What I love about Reeve is that he changes his character flawlessly between Clark Kent and Superman. ------ His stance, speech mannerisms, hunching his back, everything was so well depicted. ------- Everything's in the glasses scene after the date Louis had with Superman
Reeve and Kidder both wound up tragic characters. Reeve had a freak horse riding accident in 1995 that left him a quadriplegic. Though he swore he'd one day walk again, he passed away at 52 of complications from an infection caused by a bedsore. Kidder was never able to turn her "Superman" success into stardom and became a hopeless drunk and drug addict after her career fizzled. She passed on in 2018 at 69, Kidder's death was ruled a suicide by overdose.
I cannot adequately describe the excitement of this movie when it came out… it is very special. Christopher Reeve portrays a very good person, a man who loves his earth parents, loves Lois, cares about people…. Of course, that’s his weakness is his love for others, not kryptonite…. When Lois dies and he’s heartbroken, his rage propels him to break his father’s rule, just for her…. Such a great movie!
3:41 That’s what I heard for years too, until I realized it was “Your heirs!” 20:18 This. This right here is why Christopher Reeve is the Superman all others are compared to. With just his voice, his posture, his *attitude* , he makes you believe that no one would ever look past Clark Kent’s glasses and see Superman.
My friend had a birthday party at a church group and they fast-forwarded one of the best parts (Phantom Zone collecting them) because that's what the grown-ups heard. Reason #742 to build a time machine.
@@MLJ7956 There is a rumor that Jane and Chris had something going on there above and beyond. What we in Canada call 'boinking'. Now, I don't know if that is true or not. It's possible. Jane had just broken up with Clint Eastwood. Chris had just broken up with Lana Turner.
Christopher Reeve REALLY captured the "innocent sweetness" of Clark Kent while the authentic "moral goodness" of Superman at the same time. His take on how Superman should be played REALLY set a standard that has been almost impossible to reach for nearly 30 years.
I think the reason an authentic take on Superman has been elusive for decades is that America is no longer a nation of farmers. The small family farm began dying out in the 1970s, replaced by larger, consolidated corporate farms. So more recent folks in charge of Superman are not as connected to farm life as people used to be. Farmers rely on one another in ways that city people don't. When the harvest has to get in, farmers pool their resources to get the job done. Much of the necessary equipment is expensive, so it's impractical for every farmer to own a combine, for example. So the guy who does own the combine gets together with his neighbors to work out a harvest schedule. You need enough people involved so there's always a steady supply of wagons running from the combine to the grain silos. You don't want the combine sitting idle while a single-family farmer runs one or three wagons at a time (assuming his kids are old enough to participate). That's why you get all of the neighbors together - so you're running 10 or 15 wagons and moving from farm to farm as you get the fields done. Similarly, when a neighbor had a barn (for example) damaged or destroyed in a storm, you'd get the neighbors/family together, throw a weekend-long potluck party and raise a new barn. Because everyone needs a new barn from time to time, helping out the neighbor who needs one *now* is just what you do. (And it's an opportunity to socialize, of course, which farmers have fewer chances to indulge in that city folk.) If a neighbor goes out-of-State to visit or vacation, you look after his livestock until he gets back. Just as the neighbors do for you. Man of Steel, however, has a Pa Kent who encourages Clark to *not* help his neighbors, to only look out for himself and his interests. And that's not how farm people are. It's why farmers are often considered rubes, suckers, naive, etc by city people. It's why Snyder's Man of Steel fails to capture the heart of Superman.
@@flatebo1 - Don't forget that you have also had an entire new movement introduced into "hero movies" where everyone feels as if they have to "deconstructe" the character and turn them into "flawed humans" underneath the masks. This approach NEVER works with Superman because he is more of an IDEAL representation than a human. It isn't that he IS perfect, it is that he TRIES to be perfect. Which makes giving him a "dark and brooding attitude" will always fail. You can't be "dark" and "perfect" at the same time, because those two character traits will cancel each other out. It also doesn't help when people make movies trying to make Superman himself seem weaker than he is. A "lesser form" of Superman is boring. Where the real backbone of his character (in almost any format) has always been bad guys who basically "step up and present a real threat". It is why Brainiac and Lex Luther are perfect foils to Superman. It makes him stop using his "powers" as an advantage, but use his MIND and ability to convey ideas to other people. Once you remove that and make it a simple "just use Kryptonite and beat him up" as his "conflict", it becomes dull. Which is why the original General Zod is still the best Superman Villain. Matches him on a physical level, but it is mirror-opposite of being a "protector" (Superman) vs "oppressor" (Zod) and how they both feel that this is the proper role for a Kryptonian dealing with Earthlings. That they are either in need of protection, or should be ruled over. That simple "opposing views" provides enough material for conflict that could be an entire series of movies on their own.
The girl on the train that teenage Clark races is Lois Lane, and her mother is played by Noel Neil, who played Lois in the '40s serial and the '50s TV series, "The Adventures of Superman," from season 2 on. She also has a cameo in "Superman Returns."
@@danieltate6092 Yes, but Christopher's last name is "REEVE" with NO "S" at the end like GEORGE REEVES. Did you know he GEORGE REEVES also played one of the red haired twins seen flirting with Scarlett O'Hara near the beginning of "GONE WITH THE WIND" from 1939? Sadly he died when he was 45 from a gunshot. Originally called a suicide, but some speculate he was murdered or an accidental shooting. It has never been determined which was the cause.
Yes, you should watch the second one. Superman 1 & 2 are unofficially one giant movie separated due to film length. Although some of his powers have been changed up, the spirit of Superman as the spirit of hope remains true and iconic in this version.
About the soundtrack is, in my opinion, one of the finest John Williams ever composed. You can tell that there are a lot of influences from Star Wars and also Jaws but the score has its own personality. The Fortress of Solitude theme is a true gem.
The Superman theme is the best superhero music ever created. To this day the only one nearly as memorable is the Batman theme by Danny Elfman as far as randos knowing it by just a few bars. But this Superman music just has to play those first few trilling horns and EVERYONE in America knows the refrain even if they don’t k ow where it’s from.
When I was young our H.S. orchestra played a suite from the score. I still remember the oboes playing that march which was Luther's Theme and is played as Otis makes his way down to the lair. But the main Superman theme has got to be one of the best ever written.
For an entire generation, Christopher Reeve will always be the only Superman. What made Christopher Reeve so great in this role wasn't just that visually he was born to play Superman, but as a youth he was prone to stress induced asthma attacks, so in a way he was born to play Clark Kent too.
Christopher Reeve is iconic. He was roommates at Juilliard with Robin Williams. He made a movie called 'Somewhere in Time', talk about a great drama. Best reaction channel I've seen, and I really want to go to Scotland before I die. End of Line
This film is considered the gold standard of comic-book movies. It came out right on the heels of Star Wars, and it proved what the tagline of this movie was: “You’ll Believe That A Man Can Fly” Oh, and BTW @Dawn Marie at 3:37 he is saying “Your heirs.”
@@totomomo18 Yes, but vice versa, the 1998 Hercules film takes more from Superman the Movie (Hades is Lex's personality with Zod's hatred for the hero's dad, the Titans are the Phantom Zone villains, the heroines die in the final act and the hero's final act is resurrecting them, and so on) than it did the original myths.
Hey, Dawn Marie, wonderful reaction, as always. The S is a family crest for the House of El. He's Kal El and his dad was Jor El. The crest means Hope. Lois just saw it as an S and named him Superman because of it. That being said, Christopher Reeves wasn't the original Superman but in my opinion and most people (I'm sure) is the best of them all to this day! He was very special, charming, wonderful actor and human being and is still sorely missed. I think you'll enjoy the second as well and will answer more of your questions. Thank you so much for sharing your first experience watching this classic with us. And as always, we look forward to your next first time experience and we all love you very much for brightening our otherwise gloomy days and revisiting our childhood. I couldn't imagine a better way to do so.
Original actor who 1st portrayed Superman was George Reeves in TV series in the 50's. Sadly in 1959, George Reeves died of gunshots wounds ruled by official as a suicide because George Reeves became depress due to his inability to find work that he wanted.
@@MrTech226 Yes. George Reeves (no relation).was great but before him, there was Kirk Allen. Allen would run behind a tree or building and an animated Superman would fly. Hal Holbrook got to play Superman on Broadway when I was a kid too. I wanna say around the 80s. And aging Superman.
BTW, that's awesome! I failed to mention that. It's so cool that people remember George Reeves! When I was growing up in Brooklyn, all the cats used to claim that they were related and would go on and throw in Steven Reeves (Hercules) too. I guess I'm geeking out now. I better shut up! 😂
@@MrTech226 actually, Kirk Alyn, who was briefly in this movie (extended editions show him more prominently in the train race scene), was the 1st live-action Superman on film, in the 1948 & 1950 movie serials.
