I digress...

This is a very dark take on Superman with surprisingly adult themes. The muted colors (including those of his costume) reflect the brooding nature of our returned hero. It has been five years since the world has seen Superman (the director wisely decided to ignore the events of the abysmal Superman III & IV). After learning that some astronomers have found remnants of the exploded planet Krypton, our boy, Kal-El, decides to fly back in the rocketship that brought him to earth and investigate if there is anything left. Apparently not, as he tells his mom (played by Eva Marie-Saint) upon his return, "it's a graveyard out there. I'm the only one left." In a later scene on the Kent farm, daydreaming, Clark flashes back to childhood scenes of his growing awareness of his super-powers. (These look like they could've come straight out of the Donner version if he'd've had this kind of technology then.)

In Metropolis, the reunion at The Daily Planet is a bittersweet one as Clark discovers Lois Lane has moved on. She has written a Pulitzer-prize winning article called "Why The World Doesn't Need Superman". When Jimmy tells Clark Lois "is a mommy now" Clark accidentally breaks the framed family portrait he is holding of Lois, her son, Jason, and the boy's father, Richard White, Planet editor Perry White's son. Or is he the father? The boy is about 5 years old. Hmmm.

Lex Luthor, meanwhile, is still hung up on huge real estate deals. His plan is to use stolen alien technology (i.e., Kryptonian) to create a new continent in the Atlantic. The fact that it will displace about half of the United States and kill billions of people worldwide with, you know, tidal waves and stuff, doesn't phase him. All he knows is he will possess prime land of incalculable value (a throwback to the Gene Hackman Luthor who was obsessed with same).

While Superman is dealing with his feelings for Lois and her new family, he relishes his rediscovered role as the world's hero. These scenes not only recall the Reeve version, but update the heroics with betters special effects as well. Nevertheless, you never shake the feeling he is always thinking of how to win Lois back, despite the fact she's engaged. The producers tread many fine lines here with the love triangle, but it's all handled very well.

When an insaner and darker Lex Luthor nearly kills the Man of Steel, Lois's loyalties are put to the test and Richard White must deal with her previous relationship with Superman so a madman's plan can be thwarted.

This is a terrific story and a worthy sequel. I only had minor objections to a few things, basically personal taste issues, nothing worth docking Superman Returns any stars over.

The following bullet points contain zero-to-very minor spoilers. Proceed carefully.