Superman (1978)

Pure spectacle, and little else, 1978's Superman rode the wave of renewed interest in science-fiction films all of the way to the bank.  Directed by Richard Donner, it can be (accurately) deemed the first modern superhero movie and is beloved by many, but not by me.  The Man of Steel is played by Christopher Reeve, his costars include Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, and Terence Stamp.  Wildly influential and iconic, it is difficult to imagine a film that is a better representation of the superhero genre's virtues and limitations.

The film begins with Jor-El (Marlon Brando) of Krypton warning the other Kryptonian leaders of an upcoming planetary disaster; they dismiss him and Jor-El accepts his fate.  He does not, however, accept it for his son; he sends him in a spaceship to the planet earth, where he can blend in (in appearance), but not truly belong.  He crash lands on earth, and is discovered by a kindly couple living in a small town (Smallville).  He grows up as Clark Kent, aware of, but unable to flaunt, his abilities; following his adoptive father's death, he leaves in search of who he is.  In the grand superhero tradition, he finds it in a convenient location (a ready-made "fortress of solitude").  Jor-El educates him from beyond the grave, and he becomes Superman.  He arrives in the city of Metropolis (New York) and begins to work at the Daily Planet newspaper.  He meets, falls in the love with, and embarrasses himself repeatedly in front of his coworker Lois Lane (Margot Kidder).  All the while, the sinister Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) plots to destroy the west coast in an evil plot to make a lot of money off of a manipulated land deal.  In many instances, Superman proves himself by saving the day; Lois takes notice (but ignores Clark) and becomes infatuated with Superman (she begins an interview with: Are you married?).  As Luthor's plot comes to fruition, the lives of Superman, Lois, and millions of people are put into danger.  

The film's story is competent and interesting enough for the film's purposes, but does not truly reach its potential.  The first half of the film focuses entirely on the man; his upbringing, his loneliness, his confusion; the second half of the film focuses on the cape.  Much of the film sacrifices character development for special effects.  This is a fatal flaw that has been repeated countless times in the superhero genre.  Superman, as a superhero, is remarkably boring and all but invincible.  Superman, as a man, is rife for a proper character study (note: I do not have high hopes for such a thing in the upcoming Zack Snyder reboot) and could be the center of a fascinating movie focusing on the isolation of a man within a crowd.  This is not that movie.  In fact, I do not believe that I can properly assess Christopher Reeve's performance; the Clark Kent/Superman role in this film requires little more than charisma.  Not to put down Reeve's work in the film, it was just what the screenplay required of the character; it is hard to imagine anyone other than Reeve in the role (no cigar, Brandon Routh).  Gene Hackman is at his scenery-chewing best as Lex Luthor and the only bad thing to remark about his character is that he deserved more screen-time and a less ridiculous sidekick.  Marlon Brando is adequate as Jor-El but the role did not require an actor of his caliber (and he did not deserve the ridiculous salary he recieved).  One character that was not given their proper due was Lois Lane: she completely ignores Clark and rudely brushes him off several times.  This makes it hard for her to be a likable love-interest and makes it unrealistic that Superman would become so smitten.

The score of the film, composed by John Williams, is grand, rousing, and memorable.  The score is perfectly suited to the film and is almost as iconic as the film itself.  John Williams, a composer of particular renown for his many memorable scores, composed one of his best in Superman.  The film's special-effects are magnificent, groundbreaking, and excessive at times (you can't re-form the San Andreas fault through mere strength, you just can't).  The special-effects are now a little dated, but still hold up well enough to not hinder the enjoyment of the film. 

Overall, Superman is a fairly enjoyable superhero epic unmatched in terms of influence and scope.  The film, though influential, has a shallow screenplay that does not exploit the large amount of potential a film based on the Superman character has.  Compared to later films of the superhero genre, such as The Dark Knight and Iron Man; Superman lacks dramatic merit, but it is still wonderful to look at.

5/10

Note: This review was previously posted on another blog I wrote.