SNMR 1.13: "Superman"

The first of this weekend's SNMR double feature is "Superman" (1978, PG-13, 154 minutes) starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Marlon Brando, Jackie Cooper, Ned Beatty, Glenn Ford, Valerie Perrine and Marc McClure. The film was directed by Richard Donner. I'm watching the special edition with several extra added scenes.

I first saw this movie when it came out in the theaters in December, 1978 when I was an impressionable 9 year old boy. This movie, proving that a comic book to big screen adaptation can be successful at the box office, paved the way for all of the other excellent comic book adaptations that have come to the big screen in the last twenty years. I remember being excited to own the soundtrack for this film on a 33 1/3 RPM vinyl record.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Soaring even higher in a state-of-the-art digital transfer from restored elements and with dynamically remixed digital audio, the Academy Award-winning adventure also now includes eight minutes integrated into the film by director Richard Donner. Enjoy more footage of the Krypton Council, a glimpse of stars of prior Superman incarnations, more of Jor-El underscoring his son's purpose on Earth and an extended sequence inside Lex Luthor's gauntlet of doom. Christopher Reeve (Superman/Clark Kent), Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Luthor), and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) give indelible performances that fuel the film's aura of legend. Looks like a swell night for flying. Why not come along?

From Martin and Porter's DVD and Video Guide 2006, p. 1107:

After a somewhat overblown introduction, which encompasses the end of Krypton and Clark Kent's adolescence in Smallville, this film takes off to provide some great moments as Superman swings into action. The action is complimented by fine tongue-in-cheek comedy.

From the opening credits through the very end, this film is a winner. Like Star Wars, the opening music sucks you right in to the experience. The only cheesy part comes at the end, with the method Superman uses to reverse the death of Lois Lane. The writing is excellent and the story moves along briskly after Smallville. The bulk of the cast is excellent but the casting of Marlon Brando as Jor-El and Gene Hackman as Luthor is, quite frankly, brilliant. So great was the performance of Brando as Jor-El in this movie that, 28 years later, archive footage of Brando from this film will be used in the upcoming Superman Returns, coming out later this year.

I picked up my copy for less than $7 at Sam's Club. So should you.

I'm going to give this film four and a half out of five stars.