Scenes From A Movie: Superman Rescues A Plane in 'Superman Returns'
And it is a glorious action sequence to behold! Too bad the rest of the film is not as good.
On paper, Superman Returns should’ve been a slam dunk.
It was directed by Bryan Singer, the guy who brought the X-Men to the big screen1; it was a quasi-sequel to the Richard Donner Superman movies— the one that everyone likes; and the visual effects had reached a point where it was possible to create realistic scenes of Superman in action.
In fact, Superman Returns even made more money at the box office than Batman Begins!
And yet, we know how that turned out.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of Superman Returns. I liked Brandon Routh as Superman, but the rest of the film feels miscast, and most offensively, the film is dull.
So. Very. Dull.
Except for one scene.
One scene showed exactly what kind of film Superman Returns could have been. I’ll even go so far as to argue that the Superman reboots— Man of Steel and 2025’s Superman— don’t have a scene on par with what Superman Returns delivered.
I’m talking about the scene where Superman announces his return to the world in spectacularly dramatic fashion by rescuing a plane.
It is GLORIOUS. For one shining moment, you really could believe that a man could fly.
Whatever my gripes with Singer as a filmmaker— or a person— I’ll give him this: the man KNOWS how to direct a great action sequence. In the case of Superman Returns, I would argue that you can find the entire structure of a film— the Save the Cat template popularized by Blake Snyder— condensed into this one scene.
This, dear reader, is how you make a great Superman action scene.
So the entire set-piece was a constant work-in-progress, with shots filmed throughout production but the premise is this: When an air-launch-to-orbit (ALTO) for a Space Shuttle flight test goes wrong and with Lois Lane on the plane, Superman takes to the skies to save the day.
Great action sequences work when there is a strong emotional core behind them, and the plane rescue has three emotional components behind it:
Lois Lane is on the plane and her life is in danger (along with several other passengers)
It’s the first time that Superman and Lois Lane are reuniting
Superman doesn’t know if the world still needs him or not.
The Lois Lane part really matters. If you removed her from the scene, it would still feel pretty bad-ass, but it won’t have the same impact. A similar scenario does happen on the runaway train sequence in Spider-Man 2 with a bunch of strangers but the emotional stakes there is that Spider-Man unwittingly unmasks himself in the process of saving them… and in gratitude for saving their lives, the passengers promise not to reveal his identity. But having Lois on the plane establishes her reunion with Superman and also acts as a rebuttal to her thesis that the world doesn’t need Superman.
Interestingly, the aborted J.J. Abrams’ Superman: Flyby script features a near-identical scene in which Superman announces his presence to the world by rescuing Lois Lane from a downing Air Force One. In fact, some of the beats seemed to have been repurposed for Singer’s film; which isn’t too surprising since Superman Returns actually grew out of Flyby.
Here are some screen-grabs of the scene in question from the Flyby script:
Keep them in mind as we move along.
Right, let’s use Blake Snyder’s screenplay structure to analyze how the plane rescue sequence unfolds.
Act I
Setup
Lois Lane is aboard the Boeing 777 liner piggybacking the Genesis space shuttle, representing the Daily Planet. She has a little tension with NASA spokesperson Bobbie-Faye. Superman Returns does something that James Cameron did with Titanic to great effect: it uses an animated video to explain the exact sequence of events as it is supposed to happen— couplings detach at 40,000 feet, the shuttle will ascend and fire the first of two propellant systems, and the second insertion boosters will ignite when it reaches the stratosphere.
This gets the technical exposition out of the way and prepares us for what happens when things go wrong; that way, a character doesn’t have to scream out what is going on in the middle of everything.
At the same time, Lex Luthor is experimenting with some Kryptonian crystals that causes a global electrical outage that affects the plane’s and shuttle’s circuits. This part is not really important, it merely establishes the cause of the plane’s troubles.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen takes a recently returned Clark Kent to a bar after the latter is heartbroken over learning that Lois has moved on. In the bar, a TV is screening a baseball match— a nice setup because Superman will later disrupt the match to land the plane in the baseball stadium.
Theme Stated
Lois won a Pulitzer Prize for an editorial titled ‘Why The World Doesn’t Need Superman’. There’s a part of Clark that seems to wonder if she’s right— by the end of the sequence, this thesis will be refuted, proving that the world DOES need Superman.
Catalyst
Lex’s experiments causes a global outage. The plane and shuttle are affected. When the power goes out aboard the plane, Lois is concerned but Bobbie-Faye assures that it’s only a slight power outage and nothing to worry about.
