Even 40+ years later, Christopher Reeve’s Superman remains the gold standard by which all other superhero performances- live action or animated- are judged by. He’s still the inspiration
He will always be Superman. No offense to Harry Cavil. I wish WB would restore Snyder verse and use Cavill since he's the best Superman we got since Christopher Reeves.
It's kind of crazy how these Superman movies went from being legitimately good movies to "hey at least Reeve's still got it" and literally nothing else.
He was a blue comic, put into a family film and they didnt know what to do with him. The writing was bad and he was stuck trying to make something out of shit. The best writing the came up with was slapping an oversized cowboy hat on him and telling him to play drunk.
I think The Richard Donner Cut is a nice alternative to Lester’s version. I prefer it, but it only really works in context of it trying to emulate Donner’s original vision instead of being a natural follow-up to the first movie.
I watched Superman with my 12 year old, and it got to the bit where Clark leaves the Fortress like 12 years after he entered, and flies away as Superman, and she said: "...what?! What just happened??" and all I could say was "...well....he's Superman now." "But where did his costume come from?" "Well, he just....got it" Yeah. It's one of my favourite superhero films but my, it has dated in certain parts, in terms of storytelling.
If you watch the Richard Donner cut of Superman II, there's a recap of the first film in the beginning and there's audio that was deleted from the previous movie that they put in the recap. This audio is from Jor-El when you hear his voice while baby Kal-El is in the ship that sends him to earth. In the recap, a recording of Jor-El tells baby Kal-El that his mother Lara gave him three blankets that were each a different color. One was red, the other was yellow, and the third one was blue. He also said that their protection will insure his strength which implies that Superman's costume was made from the Kryptonian blankets he kept from when he was a baby.
You could have answered with the information already present: he entered the Fortress and 12 years later LEFT. 12 YEARS. I'm sure a few things change in that time. Could have simply said that rather than giver her nonsense answers. Logical training is your job for your nephews and nieces - might not be as high on the list as for your own children, but... "He went in, spent 12 years there. What do you think?" "He made it?" "Good answer. Maybe the Fortress has advanced tech that lets him make stuff like that." "Oh, yeah!" Get the kids in your life to THINK. Fobbing them off with idiotic crap like you did teaches them nothing. Get them to pay attention. 12 years! I mean, really? I despair for the next generation.
The scene where Lois dies is amazing. Reeves still gives me chills when he cries out in agony and flies up into the air. Also, he remade 'Rear Window' for tv after his accident. The opening scene of the movie features him awakening when his breathing machine stops working. Phenomenal performance.
Eh, Superman as a character as a whole, doesn’t do much for me. I just find him to be too much of a goody two shoes and basically plays it too safe and sometimes even ruined the character especially in BVS.
The thing to keep in mind with Lex in these films is that it was before 'crisis on infinite earths' and the superman cannon reboot that followed called 'man of steel'. That was when he was turned into the more serious business-man type. Prior to those stories he was more of a simple mad scientist.
The films Lex clearly signaled the switch from mad scientist to Donald Trump expy. The Real Estate Scheme is pure Trump. John Byrne made Lex into Trump officially in the comics.
5:44 Man of Steel wasn't written with the idea of starting the DCCU. That idea only came after they scrapped a MOS2 script in favor of adding batman into the script because WB wanted to make that Avengers money.
The Superman movies are a moment in time, and preserve the innocence and joy that Superman does as a hero and they may not all be good, but they are all still great.
27:35 All missing is Superman's power to shoot rainbow from his fingers that create miniature versions of himself (I'm not joking. That actually happen in the comics).
@@smashmaster521 True, it was the time when Batman had a zebra suit and Superman had a legion of super animals, including Krypto the superdog, supercat, super monkey and super horse (who had a power to become a human, and use it to go on a date with supergirl)
Actually, Superman 2 ended with the memory erasing kiss, because the theatrical cut wasn’t the one you watched in the video. That was the donner Cut Where he reversed time, so the scene in superman 4 makes slightly more sense since it is in continuity with the theatrical cut.
