After reuniting with his foster mom (a great cameo by Eva Marie Saint), he reassumes the identity of timid reporter Clark Kent and is back at the desk, getting reacquainted with life in Metropolis. Both newspaper editor Perry White (Frank Langella) and shutterbug Jimmy Olsen (Sam Huntington) welcome him back.

Indeed, a lot has changed at the Daily Planet, as both Clark and his other guise try to reconnect with Lois. Kate Bosworth’s toned-down Lois Lane has moved on: she has a man, a kid, a new life, she doesn't need Superman to save her. She even wrote an editorial, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman," to prove it – which stings Superman like Kryptonite. Now, Clark falls apart every time he's around her, which is truly unbearable when she treats him with such contempt.

Meanwhile, Luthor is up to no good. He's now out of prison on a technicality and has an expanded team of psychos, including the hilarious Parker Posey as his companion. He unleashes an evil scheme to ignite a new land mass in the Atlantic that will create a gigantic real estate venture for him. He steals insider info on how to do that from Superman's dad, eerily played by the ghost of Marlon Brando in a hologram.

Superman Returns is very much ingrained in the action-packed comic book world, which should keep the fans happy, but the movie is more a character-study than it is a pow-action, which means that despite the technical wizardry, there will be some yawning during this long period.