Month of Superhero Film Reviews: Superman

Howdy ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Day #7 of my Month of Superhero Film Reviews! During this month I’ll be reviewing of some of the best and worst comic book adapted films. So with Man of Steel on the horizon we might as well start talking about the old Superman films so let’s go back to 1978 with Superman.

Okay now we’re really at the beginning. This film I’ve watched a few times since I was a kid and have always sort of had a sort spot for even though it was a lot older than most films that I watched in the 90s. But after watching it recently this is the first time I’ve gotten to watch it clearly from start to finish so I can remember everything. Anyways let’s talk about the plot.

So the plot in Superman involves Kal-El, an infant child that’s sent to Earth by his parents due to the impending destruction of his planet Krypton. On Earth Kal-El is found by an elderly couple and is raised under the name Clark Kent, eventually Clark learns of his abilities and how they must be used for good. After becoming an adult Clark becomes a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis, though in moments of danger he wishes to his superhero state as Superman. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor, the world’s greatest criminal mind, is plotting the greatest real estate swindle of all time.

When it comes to the cast they’re all very good. Let’s start with Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman. Simply point Reeve was awesome. While not as muscular as the comics, Reeve had the Clark Kent and Superman looks done to tee and he also had the acting talent to portray both characters too. Clark is such a pushover and is very clumsy and it kind of bothers me that it’s all an act when no one’s around, but when Kal-El is Superman he is heroic, brave and charismatic, I love it. As for Margot Kidder as Lois Lane she was great. While she sounded a bit strange when she screamed on occasion, Kidder was a lovely Lois Lane who ignored Clark but became completely infatuated with Superman. Kidder and Reeve have good screen time together and that flying sequence was nice too.

Now let’s talk about Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Brando was pretty epic as Superman’s biological father, Jor-El seemed like a man of great knowledge and wisdom and he also cared for his son deeply and I liked Brando’s handling of the character. Okay let’s move onto the villain of the film in the shape of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. Gene Hackman is one of the best actors ever and there’s not a film I haven’t liked him in yet and that holds true to this film as well. As Lex Luthor Hackman gives a great performance as this evil scientist who is self-obsessed, cruel and funny at the same time. Then there’s Ned Beatty as Otis, he was simply incredible as Lex Luthor’s bumbling henchman. He was the definition of stupid and Beatty played that role so well, I found him to be hilarious for the most part. And Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher is good too. Besides looking incredibly hot, Perrine plays a character that doesn’t agree with Lex’s evil deeds but probably stays with him for the money.

And lastly I liked seeing Terence Stamp as General Zod, it was just nice to see that his character had relevance in this film and set up a precursor to the next film in the series.

Now let’s talk about the presentation. Firstly this film was made in the 1970s, this was the point before special effects had become the really big thing that was perfected the Star Wars films and then adopted by other films in the 1980s. So what we have here is a lot of chroma keying, models and wire work going into this, now depending on how old you are you’ll either appreciate the films effects for its time or just laugh and make fun of how old it is. For me I can say for its time Superman is good, a lot of the flying sequences are a bit make cringe a little bit but otherwise its all good. But what really stands out is the soundtrack by John Williams. This man is a GOD when it comes to scoring music for films and his themes for most film have gone on to be legendary throughout the years and his score for Superman is no different. The theme song alone is incredible, as soon as you hear it in the film you know what the deal is. The Superman theme is the definition of iconic and awesomeness. The rest of the score is epic, lovely and lends itself well to most situations and it also happens to have a few songs that sound very similar to the Star Wars films.

And lastly how does it compare to the comics? Well my knowledge of Superman came from the films and 90s animated TV show so I’m not overly sure. But I do know that the beginning is true in terms of Kal-El being sent away to Earth before the destruction of Krypton, then there’s Clark learning about his powers as a teenager, the whole fortress of solitude and Superman’s abilities. All of that seemed about right but again I’ve never read the Superman comics but as far as I know most of the comic book elements remain true obviously with some changes here and there.

So to conclude, even though Superman has aged a great deal since its day, the film still has its heart in the right place and captures all key elements of what makes the character so iconic and popular. Sure its old but it is in a lot of ways a classic and it technically was the first mainstream film adapted from the comics that started the superhero genre. I know most people will probably forget this film and move straight towards Man of Steel but I’d say give this film a try, it is a classic for a reason.

Rating: 8/10 (Even though time has passed this film is still very good!)

So there’s my review people, only 23 more to go. So have you seen Superman and if so what are your thoughts on it? Drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts yo! Come back tomorrow and I’ll have a new film review online, until then peace out!