Superman

"Superman" was the first super hero and the first super hero movie, and in my opinion it's still the best of its kind. "Superman" is a movie designed for kids, he's less dark than Batman, less ironic than Ironman, and less angsty than Spiderman. Superman is the kind of hero who knows what the right thing to do is and he does it, he's all black and white, there is no grey area.

I think it might be a mistake to squeeze much hidden substance behind Superman, he was a character designed to be the perfect speciman, that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it. The 1978 film which cast Christopher Reeve as the titular character hits just the right tone, it takes Superman's existence seriously, it resists temptation of treating him like a joke, thus creating the modern super hero movie.

"Superman" as a film is constructed as what is commonly described as "The Origin Story", where we see him escaping his dying planet of Krypton in a spaceship, growing up as a simple farm boy in Smallville U.S.A., and then discovering his true nature at his Arctic Fortress of Solitude. He then creates a secret identity for himself, that of Clark Kent mild mannered reporter and takes up residence in Metropolis working at the Daily Planet Newspaper.

The film is full of wonderful sequences involving Superman doing very super things, from saving a cat stuck in a tree to keeping Air Force One from crash landing. The most famous scene in the film is probably the one which properly introduces Superman in full garb in the film. This is where local damsel in distress Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) is being hung off the top of a sky scraper dangling from a helicopter. Of course Superman wooshes in to save the day, but part of the excitement of the scene is the anticipation of seeing him in action, plus the sudden astonishment of seeing a man who could fly. This whole sequence is craftily handled with some cliffhanging suspense but also some modern humor thrown in. When Lois falls, Superman grabs her in which he quips "easy miss, I've got you." To which she replies "You've got me? Who's got you? It's got that feeling you're reading a block right from a comic book.

Part of the excitement of watching "Superman" is that feeling of seeing your favorite Super hero flying right off the page and onto the screen. The opening credit sequence plays with that a bit as curtains open to reveal a comic book, suddenly the scene gets bigger and the giant red "S" appears on the screen right as the memorable John Williams theme music kicks in. It has a childlike mentality, imagine being a kid and seeing these images for the first time in the movie theatre.

There is much to appreciate with "Superman" they even have a romantic interlude between him and Lois as he takes her on a night fly in the air. How often to you see such a romantic scene in a super hero movie?

The film was directed by Richard Donner who fought with the producers into making a sincere "Superman" picture. Originally, the film was meant to be campy making fun of the myth, but Donner obviously wasn't as cynical, and it was his vision which you see on screen. His master touch was probably casting Reeve as Superman; he plays the character without a sense of irony. When Superman says he's out to fight for truth, justice, and the American way, you don't blink an eye or snicker, it's done with a straight face. As Clark Kent he's as clueless and befuddled as he has to be in order for people not to suspect he's the man of steel, Reeve actually said his inspiration for Clark came from Cary Grant's performance in the comedy "Bringing up Baby", which you can no doubt see.

"Superman" is still a great entertainment even though it seems super heroes have grown more complex and dark. The latest Christopher Nolan Batman films are great in their own way, yet I see them as being more adult. "Superman" is more family oriented, there isn't much violence, he's never seen throwing a punch, he doesn't have to, he mostly just flies around saving people.

I get the same feeling when I watch "Superman" as with an Indiana Jones film or a James Bond movie featuring Sean Connery. It's that feeling of being a kid again and these larger than life heroes feel more alive on the screen than ever. It's almost as if those characters exist for real in your own childlike universe. I hope I never get too old for "Superman" and I hope the world doesn't either.