Superman I-Movie (1978)

Editor's Note The Superman myth is well told, from his birth on the doomed planet Krypton to his childhood in a small Kansas town and beyond, in Richard Donner's blockbuster. After he comes of age, young Clark Kent, as his Earth parents have named him, learns the truth of his alien birth on a voyage of discovery to the Arctic. It is there that he learns--through a link to his long-dead birth parents--of his superhuman abilities and his responsibility to preserve and protect "truth, justice and the American Way." Once he adjusts to life in the big city, Metropolis, he discovers that hiding his superpowers as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) isn't easy as he flirts with hard-nosed Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and battles supervillain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). The film's all-star cast includes Jackie Cooper, Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty, Glenn Ford, Terence Stamp, and Valerie Perrine, among others, all camping it up wonderfully.

	Larry Hagman
	Jeff East
	Gene Hackman
	Margot Kidder
	Jackie Cooper
	Glenn Ford
	Marc McClure
	Trevor Howard
	Terence Stamp
	Ned Beatty
	Phil Brown
	Marlon Brando
	Valerie Perrine
	Christopher Reeve
	Susannah York
	Phyllis Thaxter
	David Newman - Screenwriter
	Robert Benton - Screenwriter
	John Barry - Production Designer
	Ilya Salkind - Executive Producer
	Denys Coop - Special Effects
	Zoran Perisic - Special Effects
	Pierre Spengler - Producer
	Les Bowie - Special Effects
	Philip Rhodes - Makeup
	Derek Meddings - Special Effects
	Yvonne Blake - Costume Designer
	Geoffrey Unsworth - Director of Photography
	Basil Newall - Makeup
	Stuart Baird - Editor
	Colin Chilvers - Special Effects
	Roy Field - Special Effects
	John Williams - Composer
	Mario Puzo - Screenwriter
	Leslie Newman - Screenwriter
	Richard Donner - Director

This star-packed extravaganza brings the comic book legend to the screen in grand style. It begins with Superman's scientist dad sending the infant superhero down to Earth just as the home planet, Krypton, explodes into a zillion pieces. Taking up permanent residence on Earth, the young Superman grows up into supernormal reporter Clark Kent, wooing winsome colleague Lois Lane and keeping his true identity hidden from the world. But when three villains come up with a dastardly real estate scheme that involves shoving California into the ocean, Clark Kent decides it's time to don his cape and fight the forces of evil.

"You've got me? Who's got you?"----Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) to Superman (Christopher Reeve)

Variety
"...A wonderful, chuckling, preposterously exciting fantasy....Reeve is excellent....Superman's ultimate triumph involves a lot more than super-feats of strength, exercising the heart muscles as well..." 12/13/1978

New York Times
"...Good, clean, simple-minded fun....[Reeve] manages to be both funny and comic-strip heroic..." 12/15/1978 p.C15

USA Today
"...The movie still makes you believe a man can fly..." 05/04/2001 p.7E

Premiere
"Its overall design continues to be the template for comic-book-movie success..." 12/01/2003 p.13

Ultimate DVD
5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he definitive superhero movie....This release offers a brand new lease of life for one of the most loved Science Fiction films of all time." 05/01/2007 p.84