Throwback Thursday Review: 'Superman' (1978)

It's a bird... It's a plane... It's my long awaited Superman review! Sorry, I just HAD to slip that somewhere in my review... Anyways, I'm reviewing the original 1978 Superman this week since Justice League is fast approaching and I thought I'd go back and review some of the earlier classic DC films. I had originally intended to review this last week, but I didn't get around to watching it, so I'm reviewing the film this week instead. It's also looking like this weekend will be a great opportunity for me to catch up on some of my delayed reviews, so don't be surprised to see any of those surface in the near future. These reviews includes Throwback Thursday Reviews over Inception, Stand By Me, The World's End, The Shining, the It miniseries (1990), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Risky Business (1983), and a Triple-R over Interstellar. As for my regularly scheduled posts, I plan on doing weekly Star Wars Speculation posts and my next few Throwback Thursday Reviews will be for The Incredible Hulk, Thor: The Dark World, Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and Batman (1989) to tie into the releases of Thor: Ragnarok, Murder on the Orient Express (2017), and Justice League.

'Superman' (1978) Review

Nominated For: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Original Score.
Won: Special Achievement Award (For Visual Effects).

Superman opens on the faraway planet Krypton as it faces imminent destruction. Kryptonian scientist Jor-El remains unable to convince the Kryptonian elders of a planet-wide evacuation and promises he and his wife will remain on the planet, so he instead sends his infant son to the planet Earth onboard a spaceship to ensure Kal El's survival. Upon arrival, Kal-El is discovered by farmer couple Jonathan and Martha Kent who decide to raise the orphaned child under the name Clark Kent. On Earth, Kal-El must grapple with maintaining the semblance of a normal life as Clark Kent despite exhibiting a set of extraordinary abilities. Once Kal-El matures, he decides he will use these powers to combat evil and fight for truth, justice, and the American way as Superman!

Believe it or not, but prior to yesterday evening, I had never seen Superman in its entirety. I suppose the reason being that I've personally never been too fascinated with the character to begin with (sentiments I have also expressed in my Man Of Steel review)... I watched it with an open mind, expecting copious camp, dated special effects, and simply an entertaining superhero romp. While I feel Superman hasn't aged quite as well as many other classics, I do think Superman has the all makings of a good superhero film.

Directed by Richard Donner, Superman is able to take off into the atmosphere at its greatest moments and fly on autopilot during the drawn-out bits. I realize this film is regarded to be a timeless classic, and perhaps its just my age and delayed first viewing of the film, but Superman just doesn't feel whole to me. It just seemed odd to me that despite how much screen time is dedicated to Kal-El's origin, the character never felt fully fleshed out. I got the gist of things because I'm familiar with his upbringing in the comics and other mediums, but the film never really deconstructs the character in an interesting manner. I'm probably just spoiled by the comic book movie renaissance which we live in today, but I feel there were many missed opportunities to deepen the Man of Steel's legacy.

This is probably most notable in the film's structure. The beginning of the film establishes the idea that the Kents were a surrogate family for Clark, but Jonathan Kent's death didn't really carry any weight for me as a viewer, because I had barely met the guy when he took in Clark as a baby. The film shows you when Kal-El is essentially adopted by the couple, then fast forwards to Clark's adolescence and the man has a heart attack after imparting some wisdom to the lad. I like the idea toyed around with that Clark could do nothing to stop it despite his abilities, but I feel a death that meaningful to the protagonist should always be as equally important to the audience watching. To me, having a few more scenes about Clark growing up with the Kents could have easily made his death more impactful.

Just look at Star Wars or even Spider-Man, where the protagonist's connection to their adoptive parental figures are firmly established in scenes emphasizing their respective dynamics. Superman seemed to just gleam right over that with about one or two shared scenes between the two. The version I watched was the theatrical release, and I'm aware there's a Special Edition that's even longer so perhaps this isn't an issue in that incarnation, but it was something that stood out to me in this version. It's really weird, but watching Superman, has actually made me appreciate Man of Steel's approach to telling Superman's origin even more... I suppose I'll revisit that film and let you know if my opinion has altered at all in the coming weeks preceding Justice League.

Essentially, my biggest grievance with Superman is that the screenplay penned by Mario Puzo, Robert Benton, and David and Leslie Newman seems to only explore the film's ideas on the surface level. I don't need every superhero movie needs to dig too deep beneath the surface, but a reasonably interesting exploration of character is just an expectation I uphold for all film, regardless of genre. I think the reason that I've never latched onto Superman as a character is that he seems invincible, over-powered, and unwaverable. Aside from Kryptonite taking him down a notch, he's rarely in a moment of weakness and you rarely see him struggle with any long-lasting conflict. Clark, on the other-hand, represents Superman's humanity and the human side of him should technically always vulnerable to some sort of crisis of conscience. Yet, Superman never seems to face these moral dilemmas in Superman. He just does.

