Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
Nostalgically Pleasing But Still Dated Classic
Indyfreak - wrote on 11/24/2014
Richard Donner's epic-sized treatment of the big blue boy scout has aged surprisingly well since 1978 though it still has some flaws that reveal its age in some instances.
Produced when no one ever believed a comic book movie would be a hit let alone successful (Que Nelson's laugh) Donner does a bang-up good job while Christopher Reeve embodies all the charm, kindness, and all-around decency that people would expect from his iconic character. The supporting cast is what makes it watchable after all these years with the likes of Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Gene Hackman, and Marlon f**king Brando giving great performances as classic characters like Lois Lane, Perry White, Jonathan Kent, Lex Luthor, and Jor-El.
My one complaint is that the bulk of the conflict stems from …
Rating of
2.5/4
"Superman: The Movie" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 09/24/2012
A child sent to Earth from a doomed alien planet grows to develop astonishing powers that he learns to use to help humanity. The original Superman movie stars Christopher Reeve as the man of steel and his portrayal as a humble, affable man of the people works particularly well both as square-jawed all American hero and his good intentioned but bumbling alter ego. Gene Hackman is also very watchable as the exasperated egomaniac against whom he is pitted and John Williams' iconic score is suitably rousing. The chemistry between Reeve and Margot Kidder does not work quite so well, she coming across as bossy and annoyingly self-involved and the "can you read my mind" date sequence is embarrassingly corny. It's biggest shortcoming however is in its woeful lack of a sense of spectacle; the …
Rating of
3.5/4
Superman review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 12/12/2011
Jor-El believes that planet Krypton will explode so he launches a spacecraft with his son Kal-El towards Earth. Jonathan and Martha Kent adopts the child and names them Clark. He becomes a reporter and falls for Lois Lane. Reeves just makes you believe in the hero's sincerity, Hackman as Luthor could have been realistic if he became bald. The light plot but action sequences were decent.
In the words of the fatherly Jor-El - "All that I have, all that I've learned, everything I feel... all this, and more I... I bequeath you, my son. You will carry me inside you... all the days of your life." The effects maybe dated but the themes of love, heroism, acceptance, family and bravery always persist. Its score is immortal and cinematography gorgeous. Superman was a good superhero …
Rating of
1/4
A Total Failure as an Origins Flick
Topher - wrote on 05/02/2009
With all the bad superhero movies of recent years, it's good to know they could still totally screw things up back in the good ole days. Despite a cast that will always remain the most quintessentially Supermanish to me -- no one has played Kent better than Reeves -- this flick sucks. I thought Supergirl was bad when I rewatched it as an adult. Now I see it's a step up.
The script struggles. Between trying to establish the camp of the Superman serial, explain his origins, and introduce the various roles CK's associates will play, Superman 1 fails to have anything like plot or character. Instead, we get a lame interior monologue from Lois Lane when CK takes her for a romantic fly around Metropolis.
Skip Superman I and go directly to II -- you already know who everyone is …
Rating of
3/4
A super movie about the Man of Steel
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/01/2008
This movie is one of the few that holds up years later. It is an excellent adaptation that hardly changes the myth created in the comic books like other superhero movies.
The visuals are still incredible. CGI looks so fake compared to the technology of two and a half decades ago. This movie proves that the blue screen effect works much better than a computer animated version of a character like in "Spiderman" and "The Hulk".
Christopher Reeve is awesome as "Superman," but not as good as "Clark Kent". I don't remember "Clark Kent" being such a wimp as he is portrayed in this movie.
Gene Hackman is amazing as "Lex Luthor". The actor who portrays "Lex" in "Smallville" should watch Hackman's performance to see how "Superman's" archenemy should be portrayed. Hackman's performance …