Houston prepares for the launch sequence, starting the countdown for 3 minutes, the power goes out. But when they notice that the shuttle has had dual engine failure, it decides to scrub the launch. Safety first.
But when Genesis tries to abort the booster ignition, it’s non-responsive. The shuttle is still counting down to ignition.
Houston immediately informs the pilots (“platform”) that the boosters are still counting down to ignition and that they have 30 seconds.
Genesis is given the green-light for evacuation procedures and tries to release the couplings…
But the couplings are non-responsive. 20 seconds on the clock. Houston starts counting down. The pilots try to detach the couplings from their side but it misfires as well.
The plane passengers grow a little concerned. Bobbie-Faye tells them not to be alarmed.
Alarm grows in both cockpits. Genesis requests Houston to do a remote override but the remote override is also unresponsive.
The booster ignition begins to light.
NASA spokesperson Bobbie-Faye says if they’re lucky, they’ll hear the faint pop of the sonic boom. This acts like the calm before the storm, a brief moment to catch your breath because—
BOOM! The boosters ignite. Everyone is flung back into their seats. Bobbie-Faye falls down to the floor.
The boosters begin to melt the liner tail.
Houston immediately goes into emergency mode. The pilots deploy oxygen masks.
Despite her earlier beef, Lois gets out of her seat to help Bobbie-Faye up.
Debate
Meanwhile, the Daily Planet, the people, and Clark learn about the Genesis shuttle emergency when a broadcast interrupts their regular programming.
Clark hesitates. He knows Lois wrote an article about why the world doesn’t need Superman. But he also knows that lives are at stake, especially the woman he loves. He can’t sit idly by and do nothing.
Jimmy turns to Clark, but Clark has disappeared.
Break into Act II
Clark steps out of the bar and walks past the people thronging to the TVs (ah, pre-cellphone days). The first bars of John Williams’ iconic score begin to play as Clark runs through the traffic.
He turns the corner and does the iconic pulls-shirt-open-to-reveal-Superman-logo underneath.
Act II
Fun & Games
Lois gets Bobbie-Faye into a seat, and makes her way back to her own when the plane hits mach one and throws Lois to the floor, putting her in peril. Stakes increased.
Meanwhile, the Genesis pilots grow frantic.
Lois crawls her way to her seat (this scene is there in the Flyby script) and almost makes it until the second insertion booster ignites.
BOOM! The second booster ignition throws Lois all the way to the back of the plane.
We cut to a wide shot of the shuttle climbing higher, taking the airliner with it.
One of the fighter pilots notices a bogey appearing on his radar. (Flyby also has two fighter pilots following the plane—in that version, it was Air Force One)
Houston also detects an unidentified aircraft in the vicinity, and notices that it’s moving fast. This is dramatic irony because the characters don’t know who it is but we do, and it builds anticipation.
We get a super-quick glimpse of Superman racing towards the airliner. Singer actually holds off on revealing him just yet.
The fighter pilot reacts. Inside the plane, Lois tries to grab an oxygen mask. She glances out the window…
… and at that exact moment, she sees a red-blue blur streaking past.
Lois does a double-take. And in this moment, we establish the emotional connection to the action—from Lois to Superman. This is the point when the rescue becomes personal.
Red boots step on to the roof of the airliner. Lois hears the sound and looks up. She’s not imagining it.
Superman holds the Genesis hull and melts the couplings with his heat vision. John Williams’s Superman theme kicks in as Superman lifts and carries the Genesis shuttle up and away from the plane. Victory…
… well, not yet. The Boeing’s tail is on fire and it just entered zero-gravity.
Inside, the pilots watch as they rise in their seats. The passengers look around as objects float around them. Lois floats in the air. She watches a pen float towards her and reaches out to take it.
This moment also acts as a brief pause during the action, allowing the viewer to catch their breath, before…
Midpoint
Wham! The plane drops back into gravity…
… and Lois is violently tossed around the cabin. It’s a miracle she isn’t seriously injured.
The pilots fail to stabilize the plummeting airline.
Superman watches the shuttle successfully enter space.
Superman turns back and notices the falling plane. Instantly, he flies straight for it.
Superman reaches the plane and grabs one of the wings, temporarily stabilizing it (a scene that also exists in Flyby)
The brief stabilization causes Lois to drop down. A passenger helps her into her seat. Lois puts on her belt. She’s out of one kind of danger. But it’s about to get worse.
Bad Guys Closing In
Inside the cockpit, the consoles are going haywire. The autopilot declares an emergency. At this point, everything is riding on Superman.