To me, that dynamic could be so fascinating to explore, but it's just glimpsed over in favor of showing Superman consistently triumph over evil. When Lois "dies," Superman does briefly seem at odds about changing the course of history as the words of his father figures reverberate in his head. However, he just acts. He flies around the Earth quickly enough to turn back time in his one act of selfishness, but there are no consequences for his actions. The stakes feel absent because it's heavily implied that changing the course of history is inherently bad and should be avoided, yet Superman does this and all seems fine and dandy. I still haven't seen Superman II, III, or IV, so maybe I'm blabbering on about nothing and his actions lead to something in those films, but for the time being it bothers me that the idea of altering history is heavily stressed as carrying grave consequences and there are none...

On top of that, the relationship between Superman and Lois itself isn't very convincing. Lois merely seems fascinated by Superman's physical appearance and everything he is capable of doing. In contrast to that, she seems entirely ignorant of Clark. While this can often be the case for superhero romances, this one just seemed to lack the importance emotional connection. It was difficult for me to completely buy into the idea of these characters as a couple because it comes across as a strictly physically attraction with little-to-no depth carrying it.

And let's not forget to mention the hamstrung, convoluted plot by Lex Luthor. I understand this movie is intentionally campy, but his real estate scheme just seems overly complicated and unnecessary. The financial incentive driving his ideas are sound, but the whole thing is ridiculous. Also, I thought it was odd that a billionaire would only have two incompetent stooges running errands on his behalf. Shouldn't he be able to employ literally as many criminals as he'd like to help him carry out his scheme? 

It'll probably be blasphemy to suggest this, but I also found the beginning portion to be really dull at times considering I was already familiar with the origins of the character. The lack of any action sequences or notable character development whatsoever really accentuated this. As an audience member, I rarely felt like I was accompanying Kal-El in his journey to become Superman. Instead, I felt like the casual observer able to see these events since there are portions of Kal-El's origin that are omitted. 

Now I realize all of that may have made it sound like I hated what many hold up as one of the most iconic superhero films, but I felt elaborating on my criticisms would better explain some of my issues with the problematic storytelling. The elements that do work, work exceptionally well. The visual effects, while aged, held up much better than I could have imagined and it's clear how revolutionary these developments were for the time. When Superman's flying, you really believe it. Although, some green screen backgrounds really stood out in contrast to the practical sets (which hefty balance an alien aesthetic with a futuristic facade). John William's exuberant score also amplifies the events, interjecting a sense of wonder and grandiosity as per usual. It's simply always been a delight to listen to his spirited Superman theme as the Man of Steel carries out his acts of heroism.

It's moments like Clark running to a phone booth so he change into his Superman get-up, only to find pay phone in its place that make Superman truly special. The self-awareness and passing nods to things fans of Superman are familiar with that make the film immensely entertaining at times. 

What really holds everything together though is Christopher Reeve's dual-portrayal of Kal-El. Reeve embodies all the exemplary attributes of both Clark Kent and Superman, imbuing dorkish sensibilities to each character. Clark is a little geeky and squeamish, while Superman flies about speaking about truth, justice, and the American way with the upmost confidence. It's really impressive how Reeve was able to authentically deliver on two fronts, considering a mis-step could have easily caused one to come off as a complete caricature. 

All the while, Margot Kidder feels relegated to the damsel-in-distress archetype as Lois Lane, a terrible trend that's only just recently coming undone in the landscape of comic book movies. Kidder plays the role adequately, but the writing behind her character causes Lois to come off as a bit dimwitted. Just look how she's interviewing while failing to watch the road in front of her... There's also the bit where she seems to be inept at spelling... I find it incredibly hard to believe that an accomplished journalist, such as herself, would have difficulty spelling the words "massacre" or "rapist."

The remaining cast members fall in the categories "Take-it" or "Leave it" as they're fairly inconsistent across the board. Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor deftly balances the appropriate amounts of menace and Bond-villain-esque absurdity. His henchman and henchwoman, played by Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine, don't ever overcome their character's stilted incompetence and primarily play the roles for laughs. Marlon Brando's monotonous monologues as Jor-El compound the sluggish pacing, and it's apparent he was uninterested in the role and just took it for a nice pay-day. 

