To a large degree, I think this movie does mirror the first film - but not as bad as I expected in the latter half. I think the best way to describe Superman Returns may be not only as a sequel, but as a homage to the first film. The stylized opening credits, giant "S" and John Williams theme are directly from it. Little touches were nice such as a picture of Glenn Ford as Jonathan Kent on the mantle, plus Marlon Brando's Jor-El scenes. Then, you get a little dialogue rip-off that just makes you grin: "I hope this little incident hasn't put you off flying."

Where director Bryan Singer and his writing team go wrong is to take the homage too far. The plot is a rehash: Lex Luthor wants to create a new continent - destroying most of the US - with stolen Kryptonian technology instead of a nuclear missle. More dialogue is ripped off. They even redo the bit with what Luthor's father always told him about land. It was just a bit too much.

Where it goes well is the Lois-Superman plot. While Superman was away from Earth, Lois has won a Pulitzer Prize for an editorial titled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". When he returns, she puts up barriers because she doesn't want to let him back in. She resists embracing his return like the rest of the world because she's "moved on." I doubt I have to tell you that this is resolved by the end of the movie. Still, it's handled well - such as when Superman explains to Lois what he sees and hears each night.

Visually, the film is excellent. Flying effects have come a long way since the original movies. It's hard to believe now how ground-breaking those effects were in the late 70s. The plane rescue (not Air Force One this time) is much more impressive.

John Ottman puts the original Williams music to good use throughout the movie, but doesn't add anything memorable on his own. Still, there's not much reason to. The original Superman Theme is probably Williams' single best piece of music - I was sorely tempted to applaud when the music came up during the opening credits.

In terms of all the Superman movies, this may be the best and most evenly-handled one yet. The franchise can certainly grow from here. Comparing it to the more modern movies like Spider-Man and Batman Begins, though, I would say it's not quite as good. It's more on par with the first X-Men movie - overall good, but a few rough spots around the edges.