See it. Now. It's great. It also has the most energizing, most uplifting opening credits I've seen in a long, long time - a great John Williams score really does go a long way!

Superhero movies face a tough test in these modern times-the world is more complicated and cynical, and people, let's face it, have seen lots of movies. A man dressed in colourful red-and-blue tights, a batsuit or spidersuit, really has to explain himself and his psychology. Batman Begins, for example, handled this issue superbly.

And Superman more than the rest needs to address it-since he's such a naturally good, honest guy. Batman has an edge. Spider-man really is an awkward college student at heart and prone to youthful mistakes. But Superman just does the right thing, all the time. What I liked most about Superman Returns was the way Bryan Singer and his writers gave him something to worry about-Lois Lane.

In short, Brandon Routh was fantastic as Superman, ably taking over from Christopher Reeve. Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane is even better in what could have become a thankless, screaming damsel-in-distress role. Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor is as you'd expect-wonderfully villainous. The only problem is that there isn't enough of him: Lex Luthor is relegated to a minor subplot as Superman and Lois get the lion's share of screen time.

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times got it all wrong. Likening it to the Christ story (yawn), she missed the entire point of the movie. And what is that point? It is this: cheering.

You see, in the end, Superman is about cheering . Sure, he's always going to solve every problem with some Herculean feat of superstrength, but the question is whether we will cheer when he does it. So. Does Bryan Singer orchestrate a film that'll get us pumped up and cheering? You bet. This is exactly what he does (the hairs on the back of my neck stood up during the scene that ends at a baseball stadium-don't worry, I won't give it away; I loved that scene; scenes like that are why I go to see a Superman movie!).

Seriously, what kind of movie was Ms Dargis expecting to see? As an author of hopefully entertaining action fiction, I wonder if reviewers like Manohla Dargis are just so jaded that they simply refuse to be exhilarated anymore. Let's see what she thinks of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest .

My conclusion?. If you go to the movies to have fun, cheer the good guys and hiss at the bad guys (like me), then let go of reality for a few hours, go and see Superman Returns, tap your foot to the fantastic music and cheer for the man in tights. (Reviewed July 2006)