Superman eventually gets off the ground, but it takes some time. Thankfully once Superman gets flying, the film is a delight thanks to groundbreaking special effects, an uplifting score, and a convincing performance that ties it all together. Superman may not fly quite as high as some of the more recent comic book adaptations, but it still manages to soar up, up, and away as one of the most influential!

Film Assessment: B

Alternate Cut Review: 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice- Ultimate Edition'

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice proved to be one of the most controversial comic book movies in recent memory and upon release news soon arose that there would be a Director's Cut including 30 additional minutes of footage called the "Ultimate Edition" that would be in the Blu-Ray release. Technically, the "Ultimate Edition" debuted about a month ago digitally but I like to wait for Blu-Rays because I like getting the Blu-Ray disc, the DVD, and the digital copy all in one for nearly the same price so I waited out and my copy arrived recently but I had to wait till I had three hours to spare to watch it. So yes, this is a lengthy watch but I'll soon be able to inform whether it fixes issues with Batman v. Superman or opens up a new can of worms for Warner Bros. and that's primarily what this review will be, a comparison of the two versions of the film.

I won't exactly re-review the film as you can find my thoughts on the theatrical cut below but I will provide my updated thoughts and my newfound perspective. I also think I'm going to do something different in this review, I'm going to go back and alter my previous Film Assessment score on the Theatrical Cut because I feel I scored it a tad too high and in light of that decision will be modifying it because sometimes it takes a while for my opinion to truly settle in on a film. Be forewarned as in order to discuss the differences, I will be including slight spoilers for both the theatrical cut and The Ultimate Edition.

'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice- Ultimate Edition' Review

Theatrical Cut Review- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review

"Ultimate Edition" Review- The Ultimate Edition of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is an improvement over the theatrical cut for many reasons. One, it's competently edited together. The editing in the theatrical cut was a complete disaster as scenes would jump from one subplot to another leading to a convoluted mess. The Ultimate Edition fixes this by allowing lead-in for these scenes so they don't feel misplaced or random and instead one scene flows into the next and the transitions are quite remarkable. 

Two,The Ultimate Edition fills in the major plot holes. In the theatrical cut, there is an African action sequence that is commonly referred to that we never got to actually see. Superman is blamed for killing several people and it seems farfetched since all he did was save Louis Lane but The Ultimate Edition elaborates by actually including the full Africa action set piece. This explains that Lex Luthor hired men to set Superman up and the logic behind it is actually quite smart. This made Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor more of a puppet master figure in the grand scheme of things and a slightly more interesting villain. With that being said, I still found Eisenberg to be too kooky for the role.

Three, it made for a better "Batman v. Superman" movie. No, there's not an additional fight between Batman and Superman and it actually takes two hours and thirty minutes for the two to throw down. However, the buildup to their showdown makes a lot more sense this time around. The Ultimate Edition explains why Superman is opposed to the way Batman has been operating by including a few scenes of Clark Kent investigating the Batman. The theatrical cut felt more like a Batman movie that happened to have Superman in it as a supporting character but the Ultimate Edition balances the heroes more effectively, which in turn makes Superman's death more compelling.

My one major gripe with the Ultimate Edition opposed to the theatrical cut is that the film still feels too long with a three hour runtime. Three hours is a big time commitment for a film, especially one that received such a mixed response, and this is no exception. The Ultimate Edition didn't really do much to alter my opinion of the performances as Ben Affleck's Batman remains to be the best part of the film, Henry Cavill is a serviceable Superman, and Gal Gadot still stole the third act with her full appearance in Wonder Woman regalia.

If you want to read my thoughts on the entire cast, you can find that above in my review of the theatrical cut. The visual effects are virtually the same with the only alterations being the additional footage and I can't really say that this changed my mind on Snyder's directing.

With all that being said, the Ultimate Edition is a competent film as opposed to the sloppy theatrical cut. I've come to my own conclusion that Warner Bros. likely asked Snyder to trim out thirty minutes and in doing so, the remaining patch work simply didn't fit together. I doubt the Ultimate Edition will change hater's minds about the "Martha" moment but it provides testament that a slightly better version of BvS does exist. The film still has problems but they aren't as glaring and numerous as the issues to found in the theatrical cut. From this point on, if I'm ever going to sit down and watch Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, I'll brave the three hour runtime of the Ultimate Edition for a more complete experience.

Film Assessment: B-

'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is finally here. This film has been surrounded by so much controversy since it's announcement and due to this controversy I will be including a similar prologue as I did in my Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Review. I must say that I myself had some concerns about the film due to a multitude of things. 