Honestly, the theatrical cut is better because they didn’t reverse time again, so him beating up that guy at the bar makes more sense because if he reversed time, that guy wouldn’t know who he is and would be really confused to why Clark is beating him up.
@@JsReviews In addition to you doing a review of "Superman Returns", it would be nice if you did a video talking about the 3 cuts of "Superman"[1978] and which cut you think is the best.
There are people who consider him the best just because he died, but he truly was the best superman. I believed that before his death and still believe it to this day. He just looked like a superhero. As soon as you saw him, you were hooked. He also understood what makes a great superman and was cool without even trying. He captured the character's shyness, determination, ideology. Chris was the best.
My ranking of them: 4: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (5%)(It's really awful! Nothing is good! Very, very, horrible! Everything is bad! From the action to the acting to the CGI, it all is bad!) 3: Superman III (30%)(Better but still really bad! I like the stuff with Evil Superman but everything else is bad! Forgettable and bad!) 2: Superman: The Movie (95%)(Brilliant! Super fun and iconic! I really thoroughly enjoyed this film!) 1: Superman 2 (98%)(WOW! I freaking love this film! Really entertaining and action packed!)
I just watched Superman The Movie and was struck by how I think they intended Superman to be a sort of nostalgic call-back for people in the 1970s to the earlier America before the 60's and then Nixon and Watergate. There were several references to corrupt politicians in the dialog, the one "date" scene with Lois they kind of had her make all the double entendres and it seemed like Superman was too good to be true, never telling a lie etc. It felt kind of like how in the recent MCU Captain Americas they make him seem too good and polite compared to the cruder modern American culture
This is gonna be awesome. I absolutely can’t wait until you get to the Sam Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy. 1 and 3 are some of my favorite movies (2 is my favorite), and I’ve recently gained a new appreciation for 3.
The Christopher Reeve's superman movies (the first one at least) are enjoyable, but I still think the best Superman movie of all is the "Superman vs the Elite", which I think does a much better job than the live action movies exploring Superman as character and what he represents as a hero.
@@tayojones9460 That movie is exemple of how to adapt Superman in the modern age. Not by making him dark as the world he lives but as counterpoint to the harsh reality, with Superman always making the hard decisions and tries to find a better way best to save the day without having to stoop to the level of his enemies, acting as prime exemple to all super heroes.
I've watched the 2nd movie in it's teatrical cut. And I liked it more since it doesn't used the same ending like in the first movie. And Superman 2 is easily my favorite Superman movie, despite some of it's set backs.
I also kinda liked Superman 3 but it's easily my least favorite. And I actually really liked the 4th movie more so then the 3rd. and while the effects aren't nearly as good. I still had a fun time watching it.
The Reversing the earth ending is the true conclusion to the 4.5 hr epic Superman origin film. The character does NOT reverse the earth twice. He does it once. It was forced into part 1 which was a shame. When u watch 2 you are watching a sequel to the original script. Lois never died, he saved her. Thats all. The Reversing earth ending works so much better in 2. The whole jor El set up is tied to it
@@gavinlucas9761 I highly recommend watching the Richard Donner cut of Superman the movie followed by Superman 2 the Richard Donner cut. It really is one giant film. Not a sequel. They are both better than the theatrical versions with KEY scenes added back in. I just watched em and wow are they fantastic. Just remember Superman is supposed to save Lois in part 1. They only killed her to justify moving the ending to part 1. So they really messed up part 2 doing that. He isnt supposed to defy his father til jor el dies a 2nd time because of kal els mistake. I always tell people if they like chris reeve superman and they never saw the Donner directors cut of both films, they never truly saw the whole story. Cant recommend those enough. Grab some movie snacks & enjoy
A couple of years ago, I saw Superman rerun on TV, and you're right, the movie is super charming and it feels sincere. At some point I even teared up from how absolutely beautiful Reeves' portrayal was.
Cool your next big retrospective I got really invested in your DCAU retrospective it is what got me into your channel and I look forward to this one very much.
