Superman: The Movie

Directed by Richard Donner.

1978. Rated PG, 143 minutes.

Cast:

Christopher Reeve

Margot Kidder

Gene Hackman

Ned Beatty

Marlon Brando

Jackie Cooper

Glenn Ford

Valerie Perrine

Trevor Howard

Phyllis Thaxter

Marc McClure

Terence Stamp

Sarah Douglas

Jack O’Halloran

Larry Hagman

Believe it or not, there was a time when studios were reluctant to green-light superhero flicks. So, in 1978, it was a fairly sizable risk putting a ton of money behind Superman and bringing him to the big screen. Fears of the studio bean-counters weren't exactly quelled by knowing that the titular role was to be played by the then largely unknown Christopher Reeve. He won the role only after Patrick Wayne dropped out due to his legendary father John developing cancer. The list of other actors who either wanted or were approached for the role is lengthy. Strangely, among the guys who wanted the role were Neil Diamond and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Those approached include Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Christopher Walken. Nonetheless, with Reeve donning the cape, Superman: The Movie went on to become a smash hit and the first domino to fall on the way to our current state of cinematic domination by men in tights. Granted, this was a slow process, at first, but we’re definitely there.

As the title suggests, we’re treated to a full-blown origin story on the man of steel. We start where such a movie must, during the last days of Krypton, our hero’s home planet. It’s about to explode and Jor-El (Brando) knows it. He puts his infant son, Kal-El, into a spaceship and sends him off to Earth. By the way, before this happens we see Jor-El as part of a council that banishes General Zod (Stamp) and his cronies. What I didn't understand as a youngster shoveling popcorn into his mouth while sitting in a surprisingly empty theater, was that this is one of the greatest instances of foreshadowing known to man, immediately setting up the plot for the sequel and never mentioning it again. Anyhoo, Kal-El crash lands on Earth and is discovered by the Kent family who take him home to Smallville and name him Clark after figuring out he ain’t from ‘round here. See, our yellow sun, as opposed to Krypton’s red one, gives him the powers that make him super. He eventually grows up, moves to the big city, Metropolis, falls in love with Lois Lane (Kidder) who isn't exactly in love with him, and winds up trying to stop criminal genius Lex Luthor (Hackman) from committing the grandest real estate scam in the history of land.

Turns out Christopher Reeve was a perfect choice to play Superman. He embodies the character so much he almost literally becomes him. To many of us he is indeed Superman, even thirty plus years later. His Clark Kent is precisely who he should be as a guy trying to hide just how awesome he is. Once the cape is visible, Reeve strikes all the right poses and seems to be being earnest when spouting some of the cornball lines Superman must. The things he stands for are lofty ideals, but that doesn't stop them from sounding cheesy when said aloud. To say them and make someone else believe you is no easy task. Reeve accomplishes this in the most natural manner.

Our supporting cast is also excellent. Margot Kidder seems an odd choice for the iconic Lois Lane, but she proves to give the once prim and proper reporter a much needed modernization. On the contrary, ancillary characters such as Perry White (Cooper) and Jimmy Olsen (McClure) are wisely left as they've been for decades before this film. The same goes for the Kents back in Smallville. Oh, the character he plays is in no way a traditional part of Superman lore and is insignificant in this movie, but look for a cameo by Larry Hagman who was just about to take the world by storm as J.R. on the night-time soap Dallas.

On the bad guy’s side, Gene Hackman is fun as Lex Luthor. Though Hackman gets top billing after Supes himself, it’s Ned Beatty as the bumbling Otis that is the real linchpin of all of Lex’s scenes. It’s a very underrated performance. The two, combined with Valerie Perrine as Miss Teschmacher, are an effective comic trio. The drawback is they might be a little too funny. As a result, Lex is stripped of much of the menace the character has always been endowed with. Instead of a bald, snarling maniac obsessed with the idea of destroying Superman, we get a smug egotist who dresses like Thurston Howell III, wears bad toupees, and behaves not entirely unlike Moe of TheThree Stooges.

Back when it came out, STM felt really big while you were watching it. This is due to two things: the special fx and the music. In the time that’s passed, many of the fx have aged poorly. Early on there’s a shot of teenage Clark running alongside a speeding train that is just cringe-worthy. However, since it’s something that never happens again we can let it slide. What’s a little harder to forgive is how noticeable it is that nearly every time Superman is flying it’s obviously his image super-imposed over the city skies. Shots of him flying at night, or in space, with nothing other than a black background fare much better. On the other hand, organically created stunts have held up pretty well. This gives the movie a bit of a herky-jerky feel. Enough of the good ones work, but we’re taken out of the movie by some of the things we can’t help but notice.

There are no such issues with the music. It dominates the soundscape and every note of John Williams’ score is appropriately placed. I’m no classical music snob…er…connoisseur, but this is magnificent stuff. Each arrangement, especially the theme song is just flat iconic and still sounds fantastic. Given my limited knowledge in this area, you can take the next sentence with a grain of salt. This is easily one of the best scored films of all-time.

Even with its flaws, including the now legendarily silly climactic scene involving the reversal of time, sorta, we still have tremendous fun watching STM. It uses the franchise’s familiar tropes to become pretty much what we think the origin story for Superman should be. Christopher Reeve’s outstanding performance, and that score, pulls all of the other elements together to make this is a real treat. It is by no means perfect, but it is still a very entertaining watch.