For one, I wasn't dazzled by the first teaser trailer, was caught off guard by the second San Diego Comic Con trailer which I did enjoy, disliked the third trailer, and loved the final trailer. The third trailer was ripped to shreds across the internet for unveiling one of the film's villains, Doomsday, and showing the DC Trinity united and essentially taking the focus away from the conflict between these two titans. I will say that I am in the camp that thought that was a poor decision for the marketing campaign. I think I understand the rationale behind it as Warner Bros. probably wanted to ensure the public knew Batman and Superman would team up, but that was something I know I would have liked to have waited and seen the first time I watched the film. 

However, the marketing campaign quickly got back on track releasing many TV spots and soon a final trailer that brought the focus back to the conflict between the heroes. Another concern of mine was with the cast. I decided I would reserve judgement till I felt I had seen the cast's work, but when Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex Luthor, red flags were certainly raised in my mind. 

The casting of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman also seemed to be a bit odd to me as she was primarily a model before recently becoming an actress and I was curious if she would have the acting chops to do more than look great as Wonder Woman. I never really had a problem with Ben Affleck's casting, but was always curious why Warner Bros. didn't just hang onto Christian Bale for this version of Batman. However, I was sold the instant I saw him running into a cloud of smoke and debris in that second trailer. I totally bought the casting of Jeremy Irons as Alfred and Jason Mamoa as Aquaman because they seemed like interesting creative decisions. 

It didn't help for me to also know that it was coming from the same creative team as Man Of Steel. I wrote this prologue before watching the film to help establish my concerns with no knowledge of whether I loved, liked, or possibly was disappointed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Since writing this prologue, the embargo was lifted and surprisingly critics are bashing it and it currently has a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes so be prepared for me to address the film in as honest a way as possible and inform you if the critics are justified or not. 

'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Review

Wednesday evening I attended an early screening of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and there is so much to talk about. It seems that this film is already more divisive than Man Of Steel due to the negative backlash it's receiving from critics and I'm very curious to learn how the general audience perceives it. Many of you are probably biting your nails wondering "Is it good or not?" or "Are the critic's thoughts justified?" and I can say I think it's a solid B-movie comic book movie that has some issues I will delve into and I think critics are just nitpicking the problems rather than relishing in any of the glorious moments, to which the film has a multitude.  

However, I think it should be expressed that this movie despite being PG-13 is not for kids, in fact it would probably bore children and some elements seem too dark to really appeal to children. I recommend that parents see the film ahead of their children if they plan on bringing them and make the call themselves as to whether or not they think their children can handle it. With that out of the way, a majority of the issues I found with the film were almost all creative decisions and not really involving the performances with one exception. 

First off, the film is too long. I can think of at least 20-30 minutes of footage that should have been cut out on the cutting room floor that was left in for some reason. As some of my readers may know, there will be an extended Director's Cut for the BvS Blu-Ray and I don't understand why Zack Snyder didn't just trim out the fat and save it for the Director's Cut. One thing that makes the film feel so long is that it takes an entire 2 hours for Batman and Superman to fight. I completely understand that the conflict required set up, but in a film titled Batman v Superman you would think it would involve more skirmishes between the two. 

Also, the first act of the film seems disjointed due to the way the film is edited. The film jumps back and forth between one story arc to another and they seem unconnected and don't really come together till later on. Snyder takes it upon himself to try to do a lot in this movie, it not only establishes conflict between Batman and Superman, but also tells Batman's origin, directly follows the events of Man Of Steel, follows Lex Luthor's antics, and sets up the DC Extended Universe. 

That's a lot of plot points and one of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's weaknesses is that it bears the burden of all of these subplots and it seems to be one of the scabs the critics are picking at. It's somewhat similar to the problems that plagued Iron Man 2 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where they made the set up of their cinematic universe a priority over the film itself, but nowhere near as bad. I think this is much more tolerable here and flows more naturally. 

The other creative decision that bothered me were these strange dream sequences that come out of nowhere. These dream sequences are plopped in the film and some of them probably should have been saved for the Director's Cut. That's the bulk of my negative thoughts and frankly some of these problems are nitpicking, but I couldn't help but feel there were problems plaguing the film and had to dig further into my viewing experience for some of them. As I stated in my Man Of Steel Review, Zack Snyder tends to implement style over substance in his films and that's once again the case. However, I think Chris Terrio's screenplay is stronger than Man Of Steel's, and I like how he managed to balance these elements to where an audience member won't feel too overwhelmed. I also liked how the film successfully feels like a direct continuation of Man Of Steel. The visuals are gorgeous and seem like they leaped straight out of a comic book at times. All of the visual effects used for the various powers on display looked incredible. 

