The Low Down on Superman Movies

Zack Snyder’s 21st century take on Superman opens in theaters today.  The character, generally considered the first super hero as we know them today, is celebrating 75 years since his first appearance in Action Comics #1.  He helped to kick off the super hero movie genre which has become a dominant force at the box office in recent years.  And by this point, there have been enough Superman movies to form a mini-genre dedicated to the Man of Steel.

superman and the mole men

The first live-action Superman movies were serials in 1948 and 1950.  Somewhere in my basement, I have a cheap VHS copy of them I have never watched.  I know the Batman serial has some pretty overtly racist material that was very of its time.  Superman’s first full length feature was Superman and the Mole Men starring George Reeves.  It was essentially a trial run for the Superman TV show which would be popular in the 50s.

superman-the-movie

In 1978, Richard Donner brought Superman to the big screen in Superman: the Movie.  They actually subtitled it “the movie” so audiences would realize that this was the big time.  Hollywood heavyweights Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman were cast as Jor-el and Lex Luthor respectively to lend the movie some credibility.  Because back then, when people thought of super heroes they had images of the Biff-Bam-Pow Batman series of the 60s.

The Superman movie almost went the same way.  Producers Alexander  and Ilya Salkind had originally envisioned a campy Superman.  Originally, James Bond director, Guy Hamilton was signed on to direct when the film was going to be shot in Italy.  But the location changed to England because Brando had an outstanding warrant out for his arrest in Italy due to his racy film, The Last Tango in Paris.  Hamilton was a tax exile in England and had to drop out.

That opened the door for Donner to direct.  Donner wanted to do a faithful adaptation of Superman which was unheard of at the time.  He hired his friend Tom Mankiewicz to rewrite the silly script which had been previously written by Godfather writer, Mario Puzo.

When it came time to cast Superman, Donner insisted on having an unknown.  He didn’t think audiences would buy a star like Clint Eastwood or Burt Reynolds in the tights.  Pretty much any one who was a lead actor in the 70s was considered for the role.  At one point,  Ilya Salkind’s wife’s dentist was screen tested.

Superman - Reeve

Eventually, Donner found an unkown who was perfect for the role.  The actor’s name was Christopher Reeve, a classically trained actor who attended Cornell and Juilliard.  The only problem was that Reeve was a tall, skinny actor.  Donner cast Reeve with the idea that he would put him in a fake muscle suit.  But Reeve refused.  He started training with Darth Vader actor, David Prowse to bulk up for the role.

I’ll lay all my cards on the table.  I was nearly 8 years old when Superman the Movie was released.  So it’s probably unavoidable that Christopher Reeve is my Superman.  No other actor will ever embody the character the way Reeve did for me and still does.  I can’t strip away that bias.  But I think even if I were able to somehow look at Reeve’s performance objectively, it’s hard to argue that his Superman is anything but the definitive take on the character.  Not only did he make you believe a man could fly, he made you believe people would be fooled by Clark Kent’s glasses.

superman the movie train

Donner shot Superman the Movie and its sequel, Superman II back-to-back.  All the while, tensions escalated between Donner and the Salkinds.  Specifically, they fought over the budget.  Eventually, Donner had to cease work on Superman II in order to get the first movie finished in time for its December release.

This also meant making some changes to the script.  Originally, Superman the Movie was going to end with Superman throwing Lex Luthor’s nuclear missiles into space inadvertently freeing General Zod from the Phantom Zone.  The ending would have been a cliff-hanger with Zod, Non and Ursa flying to earth as a tease for Superman II.

But Donner needed Superman to be a hit and was worried that the cliff-hanger ending would disappoint audiences.  So he took the ending that was planned for Superman II in which Superman reverses time and he applied it to the first film.  He reasoned that he would come up with a new ending for the sequel when he got back to work on it.

Donner’s Superman was a hit with critics and audiences alike.   The movie has its flaws.  The tone is uneven.  Lex Luthor’s bad guy plot makes absolutely no sense at all.  But few super hero movies can match it for charm and earnestness – two traits I find lacking in most modern entries in the genre.