This and the second movie were produced back to back, but the second movie’s director’s cut is the one which preserves the initial director’s story. This movie was designed to end with loose threads to be followed up in the sequel, thus the three criminals in the beginning.
Regardless the Richard Donner version is not the one that was in the theatre. She should watch the film that is Canon. The Richard Donner is a nightmare with all the dress rehearsal scenes. It's also repetitive because of the Earth thing again.
Superman II is basically part 2 of this story. Much of it was filmed at the same time as the first film. It gets sillier than the first film. But it does answer your questions concerning the first film.
I don't think Superman II is "sillier"< I think it is MUCH better that Superman I ( but I like it too), but LOVE SUPERMAN II It's my FAVORITE! I don't care for the actors who have played Superman, AFTER Christopher Reeve (RIP). Plus MARGO KIDDER (RIP) s my FAVORITE "Lois Lane"
I was exactly the same after I first saw this when I was 7 or 8. Thought he said "ass", and Terence Stamp's sheepish body language immediately after saying it has the look of someone thinking "oh dear, I just said the word 'ass' in public, and I'm rather embarassed about it now". At least a decade before I realised he said "heirs".
I knew that they weren't using bad language when this was on TV. The word wasn't blotted out, so I realised it wasn't a bad word. Then, as I recalled in Superman II, he kept calling Superman "son of Jor-El", that heirs was the word he used
To answer the statue of Liberty questions, yes you can go up to the crown of the statue though you have to pre-book and it's limited to 240 visitors per day. The torch has a viewing balcony, but has been closed to the public since 1916. This film is probably one of the last cinematic views of the original torch in situ, as it was removed and replaced in 1984, when the statue was renovated for centennial celebrations.
Also worth mentioning that the original torch still exists, and is on display at the museum there. It just wasn’t in good enough condition to properly restore for the statue renovation.
FUN FACT: When young Clark is racing the train, the little girl who sees him is Lois Lane. Her parents are played by Noel Neill who played Lois Lane in the Adventures of Superman 1950s tv show.. (And she was in one of her outfits from the show), and Kirk Alyn.. the first man who ever played Superman on the big screen in the 1940's
You should definitely watch superman II. Great bit of movie trivia, Christopher Reeve was physically trained for this movie by Dave Prowse who played Darth Vader.
The symbol on his chest is not an S. There are sequels that can answer some of your questions His glasses somehow distorts his physical appearance in the eyes of other people, so that, along with his posture, and awkwardness helps hide his identity.
You have to remember that when this came out, we had NEVER seen anything like this. Yes, Superman had been on TV, but the special effects were pretty terrible. The tagline, "You will believe a man can fly" was very accurate. The effects were so much more than what we had ever seen. Sadly, the younger generations have not experienced this yet. Imagine when there is finally a movie that acts like a... well, a holodeck. Where you are completely immersed in it. That is when you will understand the impact of these late 70's movies.
Fun facts: Jackie Cooper (Perry White) was a founding member of the children's comedy series "the our gang" which was later re-branded to "The Little Rascals". -When Margot kidder (Lois lane) first read for the role, it was with Christopher Reeve. During witch, her voice started to legit tremble in his presence. Because of this, they knew they found their Lois lane.
Superman 1 and 2 were meant to be one long epic like Lawrence of Arabia. Because they had to basically invent stuff to make the special effects they were running out of money so they split the films in two and finished the first so they could take the box office from it to complete the second
Even now, seeing Superman catch Lois and then the helicopter with that theme kicking in- it get's me! When I saw this in the theatre as a kid, I started cheering and realized that I had stood to my feet at that moment.
The TV show you were recalling was "Smallville" It ran for 10 Seasons. A terrific job putting the show together. Instead of ever watching it, I bought all 10 Seasons and watched them all.
Hey Dawn, as an 8-year-old kid I put on my cape and Superman t-shirt and headed for the back entrance stairwell, and jumped about 6ft to the soft lawn below. Once my mother banned that craziness I had to lay on my bed, belly first, and fly over an imaginary METROPOLIS. Ahhh Childhood. Anything was possible.
A great reaction, Dawn. All your questions are answered in 'Superman 2', but I'll help you out a bit, the symbol on his chest and cape is the symbol of 'The House of El' which is his family name, his Krypton name is 'Kal El', his powers under the yellow sun of Earth are; Super strength, Super speed, invulnerability, X-Ray vision, Heat vision (a by product of his X-Ray vision), Super breath which can be used to blast things or super cool/freeze things, Super hearing. The reason why Kryptonite effects him is because he was sent away from the planet straight after his birth so, unlike others from Krypton he never adjusted to its effects as he grew up there, the reason why he has superpowers is due to the yellow sun of Earth, unlike the red sun of his home planet, he gets his energy from the suns radiation. I hope that this helps, and I look forward to seeing you react to 'Superman 2'.
3:00: the leftover pieces of Krypton irradiated by the planet’s explosion 4:30: it’s their family crests. That’s why Jor-el has the Superman symbol 4:33 a violent uprising against the government 5:35 Kal-el
Krypton is on the Periodic Table of Elements as Kr36. It is a type of gas with an array of colors, especially when used with other rare games. It is used in fluorescent lighting. The star of Superman, Christopher Reeve, starred in several episodes of "Smallville".
This is the original big movie Superman, in any case. Previous incarnations were in comics, of course, and on TV (possibly played in theaters, but not as a blockbuster movie).
This came out 3 years before I was born but first saw it around 1986 when I was 5. My mind was blown away. Still the best Superman film imo. I named my first pet (a goldfish) Superman :)
In the earliest Superman stories Lois Lane was not his love interest. She was a professional rival who is always trying to beat Clark Kent to the story for the newspaper. In fact she was portrayed quite negatively as a conniving backstabber woman.
This is the first modern superhero movie the one that started it all :) . Superman is my favorite superhero of all time and Christoper Reeve Rip is the gold standard of playing Superman no one else ever come close. You should also see the squeal theoretical version only. Fyi I think you saw Smallville which is a great tv show with 10 seasons.
19:07 something to understand about the character of Superman is that when he first appeared in comic books in 1939, the world and especially America, was in a dark place. War was brewing overseas and the USA was still struggling with the Great Depression. Superman represented hope to the American people back then, a hope of getting out of the messes through hard work, perseverance and so on. Over time, Superman and his desire to make the world a safer place has resonated across the globe, so much so that at one point DC Comics changed his creed to be more reflective of his helping the world as a whole.
I remember seeing this when it came out in the theatres. The sequel is actually just as good if not better than the original. The three criminals in the beginning. You'll see what becomes of them in Superman II. Jorell was played by the great Marlon Brando. Which leads me to suggest a Reaction to The Godfather 1972. It's an essential for any film review/reaction channel. It's an offer no one can refuse.
Christopher Reeve WAS the ideal actor to play Superman. 6'4", he trained a lot to build up his muscles for the part, and he already had the superhero handsome looks. He was also a super nice guy, studied with Robin Williams who became his best friends. They were an odd couple, the tall, handsome Reeve and the kind of funny looking wildly talented Williams. On May 27, 1995, Reeve broke his neck when he was thrown from a horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia. He landed head first, shattering his first and second vertebrae. In fact, he was basically decapitated; the only thing that kept his skull close to his body, was his skin. He had fusion surgery during which his skull was attached to his spine again, but with the first two vertebrae crushed, he remained paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life, depending on a ventilator to breathe for him. In early October 2004, he was being treated for an infected pressure ulcer that was causing sepsis, a complication he had experienced many times before. On October 4, 2004, he spoke at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago on behalf of the institute's work; it was his last reported public appearance. On the night of October 9, 2004, Reeve went into cardiac arrest after receiving an antibiotic for the infection. He fell into a coma, and was taken to Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York. Eighteen hours later, on October 10, 2004, Reeve died at the age of 52. Such a sad ending of such a nice guy.
You're funny. General Zod didn't yell "your ass." He said "your heirs." Superman: The Movie was being filmed simultaneously with Superman 2, but doing this they got way behind so Warner Bros. told the producers to concentrate on finishing the first one before moving on to the second. By-the-way, when the teenage Clark Kent is racing against the passenger train you can see a woman with red hair with a little girl on the train. The woman was played by the actress who played Lois Lane on the 50s TV series The Adventures of Superman. In the expanded cut of the film that aired on network TV (182 minutes) the mother calls her little girl Lois. So there were 2 Lois Lanes on that train.
