Superman I & II: not all that

[EricNoah]

Ah, my other problems: 1) Zod & Co supposedly have the same powers as Superman, but apparently Zod can also levitate things with some kind of energy ray. Superman can't, or at least doesn't. 2) Superman, out of nowhere, demonstrates the ability to wipe Lois' memory. Just doesn't seem right.

 

[Filby]

2) Superman, out of nowhere, demonstrates the ability to wipe Lois' memory. Just doesn't seem right.

To me it seemed like nothing less than mental rape. A foreshadowing of Identity Crisis if you ask me.

 

[EricNoah]

Ignorance is bliss, though!

 

[Klaus]

Ah, dear Eric! At last we disagree on something!



Y'see, you have to take into account the era those movies were made in (and Superman II was mostly material done for Superman I that had to be cut out and made into its own movie... sorta like Kill Bill).

The pinnacle of special effects was Star Wars (check out the non-Special Edition version of Luke's landspeeder and the 'blot' beneath it). Before Superman I, the last person to fly on screen was - what - the Flying Nun? Those scenes of Superman flying to catch the helicopter, or his flight-and-smile in the upper atmosphere were jaw-dropping!

The cheesy aspect was all over the comics since the Batman TV series. Comics were very tongue-in-cheek, with nearly every Superman comic ending with him blinking at the reader like they share a common secret.

Margot Kidder is the weakest link to me, I agree on that. But Luthor was his usual Silver Age self.

Back in the day, Superman had, among other things, a superkiss that could erase Lois' memory if he wanted -- darn good at tonsil hockey, those Kryptonians, eh?

Ditto for the spinning back the Earth to reverse time gimmick. Sounds like a valid Silver Age plan, and something the Silver Age Superman would be able to do.

All told, those movies would be average (say, a '6' for me) if not for Christopher Reeve, though. He embodied the character so thoroughly that his mere presence (as Superman or Clark Kent) elevates those movies to '8's. Of course, his presence assures that Superman III and IV even get rated, otherwise they'd ooze down the drain into the netherland that entraps movies such as 'Captain America' (with the italian Red Skull) and the Romero 'Fantastic Four' movie.

Plus, how can you beat 'KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!'?

 

[Wormwood]

Personally, I miss movies with grownups in them.

 

[Dragonblade]

Ah, dear Eric! At last we disagree on something!



Y'see, you have to take into account the era those movies were made in (and Superman II was mostly material done for Superman I that had to be cut out and made into its own movie... sorta like Kill Bill).

The pinnacle of special effects was Star Wars (check out the non-Special Edition version of Luke's landspeeder and the 'blot' beneath it). Before Superman I, the last person to fly on screen was - what - the Flying Nun? Those scenes of Superman flying to catch the helicopter, or his flight-and-smile in the upper atmosphere were jaw-dropping!

The cheesy aspect was all over the comics since the Batman TV series. Comics were very tongue-in-cheek, with nearly every Superman comic ending with him blinking at the reader like they share a common secret.

Margot Kidder is the weakest link to me, I agree on that. But Luthor was his usual Silver Age self.

Back in the day, Superman had, among other things, a superkiss that could erase Lois' memory if he wanted -- darn good at tonsil hockey, those Kryptonians, eh?

Ditto for the spinning back the Earth to reverse time gimmick. Sounds like a valid Silver Age plan, and something the Silver Age Superman would be able to do.

All told, those movies would be average (say, a '6' for me) if not for Christopher Reeve, though. He embodied the character so thoroughly that his mere presence (as Superman or Clark Kent) elevates those movies to '8's. Of course, his presence assures that Superman III and IV even get rated, otherwise they'd ooze down the drain into the netherland that entraps movies such as 'Captain America' (with the italian Red Skull) and the Romero 'Fantastic Four' movie.

Plus, how can you beat 'KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!'?

Nice! I agree completely. When you watch the originals, bear in mind they are based on a pre-crisis Silver Age superman who could do all that crazy stuff like fly around the Earth and reverse time and so on. I'm so looking forward to the new movie because Bryan Singer is injecting a real Modern Age feel to it. And Superman is the perfect character to do it. A virtuous idealistic Silver Age hero to bring light back to the dark grittiness of the Iron Age. Pretty much in exactly the same way that Donner brought a little Silver Age light back to the darkness of the Bronze Age in the post Vietnam 70's.

 

[WayneLigon]

I'd have to disagree. I think they're just as good as when they were first released. The special effects might look a liitle lame compared to what we can do now, but then they were bleeding edge; it took them years just to get the flying done right.

I apparently dunno what people use the word 'cheesy' for anymore, but it certainly can't be applied to either film.

Yeah, it has it's flaws as far as a comics fan goes: the battle in the fortress is just flat-out weird, with Superman suddenly able to teleport and turn his S-shield into a snare, but... eh. It's a small part in a great film.

 

[Flyspeck23]

Y'see, you have to take into account the era those movies were made in (and Superman II was mostly material done for Superman I that had to be cut out and made into its own movie... sorta like Kill Bill).

The pinnacle of special effects was Star Wars (check out the non-Special Edition version of Luke's landspeeder and the 'blot' beneath it). Before Superman I, the last person to fly on screen was - what - the Flying Nun? Those scenes of Superman flying to catch the helicopter, or his flight-and-smile in the upper atmosphere were jaw-dropping!

Indeed. And I'd add that movies were paced differently than today too. Not just special effects but the whole art of making movies has changed drastically over the years.

 

[Creative Mountain]

Otisburg?!?!

 

[Fast Learner]

A spot-on example of the cheese.