WEIRDO Ranks: Every Live-Action Superman Movie 🦸🏻‍♂️ (Part 4 of 8)
40+ years of truth and justice!
After many years of superhero cinema, numerous properties have received a plethora of adaptations, more so with Superman. With an abundance of sequels, remakes, and reboots nowadays, it’s difficult to decide which ones deserve a spot among the upper echelons of the comic book world.
Though every movie provides its own significance toward the Kryptonian’s mythos, this series of articles will stamp my official ranking of each Superman film I’ve seen, from 1978's Superman: The Movie to 2021's Zack Snyder’s Justice League. I hope you all enjoy and remember to hit that clap button as well as comment where you would rank each flick on your personal list.
Disclaimer: You might not agree with most of my picks, but that is why I love writing these articles — for amicable debate. Without further ado, let’s get to it! Oh, and spoilers ahead…just in case.
5. Superman: The Movie
It’s 1978, aka the first time audiences around the world believed a man could fly. Richard Donner’s classic Superman: The Movie was a box office sensation as well as an unforgettable introduction to what would become modern-day superhero cinema. With many actors having read for the part of Clark Kent/Superman, only one truly fit the bill: a relative unknown named Christopher Reeve.
Becoming the definitive version of the character for a large number of comic book and comic book movie fans, Reeve brought a warmth and charm to the Last Son of Krypton that emulated the legendary George Reeves’s turn in the role. With a comforting smile, solid build, and thorough understanding of what makes Superman, well, Superman, Reeve was able to thrust comic book films into the annals of pop culture.
The film contains a remarkable cast that includes Margot Kidder’s sassy and strong Lois Lane, Gene Hackman’s goofy but threatening Lex Luthor, and the legendary Marlon Brando himself as Superman’s father, Jor-El. With decent enough special effects for the 70’s, incredibly realistic set pieces, and a captivating story from start to finish, Superman: The Movie remains the only film of the Christopher Reeve era that I can actually see myself watching again in the near future.
Sure, the whole bit where Superman cries over Lois Lane’s dead body, then turns back time by flying rapidly around the world to reverse its rotation seems a little… contrived, to put it nicely. But maybe the ridiculousness of the third act is what makes this relatively straightforward introduction to the character stand out so much. No, I didn’t grow up with these movies when I was a kid, but as a lighthearted, hope-inspiring throwback, I can sit down, put it on, and enjoy the instant classic for what it is.
