Great Rao, I absolutely ADORE this movie!
Favorite line: I feel like Brody when he met Stan Lee in Mallrats because, where does one begin? This movie is chock full of great lines (in large part due to screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz), but a few of my favorites are (some may be off a word or two, but you’ll get what I’m getting at):
-Jon to Clark: "You are here for a reason. I don’t know who’s reason and why, but it’s not to catch footballs. "
-Jor-El to Clark/Kal: “They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They lack only the light to lead them. For that reason above all, their capacity for good, that is why I have sent them you, my only son.”
-Lois: “Anymore at home like you?”
-Clark “Not really, no.”
-pimp/hustler: “Whoa! Say Jim, that’s a bad outfit!”
-Superman: “Easy miss, I’ve got you!”
-Lois: “You’ve got me? Who’s got you?”
-Lois: “Who…are you?”
-Superman: “A friend.”
-Lois: “Do you…like pink?”
-Superman: “I like pink very much Lois.”
-Lois (to Clark, after her flight with Superman): “That’s Clark, nice.”
-Superman, dropping Jimmy off after he saved him at Hoover Dam: “You’re safe here, son.”
It’s a simple line, but Reeve just nails the delivery, and makes it so quintessentially Superman that I get warm fuzzies and smile every time I hear it.
-prison warden: “This country is safe again, Superman. Thanks to you!”
-Superman: “No sir, don’t thank me warden. We’re all part of the same team. Good night!”
The list is literally never-ending…
Favorite character: Superman, by a longshot. He’s the pin everything else in the movie hangs on, and he was realized to perfection and then some.
Favorite scene: One of my many favorites is when Clark sees Lois is in peril and goes to change into Superman. Especially when he runs across the street and yanks open his shirt, revealing the s-shield. I get an adrenaline spike every single time I see that.
Another is Superman’s flight with Lois. The music, visual effects and cinematography are all perfect, especially the shot after Superman catches Lois as they stare into each other’s eyes.
Speaking of cinematography, Director of Photography Geoffrey Unsworth’s work in the corn field with Clark and Martha is beautiful. United with John Williams’ music, it’s one of the best photographed scenes in the movie.
On character portrayals:
-Jor-El and Lara: great
-General Zod: great
-Clark and Superman: PERFECT
-Lois: PERFECT
-Lex: Pretty darn great. Remember, this was years before John Byrne reinvented Lex as an egomaniac businessman, when Lex was still the evil criminal genius trying to constantly outdo The Man of Steel. On that basis, Hackman nails it, and then some. His zingers of Otis are on-point too.
-Perry and Jimmy: PERFECT
…and yes, Christopher Reeve is THE quintessential live-action Superman.
This movie is just pure MAGIC. I’ve owned it on nearly every home video format, seen it in theaters several times (this year’s Dolby Atmos powered presentation was absolutely the best theatrical experience yet) and I just absolutely adore it beyond compare.
Not only is Superman: The Movie a perfect distillation of Superman in general and a wonderful comic book-based movie (and still the absolute best one, by FAR) but it’s also a wonderful movie in general too.
Any time is a good time to fly with Superman: The Movie. To quote Warner Home Video’s text from DVD and Blu-ray releases of it:
“Looks like a swell night for flying.”
