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List Price: $39.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 30205
Released: November 28, 2006 |
| Our Price: $9.97 |
| Used Price: $7.35 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
A box-office smash, an Academy Award winner* and a fan favorite since it first flew into theatres in December 1978, Superman: The Movie assembles a cast and creative contingent as only a big movie can. At its heart (just as in three sequels) is Christopher Reeve's intelligent, affectionate portrayal of a most human Man of Steel. Watching Superman again isn't just like being a kid again. It's better. The movie's legacy soared even higher when director Richard Donner revisited this beloved adventure 22 years later and integrated eight minutes into the film. 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. Reeve, 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?
Superman - The Movie (Four-Disc Special Edition) Reviews:
Special edition is not worth the money 
2009-10-14 - Although Superman the Movie is worth watching, I feel I paid too much for this 'Special' edition. The other discs are not worth paying the extra $15 or more dollars - you can purchase the four movie collection for less than 1/2 the price of this edition.
A Man CAN Fly 
2009-08-21 - With the exception of George Reeves from the television series, no one has ever cleary defined a role as greatly as Christopher Reeve (for four films no less)! Until Burton's Batman film 11 years later and more recently The Dark Knight, there has never been an epic superhero film like this. It combines great talent (in front and behind the cameras), great story (with very subtle Biblical references) and amazing special effects. The only aspect of Reeve I don't like (and its probably because of the way the writers wanted) is the portrayal of Clark Kent. I don't like that he portrays him as a bumbling fool. As Superman, he's sincere and honest but the recent animated versions and Reeves' portrayed him as a reporter who can get story and not get intimidated by criminals as easily as these movies (including Returns). Margot Kidder is feisty as Lois Lane (and believeable too, not like Bosworth who looks like she's at the Daily Planet on an internship). Gene Hackman is both lethal and funny as Luthor, able to mix the cruelness of the villain along with the wittiness in his insults to his underlings. The flying sequences are brilliantly done (and continue to get better, until 4 (they liked to use the same shot over and over) and Returns (where almost everything looks CGI, even in the shots that really are Routh, he looks computer generated). The incomprable John Williams again delivers a rousing score. His main theme and the love theme are ones not to be missed.
Great action flick for the Superman series
2009-04-25 - This comic book movie is great. It brings a good start on the Superman series. It shows the origins of Superman. The planet Krypton was destroyed by a supernova. Before the planet's destruction, Jor-El (Marlon Brando) sends his infant son Kal-El to Earth to ensure the survival of the Kryptopian race. The asteroid with him in it landed on Earth three years later, on the farm town Smallville, where he was found by George and Martha Kent, who raised his as Clark Kent. When he turned 18, he discovers his powers, George dies of a heart attack and Clark left Smallville for Metropolis. On the way, he threw a Kryptopian Crystal into the water of the arctic and formed the Fortress of Solitude, where he discovers his true idenity. He trained and developed his powers for eight years and donned the mantle of Superman (Christopher Reeve). He arrived at Metropolis and got a job at the Daily Planet newspaper business, where he met Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Unknown to them, a criminal mastermind Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) begins a sinister plot as we speak.
This was a neat flick to check out. Christopher Reeve fitted the part really well. The visual effects were stunning. The action was neat, as well. This was the best of the original anthology. The second film's theatrical version was also pretty good, but campier than this one. I heard the third and fourth ones suck eggs. It would be 2006 when the second film's Richard Donner Cut and Superman Returns would be a great comeback in the series with Returns being the best in the franchise. They were also dedicated in memory of Reeve as well. The first is still a classic worth seeing.
It doesn't get much better than this!
2009-04-20 - There were super-hero movies before 1978's Superman, and some of them were pretty ok. Heck, there were even a couple Superman films. None were great. There's been many others since, some of which were pretty ok, some were great, and at least one (The Dark Knight), has completely changed the genre.
But the first real genre changer was Superman.
The plot for the film is somewhat minimalistic, centering around a first act introducing our character, a second act showing him in Metropolis and a third act thwarting Lex Luthor's evil scheme to... er... get real estate. Ahem. Apparently taking Ted Turner's methods and simply buying most of Wyoming didn't appeal.
