This is it. The unstoppable force. The towering Mount Everest of superhero films. Almost three decades later still among the most beloved, respected and watched superhero flicks of all time. Superman: The Movie did it all, and did it all well.
Look to Richard Donners Superman 2 to the second part of this movie ,something ill cover at a later date
From story to action to characters and so much more, it delivered in a way few superhero movies had ever delivered before or since .
And it all hinges on one thing: Christopher Reeve. Reeve was Superman. He inhabited the dual roles of Superman and Clark Kent with such charming nobility and Jimmy Stewartesque wit ,oozing charm and charisma and creating the loveable bumbling mild mannered Clark Kent like Cary grant , two separate characters that you believed were different people just see his transformation after taking Lois out for a spin, , audiences couldn’t help but love him. He was affable and kind, a hero and a regular guy.
We had to believe – and Reeve allowed us to do exactly that. The role turned him into an icon, it was a carer defining performance and once again put Superman forward as an American ideal. Truth. Justice. The American Way. That’s what it was all about.
Great believable effects ,you believed a man could fly ,as for the most part he actually did, many meters up in the air swinging across the sky line ,reeves athletic prowess and ballet moves bring a realism to it
His iconic suit perfectly realised here the 'S' the colours, his chiselled features and black slick hair and curl all spot on the eye for believability and truth in everything is what really sets this film apart
Verisimilitude indeed
Yet Superman: The Movie had even more going for it than just Reeve. Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor may have been over the top and goofy, a far cry from the maniacal evil of comicdom’s Luthor, but that was no flaw. Years before Nicholson stole Batman’s show as the Joker, Hackman comes close to doing the same as Luthor. Throw in the always fantastic Ned Beatty, Margot Kidder’s tough Lois Lane, and Marc McLure in a good turn as Jimmy Olsen,and Marlon Brando adds gravitas to papa supes Jor El, Terence Stamp in fine villain form as General Zod along with many others, and you’ve got the makings of a great cast.
But a cast is nothing without a good script … and this one was great! We get a fantastic origin story, sink into the world of Superman, watch him save the day again and again,his early days in Kansas Smallville his friendships as Clark the breath taking scenes and memorable lines in the Fortress under training from Dad ("There a great people kal-el if they wish to be, they only lack the light to show them the way ") "You got me ,who's got you ?",and even get to see him turn back time.
And under the direction of Richard Donner and with help from Stuart Bairds great editing the film shapes up in a way only he could deliver with honesty and truth with the characters centre stage, the look of the film go's down to geofry unsworth it has a old school film quality glow to it
From the opening scene your on a emotional roller coaster, and a thundering terrific score by John Williams iconic themes abound
It’s superhero goodness in its purest form. No angst. No gritty violence. No sex, drugs or rock and roll. Just tried and true, red white and blue heroism.it will give you goose bumps make your hairs stand on end even after watching for twenty years
And isn’t that what being a superhero is all about?
