Review: Superman: The Movie

Directed by: Richard Donner

Written by: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton

Starring: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper

Rating: [3.5/5]

Presenting stories on a textual level makes for an unfettered amount of creativity to spill out allowing for anything to be imagined. However, when it comes to bringing it to the visual medium, certain concessions must occur in order to make it work. One could easily make someone like Superman fly in the comics but making it believable back in 1978 proved quite difficult, which this film managed to accomplish. 

Sent away from his planet on the verge of destruction, Kal-El (Christopher Reeve) gets jettisoned to Earth where he’s raised with the name Clark by Jonathan (Glenn Ford) and Martha Kent. Growing up he learns of his family heritage and decides to utilize his natural supernatural powers for good along with his day job as a reporter for the Daily Planet. 

Movies receive the description of having magic all of the time with good reasons in the way they can bring something to life we could never imagine. To be one of the individuals to witness this film for the first time and see Christopher Reeve as Superman fly before their eyes must have been something incredible. The use of crane work and camera magic allows the audience to believe an impossible feat happened before them, which remains one of the lasting legacies of this film. Something wholly unbelievable but put before audiences of that time. In addition, this feature takes its fantastical narrative and compounds it with an earnest story of right versus wrong. 

Stories centered on Superman typically contain this simplicity where he represents the good boy scout and seeks to protect others because of what it represents. He does this not only because of his family lineage, which he wears on his chest when he dons the suit but also because of the morality taught to him by his adoptive parents. From the beginning, this gets ingrained in him, like ensuring to keep his word even under precarious circumstances where the objection to it could be excused. This black-and-white morality comes to play in such integral moments in the film and allows others to take advantage of the situation thus causing conflicts. 

Crafting stories of invulnerable superheroes allows the demonstration of some cool powers and the ability to take out foes with ease, but also comes with the reality of the limitation of stakes considering not much can cause them harm. While Superman famously has kryptonite as his weakness, what becomes his biggest enemy to this figure appears in the conventions of life he cannot control. Yes, he can fly, has super strength, lasers, and can deflect bullets off of his body but he cannot alter humanity. Something so heartbreaking for him displayed fairly early in the feature when he cannot stop his father’s heart attack from killing him. While Clark could not die of the same affliction, he suffers even more seeing others taken away from him. This ultimately becomes the major emotional impact of this feature in how it depicts this incredible struggle for this alien here on Earth. 

Picturing anyone other than Christopher Reeve just does not compute because of the perfection of his portrayal of this character. Definitely possessing the appropriate look in bringing him to life, Reeve also brings the charismatic and charming element necessary to bring this man to the big screen. This gets compounded by the wonderful performance by Margot Kidder as Lois Lane. Again, the adoration I have for Amy Adams knows no bounds, but Kidder absolutely defines everything that makes Lois Lane such a compelling character. One who needs help being saved as required of the role but manages to bring her own zest to the to make her such a memorable figure in the story. 

Inspirational and wondrous, Superman: The Movie maintains its magic in bringing this boy scout to the big screen. It creates this invulnerable superhero but presents him with a bevy of moral dilemmas he must contend with in order to remain within his moral code. This experience demonstrates where principles can bend and how one’s selfishness can be prioritized over the good of others. If it happens to someone like Superman, surely others can experience the same thing, which this film just handles so well as we barrel toward the conclusion of the film. It definitely lets people believe a man can fly and with good reason.