Barnes & Noble

Nowadays moviegoers don't raise an eyebrow when Hollywood announces the imminent arrival of a big-budget, blockbusting action film based on a comic strip. But back in 1978 -- before Batman, Spawn, and X-Men -- director Richard Donner took the cinema world by storm, ducking into a phone booth a mild-manned moviemaker, and emerging an industry darling, with what would become the mother of all superhero epics. Superman: The Movie set standards for comic book adventures to follow. It's star, newcomer Christopher Reeve, was jaw-droppingly handsome -- not to mention the spitting image of the original pen-and-ink incarnation. The plot was basic -- alien baby escapes doomed home planet, arrives on Earth, is adopted by midwestern farmers, develops superpowers, and becomes a crime-fighting "Man of Steel" -- and true to the original. Equally important, since such movies must compete with powerful, preconceptions, the special effects defined the cutting-edge of their day. This was arguably the first film of the modern era in which the flying didn't look hokey and faked -- nearly delivering on the marketing tag of "You will believe a man can fly." To ensure the film's success, Donner assembled a letter-perfect cast of costars, including Gene Hackman as the deliciously wicked Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as sassy Daily Planet reporter and Mrs. Superman wannabe Lois Lane; and Marlon Brando, in his much ballyhooed, million-dollar return to the screen, as the caped hero's dad. Few superhero flicks before or since have come anywhere near this film's creative punch. Bruce Kluger

All Movie Guide

Richard Donner's big-budget blockbuster Superman: The Movie is an immensely entertaining recounting of the origin of the famous comic book character. Opening on Krypton (where Marlon Brando plays Superman's father), the film follows the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) as he's sent to Earth where he develops his alter-ego Clark Kent and is raised by a Midwestern family. In no time, the movie has run through his teenage years, and Clark gets a job at the Daily Planet, where he is a news reporter. It's there that he falls in love with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who is already in love with Superman. But the love story is quickly sidetracked once the villainous Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) launches a diabolical plan to conquer the world and kill Superman. Superman: The Movie is filled with action, special effects and a surprising amount of humor. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

• UPC: 883929091720
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Repackaged
• Time: 2:23:00
• Sales Rank: 37,961

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Christopher Reeve Superman Collection
• Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition
• Best of Blu-Ray, Vol. 3
• Superman: 4 Film Favorites

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