“Would You Like a Glass of Wine.” “No Thanks. I Never Drink When I Fly.”
For years, I’ve been meaning to go back and watch the Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies. I think I’ve seen the rest of the live action takes on the character up to 2025 (and I’ll watch the new movie at some point). So I finally went back to where it began – 1978’s Superman: The Movie. It’s got a very slow start, but I did enjoy the second half.
If you know nothing about the character, this movie is a good introduction. If you know much about the character, you’ll find the first 45 minutes or so rather boring. Heck, the entire first scene of the movie doesn’t come into play here, but my understanding is it is critical to the sequel. I’m sorry, but it really should have been saved for that film. Anyway, we see Superman’s parents send him to Earth, the Kents find him, and a couple of scenes of him as a teen before he heads to his Fortress of Solitude to become the Superman we know.
Then, the movie finally gets going. That’s when we meet the rest of the core characters we know and love. Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) takes a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. There, he meets Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), star reporter who he immediately gets a crush on. But just as he’s settling into his new life, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) sets a plan into motion that only Superman could stop. Will he be able to?
Clearly, I didn’t like the first 45 minutes. Yes, there are some cool moments for those of us who know the characters from the comics (or just the lore in general), but it does nothing to advance the story. Some of the character set up is interesting, but a little goes a long way.
Once the heart of the story starts, things do pick up. I enjoyed seeing how the characters interacted. While the banter might be mild by today’s standards, I still enjoyed it. I did find Lois especially harsh to Clark, but that’s a minor complaint.
And I have to praise the actors. They do a great job of making these characters come to life, and their warmth with each other helped pull us in. I can see why so many people praise Christopher Reeve. He makes Clark Kent and Superman distinct. There’s one scene in particular where we get to see it, and it makes his performance shine.
But even so, the story is seriously lacking. If Lex didn’t introduce himself to Superman in the vilest way possible, Superman never would have known he existed. Maybe it’s the story telling of the time, but I expect more interaction between the hero and villain before the end. Or at least a hero who is trying to stop something evil. Here, it feels a bit like an accident.
The end? Epic. I’d seen parts of this movie (if not all of it) years ago when I was a kid, but I didn’t remember much. A few of those moments from the climax were still in my brain, and I enjoyed seeing the context.
The movie is almost 50 years old, so I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you the effects are dated. Yes, some of them hold up, but quite often, they don’t. But that’s okay. Just relax and let yourself enjoy them. Frankly, there’s something charming about them even if we are used to more state-of-the-art effects today.
I will be interested in seeing how these movies progress. While many people do enjoy Superman: The Movie, I found that it showed its age a little too much in the storytelling to truly pull me in.
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