You have quite a few questions this time around! Most are answered by the movie. That was the style of many movies back then: to make you ask many questions, and then answer them in due time. This keeps people interested while the movie takes additional time to gradually draw us into the story and make us feel part of that world. This is not how things are usually done these days, or at least that's the feeling I get. Not that filmmakers stopped doing it, but I think they're more wary of how impatient most people are, especially since most viewing is done at home with many choices immediately available. Back in the day, movies were definitely made for near-captive audiences in theaters.
I don't think that has disappeared at all (and largely depends on the genre, of course; a murder-mystery will always need that kind of set-up). I think movies just generally have gotten better with pacing, and multi-tasking - having each shot accomplish multiple things. Movies now do tend to start with more attention-grabbing sections (know as "in media res" [Latin for "in the midst of thing"] in writing), but that *can* be layered with exposition, and setting up questions if it's done well, so it can be a real win/win. The setup comes DURING the initial action scenes, which makes the pacing feel smoother.
15:41 I saw this movie when it first came out. I was 10 years old at the time. No matter how many times I watch this movie, this moment almost brings me to tears. It is one of the most iconic scenes in comic book movies. Superman represents hope. You not only believe he can fly but you feel inspired to be better.
Thank you for the reaction! The sequel picks up from here and IMO is an even more enjoyable film. It has both a theatrical release and a cut by one of the directors, both of which have their pluses. Although I might prefer the theatrical release, for how it handles the scenes with Louis Lane.
The stuff Superman did during the ending scenes is right out of the comic books. Saving a busload of kids on the bridge, rolling a big rock down the hill to stop a river from flooding and especially using his body to replace a piece of missing railroad track to save the speeding train.
I adore Superman and this movie does so many aspects right from the depiction of Clark Kent to Superman himself with the amazing Christopher Reeve to the iconic soundtrack that's up their with the Danny Elfman Batman music for being iconic to the character. Lex Luthor for me is the only let down not my personal favourite rendition of the character as he was never came across as a high intelligence character or one that was interesting. Metropolis is a little of a let down if you've watched something like the Animated Series which depicts a very cool art deco retro futurism city the city of tomorrow. But of course budget reasons you can't expect them to go too deep into recreating a whole city so instead they went for New York. I don't think there's been a live action "Movie" Lex Luthor who I've enjoyed instead of the TV shows and Animated series for me have the best. Clancy Brown who voiced Lex in the DCAU (DC Animated Series) is by far my favourite Lex Luthor first appearing in the amazing Superman Animated Series in 1998 followed by Justice League in 2001 and Justice League Unlimited in 2004 a series of connected shows, same universe as the Batman Animated Series as well so he has interacted with Mark Hamill's Joker for example a really fun interaction of villains. In terms of live action TV the best Lex Luthor is by far Michael Rosenbaum who played Lex in Smallville and has amazing chemistry with Clark Kent. This series follows Clark through High School from 14 to 18 with Season 1 to 5 and then later Seasons showcasing him at the Daily Planet. Smallville is not a Superman show so don't go into it expecting to see Superman flying around in his classic blue outfit with his cape flapping. The show never showed Clark becoming Superman or at least wearing his classic outfit until the very end. Unlike other renditions Clark who started on their journey as Superman much earlier the Smallville Clark delayed his destiny to becoming Superman alot in the show. Took 10 whole Seasons for him to finally become Superman so it's an interesting take on the character. Most rendtion of Clark become Superman at 25 and Superboy before this in his younger years. But the whole point of the show was to showcase Clarks journey towards becoming the Man of Steel and it does a really solid job at showing this along with his relationship with a young Lex Luthor. There is a Season 11 that's depicted in a series of comics where we do see Clark wearing the Superman suit using the canon of Smallville and the likeness of the actors so it really does feel like a follow up to the show.
The reason Metropolis had the statue of Liberty is because Metropolis is New York in the Superman universe. It wasn't till Smallville, that they changed Metropolis to a city in Kansas
Haha. Kryptonite was invented for the Superman radio show. Because the lead actor wanted a vacation! So they got someone else to stand in and just groan. Why don’t we know Superman is Clark Kent? Because we don’t know Superman has a secret identity so we aren’t looking for it. And in the comics thanks to various robots and stand ins we saw Superman and Clark together. But Superman is the original and even his movie is the template for all other superhero origin movies .
The Greatest Superhero Film Ever. The gold standard with a truly iconic Reeve (the ONLY Superman) and a fun Kidder as Lois. I was 10 when this came out and saw it w/my dad - when Superman first shows his heroism and runs into the camera revealing the S the entire audience went nuts! When he saved Lois they were cheering and stamping their feet and even on their feet! I've never had that experience again in a cinema - the closest thing to having a religious experience. You need to see the first sequel w/Reeve (you can skip any other incarnation IMO)
When I first saw that helicopter rescue, back in 78 I was floored to this day out of all the superhero movies and TV shows since then it is still my favorite
Ned Beatty (Lex Luthor's minion) is hilarious in 1941 (Christmas(ish) movie). Gene Hackman (Lex)... has a lot of great roles (though his funniest is the small part in Young Frankenstein)
In 1977, it was decided by producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind that they would film both Superman and its sequel simultaneously, with principal photography beginning in March 1977 and ending in October 1978. Tensions rose between original director Richard Donner and the producers in which a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, of which 75 percent had already been completed, and finish the first film. Following the release of Superman in December 1978, Donner was controversially fired as director, and was replaced by Lester. Several members of the cast and crew declined to return in the wake of Donner's firing. To be officially credited as the director, Lester re-shot most of the film in which principal photography resumed in September 1979 and ended in March 1980.
As a kid of the 70’s, this along with Star Wars, Rocky, James Bond 007, and Star Trek were must-see movies growing up. If you like, I compiled a YT playlist devoted to all the many trailers and featurettes on the Christopher Reeve/Superman films. I’ll try to post the link here if I can.
31:21 The "S" symbol was put on the character to stand for "Superman" when the creators designed Superman, but the "S" symbol, the El family crest stands for "hope."
The duel personas are something that current day actors fail to grasp but it is perhaps the most important. It's why Reeve is the gold standard that everyone tries to achieve but falls just short of. The other actor that did this, in his own method of acting, was Kevin Conroy. We didn't see him in the flesh do his craft but his voice presented the public persona of Bruce Wayne that Gotham saw as well as the persona of the Batman.
My favorite fact about this movie is that Margot Kidder ("Lois Lane") was super self conscious about her age and her looks, being cast opposite the god in human form that was Christopher Reeve. The director of photography, Sir Geoffrey Unsworth ("2001: a Space Odyssey", "Murder on the Orient Express") picked up on this. He was normally a very soft spoken man, and movie sets are normally chaos during set-ups, but every time he was adjusting her lighting on set, he would shout "QUIET! I'm lighting the LADY." Margot Kidder later said in an interview she felt more beautiful in those moments than at any time in her life. RIP, Mr Reeve, Ms Kidder, and Sir Geoffrey. You got the shot. We believed it all.
Outside of the Superman movies, Christopher Reeves also has a great small part in Speechless with Michael Keaton and Geena Davis. If you watch all the Reeves Superman movies (they progressively get worse) the Brandon Routh Superman Returns is a good spiritual successor. Marlon Brando, Superman's dad, is fantastic in On The Waterfront and Streetcar Named Desire.
I know it isn't a popular opinion, but I really enjoyed Superman 3 and it was my favorite Superman movie growing up. Christopher Reeves also played a main role in the 1995 remake of Village of the Damned with Mark Hamill and Kirsty Alley, which was also a good movie and the last movie that Christopher Reeves was in before his accident.
This feels like half a movie because it is. The movie was too long so they split into two. Your questions will be answered in the second one. Also there are two versions of Superman 2 the original and the Donner cut. I suggest the Donner cut. Richard Donner the director of both was replaced during filming.
The original & the best superhero performance back when he didn't need a tragic back story or was full of darkness & angst - just a good guy doing good deeds for no reward because he can!
Yes Dawn, it is physically possible to look out tiny filthy windows in the head of the statue of liberty. I'm not sure if its still allowed after 9/11. However at one point yours truly climbed a very long circular stair case from the feet to the head to peek out the window for 5 seconds before being moved out of the way to allow the next person in the huge line to get their 5 seconds.
Classic ! Fond memories of this and the second one, which is a direct sequel and even better, really worth it to watch, but I think the movie that made me love Superman's character was Man Of Steel, very different approach but a solid flick too. I gotta say that's so refreshing to see someone legitimately excited and immerse while watching the films without all the pretend what we have in most reaction channels. Probably because of that you and Cassie (Popcorn in Bed) are some of my favorite reactors. Keep it up with the great work !