Also, I refuse to move on without mentioning John Williams’ Superman score.  Wow.  Donner often tells the story of the first time he heard it and how amazed he was because it sounds like the music proclaims “Superman”.  The tag line to Superman the Movie was “You will believe a man can fly.”  And that promise was kept largely based on Williams’ soaring score.  Any time I hear it, it brings a big, goofy smile to my face.

superman 2

After the success of Superman the Movie, Donner was ready to get back to work on Superman II.  However, the Salkinds had an axe to grind with him after than many disputes over the budget.  So they replaced Donner with director Richard Lester.

Lester was famous for having directed the Beatles’ film, A Hard Day’s Night, and he had worked with the Salkinds before on the 1973 version of The Three Musketeers and the 1974 sequel, The Four Musketeers.  The Salkinds thought Lester’s light touch was more in line with their sensibilities.

Donner had already shot as much as 75% of Superman II.  In order to be considered the director, it was required that Lester shoot at least 50% of the film.  So the Salkinds approved reshoots of much of what Donner had already completed.  Gene Hackman refused, so any scene in which Lex Luthor appears was shot by Donner or used a stand-in.

 Terence Stamp image Superman 2 General Zod

Lester added in his own touches which are easily identifiable.  All the comedic bits with a big mute who can’t figure out how to use his powers came from Lester.  The slapstick during the big fight scene in the streets of Metropolis are pure Lester.  And the infamous memory-erasing superkiss Clark uses to make Lois forget his secret identity was from Lester as well.

Like a lot of people, I am somewhat critical of what Lester brought to the Superman franchise.  But I have to give him a bit of a pass on the super kiss.  Donner had already used the film’s intended ending which would have conveniently returned the villains to the Phantom Zone while erasing Superman’s time with Lois.  It’s not like he could use time travel all over again.  So he didn’t have a whole lot of options.  Still, the super kiss is like Kryptonian ruffies.

When it was released in 1980, Superman II received positive reviews and was a hit at the box office despite the behind-the-scenes difficulties.  Over the years, various versions of the film have been shown on TV including some of Donner’s footage which was cut for the theatrical release.  Eventually, fans made an attempt to create a cut that was as faithful as possible to Donner’s original vision.

The fan cut of Superman II was passed around as a bootleg video for many years before Warner Bros finally commissioned an official Richard Donner cut.  Unfortunately, Donner never got to shoot all of his version of the movie.  So the Donner cut is a patchwork quilt of a movie.  It uses footage from Christopher Reeve’s screen test, as little of Lester’s footage as possible, and resuses the ending of Superman the Movie (which was originally intended to be the ending of Superman II anyway.)

superman 3

Emboldened by the success of Superman II, the Salkinds enlisted Lester to direct Superman III.  For the third film in the franchise, the Salkinds and Lester had a clean slate to make their kind of Superman movie without Donner’s insistence on ” verisimilitude”.

Left to his own devices, Ilya Salkind came up with a truly bizarre treatment for Superman III.  His version included comic book villains Brainiac and Mr. Mxyzptlk along with Supergirl.  This might sound awesome, but Salkind’s take on the characters departed greatly from the source material.

In Salkind’s treatment, Brainiac finds Supergirl as a baby and raises her as his own just as the Kents raised Clark.  But then the surrogate father falls in love with his adopted daughter who is in turn in love with Superman.  Mr. Mxyzptlk figures into the mess as a much more malevolent character than the imp portrayed in the comics.

Warner Brothers shot down Salkind’s treatment, but elements of the Brainiac story crept into the final version of the film which instead focused on computers.  Or at least computers as they were understood in the early 1980’s which were essentially seen as magic boxes capable of turning women into cyborgs and controlling the weather.

superman 3 richard pryor

At the time, Richard Pryor was reinventing his image.  Up until then, he had been known as a raunchy comedian.  But in the 80’s, he started making family friendly comedies (if The Toy can be considered family friendly as opposed to overtly racist and insultingly stupid.)

