Is Superman (1978) the Best Super Hero Movie Ever?

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I am sure there have been other threads on this . . .

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Yes, there have been other threads on this. Anyway, Superman 2 is better than Superman 1.

I'm biased as I was born too late to appreciate the original Superman movies. I could never get into the campy, Mr. Perfection version and they're just dated in general. That's why I'm looking forward to Man of Steel so much as I'm hoping it will finally be a Superman film I can enjoy.

No. It's not even as good as Superman 2. Which isn't even as good as Batman.

Well, everything is dated. I am talking about overall. I think you have to consider the time that a movie came out and put it in context.

Still, the overall feel of the story was really good. It moved slow enough to let the story develop. Movies now have so many special effects so fast that the story is often weaker - the Nolan Batman movies excepted.

The Man of Steel might replace the original Donner film. We'll see.

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I could never get into the campy, Mr. Perfection version

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I could and did. That's part of what makes Superman such an iconic and great hero.

Superman and his great morality is what humanity aspires to be but really can't get over the hump so we have this character here to remind us of that.

But in no way am I not looking forward to MoS. I'm looking forward to seeing the character development Kal-El, Clark Kent and Superman will be going through. I'm hoping to see some great emotional journey and the mental strides he makes on his way to becoming Superman. I'm excited to see what direction this movie will be going.

Anyway, Christopher Reeve was the quintessential Supes and he did an near perfect job with the character. I'm of the opnion that Henry Cavill shouldn't try to mimic him but give us his own brand of Supes. I wouldn't try to play it like Reeve did. Reeve's take is best left alone.

Christopher Reeve was a great Superman.

Yep. All that. It was groundbreaking and heartfelt when it was released. Nothing like it had come before. I remember sitting in the theatre with my dad and I just couldn't calm down. From the old newsreel images to start to Krypton's explosion, nothing had ever made we want to be so good. Christopher Reeve was why it worked, his earnestness was real and it was felt all over the world. I'm just as excited about MOS although my enjoying that will in no way diminish Donner's Superman.

I still ask myself sometimes: WWSD?

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Absolutely. Can't beat Christopher Reeve

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Horses disagree

One of the best. Great jor el and Idk if reeves can be topped. I loved his smallvile scenes with pa kent

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Is Superman (1978) the Best Super Hero Movie Ever?

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No. I'm 42...I was 8 when the Donner/Reeves movie came out and I LOVED the shite out of it. Loved the second one, too.

But you know what...I watched it within the past couple of months with my two young sons, and I no longer felt it held up. Not just because the effects were terrible. Not just because of terrible casting like Margot Kidder's incredibly bad Lois Lane. Not even Gene Hackman's scenery chewing Lex. Mostly because of really shitty dialog and two terrible plots.

In retrospect, the only really good thing about those movies was Christopher Reeves...who WAS Superman. It's one of the main beefs I had with the last Superman movie...in that they tried desperately to recapture the Donner look and feel which I think aged poorly.

No question it (or more specifically Superman II) was the best superhero movie at the time...and for a long time after it until Tim Burton's Batman. But only nostalgia allows it to stand with the best superhero movies of today.

ducking...

ETA: But you know...when they made Superman in '78, they were making a kid's movie. Comic books and especially comic based movies were NOT cross generational. So, it's really comparing apples to oranges at this point. While my boys who have grown up in the land of CGI found the effects terrible also, they had no issue with the hokey dialog or plot... Maybe it's simply that at 42 I'm no longer the target demo for those movies.

It was great for its time. Besides the stupid ending anyway. Even as a little kid that didn't make sense to me.