Welllll.....my opinion. and it's just my opinion, I found the flash backs and dark scenes in Man Of Steel so boring it almost put me to sleep up until the final action battle at the end, and it was sure torture to finally get to the final act. . And don't get me started on Costners Jonathan Kent, I hated him. I won't say anything else because of spoilers.
This is still the best Superman movie and still one of the best superhero movies ever made. Christopher Reeve will always be the best Superman. May he rest in peace.
33:49 the little girl on the train is supposedly Lois Lane, but any scenes planned for this scenario were never filmed. the woman is Noel Neil who played Lois Lane in the 1950s tv series The Adventures of Superman and the man is Kirk Alyn who played Clark Kent/Superman in the 1940s Superman serials.
The TV show you were trying to remember was Smallville. He didn't live in the barn, but he had a man cave in the loft of the barn. Smallville was amazing!
From the comics, there were Kryptonians that survived the destruction of Krypton. General Zod and his gang who were imprisoned in the Phantom Zone (What you call that piece of paper) and the citizens of the Krypton city of Kandor(?) that was miniaturized and put in a bottle by a evil mad scientist. The city is where Supergirl lived until she found a way to leave the miniature city in a bottle.
My mom's boss of 47 years wrote the words to Can You Read My Mind, Lois' internal dialogue during the flight. He died a few years ago - Leslie Bricusse (What Kind of Fool Am I).
Yes, you definitely watch the next one! So many of your questions and unfulfilled expectations will be addressed. Zod said “heirs” to Jor-El. As in children. It’s okay to have Batman as a favorite. He has no superpowers, just a lot of money, intellect, and determination.
Hey Dawn, When Lois died and Superman spun the earth in reverse to go back in time. I knew as a kid this was real fishy, but I let the movie magic roll.------ Kids today would definitely not find that Kosher or let that slide without a Twitter dismantling. ------- Ahhh the innocence of the '70s.
The is a comic book that explains that Superman's lenses are Kryptonian from his space ship, and Superman is subconsciously hypnotizing everyone into thinking he is weak and frail when he has his glasses on.
31:31 Supergirl is Superman's cousin who was raised on Krypton (his home planet). The city her and Clark's Uncle lived on was spared. She shows up later and Kal El is now older than her.
Yes ya can (19:34). You used to be able to walk around the flame, held aloft in her right hand too, but it's long since been closed down as being too dangerous now.
The 3 characters at the start who get imprisoned in that flat piece of mirror appear in the next Superman film. The leader is called General Zod played by English Actor Terence Stamp.
31:24 many people have asked, and yes, originally is was a stylised S for SUPERMAN… “In universe” however, as we saw the other crests at the start of the film, later iterations of the character have stated that the symbol whilst bearing a strong resemblance to an earth S, is a kryptonian symbol that means “HOPE”
I admit that it really does sound like General Zod was saying "And then one day, your ass!" but actually he's saying "your heirs" (such as Jor-El's son Kal-El: Superman). It's a wonder that this movie actually got made at all considering the HUGE amount of behind the scenes drama that happened before, during and after production. The "Making of Superman" that comes on the blu-ray/DVD gives some insight but it's even more than that. I saw this for the first time in the theater as an 11 year old kid and I can still remember the chills that the opening music gave me and still gives me to this day. One of John Williams' greatest accomplishments.
"You'll believe a man can fly." The tagline in adverts for this film when it came out. The Superman TV show of the 1950s just had him jump on a trampoline and out of frame. When Superman stood in that crystal fortress in his iconic costume, and flew directly toward camera- toward the audience- crowds went WILD. Some of the effects in this film are somewhat dated by today's standards, but honestly, most of them hold up really quite well. Chris Reeve sold it, with his banking and turning; his attitude while flying made it look easy. This film came out the year I was born. I don't have a clear memory of when was the first time I saw it, but I've seen it many, many times over the years. It truly deserves its reputation as the godfather of all superhero films. The second installment, as others have said, is well worth a watch. Make sure you get the right version; the director's cut, not the studio cut. Either way is still an entertaining enough watch, but the director's cut preserves his original intent, without studio meddling.
7:25 “oohhh, they could use him” They touch on and in some episodes lean very heavily on this notion in the series SMALLVILLE - with teenage Clark using his powers to quickly and easily perform farmyard chores. Need fence posts put in, no need to dig a hole and use a sledgehammer, he just walks up and pushes it into the ground…nail in the horizontal boards, nope he places the nail amd just pushes it straight in…
Superman's iconic shield is a universal symbol of hope, it just happens to look like an 'S' so for us humans watching it can actually relate to it as coincidentally standing for Superman too. The S-Shield is a symbol worn by Superman, Supergirl, and other Kryptonians who are members of the House of El
So Lois Lane is played by the incredible Margot Kidder--an actress Canada is proud to claim. Back in 1969 , she broke in Canada with The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar. Nine years later she was in Superman.She passed away in 2018.
What I love about Reeve is that he changes his character flawlessly between Clark Kent and Superman. ------ His stance, speech mannerisms, hunching his back, everything was so well depicted. ------- Everything's in the glasses scene after the date Louis had with Superman
When he goes from Clark to Kal, it always gives me goosebumps.
George Reeves?
His name is Reeve, not Reeves.
Reeves was a different person.
@@shawbros Steve Reeves was Hercules
Reeve and Kidder both wound up tragic characters. Reeve had a freak horse riding accident in 1995 that left him a quadriplegic. Though he swore he'd one day walk again, he passed away at 52 of complications from an infection caused by a bedsore.
Kidder was never able to turn her "Superman" success into stardom and became a hopeless drunk and drug addict after her career fizzled. She passed on in 2018 at 69, Kidder's death was ruled a suicide by overdose.
I cannot adequately describe the excitement of this movie when it came out… it is very special. Christopher Reeve portrays a very good person, a man who loves his earth parents, loves Lois, cares about people…. Of course, that’s his weakness is his love for others, not kryptonite…. When Lois dies and he’s heartbroken, his rage propels him to break his father’s rule, just for her…. Such a great movie!
Back in the day, the whole cinema cheered when Superman caught the helicopter.
Christopher Reeves' delivery of 'A friend.' is perfection.
Friendzoned!
They will cheer again when they see the new Jor-El, who is African-Kryptonian.
3:41 That’s what I heard for years too, until I realized it was “Your heirs!”
20:18 This. This right here is why Christopher Reeve is the Superman all others are compared to. With just his voice, his posture, his *attitude* , he makes you believe that no one would ever look past Clark Kent’s glasses and see Superman.
That's a little foreshadowing that Zod would take out his anger on his jailers son.
Who says he's the Superman all others are compared to? Maybe in your age group.
"until I realized it was “Your heirs!”"
Nope.
He said "Your ass!".
Don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise.
My friend had a birthday party at a church group and they fast-forwarded one of the best parts (Phantom Zone collecting them) because that's what the grown-ups heard.
Reason #742 to build a time machine.
@DarkTitan I made no such claim, genius.
Yes you will love Superman 2. Another great Christopher Reeves film is Somewhere in Time
And 'Somewhere In Time' has the lovely Jane Seymour (James Bond girl Solitaire from 'Live & Let Die' & TV series 'Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman')....
@@MLJ7956 And she was on Smallville too
@@MLJ7956 There is a rumor that Jane and Chris had something going on there above and beyond. What we in Canada call 'boinking'. Now, I don't know if that is true or not. It's possible. Jane had just broken up with Clint Eastwood. Chris had just broken up with Lana Turner.
@@trhansen3244WOW!!!😳 No kidding?? First I've heard about either/or being in them relationships, sir or ma'am. Interesting if it's true👍
Christopher Reeve REALLY captured the "innocent sweetness" of Clark Kent while the authentic "moral goodness" of Superman at the same time. His take on how Superman should be played REALLY set a standard that has been almost impossible to reach for nearly 30 years.
I think the reason an authentic take on Superman has been elusive for decades is that America is no longer a nation of farmers. The small family farm began dying out in the 1970s, replaced by larger, consolidated corporate farms. So more recent folks in charge of Superman are not as connected to farm life as people used to be.
Farmers rely on one another in ways that city people don't. When the harvest has to get in, farmers pool their resources to get the job done. Much of the necessary equipment is expensive, so it's impractical for every farmer to own a combine, for example. So the guy who does own the combine gets together with his neighbors to work out a harvest schedule. You need enough people involved so there's always a steady supply of wagons running from the combine to the grain silos. You don't want the combine sitting idle while a single-family farmer runs one or three wagons at a time (assuming his kids are old enough to participate). That's why you get all of the neighbors together - so you're running 10 or 15 wagons and moving from farm to farm as you get the fields done.
