SUPERMAN (1978)

A Retrospective of the Original Superhero Movie

**Note: the version of Superman seen prior to this review is the Special Edition, which is 151 minutes long and contains footage not seen in the original theatrical release.**

Grade: A-

Superhero movies have become mainstream in the last decade, thanks in large part to the phenomenally successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. The seeds for this craze were planted in 1978 with the Richard Donner film Superman. While not the first comic book movie, it had the biggest production at the time for such a film, and its story would set the standard for others to follow. Its massive success at the box office proved that people were interested in such a movie, and that trend evolved over the years, through various ups and downs, to become the juggernaut it is today. So it makes sense to take a look back at Superman and see what still holds up about it, what doesn’t.

Superman traces the origins of the Man of Steel from his deliverance to Earth from his doomed planet Krypton in his infancy to the beginning of his role as mankind's protector. Along the way, he falls in love with Lois Lane and has his first encounter with his nemesis, Lex Luthor, who plans to destroy western California as part of a massive land fraud scheme. Superhero origin stories have become so standard nowadays that it can be easy to overlook just how amazingly it is done here. The screenplay effectively juggles numerous genres and tones throughout the movie. The opening on Krypton is a serious space opera, which gives way to a heartfelt drama during the scenes set in Smallville when Clark Kent is eighteen. The scenes with Lex Luthor and his dim-witted assistant Otis are akin to screwball comedy, and the famous flight with Superman and Lois is heavily romantic, right down to an internal song/monologue by Lois. Finally, after a hijacked nuclear missile slams into the San Andreas fault and triggers a series of earthquakes, the resulting chaos is straight out of a disaster movie. There aren’t many superhero movies that can boast to have combined so many genres in a way that services its story and entertainment value.

The technical aspects of Superman vary in how well they hold up. The movie’s version of Krypton is a masterpiece of production design. With its distinctive white crystalline architecture, it is one of the most unique alien planets ever put to film. John Williams’s pounding score has practically become synonymous with Superman himself. Unfortunately, the special effects of Superman in flight, which won a special Oscar, do not fare as well. In an age where CGI effects have evolved to create endlessly entertaining sequences in superhero movies, the effects in Superman look more than a touch obvious. In some shots, one can clearly see the wires suspending Superman as he is taking off or landing.

What does hold up, though, is how entertaining the cast is. Over two-hundred actors auditioned for the title role before Christopher Reeve finally landed it. Even today, he is the most iconic Superman actor. He expertly embodies Clark Kent’s pretend bumbling attitude and Superman’s determination, compassion, and occasional awkwardness, right down to his sheepish puppy dog smile after he saves Lois, with whom he has great chemistry. The rest of the cast is terrific as well, with Margot Kidder an excellent Lois Lane (she vividly conveys her character’s intense love for her job and for Superman), and Gene Hackman has some truly witty banter as Lex Luthor.

Audiences who grew up in the modern age of superhero movies, with their one-on-one battles and commentary on social issues, might be dismissive of Superman with its dated effects and lack of off-the-wall action sequences. But it is still entertaining today. And one must keep in mind that it is the first “modern” superhero movie, meaning that the makers of it had a lot to prove. Not everything about it stands the test of time, but its legacy is profound and super.

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Director: Richard Donner

Producer: Pierre Spengler

Screenplay: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton (Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster)

Cast: Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor), Christopher Reeve (Clark Kent/Superman), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), Ned Beatty (Otis), Jackie Cooper (Perry White), Glenn Ford (Jonathan Kent), Trevor Howard (Krypton's First Elder), Valerie Perrine (Eve Tesmacher), Terence Stamp (General Zod), Phyllis Thaxter (Martha Kent), Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen), Sarah Douglas (Ursa)