An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
- Director
- Writers
- Jerry Siegel(character created by: Superman)
- Joe Shuster(character created by: Superman)
- Mario Puzo(story)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Jerry Siegel(character created by: Superman)
- Joe Shuster(character created by: Superman)
- Mario Puzo(story)
- Stars
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 17 wins & 23 nominations total
Videos3
- Director
- Writers
- Jerry Siegel(character created by: Superman)
- Joe Shuster(character created by: Superman)
- Mario Puzo(story) (screenplay)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Just before the destruction of the planet Krypton, scientist Jor-El sends his infant son Kal-El on a spaceship to Earth. Raised by kindly farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, young Clark discovers the source of his superhuman powers and moves to Metropolis to fight evil. As Superman, he battles the villainous Lex Luthor, while, as novice reporter Clark Kent, he attempts to woo co-worker Lois Lane —Jwelch5742
- Taglines
- You'll believe a man can fly.
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated PG for peril, some mild sensuality and language
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Roger Moore's autobiography, he witnessed Christopher Reeve walking through the canteen at Pinewood Studios in full Superman costume, oblivious to the swooning female admirers he left in his wake. When he did the same thing dressed as Clark Kent, no one paid any attention.
- Goofs(at around 44 mins) When Jor-El introduces himself in the Fortress of Solitude, he explains that by this time, he will have been dead for thousands of Earth years. Yet during his teaching during Kal's journey to Earth from Krypton (at around 21 mins), Jor-El refers to Einstein's theory of relativity, which wasn't formulated until long after the destruction of Krypton.
- Quotes
Lex Luthor: Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story. Others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe.
- Crazy creditsNext Year: "Superman II"
- Alternate versionsThe current DVD, in addition to containing the 2000 restored director's cut, has 2 deleted scenes (both of Lex' babies, and seen in the TV edits in their original context), and alternate audio scoring for 8 sequences (including an unreleased alternate pop version of Margot Kidder's "Can You Read My Mind"). The DVD has the 2000 restoration with the following additions / expansions (all of which were seen in previous expanded television versions):
- Some added dialogue when Jor-El is talking with the council.
- The council calls an "Executioner" to hunt and kill Jor-El to keep the rocket from launching.
- Noel Neill and Kirk Alyn's speaking cameos on the train.
- Little girl sees Clark running faster than train, parents call her Lois Lane.
- In the kitchen Martha Kent takes out a box of Cheerios.
- After rescuing Air Force One Superman returns to Fortress of Solitude and has a conversation with his father.
- In Metropolis when the news of Superman comes out, Clark is a spectator. A stranger (played by an uncredited Richard Donner) comments "that'll be the day when a man can fly"; Clark grins.
- While trying to get Luthor's lair Superman goes through machine guns, flame throwers, ice machines with Luthor taunting on loudspeaker.
- The sequence with the Girl Scouts.
- ConnectionsEdited into Superman II (1980)
Top review
Great Cast and Fun Action
Superman (1978)
*** (out of 4)
One of the best comic book adaptations has Christopher Reeve playing an alien orphan who finds himself on Earth working as a nerdy reporter under the name Clark Kent but his true calling is that of Superman who finds himself going up against Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). It's easy to see why so many comic book fans consider this one of the strongest adaptations out there. This film pretty much delivers everything from romance to adventure to action to some rather funny moments as well. A lot of credit has to go to director Richard Donner who really does a remarkable job at bringing all of this together. I think a lot of credit also has to be given to the bravery of keeping Superman pretty much hidden for well over a hour. The first forty-five minutes pretty much deals with Superman's father (Marlon Brando) and the fall of his planet, which is something else that a lot of movies wouldn't have bothered with or at least wouldn't have spent so much time on. I think the film's greatest moments are when Superman is in action. One such example is the first sequence when we see Superman for the first time. There's also the incredibly tense ending, which contains one great sequence after another but the dam is clearly the highlight. Another strong thing this film has going for it are the performances with Reeve leading the way in the title role. The actor was simply born to play this part as he perfectly nails not only to nerdy Kent but he's also believable as the superhero. Margot Kidder is also extremely fun in the role of the love interest and there's no question that Hackman brings a lot of smiles as Luthor. It's also great fun being able to see the likes of Brando, Glenn Ford and Jackie Cooper in their parts. The special effects when viewed today aren't the greatest but there are still several spots that hold up extremely well. If I had a problem with anything it's the extremely long running time, which I felt was just too long for its own good. Still, SUPERMAN was ground-breaking when it was first released and it's easy to see why as it still holds up well after all these years.
*** (out of 4)
One of the best comic book adaptations has Christopher Reeve playing an alien orphan who finds himself on Earth working as a nerdy reporter under the name Clark Kent but his true calling is that of Superman who finds himself going up against Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). It's easy to see why so many comic book fans consider this one of the strongest adaptations out there. This film pretty much delivers everything from romance to adventure to action to some rather funny moments as well. A lot of credit has to go to director Richard Donner who really does a remarkable job at bringing all of this together. I think a lot of credit also has to be given to the bravery of keeping Superman pretty much hidden for well over a hour. The first forty-five minutes pretty much deals with Superman's father (Marlon Brando) and the fall of his planet, which is something else that a lot of movies wouldn't have bothered with or at least wouldn't have spent so much time on. I think the film's greatest moments are when Superman is in action. One such example is the first sequence when we see Superman for the first time. There's also the incredibly tense ending, which contains one great sequence after another but the dam is clearly the highlight. Another strong thing this film has going for it are the performances with Reeve leading the way in the title role. The actor was simply born to play this part as he perfectly nails not only to nerdy Kent but he's also believable as the superhero. Margot Kidder is also extremely fun in the role of the love interest and there's no question that Hackman brings a lot of smiles as Luthor. It's also great fun being able to see the likes of Brando, Glenn Ford and Jackie Cooper in their parts. The special effects when viewed today aren't the greatest but there are still several spots that hold up extremely well. If I had a problem with anything it's the extremely long running time, which I felt was just too long for its own good. Still, SUPERMAN was ground-breaking when it was first released and it's easy to see why as it still holds up well after all these years.
helpful•60
- Michael_Elliott
- Jun 11, 2013
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Superman: The Movie
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $55,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $134,478,449
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,465,343
- Dec 17, 1978
- Gross worldwide
- $300,478,449
- Runtime2 hours 23 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content

Recently viewed
Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.