Pryor appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and he did a little bit on Superman.  He goofed around with a makeshift cape much as he does in Superman III.  He told Carson he was a Superman fan which lead to him being cast in a significant role in the next movie.

Lester’s finger-prints are all over the third Superman movie which opens with a Rube Golberg-like series of slapstick over the opening credits.  As a director, he had a very improvisational style and tried to ramp up the comedic elements.  He asked Pryor to improvise a scene in which he goofed around with a cape much like he did on The Tonight Show before skiing off the roof of a building.  Pryor himself did not think the bit was funny, but Lester insisted.

superman 3 lana

Superman III also saw a change in Superman’s love interest.  Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane is written off early in the film.  She is sent to Bermuda on assignment not to be seen again until just before the closing credits.  Kidder attributed this move to punishment for comments she made criticizing the Salkinds for replacing Donner on Superman II.  The Salkinds have denied that this was their motivation.

Instead, Clark rekindles an old flame in Smallville with his high school sweetheart, Lana Lang.  Lana is played by Annette O’Toole who would go on to play Martha Kent on the TV show, Smallville.  The sweet scenes between Reeve and O’Toole are some of the best in the movie.

When Superman III was released, it couldn’t help but disappoint fans of the more serious Donner movie and the sequel which was largely influenced by Donner’s work.  Reviews were mixed to negative and the movie disappointed at the box office.

I recently revisited the movie and found that despite its many flaws (most of them involving shoe-horning Pryor into the proceedings), there is a lot to like.  There is an extended sequence in which Superman is turned into a jerk by synthetic Kryptonite (don’t ask).  Reeve plays the scenes with just the right amount of menace to make them work.  This is arguably his best and most nuanced performance in the Superman series even if the movie he’s starring in isn’t very good.

 supergirl poster

The Salkinds also owned the rights to Supergirl who they had tried to include in Superman III.  When that didn’t pan out, they decided to develop a spin-off movie for the character.

Christopher Reeve was supposed to make a cameo appearance in the movie to lend the spin-off some credibility.  But Reeve, who was constantly worried about the kind of type-casting that effectively ended George Reeves’ career, bowed out early.  Instead, it is explained off camera that Superman is on a peace-keeping mission in space.

A photo of Reeve as Superman can be seen in the background.  Also, Marc McClure who played Jimmy Olsen in the first three Superman movies agreed to reprise his role for the spin-off.   Demi Moore was originally cast as Lois Lane’s sister, Lucy Lane, but she had to drop out due to other commitments.  Lucy was played by Maureen Teefy.

The plot to Supergirl is incomprehensible.  It involves some kind of magic device called the Omegahedron and a witch played by Faye Dunaway.  The Salkinds originally wanted Dolly Parton for the role, but she refused to play a witch under any circumstances.

For the role of Supergirl’s mentor, the Salkinds  approached Dudely Moore (whom they had wanted to cast as Mr. Mxyzptlk in Superman III).  Moore turned down the role, but suggested his old TV partner, Peter Cook.  The mentor role was eventually played by Peter O’Toole, but Cook was cast as Dunaway’s henchman.  Even the casting for this movie is confusing.

supergirl - slater

Ilya Salkind wanted to cast  Melanie Griffith or Brooke Shields as the Girl of Steel.  But ultimately, the decision was made to cast an unkown as they had with Reeve.  Helen Slater was selected for what everyone assumed would be a star-making role.  Especially Slater who reportedly let the part go to her head.

Unfortunately for Slater, Supergirl opened to terrible reviews and flopped at the box office.  After the disappointment of Superman III and the failure of Supergirl, the Salkinds decided to get out of the Superman movie business.

superman 4 poster

The Salkinds sold their Superman film rights to Cannon Films.  Cannon was known for cranking out low-budget action films in the 80s.  Cannon decided to try to change their image by making a big budget Superman movie.  They promised Reeve story input plus the production of any non-Superman movie of his choice to reprise his role.  Reeve accepted and Cannon produced the crime drama, Street Smart, for him to star in.