Similarly, when a neighbor had a barn (for example) damaged or destroyed in a storm, you'd get the neighbors/family together, throw a weekend-long potluck party and raise a new barn. Because everyone needs a new barn from time to time, helping out the neighbor who needs one *now* is just what you do. (And it's an opportunity to socialize, of course, which farmers have fewer chances to indulge in that city folk.) If a neighbor goes out-of-State to visit or vacation, you look after his livestock until he gets back. Just as the neighbors do for you.
Man of Steel, however, has a Pa Kent who encourages Clark to *not* help his neighbors, to only look out for himself and his interests. And that's not how farm people are. It's why farmers are often considered rubes, suckers, naive, etc by city people. It's why Snyder's Man of Steel fails to capture the heart of Superman.
@@flatebo1 - Don't forget that you have also had an entire new movement introduced into "hero movies" where everyone feels as if they have to "deconstructe" the character and turn them into "flawed humans" underneath the masks.
This approach NEVER works with Superman because he is more of an IDEAL representation than a human. It isn't that he IS perfect, it is that he TRIES to be perfect. Which makes giving him a "dark and brooding attitude" will always fail. You can't be "dark" and "perfect" at the same time, because those two character traits will cancel each other out.
It also doesn't help when people make movies trying to make Superman himself seem weaker than he is. A "lesser form" of Superman is boring. Where the real backbone of his character (in almost any format) has always been bad guys who basically "step up and present a real threat". It is why Brainiac and Lex Luther are perfect foils to Superman. It makes him stop using his "powers" as an advantage, but use his MIND and ability to convey ideas to other people. Once you remove that and make it a simple "just use Kryptonite and beat him up" as his "conflict", it becomes dull.
Which is why the original General Zod is still the best Superman Villain. Matches him on a physical level, but it is mirror-opposite of being a "protector" (Superman) vs "oppressor" (Zod) and how they both feel that this is the proper role for a Kryptonian dealing with Earthlings. That they are either in need of protection, or should be ruled over. That simple "opposing views" provides enough material for conflict that could be an entire series of movies on their own.
The girl on the train that teenage Clark races is Lois Lane, and her mother is played by Noel Neil, who played Lois in the '40s serial and the '50s TV series, "The Adventures of Superman," from season 2 on. She also has a cameo in "Superman Returns."
And her Father on the train was played by Kirk Alyn, the actor who played Superman in the '40's serials.
@@les4767 Thanks. I had read that recently, but didn't remember.
And the last name of the actor that played Superman in the 50's show was also Reeves (George Reeves).
She married and retired to the beach, reckons she was an actress 2nd and a beach bum 1st
@@danieltate6092 Yes, but Christopher's last name is "REEVE" with NO "S" at the end like GEORGE REEVES. Did you know he GEORGE REEVES also played one of the red haired twins seen flirting with Scarlett O'Hara near the beginning of "GONE WITH THE WIND" from 1939? Sadly he died when he was 45 from a gunshot. Originally called a suicide, but some speculate he was murdered or an accidental shooting. It has never been determined which was the cause.
Yes, you should watch the second one. Superman 1 & 2 are unofficially one giant movie separated due to film length. Although some of his powers have been changed up, the spirit of Superman as the spirit of hope remains true and iconic in this version.
About the soundtrack is, in my opinion, one of the finest John Williams ever composed. You can tell that there are a lot of influences from Star Wars and also Jaws but the score has its own personality. The Fortress of Solitude theme is a true gem.
Don't forget he also did the music to Jurassic Park!
@@fiddiehacked Don't forget Close Encounters, Indiana Jones, E.T., Home Alone, Hook and Harry Potter
The Superman theme is the best superhero music ever created. To this day the only one nearly as memorable is the Batman theme by Danny Elfman as far as randos knowing it by just a few bars. But this Superman music just has to play those first few trilling horns and EVERYONE in America knows the refrain even if they don’t k ow where it’s from.
When I was young our H.S. orchestra played a suite from the score. I still remember the oboes playing that march which was Luther's Theme and is played as Otis makes his way down to the lair. But the main Superman theme has got to be one of the best ever written.
I agree. It's also my favorite Williams score.
For an entire generation, Christopher Reeve will always be the only Superman. What made Christopher Reeve so great in this role wasn't just that visually he was born to play Superman, but as a youth he was prone to stress induced asthma attacks, so in a way he was born to play Clark Kent too.
Christopher Reeve is iconic. He was roommates at Juilliard with Robin Williams. He made a movie called 'Somewhere in Time', talk about a great drama. Best reaction channel I've seen, and I really want to go to Scotland before I die.
End of Line
I got that movie ...
I have a buddy whose parents owned a bowling alley where Chris Reeves liked to throw the rock. He said he was a really nice, down-to-earth guy.
Somewhere in time, is an epic movie.
That is over of the most complementary comment I've ever seen.
I. Agree and think she should do a reaction of Somewhere in Time. Great job.
This film is considered the gold standard of comic-book movies. It came out right on the heels of Star Wars, and it proved what the tagline of this movie was:
“You’ll Believe That A Man Can Fly”
Oh, and BTW @Dawn Marie at 3:37 he is saying “Your heirs.”
Although, hearing Zod say “your ass” instead is way funnier!🤣🤣🤣🤣
"Its the same story as Hercules"- you Dawn, are now officially a post modern film geek, and we love you for it😃🤗
That’s what I was thinking about when, I was a kid. Although, Zeus and Hera still alive throughout the movie.
Superman was inspired by the stories of Hercules , Samson and the story of Moshes since both of Superman creators were Jewish
@@totomomo18 Yes, but vice versa, the 1998 Hercules film takes more from Superman the Movie (Hades is Lex's personality with Zod's hatred for the hero's dad, the Titans are the Phantom Zone villains, the heroines die in the final act and the hero's final act is resurrecting them, and so on) than it did the original myths.
@@ericjohnson9623 If you like Hercules I would also highly recommend you see the 2005 hallmark miniseries. It is a great mini series.
Yes, I remember when Hercules was sent away from his doomed planet.
Hey, Dawn Marie, wonderful reaction, as always. The S is a family crest for the House of El. He's Kal El and his dad was Jor El. The crest means Hope. Lois just saw it as an S and named him Superman because of it.
That being said, Christopher Reeves wasn't the original Superman but in my opinion and most people (I'm sure) is the best of them all to this day! He was very special, charming, wonderful actor and human being and is still sorely missed. I think you'll enjoy the second as well and will answer more of your questions.
Thank you so much for sharing your first experience watching this classic with us. And as always, we look forward to your next first time experience and we all love you very much for brightening our otherwise gloomy days and revisiting our childhood. I couldn't imagine a better way to do so.
Original actor who 1st portrayed Superman was George Reeves in TV series in the 50's. Sadly in 1959, George Reeves died of gunshots wounds ruled by official as a suicide because George Reeves became depress due to his inability to find work that he wanted.
@@MrTech226
Yes. George Reeves (no relation).was great but before him, there was Kirk Allen. Allen would run behind a tree or building and an animated Superman would fly. Hal Holbrook got to play Superman on Broadway when I was a kid too. I wanna say around the 80s. And aging Superman.
BTW, that's awesome! I failed to mention that. It's so cool that people remember George Reeves! When I was growing up in Brooklyn, all the cats used to claim that they were related and would go on and throw in Steven Reeves (Hercules) too. I guess I'm geeking out now. I better shut up! 😂
@@antoniozayas9822 Of course there's no relation: they have different last names. Reeves/Reeve.
@@MrTech226 actually, Kirk Alyn, who was briefly in this movie (extended editions show him more prominently in the train race scene), was the 1st live-action Superman on film, in the 1948 & 1950 movie serials.
This and the second movie were produced back to back, but the second movie’s director’s cut is the one which preserves the initial director’s story. This movie was designed to end with loose threads to be followed up in the sequel, thus the three criminals in the beginning.
Just like a comicbook
@@matthewdunham1689 Exactly
Regardless the Richard Donner version is not the one that was in the theatre. She should watch the film that is Canon. The Richard Donner is a nightmare with all the dress rehearsal scenes. It's also repetitive because of the Earth thing again.
@@josephcasanova1975 Yes the theatrical 2 is better imo.
@@josephcasanova1975 The film that is Cannon is Superman IV ;)
Superman II is basically part 2 of this story. Much of it was filmed at the same time as the first film. It gets sillier than the first film. But it does answer your questions concerning the first film.
