Superman: The Movie (1978)

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Directed by Richard Donner.

Starring Ned Beatty, Marlon Brando, Jackie Cooper, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Christopher Reeve.

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Richard Donner's big-budget blockbuster Superman: The Movie is an immensely entertaining recounting of the origin of the famous comic book character. Opening on Krypton (where Marlon Brando plays Superman's father), the film follows the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) as he's sent to Earth where he develops his alter-ego Clark Kent and is raised by a Midwestern family. In no time, the movie has run through his teenage years, and Clark gets a job at the Daily Planet, where he is a news reporter. It's there that he falls in love with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who is already in love with Superman. But the love story is quickly sidetracked once the villainous Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) launches a diabolical plan to conquer the world and kill Superman. Superman: The Movie is filled with action, special effects and a surprising amount of humor. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

10 Most Critically Acclaimed Ac ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Over the weekend, Wanted had a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com. It’s since gone down to 81% (at the time of this writing — and with top critics it’s down to 67%), though that’s still pretty good for a movie that initially looked like just another Matrix knockoff. But will the good reviews make for great box office? Last night, while viewing the latest trailer in a theater with some friends, I mentioned that Wanted was receiving great reviews. Nobody believed me at first, and then they didn’t care; they still thought it looked terrible. Good reviews rarely help an action movie, and bad reviews rarely deter audiences from seeing them. However, if we look at the top 5 most critically acclaimed action movies, it’s clear that people do often prefer a good action film to a bad one. The next 5, on the other hand… The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 94% (top critics: 98%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #9 ($377 million) Sam ... " [More]

Superman Returns
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

lost interest.

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"Superman ReturnsI never intended to watch this movie. I was never much of a fan of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. Always thought they were stuck between being sincere and corny. Should have pushed the corn 100% like Adam West with Batman in my opinion.I do remember liking that Lois and Clark show though. Maybe because my mom always watched it.Anyways, my roommate rented this from Netflix and I was bored. I think I may have watched this with Adam as well. I think all three of us saw it together. It's hard to remember. The event was less than spectacular.It felt like there was absolutely nothing new here. And even the best of the old stuff was missing. The whole story of Superman and how he came to be. I've seen all that in every Superman production so far. And he hardly ever even uses his different powers in exciting ways. The lead actor seemed like he was just trying to safely emulate Christopher Reeve. Since I never liked his portrayal in the first pl ... " [More]

Re: Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lo ...
by Risselada in Top 5

lost interest.

"Wow this thread is really heating up!I've actually seen many Kevin Smith films, but not this one. However I used to love them a great deal. Now every time I see one again, my rating plunges further down. Maybe it was that his dialogue sounded fresh at one time to me, but now after being continually subjected to it I'm realizing it may be what you said. Although there are different characters it all seems like the words are coming out of the same person.Oooooh, I almost said this one actually! I'd had this recommended to me by many people for a long time. I only heard a few people who said it was bad, but I didn't know who to believe. I saw it even though I think there was something deep inside that made me a bit hesitant. I was not impressed! I don't know how this mediocre crime movie managed to stand above the rest for many people. My friend Andy who uses this site from time to time has a couple tattoos from the movies. I respect his taste, but I jus ... " [More]

Re: Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lo ...
by Jymkata in Top 5

loved it.

"I know it's very polite on internet message boards to act like there are no standards or experts, and that subjectivity is the only way to judge a film, but sometimes subjectivity can be wrong and although you may not personally like a piece of art you need to be able to appreciate its qualities. I know this whole topic is subjective, but some of these should not be up for debate as to whether they are good or bad. The two I take exception with are Citizen Kane and Vertigo. I don't even know where to start and whether it's worth it, but I can't understand how someone couldn't fathom the mixed opinions of lesser works like Crash or the Lord of the Rings trilogy ( I guess some people love overlong, CGI-overkilled films that are long on scope and short on character), but not see enough of value in certified masterpieces like these two by Orson and Alfred at their peak. Plus, Kane had the exceptional camerawork of Gregg Toland (that alone is worth the price of admis ... " [More]

Re: REMAKES & BOOK ADAPTATI ...
by davisfreeberg in movie_maniacs

hasn't rated it.

"I'll give it a shot. 1. Batman - You could argue that comic books don't meet the literary requirements, but there is no doubt that Hollywood loves to make films off of them. I suppose Superman, Spiderman or the Xmen could all fit in that spot, but I choose Batman because Hollywood keeps on producing films from that franchise no matter how bad things get. 2. Bram Stoker's Dracula - This story has been told many times. Sometimes true to the original story and sometimes very different, but it's had a big influence on the film industry. 3. Romeo & Juliet - Not really my cup of tea, but filmmakers can't help themselves from cashing in on this weepy love story. Every generation has seen a different version of the film done. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. " [More]

Re: Favorite Film Scores?
by paul in Best Movie Soundtracks

hasn't rated it.

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"Which sort of brings up the John Williams phenomena. John Williams who does anything Steven Spielberg or George Lucas (and also a personal favorite score, Superman) is pretty much what most people in this country recognize as popular classical music. I've heard orchestral musicians tend to hate him. But it's fascinating how he took orchestral music and created hits within a pop music culture. Would we even care about his music if it didn't conjure up feelings from when we saw Luke blow up the Death Star, Superman jump into a phone booth, or Indy chase down the ark?Incidentally, have you ever tried to hum the following John William's scores one after the other?Star WarsSupermanRaiders of the Lost ArkI find it very difficult. I get stuck on one and it blocks out the other two (maybe because they're so similar).Anyway, Nino Rota with The Godfather is my favorite soundtrack (especially the 5/4 piece when Woltz wakes with the dead horse).Ennio Morricone's work for The Mission really sta ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

A rousing big-budget spectacle of the highest order, 1978's Superman succeeds thanks to its snappy pace, a witty script and a slew of memorable performances. Director Richard Donner wanted an unknown for the tricky title role; Christopher Reeve fits the bill with a finely nuanced performance, poking fun at the Superman mystique without diminishing its power. The reliable Gene Hackman steals just about every scene he's in as smarmy archenemy Lex Luthor. In a smaller but no less memorable role, Marlon Brando was reportedly paid close to $4 million dollars for his ten-minute cameo as The Man of Steel's father. Superman proved to be another hit for Donner, following 1976's The Omen; the film would inspire three sequels of descending quality (though many argue that the second installment is in fact superior to this one). ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide

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