I can think of more good things than bad things to say about Richard Donner's "Superman: The Movie." Of course, it's a fun film and Christopher Reeve will always be the standard that cinematic Men of Steel will be measured by. He looks powerful and radiant in his costume. He makes an iconic Superman. Further, Reeve balances out his Superman with Clark Kent and does a good job of differentiating these two individuals. He behaves like a square head when he plays Kent, while he is firm, confident, and naturally in control as Superman. He isn't overbearing, but he has a businesslike attitude. He manages to be both personable. Donner and "Godfather" novelist Mario Puzo have crafted the ultimate origins movie. Essentially, "Superman" is the grandfather of all costume-clad superhero sagas on the silver screen. Remember, Kirk Alyn had cleaved the airwaves as the serial Superman in the late 1940s and early 1950s, while George Reeves, no relation to Christopher, forged his image of Superman into the hearts and minds of television audiences for the better part of the 1950s. Reeve's Superman constituted the first to appear in a colorful costume. Everybody else had been confined to black and white. Donner and Puzo make the Krypton prologue look visually intriguing and on a far grander scale than either the serials or television series could. However, nothing has changed in substance other than the three Kyptonians that Jor-El sentences to prison sentences before running himself aground the disbelief of his peers when he informs them about Krypton's doomed future. The starship that Jor-El sends his infant son into Earth looks like a gigantic Christmas ornament of crystals. Crystals play an important part in this adventure. We follow Superman as an infant found by Martha and Jonathan Kent, who grows up into teenagers and then leaves the farm on foot to walk to his Fortress of Solitude in the north's frigid regions. Later, he winds up in New York City as a reporter for The Daily Planet where Managing Editor Perry White (Jackie Cooper) with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Eventually, Superman runs afoul of evil Lex Luthor who obtains a specimen of Kryptonite from Africa. Lex wants to blast the California coast at the San Andreas Fault so it will vanish in the ocean and he will be the owner of the new coast that he can sell for a fortune. First, Lex and his cohorts must reprogram the rockets. Second, they need to take out Superman. Lex sets out hero up so that he opens the crate containing the kryptonite and suffers horribly.
Altogether, "Superman" definitely rates as an above-average movie with a memorable performance from Christopher Reeve. The film looks massive and Gene Hackman makes a great villain.
Altogether, "Superman" definitely rates as an above-average movie with a memorable performance from Christopher Reeve. The film looks massive and Gene Hackman makes a great villain.