I don't think Superman II is "sillier"< I think it is MUCH better that Superman I ( but I like it too), but LOVE SUPERMAN II It's my FAVORITE! I don't care for the actors who have played Superman, AFTER Christopher Reeve (RIP). Plus MARGO KIDDER (RIP) s my FAVORITE "Lois Lane"
It took me years to finally realize Zod says "your heirs" instead of "your ass."
Heirs mean a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death
Same here. I grew up watching this back in the 70s and 80s, and was pretty sure I heard “ass”. I was a grown man before I realized it was “heirs”.
I was exactly the same after I first saw this when I was 7 or 8. Thought he said "ass", and Terence Stamp's sheepish body language immediately after saying it has the look of someone thinking "oh dear, I just said the word 'ass' in public, and I'm rather embarassed about it now". At least a decade before I realised he said "heirs".
I knew that they weren't using bad language when this was on TV. The word wasn't blotted out, so I realised it wasn't a bad word. Then, as I recalled in Superman II, he kept calling Superman "son of Jor-El", that heirs was the word he used
I'm glad I wasn't the only one to mistake this word.
To answer the statue of Liberty questions, yes you can go up to the crown of the statue though you have to pre-book and it's limited to 240 visitors per day. The torch has a viewing balcony, but has been closed to the public since 1916. This film is probably one of the last cinematic views of the original torch in situ, as it was removed and replaced in 1984, when the statue was renovated for centennial celebrations.
Also worth mentioning that the original torch still exists, and is on display at the museum there. It just wasn’t in good enough condition to properly restore for the statue renovation.
"Is he faster than flash?"
That's been a running competition over the years.
@DarkTitan a)yes
B) but that was only after superman got nerfed
C) and dude, I got to make a "running " joke about the two fastest major heroes In DC
Superman can fly so fast it can make time go backwards.
@David Moore the flash has screwed up the universe multiple times running fast enough to time travel
@@Demigord but in the film they were both together and superman caught up to flash and said keep up.
*Superman is faster than Flash.*
FUN FACT: When young Clark is racing the train, the little girl who sees him is Lois Lane. Her parents are played by Noel Neill who played Lois Lane in the Adventures of Superman 1950s tv show.. (And she was in one of her outfits from the show), and Kirk Alyn.. the first man who ever played Superman on the big screen in the 1940's
Christopher Reeves IS Superman. He just had the essence captured perfectly
You should definitely watch superman II. Great bit of movie trivia, Christopher Reeve was physically trained for this movie by Dave Prowse who played Darth Vader.
The symbol on his chest is not an S.
There are sequels that can answer some of your questions
His glasses somehow distorts his physical appearance in the eyes of other people, so that, along with his posture, and awkwardness helps hide his identity.
19:39 -- yes.. The crown was reopened, but you still can not go up to the top of the torch.. Even though it was fixed and strengthened in the 1980s..
You have to remember that when this came out, we had NEVER seen anything like this. Yes, Superman had been on TV, but the special effects were pretty terrible. The tagline, "You will believe a man can fly" was very accurate. The effects were so much more than what we had ever seen. Sadly, the younger generations have not experienced this yet. Imagine when there is finally a movie that acts like a... well, a holodeck. Where you are completely immersed in it. That is when you will understand the impact of these late 70's movies.
Fun facts: Jackie Cooper (Perry White) was a founding member of the children's comedy series "the our gang" which was later re-branded to "The Little Rascals".
-When Margot kidder (Lois lane) first read for the role, it was with Christopher Reeve. During witch, her voice started to legit tremble in his presence. Because of this, they knew they found their Lois lane.
Superman 1 and 2 were meant to be one long epic like Lawrence of Arabia.
Because they had to basically invent stuff to make the special effects they were running out of money so they split the films in two and finished the first so they could take the box office from it to complete the second
Even now, seeing Superman catch Lois and then the helicopter with that theme kicking in- it get's me! When I saw this in the theatre as a kid, I started cheering and realized that I had stood to my feet at that moment.
The TV show you were recalling was "Smallville" It ran for 10 Seasons. A terrific job putting the show together. Instead of ever watching it, I bought all 10 Seasons and watched them all.
There’s also some follow up comics/Tom welling makes a cameo in the cw crisis on infinite earths 👍
It was actually meant to be much much longer, and they ended up making the third act it’s on movie which is Superman two
Hey Dawn, as an 8-year-old kid I put on my cape and Superman t-shirt and headed for the back entrance stairwell, and jumped about 6ft to the soft lawn below. Once my mother banned that craziness I had to lay on my bed, belly first, and fly over an imaginary METROPOLIS. Ahhh Childhood. Anything was possible.
George Reeves was Superman in the original series from 1952 to 1958. He also had a tragic death. 🥲
A great reaction, Dawn.
All your questions are answered in 'Superman 2', but I'll help you out a bit, the symbol on his chest and cape is the symbol of 'The House of El' which is his family name, his Krypton name is 'Kal El', his powers under the yellow sun of Earth are; Super strength, Super speed, invulnerability, X-Ray vision, Heat vision (a by product of his X-Ray vision), Super breath which can be used to blast things or super cool/freeze things, Super hearing. The reason why Kryptonite effects him is because he was sent away from the planet straight after his birth so, unlike others from Krypton he never adjusted to its effects as he grew up there, the reason why he has superpowers is due to the yellow sun of Earth, unlike the red sun of his home planet, he gets his energy from the suns radiation. I hope that this helps, and I look forward to seeing you react to 'Superman 2'.
3:00: the leftover pieces of Krypton irradiated by the planet’s explosion
4:30: it’s their family crests. That’s why Jor-el has the Superman symbol
4:33 a violent uprising against the government
5:35 Kal-el
Krypton is on the Periodic Table of Elements as Kr36. It is a type of gas with an array of colors, especially when used with other rare games. It is used in fluorescent lighting.
The star of Superman, Christopher Reeve, starred in several episodes of "Smallville".
Kryptonite, on the other hand, does not exist.
This is the original big movie Superman, in any case. Previous incarnations were in comics, of course, and on TV (possibly played in theaters, but not as a blockbuster movie).
This came out 3 years before I was born but first saw it around 1986 when I was 5. My mind was blown away. Still the best Superman film imo. I named my first pet (a goldfish) Superman :)
Henry Cavil is the closest we`ll ever get to seeing Christopher Reeve on screen again.
Same here. I remember watching this on the telly as an 80s kid and it was the most intoxicating thing I'd ever seen.
@@kylereese4822 ... which we wont get ... because managers are stupid.
@@kylereese4822 Cavill makes a good villain in other films. He was not a good choice for Superman. And the worst Clark Kent ever.
In the earliest Superman stories Lois Lane was not his love interest. She was a professional rival who is always trying to beat Clark Kent to the story for the newspaper. In fact she was portrayed quite negatively as a conniving backstabber woman.
This is the first modern superhero movie the one that started it all :) . Superman is my favorite superhero of all time and Christoper Reeve Rip is the gold standard of playing Superman no one else ever come close. You should also see the squeal theoretical version only. Fyi I think you saw Smallville which is a great tv show with 10 seasons.
19:07 something to understand about the character of Superman is that when he first appeared in comic books in 1939, the world and especially America, was in a dark place. War was brewing overseas and the USA was still struggling with the Great Depression. Superman represented hope to the American people back then, a hope of getting out of the messes through hard work, perseverance and so on.
Over time, Superman and his desire to make the world a safer place has resonated across the globe, so much so that at one point DC Comics changed his creed to be more reflective of his helping the world as a whole.
I remember seeing this when it came out in the theatres. The sequel is actually just as good if not better than the original. The three criminals in the beginning. You'll see what becomes of them in Superman II. Jorell was played by the great Marlon Brando. Which leads me to suggest a Reaction to The Godfather 1972. It's an essential for any film review/reaction channel. It's an offer no one can refuse.
Christopher Reeve WAS the ideal actor to play Superman. 6'4", he trained a lot to build up his muscles for the part, and he already had the superhero handsome looks. He was also a super nice guy, studied with Robin Williams who became his best friends. They were an odd couple, the tall, handsome Reeve and the kind of funny looking wildly talented Williams. On May 27, 1995, Reeve broke his neck when he was thrown from a horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia. He landed head first, shattering his first and second vertebrae. In fact, he was basically decapitated; the only thing that kept his skull close to his body, was his skin. He had fusion surgery during which his skull was attached to his spine again, but with the first two vertebrae crushed, he remained paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life, depending on a ventilator to breathe for him. In early October 2004, he was being treated for an infected pressure ulcer that was causing sepsis, a complication he had experienced many times before. On October 4, 2004, he spoke at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago on behalf of the institute's work; it was his last reported public appearance. On the night of October 9, 2004, Reeve went into cardiac arrest after receiving an antibiotic for the infection. He fell into a coma, and was taken to Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York. Eighteen hours later, on October 10, 2004, Reeve died at the age of 52. Such a sad ending of such a nice guy.
