You've Got Me... Who's Got You? (Superman (DVD))

Member Name: T4imbo3107

Product:	Superman (DVD)
Date:	30/04/09 (288 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The best Superman film... ever.

Disadvantages: It was actually made over thirty years ago!

The Seventies was a dark time in cinema, the main fashion of films at the time was disaster movies such as Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure or The Towering Inferno. These were films that saw people overcome the odds or attempted to survive by defying nature. So watching the first Superman film again on DVD makes you wonder exactly how easy it was for the the filmmakers to get financing to make a film that can only be described as epic in every sense of the word.

Released back in 1978, Superman the Movie was the film that bought the American icon to the cinema screen for the first time ever. The cast were made up of names that even then were considered legendary - Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Trevor Howard, Glenn Ford to name just a few. With an unknown actor cast as the hero, the film itself plays out like mini-movies spliced together and tells the origin of Superman. Bottom line is that we have three acts that unfold as the film plays.

The first act being a disaster movie, the scenes set on Krypton where we see Jor-El, played by Marlon Brando, attempt to persuade the Kryptonian Science Council that the planet is doomed and all on Krypton will perish are not only surreal to watch but also shows another species trying to survive, a theme that is carried on throughout the film. Knowing that this event is inevitable and cannot be stopped, the scientist and his wife Kara, played by Susannah York, send their baby child to Earth in a rocket ship. The destruction of Krypton is not only the catalyst for the story but also a focal point as it is one mans's decision that allows the continuation of a doomed race. The final scenes of Krypton are actually quite frightening to see, as there are screams and bodies falling when tall pillar shaped structures collapse as the planet dies.

The story follows the origin of Superman very closely, and even though the dialogue can be a little clichéd at times the whole climax of this part of the story allows the audience to take in what is happening on screen and the significance that baby Kal-El is the last Kryptonian alive in the universe.

The second act is about America in the late fifties/ early Sixties with Kal-El arriving on Earth and being bought up by his foster parents Jonathan and Martha Kent. This for me was the building blocks of the Superman legacy, as it is here that the baby is named Clark Kent and learns about life and about whom he is and the powers that he has. At one point in the act even racing fast moving cross country passenger locomotives to prove a point. It is the character of Jonathan Kent played by Glenn Ford that cements the bond between Father and Son. This part is set in the Kansas town of Smallville, and shows Clark at High School with a glimpse of a young Lana Lang who appears to hide her feeling for Kent. Clark is played in this part of the story by Jeff East; East's appearance was changed to match a young Reeve in appearance and East's voice was dubbed over by Christopher Reeve to allow for continuity.

The third and final act begins with Clark Kent starting work with the Daily Planet. This is where the film really takes it up a notch and we start to see Superman in full costume for the first time. As with every hero, there is a nemesis and this is Lex Luthor. Memorably played by Gene Hackman, the self titled "greatest criminal brain" is hatching a plan that will change the maps for good. With Superman making headlines in every form of media, it is obvious that these two are on a course to meet, and is a classic example of good versus evil. What Luthor does is push Superman to the limit, by means of the script cleverly showing the audience his capabilities of what Superman is capable of doing. Luthor's scheme is cleverly set out and allows the story to broaden even further, yet the ending of the film has a sting that finally breaks Superman. It is how he deals with this is my problem with the film as it is the last part of the film that I don't like.

The character of Superman is played by the late Christopher Reeve. At the time he was an unknown actor who had only had small parts in TV and other films, his casting as the main lead was without a doubt correct and also the perfect choice. The role could never have been played by other well known actors such as Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford and so on. It has to be an unknown in the role. Reeve not only has the physique but also the screen presence to ensure he is noticed in the part. Don't forget he has a dual role to play the part of Clark Kent as well, and as the characters are complete flipsides of each other the task is made doubly difficult. Reeve plays Kent as the nerdy, clumsy type in the same way that the comics painted the picture of Kent, only in this case it is multi dimensional and bought to life by an actor with a great energy to make the character of the mild mannered reporter his own. People say that Reeve will always be remembered for the part of Superman, something that is bordering typecasting, but from an audience point of view to be remembered for a film of this nature playing an icon must have been an honour. Christopher Reeve took the dual role of Clark Kent and Superman and made it his own.