Reeve did not want to make a silly Superman movie like Superman III was.  So he came up with the idealistic notion of Superman trying to prevent the threat of nuclear war which was a very pressing concern in 1987.  It was an interesting idea that was executed terribly.  Cannon Films ran out of money early in production and began cutting costs left and right.  A scene in which Superman was supposed to address the UN in New York was filmed in a municipal auditorium in Canada to save money.

The plot centered around Lex Luthor (a returning Gene Hackman’s) attempt to corner the market on nuclear weapons.  He uses a strand of Superman’s DNA to create an evil clone named Nuclear Man.  Originally, Reeve was supposed to play the role along with his dual roles of Clark Kent and Superman.  But when that proved too expensive, the role was recast with actor Mark Pillow and Gene Hackman’s voice dubbed over.

Everything about Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is laughably incompetent.  Reeve pulled co-star Jon Cryer aside before the premiere to warn him that the movie was terrible.  The one thing that makes the movie worth watching is the chance to see Reeve, Hackman and Kidder reprising their roles one last time.  The performances from the regulars are universally great.  But the movie is so dreadful, you’re better off just watching Superman: the Movie again.

superboy

Reviews were terrible and the movie flopped.  The Superman film series went dormant for many, many years.  The character still remained vital in pop culture though.  From 1988-1992, there was a syndicated show focusing on the adventures of Superboy, a young Superman.  Basically the show was the 80’s version of Smallville with young Clark in tights.

lois and clark

From 1993-1997, Dean Cain played Superman on the TV show, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  The show downplayed the adventures and played up the central romance between Superman/Clark and Lois.  It’s no coincidence Terri Hatcher’s Lois Lane got top billing in the show’s title.  Her sexy take on Lois stole the show.

For a while, the quirky take on the Superman myth was a hit.  But gradually the show slid from goofy fun into just plain goofy.  Audiences got frustrated with the lack of a real threat for Superman to face and the increasingly ridiculous roadblocks used to keep Lois and Clark apart.

smallville

In 2001, Superman returned to the small screen on the WB’s Smallville.  Like Superboy, the show told the adventures of a young Clark Kent.  However, unlike Superboy, this Clark Kent was not allowed to don his super hero costume or to fly.  Early on, the show was basically a rip-off of the WB’s hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer with its monster-of-the-week format.  Some citizen of Smallville would gain super powers from a “meteor rock” (Kryptonite to you and me).

Amazingly, the show lasted ten seasons finally ending its run on the rebranded CW network in 2011.  Over that time, the show changed in many ways from its coming of age story.  Tom Welling, who played young Clark, was in this thirties by the time the show ended.  Which made the idea that he was not yet Superman increasingly ridiculous.

smallville jla

Also, just about every character in the DC Universe who was not related to Batman or Wonder Woman eventually showed up as guest star at some point.  So the character who is credited as the world’s first superhero was depicted as a latecomer on the TV show.  Still, you can’t argue with the show’s success which paved the way for Arrow, and Aquaman pilot and possible a Wonder Woman show down the line.

Over the years between Superman IV and Superman Returns, several attempts were made to bring the character back to the big screen.  When Cannon went bankrupt, the rights reverted back to the Salkinds who came up with an idea for a fifth Superman movie.  Ilya Salkind came up with a death and resurrection story which predated the famous Death of Superman story from the comics.

The success of the Death of Superman prompted Warner Brothers to revisit the Superman franchise.  In an early draft of Superman Reborn, Superman dies fighting Doomsday.  As he passes, his life force jumps into Lois Lane and impregnates her.  Her baby ages at an increased rate to be the new Superman.

Evntually, Kevin Smith was brought into to do a rewrite on the project now called Superman Lives.  I’ll just let Smith tell the story.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgYhLIThTvk]

Thankfully, Superman Lives died a quick death when Warner Brother’s rejected Tim Burton’s $200 million dollar budget.

