Easily better than any of the X-movies, not quite as good as "Spiderman 2", and unfortunately nowhere near the level of Batman Begins. This is still one of the best superhero movies ever made though, and a very worthy successor to the original Superman.
The problem for me was that the script doesn’t weave drama quite as well as it handles heroics, and I felt that the third act of this movie had less of an impact than the first 45 minutes did. I liked the boldness of the ending, but for some reason, it just didn’t ring true with me. Perhaps Bryan Singer was thinking long-term with the way he handled Superman’s character, but this movie does little to really humanize the last Son of Krypton.
I am also still waiting for the "diabolical genius" Lex Luthor to finally make his big-screen debut, as Kevin Spacey (who was, btw, the highlight of this movie) still hits most of the same notes Gene Hackman did over a decade ago. I personally find it annoying that Lex is continually portrayed in the movies this way. Most comic fans know that his _intellect_ is superhuman, the equal of the alien Brainiac, which is why he’s such a good nemesis for someone whose _strength_ is superhuman, but here (and in the other Superman movies) he is reduced to a kind of face-paint-less Joker.
As Superman/Clark Kent, Brandon Routh is the closest you can get to the iconic Christopher Reeve. I found it interesting that both Spacey and Routh seemed like they were paying homage to the actors that preceded them, instead of the actual comic characters, but I guess that’s Hollywood for you.
More Superman Returns reviews at FilmCrowd.com.