I still find it hard to believe that Marlon Brando is playing Jor-El in the film. He has that screen presence and is believable as the Father of the Man of Steel. However it is his delivery of the lines that lets it down as ever since I was told that he was reading them from below the camera line, I cannot take his scenes as seriously as you should. You also get to see the Rolex he is wearing when he carries the baby Kal-El to the rocket. Like Reeve playing Superman, Brando will always remembered for playing the definitive version of Jor-El.

Naturally Lois Lane has to be played as a feisty, determined and fiery character. Margot Kidder plays Lois, as the love interest to Superman and close working partner of Clark Kent. The scenes where she meets Superman for the first time is priceless, this is the famous helicopter sequence. This is the first time that we get to see Superman doing a daring rescue and has front row seats to the incident as she is apart of it. Kidder does a good job as Lane and comes across exactly as I would have expected the character to be played.

Thankfully the movie version of Luthor is slightly different and a hell of a lot more grounded than the comic version as the character has a plan and is totally foccussed on what he must do to get there. I found it strange that Gene Hackman was cast in the role, although I am not sure as to who could have done an equal or even better job with the part. There is a lot of humour with this character and this tends to blanket the true purpose of what he is after, the switch between the light heartiness and sinister villain is done in a snap of the fingers and when this occurs you completely forget the first time that you see Luthor and what he was doing as the true villain has surfaced on screen.

For a film that is now over thirty years old and in my opinion hasn't actually dated that well, the entertainment value is still immense, and also immensely enjoyable to watch. The story is intelligent and doesn't patronise the audience at all and is told in a very simple yet epically proportioned manner that although not leaving anything hidden so that he audience has to fill in the gaps, lets you escape and enter the story until in the end you are completely emerged in what happens. So to keep the attention of the person who is watching the film for nearly two and a half hours is quite an achievement!!!

The special effects were well ahead of anything else at the time of production and had to be as this was the first film that required a man to fly; looking at the film on DVD it obviously looks outdated but still fits in well with style and ambiance of the film. Not to mention what is happening in the story as the right characters are used at the right time and only assist in building up the tension and suspense which I have to admit is quite evenly spread out across all three acts of the film. Also the suspense is heightened by the soundtrack by John Williams. Everyone knows the legendary Superman theme to the film and it is the light orchestral melodies and the quaint use of the musical notes in the second act in Smallville. Parts of the soundtrack just seem to have its dialogue as musically it sets the scene in a pre-cursor manner so that you know what could be coming. The soundtrack is at its best when there is an action sequence taking place as the full throttle of the orchestra can be heard and this is finely tuned to accompany what is happening on screen in a precise and clinical manner that is perfectly synchronised in every way.

Extras wise you have deleted scenes, commentaries by the Director Richard Donner and a plethora of 30 minute documentaries charting the evolution of the film from script to screen. The thing that I found interesting was that the documentaries showed the techniques that were tested to make Superman fly, from animation to radio controlled human shaped aircraft, also as this is the making of the film there are new interviews with the cast. It is sad to see the late Reeve talking about the film from his wheelchair after his riding accident, especially when you've just watched him playing Superman saving the world and the parts that you see Reeve really does put things into perspective.

Overall this film set the standards for hero movies and something that with Superman has never been equalled since the film was released. With the inclusion of all the Superman elements in a story that is truly faithful to the legacy this film has shown that it can stand the test of time and introduce the iconic hero to a new generation. This easily stands up with The Dark Knight and is much better than Superman Returns as this is the film that raised the bar in terms of film making. One regret I have is that I never saw this film when it was at the cinema, as I would have been five years old at the time. Yet watching it on DVD only makes me want to see this on the big screen.

Summary: Raised the bar for all superhero films.