WEIRDO Ranks: Every Live-Action Superman Movie 🦸🏻‍♂️ (Part 6 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.
3. Man of Steel
I can feel the goosebumps all over again. It’s 2012. I’m in the final stretch of AMC Theater’s screening of the The Dark Knight Trilogy. Suddenly, the previews commence, and a teaser for a DC project begins. The music, the tone, all of it caters to my inner fanboy. Finally, Superman skyrockets through the clouds and breaks the sound barrier multiple times. The title card appears: Man of Steel. Chills!
Fast forward to 2013. It’s Man of Steel’s opening night. Dressed in our Superman attire, my brother, my mother, and I nestle in our seats, chomping our way through popcorn as we tear up watching newcomer Henry Cavill first appear in his now iconic suit preparing for his first flight. Oh, the emotions we felt as Zack Snyder delivered us diehard DC fans an action-packed, realistic, stake-filled origin story for a godlike being like Kal-El. Finally, Superman was cool again.
As Krypton explodes and Jor-El plots for his newborn son’s escape, he and his love, Lara, fend off the determined General Zod before any harm can come of their naturally birthed infant. 33 years post-Krypton’s explosion, as well as Zod’s imprisonment, Clark Kent ventures the world in search of answers to his past, eventually embracing his destiny as a superhero. Battling the Kryptonians who have escaped imprisonment, Clark ultimately decides the best course of action in protecting the planet is to off the ambitious Zod… permanently.
Naturally, Superman taking a life stirred understandable controversy when the movie was released, but over time, a majority of moviegoers came around and supported this novice Superman’s actions, viewing it as a life lesson that would drive him to become the savior we all know and love today. It must be said that Man of Steel consistently gives me goosebumps with every rewatch, and with amazing performances alongside an engaging story and intense action, the movie fires on all cylinders.
In a simply elegant ending, Lois greets newly appointed reporter for the Daily Planet, Clark Kent, by saying, “Welcome to the Planet,” an all too appropriate sentence that convinced audiences to embrace this revolutionary, modernized version of the Last Son of Krypton. Lastly, Hans Zimmer’s mesmerizing theme plays through to the credits, closing out a 2+ hour character piece that does Superman the utmost justice.