By that time, Warner Brothers’ Batman franchise had also died out.  There was talk of rebooting both franchises with Batman Vs. Superman.  There was also a competing screenplay by JJ Abrams called Superman: Flyby.  Thankfully, none of these movies were made as everything I have read about them makes them seem awful.

Superman_Returns

Superman finally did return to the big screen in 2006 in Bryan Singer’s ode to Richard Donner, Superman Returns.

At the time, Singer had been very successful at Fox with the first two X-Men movies.  So it was a major coup when Warner Bros was able to steal him away to reboot their Superman franchise.  Unfortunately, this turned into a lose/lose proposition.  The third X-Men film directed by Brett Ratner (who was at one point attached to Superman) was a mess and Singer’s Superman was a disappointment.

Prior to Superman Returns, I did not think it was possible to be too devoted to Donner’s Superman.  But Singer proved me wrong.  Reusing John Williams’ score is one thing.  But making a movie that serves as a follow-up to 1980’s Superman II and having Brandon Routh impersonate Christopher Reeve while repeating some of the original dialogue went a few steps too far.

Superman Returns was a noble effort.  But the film makes so many mis-steps it’s a wonder anyone approved it.  First, the film follows-up on the icky “super kiss” from Superman II.  The plot has Superman knocking up Lois Lane, erasing her memory of their relationship and then flying off into space for several years.  When he returns, Superman is a dead beat dad who uses his super powers to stalk his ex.

Additionally, Singer overplays the Christ imagery.  Yes, there has always been an element of Superman as savior.  Donner used it too.  But Superman has always had more in common with Moses than Jesus.  Having Superman assume a crucifixion pose before dying and rising from the dead to save the day was a bit much.

But the movie’s biggest sin was that it was boring.  Singer made a 2 1/2 hour Superman movie in which Superman does not throw a single punch.  The movie does contain one incredible rescue scene.  But beyond that, it’s a bit of a snooze.  And the scene in which Lex Luthor’s thugs beat down Superman brutally goes on so long it becomes comical.  I have heard fans refer to the scene as “The Passion of the Superman”.

Superman Returns got mixed to negative reviews.  It did reasonably well at the box office, but fell short of the studio’s expectations.  Planned sequels were canceled as Warner Bros went back to the drawing board.

man of steel flying

After Superman Returns disappointed, Singer returned to the X-Men fanchise for the currently filming sequel, Days of Future Past.  Warner Brothers turned to director Christopher Nolan who had successfully rebooted their Batman franchise with Batman Begins.  Nolan wasn’t interested in directed a Superman movie, but he did agree to produce Man of Steel with Watchmen director, Zack Snyder, helming.

Reviews so far are mixed.  The movie avoids the sins of Superman Returns.  In Man of Steel, Henry Cavill’s Superman throws lots and lots of punches.  But many critics claim the movie goes overboard and turns into an empty summer movie spectacle without the heart of what made the original film so good.

I have been trying to keep my expectations of the film to a minimum as I don’t want to be disappointed.  The lukewarm reviews definitely help with that.  I probably won’t run out to see the movie tonight as I had originally intended.  But you can expect a review from me later this weekend.  I’m too big of a Superman fan miss it.

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Jake
Jake
10 years ago

“Audiences got frustrated with the lack of a real threat for Superman to face and the increasingly ridiculous roadblocks used to keep Lois and Clark apart.” EXACTLY!!! Lois & Clark’s Executive Producer Robert Singer said that the show lost viewers because the title characters got hitched, but those of us with something between the ears know it was for the exact opposite reason. The lovebirds were supposed to be married in a Feb. 1996 episode, but TPTB, in a move that would prove worse than that shower thing on Dallas, basically told the loyal viewers “F*** YOU!” by having Clark… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Jake

I almost wrote about the marriage bait and switch. But I didn’t want to go too far down that hole given that the article was really about Superman on the big screen. I remember it well. Anyone who watched Lois and Clark felt burned. After a long build up, they hyped the hell out of that first wedding episode. So when it turned out to be bogus, you couldn’t help but feel betrayed. And then they built up to it again with a “no really, it’s for real this time”. Fool me once… I haven’t revisited the show since it… Read more »

Edward Hotspur
10 years ago

That’s a lot of Superman.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Edward Hotspur

It is. And I left out quite a bit more. If I would have gone into animation and video games, we’d have been here all week! Sadly, the live action stuff is a very mixed bag.

