Superman

With the new Superman film having been released, I thought it would be good to take another look at the original. I watched the superhero movie Superman: The Movie, released on December 15, 1978. Starring Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, and Gene Hackman, it takes place on Krypton, Smallville, Metropolis, San Andreas, and Hackensack. Directed by Richard Donner, it is rated PG.

Years ago, on an alien planet named Krypton that was about to explode, Jor-El sent his son Kal-El in a pod to Earth to save him. Kal-El is found and adopted by a kind couple, being raised as Clark Kent and hiding his powers for the time being. When he is old enough, he learns of his true heritage and destiny from a holographic version of Jor-El in a place called the Fortress of Solitude. Clark becomes Superman, and he uses all his powers to stop villains and protect the innocent. When he’s just Clark, he’s a clumsy naive reporter at the Daily Planet. Fellow reporter Lois Lane gets along with Clark and has feelings for Superman. However, evil genius Lex Luthor has a real estate scam plan that will kill many people. He is determined to get Superman out of the way by any means necessary. Can Superman stop Luthor’s evil plan?

A month ago, I watched the new Superman movie in theaters and I thought it was quite good. It made me want to look back to the movie that started it all. I’ll start with the movie’s style. While superhero shows and serials were a thing in the past, as well as an occasional movie, they were never taken seriously. This was the first time a superhero movie was taken seriously, which paved the way for several more great superhero movies and adaptations in general in the years to come. A great sequel, Superman II, followed. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with this incarnation’s other installments: Superman III, Supergirl, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and Superman Returns. I also was not a fan of Man of Steel or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Thankfully, the new film I thought was a good movie, even if I prefer the two original movies. To me, the first film is still the best Superman movie. Since this was the starting point for all great superhero movies, they defined a lot here. The tagline was “You’ll believe a man can fly”. The effects were so good at convincing everyone that Superman actually was flying. Granted, by today’s standards, it’s a common effect that’s not too hard to pull off. But back then, it was truly groundbreaking. The instrumental theme by John Williams is also worth mentioning. For those that don’t know, John Williams is a composer who’s made tons of movie instrumental themes, with many of them being considered among the best made. In fact, I would argue John Williams is the greatest movie composer of all time. This is one of his best and I consider it to be the best superhero movie instrumental theme ever made. It has such a triumphant feel to it that it just gets you invested in what you’re watching. The feel of this movie is mixed perfectly with seriousness and campiness. There is a lighthearted tone to this movie that makes it family friendly. However, not only is there still real weight with the drama, but when a moment is either emotional or dark, they do not hold back and really make you feel it. People familiar with modern superhero movies might dislike that there is not much action, with there mostly being flying scenes, but seeing as how this was the first of its kind, I think it’s forgivable. The one criticism I have is that the way they wrap things up in the climax is poorly thought out and frankly, stupid. There are so many problems you could come up with from this scene by analyzing it. Still, one flaw in a movie full of strengths is not that big of a deal.

The performances and the way the characters are portrayed stand out. I still consider Christopher Reeve to be the best Superman. He perfectly portrays the hopeful kindness needed from this character, while still being harsh when it comes to confronting villains. He also nails Clark Kent, transitioning flawlessly into his clumsy, naive disguise. While it is true that everyone makes fun of how no one can tell Superman is Clark when his disguise is simply glasses, I would argue his personality is so different you would never suspect him. Margot Kidder does well as Lois Lane. While the character has been developed as more independent and capable in later years, she is still done effectively here. Sure, she’s a damsel in distress, but her personality of needing to get the story by any means necessary is one to admire. Plus, she has good chemistry with both Superman and Clark. Gene Hackman is my favorite Lex Luthor. He has a very entertaining personality in how he goes about his villainy, but it’s mixed in with genuine intimidation at times too. Even the lack of action as mentioned above could be explained away by the fact that the villain is a mental foe rather than a physical one. The real standout to me is Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Marlon Brando is one of the greatest actors of all time, with other stand out performances being in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. He has this presence to him that I think made this portrayal of Jor-El impossible to top. My favorite scene in the movie is the scene in the Fortress of Solitude where Jor-El gives this great speech to Clark about his destiny. Everyone in the movie is excellent in their roles, including several other people not named.

Overall, this movie is an absolute classic. We have this to thank for all the superhero adaptation masterpieces that would come in the years to follow. It had a unique style to it for the time and it had stand out performances. Even almost 50 years later, it still holds up very well. If you have not seen it or the second movie, be sure to add it to your watchlist. It’s Amazing, It’s Amazing, It’s Superman!

Both Clark Kent and Lois Lane were reporters. There is a real problem today with understanding which news sources to trust and which ones you should not. Disinformation and misinformation have caused many problems over the years. Ad Fontes Media has a Media Bias Chart that rates various news sources to help you be more informed about the news you consume. Even outside of this, it is always good to verify if a news source is reliable before you believe it. I understand that it takes effort which can be hard, but it is important for a better world. I believe if we all have an awareness of the news we pay attention to, we can at the very least lessen disinformation and misinformation.