Commentary Superman is a terrific Sci-Fi film. Christopher Reeve does a great acting job as Superman. Gene Hackman is also wonderful as the arch-villain Lex Luthor. Superman has elements of Sci-Fi , action, romance, and horror. The movie is fast-paced, keeping the audience mesmerized at nearly every moment. Superman is also patriotic in that Superman's mission is to fight for truth, justice and the American way.
Plot Summary
Krypton: Based on the DC comic, Superman tells of Kol-El (Christopher Reeve), son of Jor-El (Marlon Brando). Kol-El works as a judge on the futuristic planet Krypton in a distant galaxy. He passes judgment on three arch-villains, confining them inside a mirror and making them drift through space forever. Meanwhile, Krypton is in danger of being destroyed. Jor-El and his wife manage to launch their infant son Kol-El to safety towards Earth, shortly thereafter perishing along with their home planet.
Clark Kent in Kansas: In 1951, Kol-El's spaceship crash lands on the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Kent, who live in Kansas. The couple discover him and soon learn of his superpowers. Shortly thereafter, they adopt him, giving him the name Clark, but insist that he keep his powers secret.
Clark discovers his identity: One night, Clark receives a cosmic visit from a green crystal, which he finds buried in the family barn. The crystal tells him to journey to the north pole. Once he arrives there, he hurls the crystal, which lands on the ice and forms a large crystalline fortress. Clark goes inside, finds the crystal, and receives a recorded message from his father Jor-El, who tells him who he is and takes him on a 12-year journey to Krypton and back, teaching him more about his powers as well as his mission.
Superman: Clark returns to earth wearing his trademark red cape and blue outfit with an 'S' on his chest, which was his family logo from Krypton. He maintains his human alter ego of Clark Kent and takes a job as a news reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. There he meets Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), with whom he maintains his image as a klutz. He ends up saving her life as Superman following a nearly-fatal helicopter accident. Shortly thereafter the two fall in love, though she doesn't realize his alter ego is Clark Kent.
Lex Luthor: Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), the world's foremost criminal genius, who lives is a secret hideout 200 feet below Park Avenue, has devised the "crime of the century", a sinister plot to destroy California and create his own new empire. He figures out how to deal with Superman, by planting a kryptonite meteorite on him, which is fatal to him. Luthor lures Superman into his trap and is nearly successful with his plan, but his assistant Miss Tessmacher saves Superman, who stops Lex, ultimately sending him and his assistant Otis to prison. Superman also saves Lois' life again, along with the lives of everyone in California.
Cultural Significance The commercial success of Superman led to three sequels. Though the first one was nearly as good as the original, the last two were nowhere nearly as great.
I think it's fair to say that Superman has become a cultural phenomenon. The comic book began in 1938, during the depression, when America needed a superhero. Superman led to lots of other comic superheroes, such as Batman, Spiderman, Flash Gordon, and Wonder Woman. Many movies and TV shows have been made based on all these characters, but the 1978 movie Superman was arguably the most successful.
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Title: Superman 
