Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two scrawny, nerdy Jewish guys who decided to make a quick buck off a super-human hero for the new "comics" medium. They had the concept of a super-human alien visitor, who helps the citizens of the world with his super-strength, laser vision, and flight powers. Superman is a twist of the Jewish hero Moses, and was such a success, he spawned the creation of Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, and other iconic superheroes. For the 5 of you who don't know his origin, here's the jist of it: Kal-El is an infant of the planet of Krypton, which is a dying planet. His father, Jor-El sends him to Earth to be a protector. Our sun's rays had a strange affect on his alien body: it gave him super-human abilities. Raised by a farmer and his wife and taking the guise of bumbling Clark Kent, Kal-El becomes a news reporter, which is a front for his adventures as a flying superhero, protecting the citizens of Metropolis and the world from alien threats, dictators, criminals, and supervillains. Superman has one of the best rogues galleries (although not as good as Batman or Spiderman's rogues galleries), with the corrupt business man/scientist Lex Luthor, telepathic alien being Brainiac, creepy psychotic mechanics expert Toyman, alternate version of himself Bizarro, multi-dimensional being Mr. Mxyzptlk, energy-sucking Parasite, electrical woman Livewire, creepy cyborg Metallo, the beast who killed Superman: Doomsday, galactic ruler and dictator Darkseid, hero/villain alien bounty hunter Lobo, assassin and Batman villain Deathstroke, Kryptonian tyrant Zod, Zod's ally Faora, Zod's lover Ursa, and (I'm not joking) Bruno Mars, the gangster. Unfortunately, only a few of these villains were ever used in the films, but I'm not here to bash the films, so let's get to talking about them...
Superman The Movie:
Released in 1978, this is the definitive comic book film. It's fun, not too dark or too lighthearted, it's nearly perfect. Sure, some of these effects are out-dated, but these were big effects for 1978, especially the iconic image of Superman flying over Earth during a sunrise. This was the first big comic book movie, and the first taken seriously. After the Adam West Batman series and movie, people thought comics were just for kids, and were campy fodder. I love the show, but in a nostalgic way, and don't consider it a legitimate Batman show, and neither did comic book fans. But, in the comics, things were getting more adult: Batman was facing more realistic foes and dealing with death and misery, Green Arrow found out his sidekick Speedy was a junkie, and Spider-Man dealt with inner-city crime and drug addiction. So, producer Alexander Salkind and his son Ilya decided it was time for a serious comic book movie. They decided Superman was the place to start, being the first real superhero. They got Mario Puzo, writer of The Godfather to write a script (the first draft was heavily cut down, because it involved terrorists trying to kill the Pope, which upset the Salkinds, being too dark a story for Superman) and signed on Omen director Richard Donner to direct, in order to get a serious director on board, and this was before his big action films like Lethal Weapon, comedy films like The Toy and Scrooged, or his adventure film The Goonies. (Funny enough, The Toy star Richard Pryor was in Superman III) Christopher Reeve was cast as Superman, his definitive role, and Margot Kidder (who was in slasher film Black Christmas) as Lois Lane. These two little-known stars were chosen, so that people didn't just see big stars dressed as superheroes, but saw the comic book drawings come to life. The directors paid big money for mega-stars Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando as villain Lex Luthor and Superman's father Jor-El respectively. (The studio said the film needed a big star to be attached to the film.) The films was a massive success, being one of the first big blockbusters, along with Star Wars and Jaws, and became the first big superhero/comic book film. The performances are top-notch, Christopher Reeve is perfect as Superman, being charming, funny, heroic, and kind, and as Clark Kent is a bumbling, clumsy sissy. Lois Lane is sassy, independent, and annoyed by Clark Kent. Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor is hilarious, being over-the-top and villainous. Marlon Brando gets top billing as Jor-El, despite barely being in the movie, and doing absolutely nothing. The climax has a major plot-hole, but I won't spoil the movie. If you haven't seen Superman: The Movie, see it, if you have, watch it again. 4.5/5 stars.
Next: Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: Quest for Peace, and Superman Returns
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