The Pre-Crisis Superman was also capable of delivering a super-kiss that could knock Lois off her feet and leave her dazed and disorientated. This example is from Action Comics #306 (November 1963). s10.postimg.cc/ovle9ch61/image.jpg s10.postimg.cc/grda4luqx/image.jpg www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=2404.0
I would recommend going back & watching the original theatrical cut of Superman II. This version is basically like taking a bunch of deleted scenes & trying to force them together to make some kind of film (which is probably what they did here).
For me Christopher Reeves is Superman. I recently rewatched Superman 1 and 2 back to back and loved them. I remember liking Batman more but now that I've gotten older ive grown to be more appreciative of Truth, Justice and the American way. I've always liked Superman but reading comics, rewatching the films, watching your retrospective of the DCAU Superman is now my favorite superhero in general. Batman TAS is still the best interpretation of a character besides Christopher Reeves Superman.
Chris Reeve easily has the best dichotomy between Clark and Superman, you cannot convince me otherwise. Tom Welling tried toward the end of Smallville. But I feel nothing between Clark/Supes with Dean Cane or Henry Cavill. Brandon Routh was....fine? But Reeves owned it.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy i really like Brandon Routh as Superman maybe because he was the first superman i saw on screen. And Tom Welling is my second favourite interpretation of the character.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Brandon Routh was ok in Superman returns, but that was most because of the script. I feel he improve alot in Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinity Earths despite the not having alot of screen time compare to the other characters.
The DCAU version and Christopher Reeves Superman are both great, but I feel the best one is the DCAU, especially the Superman TAS one voiced by Tim Daly (George Newbern is also good, but I feel Daly is better in given Superman a more mature and badass personality) .
@@alexandrefrauches132 i completely agree the DCAU's Superman is fantastic Tim Daley did an amazing job. But i do prefer Chris over Tim nothing wrong with Tim but for me Chris is Sups
Great video, I remember watching the first movie and feeling so happy when superman's theme started playing. For some reason I've never felt like watching the others, maybe because I thought that they wouldn't much, but I think I'll give them a chance. Hope everyone's reading this is safe, have a great day.
Great video as always J, and its about some classic movies. Its a shame that Rocksteady didn’t come out with that Superman game. People are so afraid to touch the man of steel as a property which is why batmans more popular. Hopefully we will eventually get a good superman game.
The major problem with the first four Superman films, wasn't the acting, but the lack of compelling stories. The first, as noted, was pretty "spot-on" to the "character" of Superman. (Though there would never have been a second if the went with the original submitted script by Mario Puzo, who had such things as Superman thinking that that bald guy walking down the sidewalk was Lex Luthor, only to find Telly Savalis' "Kojak", instead.) The second didn't have the "script Polishing" of Tom Mankiewicz, who greatly cleaned up the first script. The rest were "grab-a-buck" garbage. Those two films were made too close together, had no compelling stories, and were just made to CASH IN on the Superman craze. They ruined Superman, at least, as a viable franchise. Which is a real shame to Superman fans like myself. I grew up reading Superman comics and watching, "The Adventures Of Superman" on television from 1955, when I was five years old, on until the death of George Reeves, when the show was cancelled. It was almost twenty years later that the Superman movie came out in theaters. That was a long dry spell. I watched, and have on DVD, all of the "Smallville" episodes, and waited in line for the 2013 "Man Of Steel" film, with my grandkids. I was OK on one level, but not that great on another. In a way, it combined the first to Christopher Reeve films. A child is born on doomed Krypton and is sent to Earth, criminals are sent to "The Phantom Zone" and are freed almost immediately, but had to scrounge old Kryptonian bases on other planets for supplies, then they come to Earth demanding 'Kal-El". They find, and fight Superman, causing great damage and probably taking way too many lives in the process. Overall, I liked it, the color choices and the whole, "downer" aspect got to me. My son-in-law complained out loud in the theater, "Superman could break out of handcuffs ain a second, why is he putting up with that?" "I whispered to him, "that he is showing respect for the military, as they are doing things by the book." Just then, Superman stands up and casually breaks the handcuffs, by forgetting that they're there, when he spoke to the General. I will say that Henry Cavill and Michael Shannon are terrific actors, as they made me believe their characters.