Edward Hotspur
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

It’s odd that companies keep remaking the same movies within a few years of each other – mostly Superman and Hulk

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Edward Hotspur

Here is how the studios work today. They aren’t interested in low-to-mid-budget movies. They only want to be in the tent pole business. That means pre-sold concepts like sequels, adaptations and super heroes. They know there is an audience for Superman, Hulk etc. If they swing and miss, they want another turn at bat. Eventually, they’ll get a solid hit and start up the sequel machine. Even the misses still make some money. So it’s a pretty safe bet for them. Warner Bros is in a bit of a pickle. For decades, they owned the super hero genre and now… Read more »

Edward Hotspur
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Every single superhero in existence will eventually get a shot, just in case. They’ll reboot Green Lantern. They’ll do Wonder Woman. Aquaman will be in a team. Hell, I’d be surprised if they didn’t do the Wonder Twins.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

“Superman Returns” was a huge missed opportunity. After almost a 20 year absence from the big screen, I think most people wanted to see a fresh take on Superman instead of the weird reboot/sequel to the first two Christopher Reeve movies/remake of the 1978 Superman movie that Bryan Singer (who was given way too much creative control to the detriment of the movie) gave us. With all of the advances in technology since the last time that we saw Superman on the big screen in 1987, one would think that we could logically get a bigger more action-filled spectacle, instead… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

I wrote a long response basically agreeing with you while adding a few points of my own. Then I accidentally deleted it. Sigh. I’m off to see Man of Steel. I’ll post more on Superman Returns after posting my Man of Steel review this afternoon.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

What was wrong with Superman Returns? http://officialfan.proboards.com/thread/469105/wrong-superman-returns Mar 27, 2013 at 5:29pm QuotePost by wallabylikeyou on Mar 27, 2013 at 5:29pm Superman acts like a creepy weirdo instead of, you know Superman. Kate Bosworth was pretty miscast. It wasn’t too exciting outside of the legitimately great crashing plane scene and it was too in awe of the old Superman movies. Mar 27, 2013 at 5:29pm QuotePost by Jedi-El (not an accountant) on Mar 27, 2013 at 5:29pm I loved it, but there were a few things wrong – Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, that was a casting mistake. I originally… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Brandon Routh on the negative reaction to Superman Returns:
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/superman/32144/brandon-routh-on-the-negative-reaction-to-superman-returns

If people don’t like Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, they’re sure not saying it to Brandon Routh’s face…

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Whatever Happened To….?

http://forums.boxofficetheory.com/index.php?/topic/13493-whatever-happened-to/page-4#entry1211097

Brandon Routh actually didn’t do all that bad as Superman. Unfortunately for him, everyone wanted a clean break from any previous adaptation. He kind of became the Jake Lloyd equivalent from the Superman series, where fan anger was misdirected towards him.

Almost everyone else has rebuilt their careers following Superman Returns. Only Routh and Bosworth (who, on the other hand did an awful job in the movie) have been cast aside.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Superman Commentary Podcast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeFQWJ0dKYY

Superman 2 Commentary Podcast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS1IoYXUWS4

Superman 3 Commentary Podcast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnotFS9oazE

Superman 4 Commentary Podcast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90hvCv-ddrc

Superhero Rewind: Richard Donner’s Superman Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Za2r0OeHfc

Superhero Rewind: Superman 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mbVaWGWU-4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_WqoJLDrzA

Superhero Rewind: Superman 2 The Donner Cut Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDIP6Aml8qw

Superhero Rewind: Superman 3 Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CnCGD7T_T0

