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- The Superman
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- Surviving the destruction of the planet Krypton, young Kal-El is sent by his father Jor-El to live among mankind on Earth. Under the parenting of Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark Kent discovers that he was born with extraordinary powers and abilities beyond imagination. Now living in Metropolis, Clark takes up a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet and starts to fall head over heals for fellow reporter Lois Lane. But then Clark is also using his powers to help the better of mankind as Superman, who the people of Metropolis start turning to for help. But in the shadows, criminal genius Lex Luthor launches a sinister plan to make himself known by detonating two missiles in different parts of the country with only Superman to oppose him. Will Superman save us? Or will Luthor's plan succeed?
- Just before the destruction of the planet Krypton, scientist Jor-El sends his infant son Kal-El on a spaceship to Earth. Raised by kindly farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, young Clark discovers the source of his superhuman powers and moves to Metropolis to fight evil. As Superman, he battles the villainous Lex Luthor, while, as novice reporter Clark Kent, he attempts to woo co-worker Lois Lane
- Christopher Reeve played Superman first in a big screen adaptation with a big budget. Therefore, people say he is the best...then when he had his accident and died he became forever locked as Superman to some people. I feel bad for how his life ended, but the man was not a very good actor and if not for makeup, hair dye and a banana in his pants would not of looked the part either. He had his moments where he was good, when he was directed by the very capable, but overrated Donner. Then he was a bit lost when playing Superman in part three, and absolutely dreadful when playing him in IV, yet since he was first and he died tragically he seems to get a free pass. He was an okay actor when directed properly, okay at best. Name another film of his that did anything and you will have trouble recalling one. So we have a new film that finally casts someone that has no resemblance and we have people that want to live in the past and continue to say this 1978 bore festival was a superior film as they seem to forget comic books were written for children so a child should not have to squirm through a movie waiting for Superman and then have to witness Superman's longest sequence on the film being him flying Louis through the sky in a scene that is so uncomfortable and awkward it made me want to exit the room as a child. Looking back on it now, it was not even romantic thanks to Margot Kidder's horrid voice...smoke much Mrs. Kidder? <br/><br/>The story spends way to much time focusing on Clark's beginnings without really going anywhere or establishing anything. It takes forever to get to Metropolis and nothing is really built in the time it takes to get there. So we witness all this Smallville stuff and it lasts forever and quite frankly they have to squeeze in Lex Luthor and his beginnings as Superman into a smaller window and it just seems rushed. Louis is introduced and is the most obnoxious woman ever, not to mention she is not attractive, and we are to believe he instantly falls in love with her? Lex Luthor barely has any screen time doing anything dastardly other than killing a cop before coming up with a ridiculous scheme that is brought to an end in even more ridiculous fashion. There are moments, I enjoyed some of the movie as a kid, and I enjoy some of the movie now...overall though it felt way to bloated.<br/><br/>Donner wanted to do something grand, but in the end he did not tell the story of Superman in an entertaining enough fashion. As an example, who among us wants to watch the credits at the end of a film? Not many of us, these days they sometimes put extra scenes in a film just to get us watch an annoying amount of names from the stars to the guys who provided their forks at the buffet table. Well here we have to watch a credit sequence at the beginning! Yes, we are subjected to one of the longest pre-movie credit sequences ever. Sure it's rousing at first, but keeps going and going. Let's look at another film from this era, a little film called Star Wars...the music booms across the theater, Star Wars shoots on the screen, a brief scroll comes up telling us the situation, and then we are thrust into the action! Meanwhile, we are still learning who is the writer of Superman. The film just takes to long to get going, then we get to Metropolis and everything seems rushed! However, it was still a well done movie, just a film that seemed to take forever in parts...at the time though this was pretty much the only comic book film of the day and there is a reason nothing made since has been like this, despite people who still proclaim it a great Superman film, it really was not a good comic book film.<br/><br/>The casting for this film was not very well done either. They put big stars in small roles and absolute nobody's in the main ones. Louis was not pretty, Reeves made Superman seem like a pansy, Gene Hackman I am guessing refused to shave his head and Marlon Brando did quite good actually. It is a film that has its moments much like the 2006 version, but it has a lot of dead time. People say this is a time for character development, but considering all the dead time they still were not able to really explain why the heck Supes fell for the most obnoxious reporter at the planet, Luthor does not get enough screen time to adequately do his thing and Zod comes off as a one note villain in this and the next film. The next movie though would be a bit better and have more to it...still though neither film is all that super. I saw both as a child as they were released back in the day, I am afraid a lot of the people dismissing the new film in favor of this are the type who also proclaim their music better than their kid's. I fall into this category too, and I may have here, but as I stated...I was never a super fan of the Reeves Superman films.