22:32 did they even try to use a computer when writing that plot point, like they clearly had computers to figure out how to use and they clearly didn’t because if they tried they’d rewrite guss to be an infamous master hacker or something
Darn it, I just finished all of your DCAU retrospectives and you're already pulling me into a new series? What do you want from me!? My car? Do you want my car?? I'll give you my car!??!
3:40 is that including direct to video stuff like Superman Doomsday? 17:00 I could’ve sworn it was mentioned in this cut that the process was reversed by Jor-El sacrificing his essence so while it was reversed it came at a huge cost 21:00 according to TV tropes (who don’t cite typically so take that as you will) the writers were expecting Pryer to ad-lib so they didn’t put effort into his lines. But Pryer was such a big Superman fan he wanted to stick to the script 27:00 in the theatrical cut of Superman II (which is the one considered canon) the film ends not with a time reversal but with Clark giving her a memory wipe kiss But aside from that stuff this is a great video
While completely unrelated to the review itself, I kind of enjoyed the fact that the allegro version of "Questioning" from Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations was used during part of the review of Superman II. I actually had to pause for a second and listen closely. After that, I just beamed with a smile. Easily my favorite one of the bunch.
16:40 There are a few times in the comics where exactly this happens. Superman has lost his powers by being exposed to red sun radiation. When he loses his powers, he will regain them by being exposed to yellow sun radiation, like a battery.
I had to pause the video to say this: Richard Pryor is one of the GOATs! Go watch his standup movies Richard Pryor Live in Concert & Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip! Then go watch other videos. The man influenced so many current comedians.
Hell. I still liked him in Superman 3. If you take that movie by itself, it really isnt all that bad. Knowing 1 and 2 exist is what makes people hate it so much.
@@drewevans3054 Awesome. I'm still working on perfecting them but i highly recommend you make your own fan edit. Its not that hard. Fun little hobby too. I'm a total amateur but i like how it turned out. Ive got a version with the Lois River Jump, another with Lois jumping out of the Daily planet and another where he reverses the earth in S2 *because i removed it from one version of S1* Honestly i think reversing the Earth in S2 makes a lot more sense. Its for many reasons. He saves all the people Zod killed, restores monuments worldwide, wipes the worlds memory, puts Zod back in the phantom zone and spares Lois the devastation of the break up. Its a *one time only thing* and he's not supposed to do it til Jor El is dead and gone so i put Jor El up in the sky (from part 1) into the version of part 2 where he reverses Earth. Thats really the movie they were making. I'm sure u know at the last second they forced the reversing Earth into part 1 so Lois had ro die to justify it but thats not the original plan. There's a lot you can do with Superman 1 & 2. Honestly ive got about 8 or 9 versions but I'm just focusing on the 3 main ones.
Donner's duology is the perfect representation of Silver Age Superman. Nationalistic Patriotism, escapism adventures, etc. But I think it's important that people realize that's not the only interpretation of Superman that exists. In the Golden Age he was violent and anti-government. In the Byrne era he was conflicted and more humanized. Morrison showed an infallible paragon. New 52... sucked. So keep in mind, just because Reeve is the perfect Silver Age Superman doesn't mean it's okay to bash other live action versions that take a different route and are inspired by different versions of Superman. Cavill is Byrne's Superman for example. Conflicted, darker, more angsty. Even Dan Jurgens (Writer of Death of Superman) praises Snyder's take on the character. Why? Because Snyder's Superman was late 80s/early 90s comic Superman above all else. Singer's Superman was the depressing Bronze Age take. The George Reeves show exuded Golden Age violence. Etc etc. When you have a character that has changed as much as Superman in comics, it's completely unfair to make a determination over a "true" version and say other directors "don't understand" the character just because they take different inspiration. It's gatekeeping in its purest form.
Superman II (Theatrical Cut) actually started the trend of made up powers and had the memory wiping kiss instead of time travel. The Donner Cut only used the time travel ending because they didn't have a choice. Though IMO a good compromise was using the memory wipe kiss scene up until just before the kiss ends. It was a well acted scene.
“And over the last few years we have heard a lot about something called ‘family values’. And like many of you, I have struggled to figure out what that means. And since my accident, I've found a definition that seems to make sense. I think it means that we're all family. And that we all have value.” Christopher Reeve, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in 1996. What a Super Man.
