Wow, one of the few Movie Nights movies I actually saw!
So used to you doing low-budget cult classics, it’s nice to see you do a genuine blockbuster just for a change of pace!
I remember seeing it on network TV as a kid in the early 80s…it’s campy and a little cheesy at times, but also very earnest and fun. The wholesome comic book feel actually comes off as genuine, and I really like this movie for being able to pull that off so well without feeling forced.
It does feel more like the Silver Age than Golden Age though – And I still love it.
Wanted to add – I agree that Luthor and Otho(?) were really ineffectual and poorly realized villains – played by academy award winning actors Gene Hackman (The French Connection and Unforgiven) and Ned Beatty (Network).
Yes, those are two greats of American Cinema as the dopey bad guys.
I really liked the origin story, the superhero stuff, and the romance between Superman and Lois Lane, but yes…this film’s biggest sin is casting an American film icon as a Lex Luthor so bad it would take Zack Snyder nearly four decades to miscast and make one even worse.
Hard to imagine a film being made today where the headlining actor doesn’t appear until almost an hour in (today we’d have seen it all in innumerable flashbacks)!
But if you think this was goofy, wait until you get to Superman III (or worse, IV). Oh boy!
I get very tired of the overuse of flashbacks, but I never added it up that it’s used to provide a narrative structure where we see our leads early on in many cases. Interesting point!
Yes, Superman III is silly and dumb starring Richard Pryor…so at least they have an excuse for the comedic tone, but IV is pretty bad too without casting one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time.
Superman II is probably the best of the series. It keeps the heart and solid performances of the first film, and has a much more credible villain. It does keep some of the goofy, but it’s toned down a little and also has some genuinely great dramatic scenes for balance without ever feeling like tone whiplash.
I’ve never seen the Christopher Reeves movies either. I knew they were corny though which is right up my alley. I don’t know how I missed them. I guess it’s just because I wasn’t alive when they were out. My one confusion is why does Lex have a full head of hair? Que?
While it’s understandably dated, it was a pretty significant leap forward in comic book films at its time. And I fail to understand you complaining about the film’s length (even though I think – I hope – you were mostly half-kidding) when the last Avengers film was nearly 3 hours and the next’s first cut – based on the directors’ statement – is longer, that Superman is overlong. The pacing is off primarily because we’re kind of used to origin stories these days. They’re so commonplace that we almost prefer they’re excised. But in 1978, when comics were still largely for kids and the U.S. was more concerned with post-Nixon distrust and those Ruskies (hey, kinda like now), Donner set a pretty important precedent. So as a young person looking at a film released way before they’re time, yeah, I get your take. Hell, it was before my time, too. I was born the year of Back to the Future. Which means I didn’t understand that delight until around the mid-90s. But to be there in the late 70s – man, that must have been something.
And you haven’t even GOTTEN to goofy. Wait til Richard Pryor and Jon Cryer get involved.
It should also be noted that I have been trying to contact you and phelous for interviews for months now and can be reached at filmquirk@gmail.com. http://www.filmquirks.com. Our initial domain was stolen. Go figure. Please get in touch.
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Wow, one of the few Movie Nights movies I actually saw!
So used to you doing low-budget cult classics, it’s nice to see you do a genuine blockbuster just for a change of pace!
I remember seeing it on network TV as a kid in the early 80s…it’s campy and a little cheesy at times, but also very earnest and fun. The wholesome comic book feel actually comes off as genuine, and I really like this movie for being able to pull that off so well without feeling forced.
It does feel more like the Silver Age than Golden Age though – And I still love it.
Wanted to add – I agree that Luthor and Otho(?) were really ineffectual and poorly realized villains – played by academy award winning actors Gene Hackman (The French Connection and Unforgiven) and Ned Beatty (Network).
Yes, those are two greats of American Cinema as the dopey bad guys.
I really liked the origin story, the superhero stuff, and the romance between Superman and Lois Lane, but yes…this film’s biggest sin is casting an American film icon as a Lex Luthor so bad it would take Zack Snyder nearly four decades to miscast and make one even worse.
It’s certainly hard to imagine a movie coming out today where the main actor doesn’t show up until nearly an hour into the film!
But if you think this one is goofy… just wait until Supes III or IV. As Sam Becket would say, “Oh boy!”
Hard to imagine a film being made today where the headlining actor doesn’t appear until almost an hour in (today we’d have seen it all in innumerable flashbacks)!
But if you think this was goofy, wait until you get to Superman III (or worse, IV). Oh boy!
Very true, that’s a great point.
I get very tired of the overuse of flashbacks, but I never added it up that it’s used to provide a narrative structure where we see our leads early on in many cases. Interesting point!
Yes, Superman III is silly and dumb starring Richard Pryor…so at least they have an excuse for the comedic tone, but IV is pretty bad too without casting one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time.
Superman II is probably the best of the series. It keeps the heart and solid performances of the first film, and has a much more credible villain. It does keep some of the goofy, but it’s toned down a little and also has some genuinely great dramatic scenes for balance without ever feeling like tone whiplash.
Best Superman movie ever made was Iron Giant. Just like the best two Fantastic Four movies are Incredibles and Incredibles 2.
I’ve never seen the Christopher Reeves movies either. I knew they were corny though which is right up my alley. I don’t know how I missed them. I guess it’s just because I wasn’t alive when they were out. My one confusion is why does Lex have a full head of hair? Que?
“Lex Luthor, in this movie, is apparently some kind of underground subway troll.” ::spits coffee everywhere::
Remembering when you did Star Wars A New Hope with this format. Absolutely beautiful.
While it’s understandably dated, it was a pretty significant leap forward in comic book films at its time. And I fail to understand you complaining about the film’s length (even though I think – I hope – you were mostly half-kidding) when the last Avengers film was nearly 3 hours and the next’s first cut – based on the directors’ statement – is longer, that Superman is overlong. The pacing is off primarily because we’re kind of used to origin stories these days. They’re so commonplace that we almost prefer they’re excised. But in 1978, when comics were still largely for kids and the U.S. was more concerned with post-Nixon distrust and those Ruskies (hey, kinda like now), Donner set a pretty important precedent. So as a young person looking at a film released way before they’re time, yeah, I get your take. Hell, it was before my time, too. I was born the year of Back to the Future. Which means I didn’t understand that delight until around the mid-90s. But to be there in the late 70s – man, that must have been something.
And you haven’t even GOTTEN to goofy. Wait til Richard Pryor and Jon Cryer get involved.
It should also be noted that I have been trying to contact you and phelous for interviews for months now and can be reached at filmquirk@gmail.com. http://www.filmquirks.com. Our initial domain was stolen. Go figure. Please get in touch.
Failed link, so sorry.
http://www.filmquirks.com/