Superhero Rewind: Supergirl Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NF5o8M-SH8

Superhero Rewind: Superman 4 Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfZGFM-jPkI

Superhero Rewind: Superman Returns Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOr1CbyG9so

Superman Returns Addendum (Superhero Rewind):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nit8TyzkQds

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

75 Years of Superman: Why Bryan Singer Shouldn’t Have Made ‘Superman Returns’: http://cinematicfrontier.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/why-bryan-singer-shouldnt-have-made-superman-returns-part-one/ “Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” Superman did indeed make a return to cinemas around the world in the summer of 2006, but not as triumphantly as he should have. Co-financed by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures (with Warner Bros. handling the theatrical and home video releases), Superman Returns was directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men), written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (X2: X-Men United), and based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. It… Read more »

Cliffnnj
Cliffnnj
10 years ago

Excellent history of the Superman film and video portrayals. There were serial episodes in the forties also. Seen some in other histories of superman. But from someone whose image of superman was formed by George Reeves (and yes I do recall “The Mole Men” in the theaters) many thanks for a well written history.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Cliffnnj

Glad you liked it. From one Superman fan to another. I remember watching the George Reeves Superman on TV in reruns. At some point, I saw the Mole Men on TV as well. The show really held up well.

cinemarchaeologist
10 years ago

Nice to revisit a lot of this. We’re about the same age, and I really miss the days when John Williams was a great composer and movies slapped “The Movie” in as a subtitle. That isn’t just nostalgia–it really was a special time for movies. I’m as big a fan of the original Donner picture as lives. One of the things I’ve always found astonishing is that critics, at the time, were merely lukewarm on the movie. Later, they tried to make up for it by praising to high heavens the substandard patchwork sequel. For decades, you would see SII… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

9 Movie Reboots That Were Actually Just Ripoffs: http://whatculture.com/film/9-movie-reboots-that-were-actually-just-ripoffs.php/9 1. Superman Returns Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind Superman Returns, but in setting itself up as a direct sequel to the original film, it’s a bit of a cheeky one given how closely much of its excessively-long run-time follows the narrative schematic of the first film. Here’s just a few of the ways Returns rips off Richard Donner’s original; we have Lex Luthor’s goofy real estate scheme, near-verbatim dialogue between Luthor and Kitty being lifted from Luthor and Teschmacher’s chat in the original, Supes saving an airplane with Lois… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Why the audience didn’t need Superman Returns (2006)

http://www.agonybooth.com/movies/Superman_Returns_2006.aspx

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

There is some nostalgia there. But you’re right. It was a special time for movies. I’m sure you saw the recent interview with Spielberg and Lucas where they predict an implosion in the industry. It’s in a sorry state these days. Man of Steel is a Superman movie for these times which means it is cold, cynical and full of CGI. It doesn’t have half the charm and magic of the original. As a kid, I did prefer Superman II. I probably held on to this opinion through my 20s. As I got older, my appreciation of the first film… Read more »

frug
frug
10 years ago

Fantastic article as always, but a minor nitpick

Superman Returns got mixed to negative reviews.

The reviews for Superman Returns were actually very positive. It is at 75% on RT and 72 (indicating “Generally favorable reviews”) at Metacritic.

This doesn’t mean the movie wasn’t still a disappointment (you need no further proof than the fact that WB chose not to make any sequels and then rebooted the franchise 7 years later), but it was much better received than most people remember.

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10 years ago
Reply to  frug

You’re right. I need to update that. Thanks!