The bit from where he gets the kryptonite necklace is the BEST part. In the roof scene earlier Lois defines Superman, Truth, Justice, and the American way, and then she repeats Truth, Superman ALWAYS tells the truth. That's what Miss Tessmacher refers to when she releases him on a promise. At that moment he has a choice, to do what is right or do what is good for himself. He can be the Superman Lois respects and always tells the Truth or he can be an asshole who prefers to save his gal. He does the right thing, he makes the right choice, he becomes the parable that power doesn't always corrupt, it just makes you more of whatever it is you are. He goes to Jersey.. but since this is Superman the status quo needs to be restored so you can tell another Superman story, so Lois needs to be saved anyways, even if he made a choice and that choice has consequences. Just don't think too hard, and enjoy him choosing what is right and suffering the consequences... before restoring the status quo.
.. and again, in Superman II he gets a choice, the selfish option, to be with Lois, or the selfless one to stop Zod and not be with Lois and he chooses and his choice has consequences. We always know what his personal hopes and desires are, we always see he can get them, but to do so means sacrificing the innocent or abandoning principle. That is what makes Superman more than just a flying strongman with all the best superpowers.
I absolutely agree with these takes. Those first two movies were really good and overall well written, I was just pointing out what came to mind in this video. On Superman as a character, I really love that about him. 'With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility' really applies to Superman above many other characters, since he really has the ability to rule over Earth if he wanted to, but he chooses not to. Great character.
@@JsReviews I enjoyed your take on it, I just felt that in both cases the bit that most pulled me into the movie was the bit you felt took you out of it. There is a lot of stupid and silly stuff, however, the moral dilemmas are always harsh and difficult. Superman must make a choice, he must make the right choice, the must be consequences... but, because he's superman, he can fix everything so the next episode starts with the normal status quo. The cause of his power inflation is writers trying to keep the whole thing internally consistent. Superman's thing isn't with great power comes great responsability. It's we all have responsibility, powers or no. He doesn't help people because he has powers, he helps people because that's what good people do. He's part of my personal trinity along with Luke Skywalker and Optimus Prime and I feel strongly about the moral aspects of Superman, I may not know what he might do, but I'm always certain why he does it.
Superman III felt like they smashed two movies together: A Superman sequel and a Richard Pryor comedy and failed at both. I did find the jackass Superman parts humorous just because his level of evil in those was basically Professor Chaos from South Park, but that was about it. I have a feeling the third one was brought to us by cocaine. For a better Richard Pryor vehicle, I'd recommend Silver Streak - his first appearance with Gene Wilder.
Okay, I have to ask: While it looks obvious that it’s theatrical films only, what about animated theatrical films? The Incredibles, its sequel, Lego Batman, Teen Titans Go to the Movies, and Spiderverse? I’m not expecting Mask of the Phantasm for several reasons, including being previously covered ground
The animated movies, whether Theatrical or Home-Video, are too numerous and varied to put into a review of the overall progression of Superhero films. Sure, you can ask him to review the amimated films as well but expect them to be disjpinted from the primary idea of this curremt series of videos: To see how films interpret the comics into films, with respect to their era.
The original Superman II didn't end on a time travel scene. It was a weirder ending. Clarke erased Lois' memory by giving her on hell of a kiss. Seriously. Apparently, it was so good, she just forgot everything that happened in this movie.
Will you be doing Superman Returns at some point? Since it is a canon sequel to the 2nd Reeves film...although not the Donner cut, the theatrical version where the events of the movie did happen. The cuts get confusing, even the first film has an extended version made for TV airings.
No Superman returns is in continuity with Donner cut which doesn’t make even more sense when you think about it. Also doesn't make sense logistically because the Donner cut was released just months before on DVD, before Returns was released in theaters.
One thing I think you missed is a big problem the director and crew had is “how do you adapt a comic book to the big screen?”. This is especially hard as Superman and most DC comics at the time were more like a body of work like looney tunes where each comic is loosely in the same continuity but there’s also no real linear narrative (for the most part). How do you make a movie out of that? Do you pick and choose or try to condense the whole thing?