Needless to say in the real world his plan to drop California into the ocean and create water front property from desert would not work (dropping a nuke on the San Andreas fault would inconvenience anyone nearby for a nanosecond, but it wouldn't start an earthquake. Continental plates are huge). But really, the plot is secondary to the characters, and as embodied by actors such as Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman, the characters really come alive, especially Superman/Clark Kent, played by then-unknown actor Christopher Reeve.
What can be said about Reeve's performance? In many ways it makes the film. He's entirely convincing as both Superman and Clark Kent. It's hard to be convincing as the hero and the secret identity, as learned by, for example, Brandon Routh in the disastrous Superman Returns, and along with Christian Bale and Toby McGuire, Reeve is one of the few to find the balance needed to play both. Reeve's performance in the film was in fact so iconic that DC Comics began to draw Superman to look more like Christopher Reeve and even now, over a generation since the film came out, Reeve is, and will always be, Superman to many people.
The performance is far from the only iconic thing about the film. Remember John Williams' score for the movie? I bet you do. I bet right now the theme is playing through your head. So popular was that music that it was reused for Superman Returns, giving the film at least a few good points amongst the dross. Heck, much as I'm not big on the "can you read my mind?" song, I gotta admit, it sticks with you.
The screenplay is also quite sharp and entertaining. To this day if you're around a certain sort of person and say, "Don't worry; I've got you," they'll say back, "You've got me? Who's got you?!" It's also fun to see the level of cynicism displayed by the various people at the Daily Planet over this big, flying Boy Scout. The movie was made in the late 1970's, after all, and the attitudes reflect that.
The tagline for the movie was "You'll Believe a Man Can Fly", and you know what? That's pretty damn accurate. The flying effects hold up well even though, though some of the other effects suffer. Now it's quite common to see people on screen flying all over the place, but this was the first movie to really do justice to human flight.
The film is not without flaws. As I mentioned, the plot is paper thin, but it gets the job done, and Ned Beatty's character is a needless distraction. Despite that, it's a movie I still watch and enjoy from time-to-time, remembering when I was a little boy, amazed at seeing that a man could fly.
A Pure Superhero
2008-12-15 - In today's Hollywood, the superhero movie is a changing breed. Films like "The Dark Knight" and "Hancock" are taking a reality-based approach to our heroes, portraying them as tortured souls who save lives out of anger or emotion, not because it is their sacred duty. Fortunately, the first "Superman" film passes the test of time as a testament to old-school superheroes...men and women that truly can be admired.
Now, don't get me wrong...I consider "Dark Knight" to be perhaps the most complete film I have seen so far in my lifetime. However, after watching "Superman: The Movie" for the ump-teenth time (although this time with my 10-year old sister who was viewing the movie for the first time), I was struck by the purity of the Superman character. Whether he was rescuing a bus full of children, apprehending a petty burglar, matching wits with arch-enemy Lex Luthor, or taking time to swoop down and nab a little girl's kitten stuck up in a tree, Superman always strived to do what was ethically and morally right. I actually got a chill down my spine when Supes proclaims to Lois Lane that he stands for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way".
Besides the symbolism of the Superman character, the film itself is also quite compelling. It really can be broken down into three acts:
Act one focuses on Superman's doomed home planet of Krypton. The interesting visuals and cinematography of those scenes are some of the best the film has to offer.
Act Two features a young Clark Kent as he lands on Earth, is raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent, experiments with his super abilities, and ultimately learns of his Kryptonian heritage via a trip to the Arctic.
The longest, and final, act of the film finally introduces the blue-and-red suited caped hero we all know. Key themes of this act include Superman becoming the hero of Metropolis, his burgeoning love for Lois Lane, and the penultimate battle to stop the latest diabolical scheme of Lex Luthor.
The acting is also superb through-and-through. There will likely never be another Clark/Superman as heroic as Christopher Reeve, while Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, and Marlon Brando as Lois, Lex, and Jor-El (Superman's biological father), respectively, help to make the movie even more engaging.
Finally, though many Superman fans may debate me on this, I also enjoyed the comedic touches of this film. Though admirable, the "Boy-Scout" aspect of Superman is, at times, a bit overdone, so the injection of small humorous moments is a welcome respite. Plus, children (like my sister!) will find Lex's comically inept henchman Otis (played by Ned Beatty) to be the highlight of the whole experience!
There are not too many films worthy of a permanent place in my DVD library, but "Superman: The Movie" is one that definitely will be around my home for as long as I am. I recommend this exciting, intriguing, inspiring movie to anyone...period.
