Superman Returns

The story has Superman returning to Earth after a five-year sojourn in which he's been exploring a fragment of his home planet Krypton that has been floating around the universe since its destruction. (Exactly why it took him five years to do this is not explained.)

It's not quite a runaway success, the casting is hit-and-miss and there's nothing hugely innovative in the story line or the effects. In an era full of superhero movies, it's not likely to have anything close to the impact of the '79 version with Christopher Reeve.

But the film is magnificently mounted, it moves like a speeding bullet and it's so respectful of Superman traditions that even the pickiest of die-hard fans should love it. After a lapse of two decades, it revitalizes the franchise and makes it seem fresh and alive.