- The classic superhero movie, perhaps a bit dated but still fantastic. The origin story is done superbly, building up his beginnings without rushing through it too fast. Though the scenes at Krypton go on for a bit too long, and some don't have any effect on the rest of the film (mainly the trial scene - though it relates to the sequel), the film never feels boring and the pacing is perfect. The one that all other comic book films borrow from nowadays, with the perfect blend of action, romance, and comedy. Truly a classic.<br/><br/>Though he is only third billed, Reeve is clearly the star of the show and delivers an iconic performance. Not only is his portrayal of Superman fantastic, but his dual role as the nerdy Clark Kent is even more difficult to pull off and, yet, spot-on. With Reeve's performance, there's no wonder how the characters don't put two and two together - the two roles are very much separate. Hackman is a great Lex Luthor, with perfect comic timing and good rapport with his sidekicks. Brando pretty much sleepwalks through this one, but he still makes it work. Kidder still irritates me as Lois Lane, she's the one major problem I have with the film. Very shrill and annoying.<br/><br/>The only flaw I see in the story is the ending - not only is Luthor's plan completely implausible (like the military wouldn't check the codes again before firing the missiles), but Superman's solution to Lois' death is a complete cop-out. If Superman can turn back time, what's to stop him from solving any problem at any time? It removes an element of realism from the film and loses the suspense. Though it was nice to see Superman get really angry, to show that he's not emotionless. Everything else leading up to climax, however, was perfect.<br/><br/>The effects are a little dated but still work, you can still believe Superman's flying. John Williams delivers another memorable score, and it works very well with the film. There are some scenes that are far too cheesy (saving the cat out of the tree, delivering Lex to the prison at the end), but they don't feel terribly out of place. And Reeve takes the role very serious, enough to compensate. Overall, one of the best comic book films of all-time and one of the better films of the '70s. Outstanding.
- Magnify James Bond's extraordinary physical powers while curbing his sex drive and you have the essence of Superman, a wonderful, chuckling, preposterously exciting fantasy.
- The movie Superman (1978) located the fictional U.S. town where the baby Kal-El was found and raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent in the state of Kansas. This tradition has carried through into subsequent Superman comic-book stories, animation, and television series. Earlier comics however placed Smallville in the north-eastern United States, somewhere near the eastern seaboard. Also, some comics-related sources in the 1970s and '80s placed Smallville in the state of Maryland. In the TV series Smallville, Smallville has been established as being located in the state of Kansas and also close enough to Metropolis that on clear days, one can view it in the distance. Metropolis is a fictional port city located somewhere on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Where exactly varies depending on the source. The four superman movies made in 1978, 1980, 1983, and 1987 staring Christopher Reeve, do not specify its location, but based on the existence of various real-life landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, it must be a stand-in for New York City. In the DC Universe, it is considered to be in New York State (which also is said to be geographically larger than its real-life counterpart). Some sources had previously placed Metropolis on the shore of Delaware Bay in the state of Delaware, across from Gotham City (from the Batman universe). However, this has been superseded by more recent continuity. In the latest Superman movie, Superman Returns, when Lex Luthor unveils his plan on a series of maps, Metropolis can be seen located on a Northeastern U.S. map exactly where New York City would be. (Also, on a side note, Long Island is not present at all.) In the TV series Smallville, Metropolis must be located either in Kansas, or close by in a neighboring state, as the show has established that (1) Smallville is in Kansas and that (2) Metropolis can be seen from town on clear days in the distance. At this point in Clark Kent's life, he has not yet fully developed, super-power wise. He has varying degrees of some of his powers, while others not at all, including the ability to fly. That is why he runs super fast home, instead of simply flying. The effect was achieved by dangling the actor just above the ground with wires, and having a fast moving rig pull him across the intended path. In some shots, it was clearly blue-screened though. Once he turned back time, he then had the time to stop Lex Luthor's guided missles, and in effect, prevented the earthquakes, etc. The controversy surrounding the time-reversal theme of the movie has been a discussion point since the film came out. Most viewers see it as a