Superman (1978) Review

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

When you think of a hero, don’t expect them to come from anywhere you expect.


PLOT


Based on the comic book characters originally created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, 1978’s Superman follows Kal El, the last son of the extraterrestrial planet Krypton, who was sent to earth by his father Jor El as an infant to live a long life, as his planet would soon be lost after the loss of its sun. Upon crash landing, Kal would be found and adopted by the human couple, Jonathan & Martha Kent, being given the name Clark Joseph. As he grew up, he gained various powers of flight, speed, heat vision and super strength due to having a different physiology from humans. The Kents would teach him to hide his powers for his protection, but Jonathan would share his belief he can use them for a special purpose before passing away of a heart attack. After losing one father, Clark would find the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic, a headquarters that was left by Jor El. There, a hologram of him would be programmed to teach him where he came from, train him to use his powers and give him a suit with the crest that represent his bloodline. As an adult, Clark would grow up to be work at Metropolis’ Daily Planet ran by editor in chief Perry White (Jackie Cooper). As a reporter, he would fall for his coworker Lois Lane. As he keeps secret of his titular alias to the public, he would take her out on a flight to let her know she can trust him. As he becomes respected by the majority of the world he lives in, billionaire Lex Luthor plots to attack the San Andreas Fault with reprogrammed missiles  and sink the western United States, which will make his desert land prime coastline. He receives the missiles with the help of his bumbling assistant Otis. Knowing Superman will likely intervene, Otis and Luthor’s girlfriend Eve Tessmacher find a Kryptonite meteorite they dub Kryptonite and use it against him, knowing he is weakened around it. Eve ends up freeing Superman off of the fact the missiles will hit Hackensack, New Jersey, where her mother lives. He does answer the request in dealing with the eastbound missile first, but misses the opportunity to stop the westbound missile, which levels California. Lois even gets trapped in her car during an aftershock, which causes her to suffocate. When Clark finds her dead, he ignores Jor’s warning of altering history. He does so by flying around the planet so fast multiple times that he reverse time, giving him enough of it to save Lois and the West Coast. The film ends with Superman turning in Lex and Otis, proudly smiling of his triumph.


THOUGHTS


As one born in the late 90s, I grew up proud to see the earliest era of superhero adaptations, particularly DC, that became the backbone of the genre before the 2000s brought consistency to it that I haven’t gotten enough of, mostly Marvel based. In a similar sense to what would be done for Tim Burton’s Batman, director Richard Donner is able to give a whole new spark of exciting blockbusters that had already been paved thanks to Jaws and Star Wars. What this has in common is a John Williams score that matches the excitement from said preceding films, but also feels definitive that you’re gonna feel triumph. The visual effects in seeing our lead hero in action are rightfully dated as they’re truly the first time you’re seeing panels come to life. With that combo, it’s hard to not be compelled once he starts flying. The true selling point of this movie however is going to be the timeless performance of Christopher Reeve who doesn’t just look the part when he’s in costume, but he is the part once the cameras are on him. He has set the standard in everything the lead character is supposed to be: Despite having unimaginable power, he has the moral compass to always do right by those around him no matter how complicated the situation can be. His general selflessness makes out the whole point of the movie to always believe in yourself and the real power within is integrity because that mindset is what creates hope itself. If he doesn’t think like this, then he is taking his life for granted and he doesn’t want to do that. The only time he ever lets his emotions is when he goes out of his way to save Lois because you can relate in the feeling in wanting to save your loved ones and ignore whatever consequences that could come from it. It’d be pretty hard to not do it if you’re in his shoes because it’s hard to not fall for a lady who’s beautifully played by Margot Kidder. When not being a damsel, she’s sharp on the job and expresses all the ambition Clark looks up to. Without even knowing who he is, she would feel the same infatuation for him for his down to earth nature, whereas she is attracted to Superman for his own mystique he brings as he does what he does. Henceforth, it would become enduring love as the franchise progressed. In a realistic sense, Clark doesn’t become a great hero without the right people that got to guide him, his parents. There is definitely so much aura with Marlon Brando brought as the benevolent Jor El, but the pair of Jonathan & Martha deserve their own credit as well. Glenn Ford & Phyllis Thaxter really go a long way in their given time with Reeve’s teenage counterpart Jeff East in being moral parents, and being the first to teach Clark to be careful with his capabilities before Jor’s hologram teaches him to embrace it. Had any of this essential been missing, Kal would’ve been lost to the point of never figuring out the balance. While he got to figure out that balance, there was another who failed to do so with his own advantages. Like Reeve, Gene Hackman has set the bar in how evil Lex Luthor is supposed to be. He’s full of arrogant and greed to the point where he uses his intelligence for the wrong reasons. He believes metaphorical power is just the same as physical, but sure got his reality check when Superman foiled his plans. Ned Beatty definitely dialed it up very well in making Otis a dim wit who’s blindly loyal to Lex, I was impressed with the presence of Eve. Valerie Perrine was her own standout because while bubbly, she was actually one with limits when it came to achieving power. She was attracted to Lex for his wealth alone and did the right thing going against him in the climax, because she definitely wouldn’t forgive herself if she couldn’t save her mom. Since this wouldn’t be the end of the rivalry between both men, it’s sweet knowing good would always be consistent in wanting to keep evil at bay. This movie is well made on its own, but there are still a few moments that don’t make much sense upon rewatching. For example, how does teenage Clark not hear the football equipment get taken off the bench by his bully classmate Brad, when one of his powers include enhanced hearing? I know he was distracted talking to his crush Lana Lang, but it’s not they don’t work while he’s in the middle of a conversation. It feels fair to point it out since this wouldn’t be a problem upon hearing Alex through his specific frequency. Another takeaway is Lex believing the meteorite actually came from Krypton when Lois barely published a Superman article. There’s not one time the meteor publication says proof of it being lethal or said it came from there, so he was betting too much on luck there. Ignore this, then you’ll still be in for a good time. In short, 1978’s Superman will remain one of the genre’s very best movies for giving the first feeling of surreal was that left us wanting more, whether or not the follow-ups would be worthwhile. If you love superheroes, see the root of it all.