Written by: Mario Puzo (story and screenplay); David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton (screenplay)
Superman created by: Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster
Who doesn't love a good superhero movie? And what better superhero to put in a film than the ultimate American comic-culture symbol of "Superman?" Let's face it: Superman rocks, and Richard Donner's film, though imperfect, ushered in a new era for superheroes.
I hadn't seen "Superman" since I was a kid, but I've been going through a comic book kick lately, and when I saw the Blu-Ray for sale, I grabbed it.
A bit of background: After about a ten year hiatus, I'm starting to read comic books again. Growing up, I was never a huge Superman fan. It was hard to get behind a hero who could do anything, save anyone, and never made a mistake. Superman never felt like he was accessible. I much preferred some of the more imperfect heroes, whose lives and adventures were a little more relatable (though never quite realistic). Getting back into comics now, I've been surprised that I'm able to appreciate Superman much more. Though he's still "perfect," I'm better able to understand his character's complexity, and how he struggles to navigate the gray areas in a world where things are never as black-and-white as he'd want.
All that to say: I was jazzed to re-watch "Superman" and see what I had missed.
I was surprised at how much of the movie is devoted to Superman's back-story, both his pre-Earth history as the last son of Krypton and his childhood as the adopted child of the Kent family. It's a significant chunk of the movie before he begins to fly, and even longer before he sheds his Clark Kent (Reeve) shell and reveals himself to Metropolis. His past is laid out in very particular detail, lest anything get past the audience.
These details, though well-intentioned, are what hold the movie up at several points. It's a long time before we meet Superman's chief antagonist Lex Luthor (Hackman), and even longer before Luthor's plans begin to unfold. A lot of background is given to establish the character of Lois Lane (Kidder), and her brashness is hammered home several times more than necessary.
But it's all worth it when Superman finally saves the day for the first of many times. I mean, come on, he flies through the air! Has X-ray vision! Ice cold breath!
(And, just an FYI, there are some big spoilers ahead, though I'm betting you could have figured out the ending on your own.) Luthor manages to put Superman in quite a spot, forcing Superman to choose between saving two coasts at once. It seems impossible! In fact, it is impossible, and - gasp - Lois Lane dies before Superman could get to her. But, this is a Superman story, and Superman always overcomes evil, and so, despite the voice-over warnings of his father (Brando), he manages to turn back time and re-write history just enough so that he can save Lois.
And therein lies why Superman is both amazing, and hard to take. How can you not love a superhero who, in order to save one person, would change the rotation of the entire planet? Yet, at the same time, how can you feel any tension or drama when you know that Superman, if he wants, can just reverse time?
There's a lot of religious (specifically Christian) symbolism thrown into this movie as well. None of it is subtle, and some of it is so blatant as to be obnoxious, such as Brando's narration when Superman discovers his family history.
In any case, "Superman" does a good job of bringing the Superman mythology to the film medium. Just be prepared. Superman wins. Superman always wins. That's what makes him Superman.
And that's why this movie is pretty darned good.
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