14:14 Oh shoot! I never saw this scene. Does that mean this whole time I only ever saw the theatrical version and not the Donner cut? I remember her finding out when Clark trips on fire but doesn't get burned.
I honestly think Superman 2 the original theatrical cut is better ( despite a few scenes in Donors cut) the ending is different. There little slapstick comedy during the fight in Metropolis but it actually fit unlike the 2 movies going forward. The Donor cut scenes like their fight in Metropolis felt less epic. Zod wasn't as iconic like he was in the theatrical version. Please check out the theatrical version I think you'll like it as most people do. Only good part of 3 is Clark vs evil superman.And the reason he didn't rewind time in 3 and 4 because part 2 at that point wasn't canon. It was only done in part 1.
It frustrates me that WB sells this collection with ONLY the Donner Cut of Superman II. The Donner Cut is a novelty. It doesn’t fit well with Superman 1 (since it effectively gives both films the same ending), and creates plot holes in Superman IV (the crystals, the memory-wiping kiss, etc.), as this video pointed out... Lester’s cut has its issues, but overall it’s more polished and makes more sense within the context of the series. 🤦♂️
I agree and is basically erasing film history. I think it’s more important to release a film as it originally was seen in theaters on home video for the historical aspect, whether if you like it or not. And it’s really hypocritical because they have films like Superman III & IV and Batman & Robin included in that box set. 🤦♂️I think it would be better for future releases to include both cuts so we can still be presenting the film as it originally was seen in theaters, and fans of either the Lester or Donner Cut could have the version they personally enjoy.
I love the first Superman film, so grandiose and epic. Christopher Reeve remains the best Superman. Superman II and III I really like and enjoy, not as good as the original but still really good. Superman IV is certainly a bad film but I don't mind it that much. For me, they're enjoyable films. If they were all made by Richard Donner, people would look back on them with more fondness.
Rubbish? How? That doesnt even make sense. Because of one screen test??? The Donner film is more complete than the Lester film. I think mpst Lester fans are oblivious to who shot what & how duct taped together the Lester version is. The Donner cut is more impressive in everyway. Ill never watch the Lester again. It is far superior in literally every way. I dont know how anyone could prefer Lesters. The whole reason Lester was hired was to complete the cheapest film possible. He reshot a ton of pointless scenes. The Donner cut is the 2 hr conclusion to SUPERMAN the movie.
Both cuts are flawed. The original theatrical II had a few tonal seems between Donner's and Lester's interpretations, although I like it better than the Donner recut, warts and all.
@@integrity101Could be. Really depends on what you like. Richard Lester has a certain wry sense of humor. Some people like it in a Superman movie, some don't. I liked it to a point in the original cut of II. Some of the sight gags fell flat. III was also his, but somebody forgot to write the jokes.
@@75aces97 I tried watching the theatrical recently and NOW, with the existence of the Donner cut i find it hard to get thru. It feels more like an episode than the true conclusion to SUPERMAN the movie that it was supposed to be. Try watching both Donner cuts back to back some day. Maybe itll grow on you. THE Donner cut has become possibly my favorite film.
PS I enjoy Superman III much more than I used to. The emotional gravity of Supes losing who he is & not knowing why is great. The poetry of Superman literally confronting his dark side. OK there is a bunch of dumb parts, but at least there's no Lex Luthor & I like the chemistry he has with Lana, who actually likes him for Clark.
16:58 a lot of the plot hole issues are because of the mishmash quilted together nature of this film. Two directors, multiple scripts, and a rushed production mean that unfortunately the Richard Donner Cut is not the actual film as conceived. They had to edit together what they had.
Funny thing, the Leaning Tower of Pisa gag was meant for the second film. Technically, there's like 4 different cuts of Superman II. The theatrical cut, the tv version which is where Superman II: Restored International Cut came from. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, and the version of that cut that's available on Vudu. Which neither Donner nor the editor had anything to do with that one. And that one is actually longer. But the version that's meant to be canon, is the theatrical cut. Either to the original sequels and spin-off or to Superman Returns. The theatrical cut is the cut that's canon. Donner's cut is more of a "What if...?" Is just for us to get an idea of the movie we would've gotten. That's why he used the same ending. Even though I prefer that cut, the theatrical is the canon version. Hence why Lois has a kid on Superman Returns and doesn't know Superman is the father or that Clark is Superman. Cause they slept together, and he wiped her memory.