cheat, others see it as a ridiculous way for Superman to save Lois. Either way, Richard Donner has commented very little on his choice to include it. We have to assume that, although he turned back time to a point before the dam really breaking through (as is clearly seen being reversed), he did not take it back further than that, to before the explosion (crucially, we do not see that being reversed). Presumably, he is only prepared to defy Jor-El's warnings to a certain extent, otherwise why not reverse the whole thing and save all those killed in the nuclear blast and quake, messing seriously with "Earth history"? So, he simply had a little bit more time, which he used to save Jimmy a bit earlier (it is clear that he still did so and deposited him on the road, because Jimmy says so when he arrives at the car at the end) and also to deal with the damaged dam, perhaps not needing to stop the deluge because this time he has enough time to repair the damage before it bursts completely. He also somehow prevents the crack that reaches Lois' car, though she has still experienced the quake/aftershocks and the exploding gas station (she says as much). And of course, Luthor's huge crime has still taken place and so he must go to jail and for trial. She asks him about this during their interview: "Is it true that you can see through anything?" He then states specifically that he can see through anything but lead (when she steps out from behind the lead plant box she has on her terrace, he says "pink", giving an answer to her question about what color underwear she'd had on). Lois is primed with a lot of questions, though we are not privy as to how she knows to ask this one. Also, the printed article Lex Luthor et al. read the next day, "I spent the night with Superman", contains details about him that we do not see Lois and Superman discussing. So, we must simply assume that various rumors and facts had leaked out prior to the interview, during Superman's first few appearances, somehow (we do see him talking to Jor-El about his having been "showing off" and now being "revealed to the world") and a lot more putting the record straight must have taken place off-camera, while Lois is interviewing (flying with) Superman. In the original Superman comic book universe, it is safe to assume some, if not all, characters have trouble coming to this conclusion. In real life, although it is possible for a person to recognize Clark Kent, or Superman vice versa, there are numerous people who found they could conceal their identity from at least strangers with a single facial detail like Harold Lloyd (who was an inspiration for Clark Kent) with his glasses or Charlie Chaplin and Groucho Marx with their artificial mustaches. This was probably left out for plot reasons, and to allow a longer running series.<br/><br/>If the comic book series bordered too close to real life, with rational and smart characters, Superman would never have survived this long. His identity would have been deduced very early, and his closest friends and relatives would have been systematically killed. In the modern comics, the disguise has been supported by the fact that the public does not know that Superman have a secret identity since he does not wear a mask, suggesting he has nothing to hide. Furthermore, he has had the help of shapeshifters like the Martian Manhunter who have posed as Clark Kent with Superman in public appearances to make it seem obvious they are two separate people.<br/><br/>More than the glasses, the Clark Kent disguise consists of a completely different personality. Christopher Reeve was chosen, in part, because of his ability to play two completely different characters. Kal-el takes Jor-el's advice that his secret identity is absolutely necessary to heart and develops the Clark Kent persona in order to keep humans from over-relying on Superman and to protect those he loves. Clark Kent is a bumbling, "mild-mannered reporter", easily dismissed by Lois and everyone else; Superman is confident and charismatic with a witty sense of humor. Lois even considers the possibility that they are one and the same and then, considering Clark's personality, dismisses the notion as ridiculous. The skill of Reeve in portraying the identities is demonstrated in this film when Clark is tempted to confess in Lois' apartment; the sight of him simply taking off his glasses, straightening his back and speaking with unexpected timbre has a convincing effect of suggesting another person. In the year 2000, the Director's Cut of Superman was released. Most of the new material are smaller sequences with plot extensions, but there are two bigger sequences added as well. The first one shows Superman in the Fortress of Solitude, talking to his father Jor-El about the advantage of his supernatural powers. The second one shows Luthor trying to stop Superman by the use of heavy arms, fire and ice. The 4-Disc Special Edition is a Must Have for each fan of this film because it's the only DVD release including the Director's Cut and the theatrical cut as well. a5c7b9f00b
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