Christopher Reeve was fantastic. And his ability to portray two completely different people so well, makes it believable that noone recognises him.
You're funny. General Zod didn't yell "your ass." He said "your heirs." Superman: The Movie was being filmed simultaneously with Superman 2, but doing this they got way behind so Warner Bros. told the producers to concentrate on finishing the first one before moving on to the second. By-the-way, when the teenage Clark Kent is racing against the passenger train you can see a woman with red hair with a little girl on the train. The woman was played by the actress who played Lois Lane on the 50s TV series The Adventures of Superman. In the expanded cut of the film that aired on network TV (182 minutes) the mother calls her little girl Lois. So there were 2 Lois Lanes on that train.
You have quite a few questions this time around! Most are answered by the movie. That was the style of many movies back then: to make you ask many questions, and then answer them in due time. This keeps people interested while the movie takes additional time to gradually draw us into the story and make us feel part of that world. This is not how things are usually done these days, or at least that's the feeling I get. Not that filmmakers stopped doing it, but I think they're more wary of how impatient most people are, especially since most viewing is done at home with many choices immediately available. Back in the day, movies were definitely made for near-captive audiences in theaters.
I don't think that has disappeared at all (and largely depends on the genre, of course; a murder-mystery will always need that kind of set-up). I think movies just generally have gotten better with pacing, and multi-tasking - having each shot accomplish multiple things. Movies now do tend to start with more attention-grabbing sections (know as "in media res" [Latin for "in the midst of thing"] in writing), but that *can* be layered with exposition, and setting up questions if it's done well, so it can be a real win/win. The setup comes DURING the initial action scenes, which makes the pacing feel smoother.
15:41 I saw this movie when it first came out. I was 10 years old at the time.
No matter how many times I watch this movie, this moment almost brings me to tears. It is one of the most iconic scenes in comic book movies.
Superman represents hope. You not only believe he can fly but you feel inspired to be better.
Krypton is a real element... Krypton is also a fictional planet and kryptonite is a fictional rock from the fictional planet...
@6:00 -- like they always say, "can't predict the weather", even on krypton
Thank you for the reaction!
The sequel picks up from here and IMO is an even more enjoyable film. It has both a theatrical release and a cut by one of the directors, both of which have their pluses. Although I might prefer the theatrical release, for how it handles the scenes with Louis Lane.
The stuff Superman did during the ending scenes is right out of the comic books. Saving a busload of kids on the bridge, rolling a big rock down the hill to stop a river from flooding and especially using his body to replace a piece of missing railroad track to save the speeding train.
Chris Reeve showed the world that he really was a super man in the face of personal loss.
30:40 to its completion of all your questions will be answered if youyo... See Superman 2 -- all those questions will be answered! 👍
My Superman is Christopher Reeve, and my Batman is Michael Keaton. Yeah, I’m old
Big "Christopher Reeves "Superman fan here,and 2 is my favorite. I came here to enjoy this awesome movie with you. ✨️🙌
I adore Superman and this movie does so many aspects right from the depiction of Clark Kent to Superman himself with the amazing Christopher Reeve to the iconic soundtrack that's up their with the Danny Elfman Batman music for being iconic to the character. Lex Luthor for me is the only let down not my personal favourite rendition of the character as he was never came across as a high intelligence character or one that was interesting. Metropolis is a little of a let down if you've watched something like the Animated Series which depicts a very cool art deco retro futurism city the city of tomorrow. But of course budget reasons you can't expect them to go too deep into recreating a whole city so instead they went for New York.
I don't think there's been a live action "Movie" Lex Luthor who I've enjoyed instead of the TV shows and Animated series for me have the best. Clancy Brown who voiced Lex in the DCAU (DC Animated Series) is by far my favourite Lex Luthor first appearing in the amazing Superman Animated Series in 1998 followed by Justice League in 2001 and Justice League Unlimited in 2004 a series of connected shows, same universe as the Batman Animated Series as well so he has interacted with Mark Hamill's Joker for example a really fun interaction of villains.
In terms of live action TV the best Lex Luthor is by far Michael Rosenbaum who played Lex in Smallville and has amazing chemistry with Clark Kent. This series follows Clark through High School from 14 to 18 with Season 1 to 5 and then later Seasons showcasing him at the Daily Planet. Smallville is not a Superman show so don't go into it expecting to see Superman flying around in his classic blue outfit with his cape flapping. The show never showed Clark becoming Superman or at least wearing his classic outfit until the very end.
Unlike other renditions Clark who started on their journey as Superman much earlier the Smallville Clark delayed his destiny to becoming Superman alot in the show. Took 10 whole Seasons for him to finally become Superman so it's an interesting take on the character. Most rendtion of Clark become Superman at 25 and Superboy before this in his younger years.
But the whole point of the show was to showcase Clarks journey towards becoming the Man of Steel and it does a really solid job at showing this along with his relationship with a young Lex Luthor. There is a Season 11 that's depicted in a series of comics where we do see Clark wearing the Superman suit using the canon of Smallville and the likeness of the actors so it really does feel like a follow up to the show.
The reason Metropolis had the statue of Liberty is because Metropolis is New York in the Superman universe. It wasn't till Smallville, that they changed Metropolis to a city in Kansas
Haha. Kryptonite was invented for the Superman radio show. Because the lead actor wanted a vacation! So they got someone else to stand in and just groan.
Why don’t we know Superman is Clark Kent? Because we don’t know Superman has a secret identity so we aren’t looking for it. And in the comics thanks to various robots and stand ins we saw Superman and Clark together.
But Superman is the original and even his movie is the template for all other superhero origin movies .
The Greatest Superhero Film Ever. The gold standard with a truly iconic Reeve (the ONLY Superman) and a fun Kidder as Lois. I was 10 when this came out and saw it w/my dad - when Superman first shows his heroism and runs into the camera revealing the S the entire audience went nuts! When he saved Lois they were cheering and stamping their feet and even on their feet! I've never had that experience again in a cinema - the closest thing to having a religious experience. You need to see the first sequel w/Reeve (you can skip any other incarnation IMO)
I have to disagree
When I first saw that helicopter rescue, back in 78 I was floored to this day out of all the superhero movies and TV shows since then it is still my favorite
Ned Beatty (Lex Luthor's minion) is hilarious in 1941 (Christmas(ish) movie).
Gene Hackman (Lex)... has a lot of great roles (though his funniest is the small part in Young Frankenstein)
He's great in Mississippi Burning too, which is an excellent film
And Unforgiven as well as Absolute Power with Clint Eastwood
In 1977, it was decided by producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind that they would film both Superman and its sequel simultaneously, with principal photography beginning in March 1977 and ending in October 1978. Tensions rose between original director Richard Donner and the producers in which a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, of which 75 percent had already been completed, and finish the first film. Following the release of Superman in December 1978, Donner was controversially fired as director, and was replaced by Lester. Several members of the cast and crew declined to return in the wake of Donner's firing. To be officially credited as the director, Lester re-shot most of the film in which principal photography resumed in September 1979 and ended in March 1980.
As a kid of the 70’s, this along with Star Wars, Rocky, James Bond 007, and Star Trek were must-see movies growing up.
If you like, I compiled a YT playlist devoted to all the many trailers and featurettes on the Christopher Reeve/Superman films. I’ll try to post the link here if I can.
31:21 The "S" symbol was put on the character to stand for "Superman" when the creators designed Superman, but the "S" symbol, the El family crest stands for "hope."
Christopher Reeve is the one and only Superman. All others are pale imitations. No other actor pulled off both Superman and Clark Kent as well.
Nope. I grew up with Reeves and he'll always be my Superman.
@Buford Tee Justice same. Tom Welling and Henry Cavill were okay but Reeve will always be my Superman
@@bufordteejustice1119 You are both correct.
The duel personas are something that current day actors fail to grasp but it is perhaps the most important. It's why Reeve is the gold standard that everyone tries to achieve but falls just short of.
The other actor that did this, in his own method of acting, was Kevin Conroy. We didn't see him in the flesh do his craft but his voice presented the public persona of Bruce Wayne that Gotham saw as well as the persona of the Batman.
What about Tim Daly
My favorite fact about this movie is that Margot Kidder ("Lois Lane") was super self conscious about her age and her looks, being cast opposite the god in human form that was Christopher Reeve. The director of photography, Sir Geoffrey Unsworth ("2001: a Space Odyssey", "Murder on the Orient Express") picked up on this. He was normally a very soft spoken man, and movie sets are normally chaos during set-ups, but every time he was adjusting her lighting on set, he would shout "QUIET! I'm lighting the LADY." Margot Kidder later said in an interview she felt more beautiful in those moments than at any time in her life. RIP, Mr Reeve, Ms Kidder, and Sir Geoffrey. You got the shot. We believed it all.
