The greatest movie ever made..!

Simply A Masterpiece

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It remains one of the most fascinating slices of my childhood. The fascination is the same. The same the emotion. And the believe than Christopher Reeves remains the best Superman. Sure, after decades, it could be seen as naive. But its freshness is yhe same. Like the noble moral message.

I intend to give a review on the long TV-version, who´s release last year on Blu-Ray made most Super-fans delighted.I myself found it very enchanting, and think that the added material are very well sewed in, and enriched the experience of watching Superman The Movie.Some seconds here and there, a few never seen shots even some hard core fans never had seen before. You don´t mind that the sound not is in full surround stereo - besides the opening and final credits - because the now "complete" cut is so great fun to watch.Yes, I know that this otherwise great movie lacks of a gripping plot. Some say It´s a slow and dull story, that mainly fills the last quarter only.But I see it different. This 55 or so million dollar budget show is to me an example of the perfect mix of great Sci-Fi, Drama, Comedy and Family stuff.1970's style.The typical photo, the classic angles. And of course the great special effects, and a most enjoyable dynamic soundtrack from the mastermind of John Williams.Putting the Theatrical, Special and Extended editions among each other in a sort of head-to-head triangle is unfair.Director Richard Donner perfers his S.E, of course, saying that it was uneccesary to put in in "all the crap stuff we got rid of". (His comment to the WB 183 minute version.)One man´s coffee is another man´s cappuchino, Richard.....For me the experience of the Extended version was the creme de la creme.Why moaning about something so classic, wichever take you watch - or perfer?Like "Star Wars", who had it´s premiere the year earlier, the production team wanted and needed a few well known superstar actors to lift the cred up.Every Superman fan - I think - knows all about the struggleing Marlon Brando stuff. Not gonna tell it here.Gene Hackman was in first ancuios about his repetation as a serious actor, if he agreed to join - of what he thought it was - sort of a PG 7 movie.I´d bet that his fee, compared to his contribution to this movie, made his big Lex Luthor grin even larger, for months. (And knowing his Superman stuff was fullfilled, even for pt. II.) But....you can´t imagine anyone else today fill his shoes in this. He did his proffessional job great.Chris Reeve was one in about 200. One of a couple of hundred screen-testers, who finally impressed the team so much that he got the job.Refusing to wear a muscle-fillout suit, he built up his Superman himself. (Supported by Star Wars bad boy Darth Vader....physically played in the first SW-trilogy by body builder David Prowse.)R.I.P, Christopher Reeve. The red boots will never be worn by any other, with that dignity.My short summary of the Superman - The Movie ( The "Cuts" aside now.)Great Krypton opening. Touching Kal-El take-off.Impressing landing on earth scene. Houmorus, but with drama.-Smallville part: Great. (+ greater....) -First Fortress of solitude scenes, +(Jor-El´s eduecation.)Then we take off!And see Chris fly.And you already know the rest.-Takes a newspaper job. ( As Clark K.) -Supringsly fast falling in love with Lois. Or she, with him? (Margot Kidder; great!) -1st superman show-off. -Lex L. enteres, villian plans as if it´s a 007-movie. -Rockets!! -Superman hurries to fix up the earthquake. -But misses Lois!"If I could turn back time...."Puts Lex and Otis behind bars. Smile to the camera!!You know all about this, Superfans.I will Quit here. If You Please.The original movie promised "Next year Superman II" in their ending credits. (Delayed by many reasons not mentioned here.)I´m done with my Superman review. For Good.

How any one could write a bad review of this movie is beyond me? The only thing they could have done differently is not hire Brando for all that money. There were plenty of actors that could have played that part. Hollywood greed

"Superman" is an American/British/Swiss live action movie from 1978, so this one has its 40th anniversary next year. It was the film that turned comic book character into a full feature superhero to be reckoned with. Sure there were a lot of other inclusions of him in film and television before that, but none of them were really as impactful as Adam West's Batman series for example. The most known were probably still the old cartoons from the days of WWII. Anyway, if you take a look at the people who made this, you will find many big names. The writing team is packed with Oscar winners and nominees that were in charge of several films that are considered classics today and this is also true for director Richard Donner, even if he was never nominated for an Oscar. He is still alive today by the way, in his late 80s. And the cast list is just as spectacular. Brando and Hackman in the same film, add to that Stamp, a personal favorite of mine and Oscar nominees Cooper, Howard, Perrine in supporting roles plus the likes of Maria Schell etc. This project was really destined to turn into something big. And it sort of did.I think it was a good watch. Even at over 2 hours and 20 minutes, it basically never drags, which is quite an achievement. Sure there are moments that you will maybe not like as much as others, but they were gone quickly and it is all subjective obviously. The long runtime is also justified by the story. There really is a lot in here: Jor-El, the childhood, the reckoning of his powers, becoming Superman, leading a normal life at the same time, meeting Lex and keeping his catastrophe from happening. At under 2 hours, it could certainly have felt rushed, so it's all good. I am not sure if I am entirely sold on the ill-fated Chris Reeve playing the title character. It's not that he is bad or anything, but lets decide after film 2 perhaps if I think he is right for the part. The best thing about the film were maybe the first 25 minutes as Brando really shines there and I find it shocking that he received zero awards recognition for his turn here, if even the female assistant to the bad guy got some. Speaking about the bad guy, Gene Hackman is a brilliant actor, but honest he wasn't working too well here for me I must say. Maybe they gave him the wig, so he wouldn't feel like another Blofeld or so as he sure had an aura of Bond villain to him. Just like the girls, especially Perrine's character, felt a bit like Bond girls and as I am a huge Bond fan, maybe that helped the film with me.Still it is okay overall: If you like superhero films, then you can check this one out and like it too. The Oscar nominations it got are okay, by the way it lost two of them to Best Picture winner "The Deer Hunter". So yeah, I liked the beginning the most, but the fact that the film would have worked without it too, shows that everything afterward isn't too bad either. Audiences apparently thought the same and Reeve reprised his role several times in some sequels that were after the first sequel not well-received anymore. But the pathos of Superman is shown by this still being the defining role of his career. And of course, in the wave of recent superhero films, the character is more than present in today's cinematic landscape. Back to this one here: I am not too enthusiastic about it to be honest, but it was a decent introduction to the character and universe and as I have always been bigger on Batman and Spider-Man, my judgment is a bit biased here. "Superman" gets a thumbs-up from me. Go check it out.