'Superman Returns'

Fresh Air | By David Edelstein

Published June 28, 2006 at 10:00 AM CDT

Superman returns this week, though he's never really been away.

There have been two popular television series devoted to his exploits, Lois and Clark and Smallville, and the Superman comics are still around -- but his last big screen adventure was 20 years ago.

The new feature, Superman Returns, is directed by Bryan Singer, who made The Usual Suspects and X-Men. Newcomer Brandon Routh plays the man of steel, and Kevin Spacey is archenemy Lex Luthor.

David Edelstein

David Edelstein is a film critic for New York magazine and for NPR's Fresh Air, and an occasional commentator on film for CBS Sunday Morning. He has also written film criticism for the Village Voice, The New York Post, and Rolling Stone, and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times' Arts & Leisure section.

See stories by David Edelstein