Outside of the Superman movies, Christopher Reeves also has a great small part in Speechless with Michael Keaton and Geena Davis.
If you watch all the Reeves Superman movies (they progressively get worse) the Brandon Routh Superman Returns is a good spiritual successor.
Marlon Brando, Superman's dad, is fantastic in On The Waterfront and Streetcar Named Desire.
Apocalypse Now, and The Godfather.
I know it isn't a popular opinion, but I really enjoyed Superman 3 and it was my favorite Superman movie growing up. Christopher Reeves also played a main role in the 1995 remake of Village of the Damned with Mark Hamill and Kirsty Alley, which was also a good movie and the last movie that Christopher Reeves was in before his accident.
Yes, watch Superman II, and (some) questions will be answered!
This feels like half a movie because it is. The movie was too long so they split into two. Your questions will be answered in the second one. Also there are two versions of Superman 2 the original and the Donner cut. I suggest the Donner cut. Richard Donner the director of both was replaced during filming.
The original & the best superhero performance back when he didn't need a tragic back story or was full of darkness & angst - just a good guy doing good deeds for no reward because he can!
Yes Dawn, it is physically possible to look out tiny filthy windows in the head of the statue of liberty. I'm not sure if its still allowed after 9/11. However at one point yours truly climbed a very long circular stair case from the feet to the head to peek out the window for 5 seconds before being moved out of the way to allow the next person in the huge line to get their 5 seconds.
I did too, in 1966. I was just a wee tyke.
I remember the movie posters in theaters at the time. There was just Superman's symbol with the tag line, "You will believe a man can fly."
Classic ! Fond memories of this and the second one, which is a direct sequel and even better, really worth it to watch, but I think the movie that made me love Superman's character was Man Of Steel, very different approach but a solid flick too.
I gotta say that's so refreshing to see someone legitimately excited and immerse while watching the films without all the pretend what we have in most reaction channels. Probably because of that you and Cassie (Popcorn in Bed) are some of my favorite reactors. Keep it up with the great work !
Welllll.....my opinion. and it's just my opinion, I found the flash backs and dark scenes in Man Of Steel so boring it almost put me to sleep up until the final action battle at the end, and it was sure torture to finally get to the final act. . And don't get me started on Costners Jonathan Kent, I hated him. I won't say anything else because of spoilers.
Such a charmer. Bring up another reactor that is female. I can tell you always get the girl, Romeo
@@josephcasanova1975 What ?? What's your point ? I really like SebScreen too if the fact that I only mentioned two bothers you so much...
This is still the best Superman movie and still one of the best superhero movies ever made.
Christopher Reeve will always be the best Superman. May he rest in peace.
Your heirs. ❤️
33:49 the little girl on the train is supposedly Lois Lane, but any scenes planned for this scenario were never filmed. the woman is Noel Neil who played Lois Lane in the 1950s tv series The Adventures of Superman and the man is Kirk Alyn who played Clark Kent/Superman in the 1940s Superman serials.
Watch the next one. But skip III and IV.
The TV show you were trying to remember was Smallville. He didn't live in the barn, but he had a man cave in the loft of the barn. Smallville was amazing!
"Truth, Justice, and the American way" was a phrase used in the original Superman comics back in the 40's.
Up until the 90s
From the comics, there were Kryptonians that survived the destruction of Krypton. General Zod and his gang who were imprisoned in the Phantom Zone (What you call that piece of paper) and the citizens of the Krypton city of Kandor(?) that was miniaturized and put in a bottle by a evil mad scientist. The city is where Supergirl lived until she found a way to leave the miniature city in a bottle.
RIP, Christopher Reeve, Richard Donner, Marlon Brando, Jackie Cooper, and Margot Kidder. They made us believe a man can fly.
My mom's boss of 47 years wrote the words to Can You Read My Mind, Lois' internal dialogue during the flight. He died a few years ago - Leslie Bricusse (What Kind of Fool Am I).
Yes, you definitely watch the next one! So many of your questions and unfulfilled expectations will be addressed.
Zod said “heirs” to Jor-El. As in children.
It’s okay to have Batman as a favorite. He has no superpowers, just a lot of money, intellect, and determination.
There’s something else Batman has: an insane amount of training.
Hey Dawn, When Lois died and Superman spun the earth in reverse to go back in time. I knew as a kid this was real fishy, but I let the movie magic roll.------ Kids today would definitely not find that Kosher or let that slide without a Twitter dismantling. ------- Ahhh the innocence of the '70s.
You should watch "Superman 2," then skip past 3 and 4'. Then watch "Superman Returns," which is a direct sequel to "Superman 2."
It's interesting because for the last 15 years, Batman has been everybody's favorite superhero. Superman has been the underdog in terms of popularity.
The is a comic book that explains that Superman's lenses are Kryptonian from his space ship, and Superman is subconsciously hypnotizing everyone into thinking he is weak and frail when he has his glasses on.
31:31 Supergirl is Superman's cousin who was raised on Krypton (his home planet). The city her and Clark's Uncle lived on was spared. She shows up later and Kal El is now older than her.
Yes ya can (19:34). You used to be able to walk around the flame, held aloft in her right hand too, but it's long since been closed down as being too dangerous now.
The older lady on the train with the ltiile girl was the original Lois lane from the 50s tv show and the little girl is the new lois lane
I saw this in cinemas back in 78. I was 9. I also heard "your ass" and it was years before I realized he was saying, "your heirs".
The 3 characters at the start who get imprisoned in that flat piece of mirror appear in the next Superman film. The leader is called General Zod played by English Actor Terence Stamp.
"You will bow down to me and one day... your heirs."
In the 50's there was a Superman series starring George Reeves. ✌️❤️🌹
There are three sequels to this film. Superman2(1980), Superman 3(1983) and Superman 4(1987). Glad you enjoyed the film.
31:24 many people have asked, and yes, originally is was a stylised S for SUPERMAN…
“In universe” however, as we saw the other crests at the start of the film, later iterations of the character have stated that the symbol whilst bearing a strong resemblance to an earth S, is a kryptonian symbol that means “HOPE”
I admit that it really does sound like General Zod was saying "And then one day, your ass!" but actually he's saying "your heirs" (such as Jor-El's son Kal-El: Superman). It's a wonder that this movie actually got made at all considering the HUGE amount of behind the scenes drama that happened before, during and after production. The "Making of Superman" that comes on the blu-ray/DVD gives some insight but it's even more than that. I saw this for the first time in the theater as an 11 year old kid and I can still remember the chills that the opening music gave me and still gives me to this day. One of John Williams' greatest accomplishments.
Traditionally Superman always makes his first appearance rescuing a plane or helicopter and Lois names him.
"You'll believe a man can fly." The tagline in adverts for this film when it came out. The Superman TV show of the 1950s just had him jump on a trampoline and out of frame. When Superman stood in that crystal fortress in his iconic costume, and flew directly toward camera- toward the audience- crowds went WILD. Some of the effects in this film are somewhat dated by today's standards, but honestly, most of them hold up really quite well. Chris Reeve sold it, with his banking and turning; his attitude while flying made it look easy. This film came out the year I was born. I don't have a clear memory of when was the first time I saw it, but I've seen it many, many times over the years. It truly deserves its reputation as the godfather of all superhero films.
The second installment, as others have said, is well worth a watch. Make sure you get the right version; the director's cut, not the studio cut. Either way is still an entertaining enough watch, but the director's cut preserves his original intent, without studio meddling.
The sequel Superman 2 picks up the story about General Zod and the criminals from Krypton, and develops his relationship with Lois Lane more.
7:25 “oohhh, they could use him”
They touch on and in some episodes lean very heavily on this notion in the series SMALLVILLE - with teenage Clark using his powers to quickly and easily perform farmyard chores.
Need fence posts put in, no need to dig a hole and use a sledgehammer, he just walks up and pushes it into the ground…nail in the horizontal boards, nope he places the nail amd just pushes it straight in…
Superman's iconic shield is a universal symbol of hope, it just happens to look like an 'S' so for us humans watching it can actually relate to it as coincidentally standing for Superman too. The S-Shield is a symbol worn by Superman, Supergirl, and other Kryptonians who are members of the House of El
So Lois Lane is played by the incredible Margot Kidder--an actress Canada is proud to claim. Back in 1969 , she broke in Canada with The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar. Nine years later she was in Superman.She passed away in 2018.