Superman

A baby from the planet Crypton is sent to live on Earth.

This movie has several distinct stories within an overarching narrative. Each one features the title character at a different stage of his life and has its own visual style. Superman is portrayed as a Christ-like figure throughout and many scenes contain subtext on this theme.

The opening sequence is as strong as any great sci-fi movie with Crypton brought memorably to life and featuring a famous cameo from the great Marlon Brando as Superman's natural father. Brando's godlike presence helps to convince you that the son he sends to Earth is going to be someone quite special.

Superman has another Hollywood legend in Glen Ford as his adopted father. Ford was equally as naturalistic an actor as Brando but he brings a more human (no pun intended) and slightly lower-key presence to the second stage of Superman's life. This part of the movie contains some of the best cinematography with its rural landscapes. One image of a train running along a track above a cornfield is one of many beautiful sequences.

Both parts of the movie mentioned above serve the origin purpose of the character and finish quite emotionally. After about an hour I found myself ready for a change of pace and tone, which is exactly what we get as we meet a fully grown Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent in the big city of Metropolis.

What follows is almost like a different movie. It is funny, action packed and contains superb performances from Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder who have excellent chemistry. Reeve is so perfect for the roles of Superman/Clark that one of the reasons later incarnations of the character never worked for me was that he could never be replaced. He looks like the comic book drawing of the character and effortlessly switches between the two versions of the man. Kidder is not your typical leading lady with her husky, smokers voice and ultra confident personality but is the perfect foil for Reeve in Kent mode.

Gene Hackman steals the show whenever he appears on screen making homicidal, megalomaniac Lex Luthor not only funny but feel like a credible antagonist to a virtually indestructible superhero. Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine provide solid support as his criminal sidekicks.

All of the above performances and the casting decisions made are a massive part of what makes the film last so well and compete in today's market where superhero movies reign supreme.

The special effects were epic in their day but are slightly dated now. Particularly the flying scenes and some shots where scale models can be easily spotted. However some hold up as well as any, such as the Crypton visuals and the helicopter sequence.

The great John Williams wrote another fabulous score and in particular Superman's main theme is an unforgettable piece of music. My four year old daughter heard it once and was humming the tune for days.

I can only imagine what a breath of fresh air Superman must have been on its release. The seventies was a renaissance decade for American cinema but a lot of it came with too much depressing realism. Superman did not showcase quite the same standard of spectacle as Star Wars, but it was far less centred around violence and with it Richard Donner kicked off the superhero genre.