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

The CineFiles Discuss The Superman Movies Of Christopher Reeve:
http://thisisinfamous.com/the-cinefiles-discuss-the-superman-movies-of-christopher-reeve/

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

What if Christopher Reeve’s Superman shared the same universe/continuity as Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman and Michael Keaton’s Batman:comment image

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) and the Comics: http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=2270 Superman IV was produced at the height of the Cold War and reflects the fears many people had at the time regarding the threat of nuclear war. The central plot sees the Man of Steel vowing to rid the Earth of all nuclear weapons in the hopes of preventing such a conflict from occurring. The film’s central themes are similar to those explored in ‘The Day the Earth Died!’ (Superman #408, June 1985). This story sees Superman mulling over the prospect of nuclear war and considering whether or not… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Superman III (1983) and the Comics: http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=2253 Let’s start off by adressing the biggest criticism people hurl at this movie – Richard Pryor. Superman III was produced during the Bronze Age era. It was very common in comics of that vintage to showcase a guest star who would propel much of the plot. He would serve as a device to get other elements of the plot moving rather than acting as a villain (although sometimes that was the case). Here are just a few examples: Superman v1 #253 (Billy Anders) Superman v1 #261 (Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire) Superman v1 #262 (Paul… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Superman II (1980) and the Comics: http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=2404.0 As I mentioned in the Superman: The Movie (1978) thread, Mario Puzo spent several days at the offices of DC Comics researching the Superman mythology. He plotted the first two Superman movies at the same time, so if you’re interested in reading more about his research then check out our Superman: The Movie analysis here: http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=2197.0 One storyline in particular which seems to have heavily influenced Superman II is the Phantom Zone arc that ran from Action Comics #471-473 (May-July 1977). This storyline was notable for introducing the female Phantom Zone criminal Faora… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Superman: The Movie (1978) and the Comics: http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=2197.0 Superman: The Movie (1978) and the Comics The makers of this film were definitely familiar with the source material. Academy Award winning writer Mario Puzo was hired to write the script and producer Pierre Spengler recalls him researching the comics in You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman (2006): Quote "[Puzo] spent a few days at DC comics with the editors there, and looked at their archives and immediately picked a few things that he felt would be very cinematic." Comic book writer Elliot S. Maggin was amongst the people at… Read more »

Eliseu O Calvo
9 years ago

First of all, i think you have a great blog here. I really like it. I’ve been visiting this site for quite a while, but it’s the first time I write a comment here. And it’s going to be an awkward one, actually, a creepy one. Even though I’m a Batman fan, i really like Superman. To be fair, I think no one will ever best Cristopher Reeves in a superhero role, not even Christian Bale. And the Superman theme song is the best one ever. I know you got disappointed after watching Superman Returns, because the movie gave the… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The Superman movies paved the way for comic-book blockbusters: http://www.avclub.com/article/superman-movies-paved-way-comic-book-blockbusters-214407 Among superheroes, Superman has an unenviable case of oldest-sibling syndrome: He gets to, but also has to, try everything first. He was the first comic-book hero to assume such a massive array of powers, the first to get his own weekly TV series, and, naturally, the first to appear in a modern big-budget superhero movie. Superman and Batman had both appeared in radio, serials, TV shows, and cartoons well before 1978, but that year’s Superman (advertised as Superman: The Movie) was a post-Star Wars blockbuster, recruiting the likes of Marlon… Read more »

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
9 years ago

Superman: The Movie was a legitimate big blockbuster in 1978. It was very well-regarded at the time as a crowd pleaser, too. Even Superman II followed suit, also becoming one of the biggest hit movies of the year later in 1981. With that in mind, it has always surprised me that movie studios didn’t try to bring other big-name superhero characters to the big screen in the immediate years after Superman’s huge big-screen success. Especially when you see how after Jaws’ blockbuster success you had a bunch of knock-offs in the immediate years (Orca, Piranha, etc.) and after Star Wars’… Read more »

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9 years ago
Reply to  Craig Hansen

There’s some reasons for that. Hollywood tried to capitalize on Superman, but they didn’t distinguish between super heroes and other comic strip characters. They saw Popeye as an equivalent character. And Popeye didn’t do so well. Special effects weren’t where they needed to be to easily make super hero movies and most studio execs still saw comic books in terms of the 60s Batman show. I read an interview with the guy who bought the rights to Batman from WB. He said he got them for a song because no one was interested in making a Batman movie. Problem was,… Read more »

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