Superman: The Last Son of Krypton

***Superman: The Last Son of Krypton*** is a 2006 superhero film, based on the DC Comics superhero Superman. It is the second film in the DC Cinematic Universe and the second film of Phase One. The film was released on June 28, 2006 in the United States.

The film is directed by Zack Snyder and stars Brandon Routh as Clark Kent, Keri Russell as Lois Lane, Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Sally Field as Martha Kent, Aaron Ashmore as Jimmy Olsen, Jenna Dewan as Lucy Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and James Caan as Lionel Luthor.

## Plot

In 1978, on the planet of Krypton, Jor-El fights with General Zod over the impending destruction of their planet. Zod tells him it was Jor-El's own arrogance that destroyed their planet, but he opens a portal to the Phantom Zone and sends Zod in before he can finish. Jor-El returns to his wife Lara, and their infant son Kal-El. The parents have already prepared a spaceship and place Kal in it. Jor-El tells his son that he has a destiny to fulfill, before allowing the ship to leave the atmosphere, moments before Krypton explodes. Kal's pod lands three years later in a field in Smallville, Kansas, where farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent find him. They raise him as Clark Kent and teach him to use his super-powers for good and not for evil. Jonathan dies of a heart attack when Clark is sixteen, which inspires Clark to take his pod to the Arctic, where it turns into the Fortress of Solitude, complete with Jor-El's consciousness to guide Clark. He tells his son that he is destined to save the people of Earth from great threats as a hero. Clark begins saving people in secret, and becomes a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis as an adult. He also takes on the identity of Superman to give people hope.

When Clark has been operating as Superman for a year, he is promoted at the Daily Planet and begins working with ace reporter Lois Lane. They appear to be attracted to each other, though Lois has a thing for Superman. To impress Lois, Superman gives her an interview, the first in his year of heroism. Clark also meets photographer Jimmy Olsen and the Daily Planet's owner, Lex Luthor, the son of LuthorCorp C.E.O. Lionel Luthor. Lois believes that Lionel is in deep in shady business, and Clark agrees to help her take on the case. Lionel is revealed to be working with a international unit of arms dealers who have discovered a mysterious meteorite that seems valuable. Lionel travels to Mexico to investigate, and Lois and Clark follow him there. In Mexico, the duo are attacked by the arms group, but they both manage to fend them off as their budding romance continues. They find the meteorite before Lionel can, but Clark is mysteriously weakened by it. Lionel finds them and kidnaps Lois, while also taking the meteorite. With his powers restored, Clark chases after Lionel and rescues Lois, who is left wondering how Clark recovered.

Returning to Metropolis, Perry White, Lois and Clark's boss, refuses to print their story without any evidence, which especially angers Lois. Her sister, Lucy, seemingly just an army brat, visits Metropolis. Lois, Lucy, and Clark have dinner together, when an explosion goes off suddenly, knocking Lois unconscious. Lionel's minions enter to take out Lois and Clark, but Lucy attacks them and Clark tries to protect his identity from her, but she reveals she knows. After taking out their assailants together, Lucy reveals she works for a secret organization that specializes in "superhuman" threats, and she has come to Metropolis to recruit Clark. Lois awakens before he can answer.

Lex slowly uncovers his father's plot to use the meteorite to kill Superman and confronts him, but Lionel insists that Superman's arrival is only the beginning of an alien invasion. Lex leaves his father behind to warn Superman, but Lionel knocks him out before he can. Clark and Lucy decide to keep Lois out of harm's way and the former tries to tell her they shouldn't follow the story anymore. Lois refuses and goes to LuthorCorp. She tries to get to Lionel to admit his plan, but he has his guards attack her. She manages to fight them off, but she is eventually taken down and kept with Lex. Lucy realizes what has happened to her and informs Clark.

Clark goes after Lionel, who deduces his identity and exposes him to the meteorite, which he nicknames Kryptonite. Lois and Lex work together to escape and Lex takes on his father, while Lois finds Clark. He reveals he is Superman and she helps him get away from the Kryptonite as he fights his way through Lionel's army. Lex manages to incapacitate his father and thanks Superman. Lionel is arrested and Lois writes his exposé. Clark is able to correctly balance his alien and human identities with Lois's help, while Lucy reminds him of her offer. He decides to stick in Metropolis for now but agrees to work with her if any major threat comes along. Lex visits his father in prison and reveals he cannot risk Lionel getting out after everything he has put him through, and secretly induces a heart attack on him, killing him. Clark visits the Fortress, where Jor-El reveals that alien threats Clark is unprepared for are coming soon.

In a post-credits scene, Lucy returns to her employer, Amanda Waller, who is the director of an organization called Checkmate.

## Cast

* Brandon Routh as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman
* Keri Russell as Lois Lane
* Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor
* Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent
* Sally Field as Martha Kent
* Aaron Ashmore as Jimmy Olsen
* Jenna Dewan as Lucy Lane
* Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
* James Caan as Lionel Luthor

## Reception

### **Box office**

*Superman* grossed $256.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $471.9 million in other territories, for a total of $728.6 million. The film had a domestic opening weekend of $123.9 million, and a five-day total of $143.1 million.

### **Critical reception**

*Superman: The Last Son of Krypton* garnered praise for the performances (particularly and ), action sequences, screenplay, and themes. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 90% approval rating with an average score of 7.7/10, based on 315 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "*Superman: The Last Son of Krypton* continues the new wave of DC movies with an action-packed superhero blockbuster boasting a decidedly non-cartoonish plot and the courage to explore thought-provoking themes." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an "A" grade on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 88% overall positive score and a 75% "definite recommend".