Superman
Viewed in isolation from some of the unfortunate sequels that came after, Superman is an impressive film that in many ways holds up even now as an intelligent, well-handled and entertaining film. A film like Superman is an extremely tough challenge for any director and writer as so many people are familiar with and love the story. Further, as we have all learned by now, superhero movies are tough, really, really tough to get right. All one has to do is look to some of the Superman sequels or the more recent Batman movies, such as Batman Forever, a title that will never make sense, or Batman and Robin, which is just a frightful mess. Superman, however, is what people think of when they think of movie magic.
There are two parts to what makes Superman a great film for you younger wipper-snappers who have not seen it yet. The visual and special effects are really fine for their day, especially the destruction of Krypton, now keep in mind this film was released in 1978, so we are creeping in on 30 years ago. The second aspect of the films greatness is the way that the script unfolds to make the alien child from Krypton seem human. The humanization of Superman/Clark Kent is what makes the film a nice example of an effects-character driven hybrid, for by the end of the film you feel as though you have a handle on who Superman/Clark Kent is as a person, as well as what he is capable of doing, thanks to the abundance of special and visual effects. This may sound simple, but so many future superhero films have focused too much upon the action and not enough on character development or have failed, due to poor screenplays, to develop their characters. A recent example of a fairly successful effects-character driven hybrid is Batman Begins.
Today, Superman has been plastered all over pop culture with countless television shows and cartoon series, but back in 1978 seeing Superman on the big screen was something of an event and thankfully the movie didn't disappoint. The original Superman film was going to be a success from the word go, due to the the very high name recognition of the Superman icon. The fact that the film sported fine acting performances by Marlon Brando and Christopher Reeves and great effects only increased the box-office take.
Story A
Acting A
Visuals A
Originality/Innovation B
Enjoyability Grade A
Home Theater/HD Factor A
Overall Grade A
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