I just finished watching this one again. Over the years, I’ve seen this film a number of times, each time it is just as good. This movie delivers very well, and is slightly better than the original in my opinion. This is quite unusual, but there are some sequels that outshine the first release. This was directed by Richard Lester and Richard Donner who was uncredited. A number of writers worked on the screenplay which includes Mario Puzo, David Newman, and Leslie Newman. The character writing was done by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Mario Puzo also worked on the story as well.
The original cast returns again which is a wonderful thing. I along with everyone else would not have wanted a new person playing Superman other than the late Christopher Reeve, who will forever be remembered for his role. Margot Kidder returns as well as Lois Lane the reporter who seemingly always gets into some kind of trouble and various situations. Jackie Cooper appears again as Perry White, and Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen.
Ned Beatty also returns as Otis the bumbling stooge sidekick to Lex Luthor played by Gene Hackman the arch enemy of Superman. Valerie Perrine returns as Luthor’s right arm woman named Eve Teschmacher. They cook up a scheme to break out of jail and start to cause more mischief for Superman. That is the least of his problems however, as he faces three new threats from his home planet of Krypton. They are set free from a crazy scenario taking place in Paris, France originally. I will leave out further details you will have to see for yourself. If you have seen the first Superman, then you might remember these criminals. They are played by Terence Stamp as General Zod, he is accompanied by Ursa played by Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran as Non. Together they make a dynamic trio of rival villains.
You will also see a number of other appearances in this such as E.G. Marshall playing the President of the United States, Clifton James as a Sheriff, Susannah York as Lara, Leueen Willoughby as Leueen, and Robin Pappas as Alice. I think this is a landmark film for special effects, and was quite visually appealing as well with the cinematography which was done by Geoffrey Unsworth.
If you enjoy action/adventure movies and comic book characters then you will surely enjoy watching this one. I did, and my wife as well.
I was in the mood to watch a classic, I’m sure many have seen this film before. This is the original Superman release back in 1978. This is another movie where the music done by John Williams is so epic it literally sends a deep ridden chill down your spine with childish delight. For those who watched this many years ago, it will bring back many memories. There of course was a re-make with all the updated effects simply titled: “Superman Returns” (2006) that was directed by Bryan Singer who was responsible for other movies such as X2 the sequel to the X-Men film series. This original version stars one of the greatest single performances in movie history – portrayed by the late Christopher Reeves. His performance in this movie was so incredible it will be tough not to forget him both as a person and actor.
The actor suffered a great tragedy from a horse riding accident in Virginia, USA. This later would lead to a slow death for him. It is not right to watch movie screen heroes die like this. He was taken too quickly in this life. The characters he left behind on screen will forever be endearing to his fans. There are some great scenes in this; my favorite I think was when he saves Lois by turning back time. The character Lois is played by Margot Kidder who also tragically suffered in real life from being in a car accident, and also an unusual disease from using her computer. How strange is that? This lead to her paranoia and then she contracted bipolar disorder. Afterwards, she had massive panic attacks and this resulted in psychological problems for her. Apparently, she left her home and faked her own death and even changed her appearance she later got involved with a mental wellness campaign and is now much better based on what I understand.
Ok, now back to the plot of the film, the planet that Superman hails from is called Krypton which is on the verge of destruction, there are three criminals who are judged and banished from the planet. The council of elders at the planet of Krypton are set in their ways, and refuse to flee from the planet. Superman’s parents are played by the late Marlon Brando as Jor-El and British actress Susannah York who plays his mother Lara. Both of them meet their demise, but are able to save their son in a capsule sending him to Earth. He gains knowledge while traveling through time and space upon his arrival to Earth. When he crash lands, he is found by a remote area in the countryside where the couple adopts him and raises him as their own, he then discovers some of his super powers along the way, but his true test lies ahead when he reaches the age of eighteen.
He decides to set forth to the city of Metropolis where he gets a job as a reporter, and keeps a low profile as Clark Kent his other alias identity later he meets up with Lois, Jimmy Olsen who is played by Marc McClure and Jackie Cooper who plays Perry White the chief at the “The Daily Planet” a newspaper company. He works as a reporter and secretly saves humanity from the likes of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. This character is similar in some regards to Spiderman. (They both work in journalism and are superheroes on the side) On a side note, if you have old comic books lying around best check them out. The first edition where Superman appears in Action Comics issue #1 is worth in mint-near mint condition a whopping $400,000 dollars and the best known copy a 9.2 comic grade rating which a dentist owns who bought it back years ago for $25,000 dollars a coin dealer Jay Parrino offered him $2,000.000 for it. Superman is part of pop culture and probably one of the best known icons in our time. You must watch this movie, it is simply amazing the effects are dated a bit, but look beyond it and enjoy this one! This is a must buy or rental to enjoy with your family. Even the trailer gives me chills, fantastic filmaking!