One nitpick of mine with the effects was the look of Doomsday, that I feel didn't quite do the villain justice and just looked terrible. I'd equate it to a mashup of orcs from The Lord Of The Rings/The Hobbit films and the new versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and if you hated it in the trailer, it doesn't really get much better than that. 

I also think it's interesting to note that the movie's surprisingly low on action compared to how it's being marketed, but the action sequences certainly don't disappoint because of the epic scale. The fight between Batman and Superman is awesome to watch and a great homage to The Dark Knight Returns comic by Frank Miller. I couldn't help but feel very giddy watching these two titans clash it out. Another key fight that I enjoyed was the inevitable moment where Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman fought Doomsday that I'll discuss a bit more in a moment. 

What makes the film so engaging is this incredible cast that has been assembled. I think it's only fair to comment on the two titular heroes first and work my way down through the cast. Ben Affleck is incredible in the role of Batman. All of the Ben Affleck nay-sayers will have to back-track their hate because he is without a doubt the best Batman and Bruce Wayne I've ever seen on screen. Affleck gets to dive to new depths with his more layered version of Bruce Wayne and his edgier Batman and both work incredibly well in this DCEU. 

Everything Batman-related in the film worked wonders for me. I really liked the designs and functionality of the new Batmobile, Batwing, Batsuit, and the high tech Power Suit along with all of the Dark Knight's gadgets and gizmos. Hardcore Batman fans may take issue with one thing regarding this Batman though,

**Minor spoiler** 

I'm pretty sure this Batman murders people in the movie.

**End of minor spoiler**

There's one scene in particular where Batman infiltrates a warehouse and takes down an entire hoard of bad guys that is honestly one of the best cinematic Batman action sequences I've ever seen and when the movie ended I knew that the world needs a Batman solo film that is directed by and stars Ben Affleck, if the rumors are true. 

Henry Cavill is a very solid Superman, but sadly the character is significantly overshadowed in a movie featuring his name in the title. Though, Cavill finally gets to jump into the duality of Clark Kent and Superman and does it masterfully. I think the character of Superman is portrayed in a better light that rectifies the mistakes in Man Of Steel in that he's much more heroic going out of his way to save others and must face that he has become a figure of controversy due to the collateral damage he caused in Man Of Steel. 

Another standout is Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Gadot doesn't have that many lines, but she delivers them quite well and there's a big deal of mystery around her character. However, where she really commits and sells herself to the audience is in the Doomsday fight where she kicks butt and takes names. Needless to say, seeing her work here made me stoked for the upcoming Wonder Woman solo movie. 

Meanwhile, the film has a strong supporting cast around both heroes. Jeremy Irons makes for a perfect Alfred and is terrific every time he's onscreen. As for the Superman side of things, Amy Adams is once again exceptional as Lois Lane, although she still suffers from the damsel-in-distress trope. Diane Lane returns as Martha Kent to offer Clark guidance and Laurence Fishburne gets to yell a little more as Perry White, but both these actors are great in the capacity used. 

And now what many of you have been waiting for, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. It's a very different interpretation of the character and if you liked him in the trailers, you'll like him here, otherwise be open to change if you hope to like his performance. Jesse Eisenberg is a bit eccentric throughout and it just seems very odd and too reminiscent of other roles he's done. Eisenberg does hit all the notes of downright creepy in some scenes and at times is generally scary, but his weak motivations for his actions ultimately hurt the performance even more. 

My readers that have't seen the film yet are probably wondering when I'm going to discuss Ezra Miller's Flash, Jason Mamoa's Aquaman, and Ray Fisher's Cyborg since all three were confirmed to show up. I can't really comment on their performances, because they're all basically cameos, but I can comment on the look of each character. I thought Aquaman and Cyborg looked pretty cool, but I'm not a fan of this interpretation of the Flash's suit. Really the film does a terrific job laying the foundations for the DC Extended Universe. At times, some of it feels a little forced, but all the cameos and easter eggs were pretty exciting to spot. 

In conclusion, I can say that there is a lot of enjoyment to take out of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it is by no means perfect, and that's ok because very few movies are. I can definitely recommend seeing it, but temper expectations or you will find yourself a bit disappointed. One things for sure though, Marvel better watch out because I think the future of the DCEU looks pretty bright.

Film Assessment: B- C (Revised)