Inside the cabin, the carry-on bags spill from the overhead bins. Some hit the passengers’ heads and knock them out. One woman looks out the window, sees Superman struggling to stabilize the plane.
Uh-oh. The wing snaps off and Superman is thrown back for the force.
He quickly recovers his balance and speeds towards the aircraft, now in even worse free-fall.
All Is Lost
The plane’s other wing breaks off. There’s a really cool shot of the wing soaring straight at Superman…
… and he smashes through like it’s made out of tissue! But time— and options— are running out. What will Superman do?
Dark Night of the Soul
In the cockpit, the pilots see the ground racing up towards them. The autopilot announces “overspeed” (you don’t say!).
Lots of quick cuts to the spinning dials and Lois and other passengers, awaiting their doom.
This is one of my favorite parts of the sequence. Superman puts on a burst of speed, races around the plane’s fuselage, overtaking the plane…
… and bodily catching it by the nose. Can Superman stop the plane?
Act Three
Gathering the Team
The baseball game from the TV in the bar earlier is in play. A hitter strikes the ball. The camera follows the ball— and everyone sees the Boeing headed straight for them.
Everyone reacts. Oh fuuuuuuck…
Executing the Plan
Superman succeeds in slowing down the plane’s velocity.
The baseball field is feet away!
The players clear the field.
High Tower Surprise
But for the force of Superman’s efforts, the plane crumples under his hands.
The entire fuselage shudders.
Inside the passengers are thrown violently forward.
Dig Deep Down
Superman uses all his strength to hold the plane, and gets a hold by grabbing the plane’s framework visible through the damaged nose.
It’s a great swooping shot down the plane to reveal Superman who is feet away from the ground.
Executing New Plan
With every last ounce of strength, Superman grabs the Boeing 777 and slowly lowers it down…
… in the middle of a baseball stadium.
The pilots and Lois react to the landing, shaken but alive.
The stadium erupts in applause.
In the cockpit, the autopilot says “Fly up, fly up”. This moment acts as catharsis and relief through laughing.
Closing
Superman rips the door open and strides in to check on everyone.
Lois stares at Superman and then gets to her feet. Again, this moment underlines the personal connection to the action scene.
Superman looks at her. “Are you okay?” (This line and moment is in the Flyby script)
All the passengers look at Lois. It’s awkward, like running into your ex in public and everyone knows the history. Lois, though, is speechless.
Superman smiles, then turns to the other passengers. It’s his first address to the public, and when he puts his hands on his hips, he is channels Christopher Reeves with a line from the 1978 Donner film: “Well, I hope this experience hasn’t put any of you off flying. Statistically speaking, it’s still the safest way to travel.”
John Williams’s score kicks in as Superman takes his leave, while the people shout to ask questions from Superman. Lois finally snaps to and tries to get to him.
Superman steps into the light, and for a moment, he takes in the reaction of the stadium. It’s not vanity: it’s the moment that he realizes that maybe there’s still a place for Superman in the world after all.
We get reaction shots of the people in the stadium going wild.
Superman is on the Jumbotron.
People on the streets go wild for Superman’s rescue.
NASA goes wild for Superman’s rescue.
The people in the bar go wild for Superman’s rescue— Jimmy and the barman hug each other. The barman is played by Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen on the television series Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). He reprised the role once on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1996.
The Daily Planet newsroom goes wild for Superman’s rescue.
Except Perry White. He’s just struck.
Superman takes it all in, and with a smile, he takes off into the sky just as Lois reaches him.
Superman flies away.
Lois looks up… and faints. This is the only part I didn’t like— it cheapens Lois’s character and plays for laughs at her expense. The sequence could have easily ended on Lois’s stunned reaction in the plane doorway.
Note that this isn’t a battle sequence. It’s not about Superman throwing punches or battling monsters. It’s not even about saving the world. It’s about using his powers and quick thinking to rescue a planeload of people.
The reason it works is that it stands perfectly well on its own two feet with a clear beginning, middle, and end. It exists for narrative reasons (Superman makes his return), emotional reasons (Lois is on the plane), and thematic reasons (the world needs Superman).
It’s so fantastic that even though the visual effects are a little dated, it still carries a lot of emotional weight— just as Superman’s first appearance in the 1978 Superman still works even if it does look old. It makes you want to throttle the rest of Superman Returns for not living up to this momentum.
What’s your favorite Superman sequence of all time? Please share your answers in the comments below.
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Long live the movies!
D.L. Holmes
And was in demand despite rumors even at THAT time of his shady history with young boys.