Rating:  -
Let's start with the good: Christopher Reeve is cool as Superman. He was handsome, stoic, manly, but also charming and romantic. He made Clark funny and Superman respectable.
I like Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. He's campy, but not creepy. He's dangerous, but still likeable.
Now to the bad...
There have always been some things that nagged me about the Superman movie.
1. They spend too much time focusing on Krypton and Marlon Brando's Jor-El. After appearing in Last Tango in Paris, Brando should have been forbidden from stepping witin 5,000 miles of anything having to do with the wholesomeness of Superman. It's almost an hour into the film before we see Kal-El as Superman because of all the time given to Brando. Set up is necessary. An homage to Marlon Brando wasn't.
2. I never could buy that Superman would forsake the whole world for Margot Kidder. Not only is she plain in the looks department, but Kidder's interpretation of Lois Lane is as a chain smoking, hamburger in the morning eating, freshly squeezed orange juice drinking, cynical, harn-nosed reporter who is more reckless and nosey than she is charming. Her only redeeming qualities are that she's good at her job and loyal. But I will certainly not deny that Margot Kidder is a good actress, and that beats out looks in my book when it comes to the art of moviemaking. Her good acting is also why she made the Lois Lane thing work. However, I still don't buy a mini-god like Superman going bananas over her.
3. The "turn back time" thing. I have a problem with Superman turning back time for two reasons. One, he is warned not to interfere with human history, yet he does and nothing bad happens for him breaking the rule. Why have it as a rule if nothing bad happens when it's broken? Secondly, if he could fly that fast around the earth to make its time go back, then why didn't he fly that fast to begin with to keep the initial disaster from happening?
4. I thought the boy who played Clark Kent was the wrong choice.
Other than these detractions, Superman is a satisfying film. I think Superman II was the best of the series, but second place isn't always bad.
Rating:  -
The impact of a film like Superman: The Movie on its genre is immeasurable. Director Richard Donner, an admitted Superman fan, chose to treat the story of the Man of Steel seriously (well, for the most part), and in doing so created a three-act epic. The film is flawless in the first two acts on the planet Krypton with Marlon Brando as Jor-El and in Smallville with Glenn Ford as Pa Kent. In many ways this film is about adoption, about father figures and how they guide and shape us through our lives. While the film gets a little dated when things move to Metropolis, it's still good fun and Hackman's Luthor, while not a fan-favorite portrayal among many comic fans, is comedic gold. Few superhero films have come close to this films epic scope, grandeur, and most of all, its heart.
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I'm not going to comment on the quality or features of the DVD - they mean little to me. However, I was surprised and delighted to discover the additional scenes that were added - they did a great job of filling in the Kryptonian background. Fleshed out a movie that had already done a great job of fleshing out a comic book character.
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I was very impressed by the packaging and how quickly it arrived.
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Superman has always been a favorite superhero of mine. This movie was the first in the series and it is the best. Although it can be a little campy at times, Christopher Reeves and Gene Hackman do a wonderful job portraying their parts.
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