Richard Pryor is one of the best comedian that I have ever had the pleasure seeing. You honestly should check out hes other works. Making him boring and unfunny is certainly an unholy achievement.
Yeah. You should've watched the theatrical version of Superman 2. The Donnor cut was made for us fan boys who just wanted to see what COULD have been. The theatrical cut has "finished" special effects and, despite the cheesy moments, has a more direct story. Plus, the time travel stunt does NOT happen again in that release. As for the rest of the movies (3 and 4) are God awful!
What i find weird is that isn't there a huge age gap between Clark and Lois because we see her as a little kid in the train when clark is in his late Teens
There is one detail everyone seems to miss in this case; The time that passes between Pa Kent’s death and Clark leaving. When Jonathan dies, Martha’s hair is still brown. But when Clark leaves it’s grey. That means we don’t know how old Clark was when Lois saw him. We only know he was 18 when he left. So the age difference doesn’t have to be that big at all.
js review you must talk about blade it really impacted superhero movie it was the first good marvel movie and the first box office succesful marvel movie. And it came out 1998 years before xmen, spiderman and it was the first black superhero and R rated superheo movie it changed marvel movies and it was the beging of marvel movies being huge success
17:39 If both films had been made as Donner intended, time travel would not have been used in the first one and this would have been the only time we saw it. We dont get much emotional impact from it, of course, because unfortunately they had to edit together what decades old footage they had. The theatrical release has a completely different ending, which is also silly and convoluted, but does have a much better emotional impact.
27:34 The memory wiping kiss was in the Richard Lester version of Superman II (instead of Superman rewinding time). That's what that was alluding to. It makes more sense that way but its still stupid. Why would he do it twice? And at least he had an actual reason for it in Lester's II (to spare Lois' heartbreak), but here it comes off as "Oh I want you to remember for a few minutes but then will just undo it willy nilly when I feel like it"
My favorite superhero is Spider-Man, but that was not always the case when I was a very young kid my favorite superhero was always superman, at the time my dad was a giant superman fan, and he watched the original superman movie with me all the time and superman. The movie is one of my favorite movies ever. Superman may not be my favorite superhero anymore, but that movie will always be one of my favorites.
I think Superman choosing to ignore what he learned from Jor-El and rewinding time to save Lois instead was meant to be the setup for the arc he goes through in Superman II. He chose to interfere with human history specifically to save Lois, showing how he's already putting her above his duty as a superhero.
I was born in the late seventies for me it's always going to be the Christopher Reeves Superman movies. After Superman it was Luke Skywalker, Batman and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan.
He's not reversing the spin of the earth to go back in time, he's using earths gravity to make himself fly so fast he can travel through time, the earth changing directions is just a visual indicator that time is reversing.
It's worth your time to look for the fan edits by: Selutron for Iⅈ and by ADigitalMan for III&IV. I saw all of them in theaters as a kid, the campy Lester versions, so I'm partial to those, but Donner's is probably the most hopeful vision for the Superman icon that I'd love to see on TV & film today. In fact the CW's Superman & Lois is very like Superman 1978, also worth your time.
I would have definitely watched both versions of Superman II for this review. It would have brought a slight adjustment in perspective for this film series.
The Donner cut is the real version. I dont understand how anyone could prefer the Lester version. Its like prefering Supermam 3 to SUPERMAN the movie. I just dont get it.
@@integrity101 Donner's intention for his movies was sincere drama and adventure. Lester just wanted shits and giggles comedy. Of course these days people only see Superman 1 as "campy fun" and not sincere adventure. Even though Donner specifically wanted the movie NOT to be campy.
I don’t consider Donner’s Cut the real version because of the re-editing of the Metropolis Battle and the Attack of Houson. I just hated that and didn’t think it was necessary. Well, okay, removing the slapstick during the scene where the Kryptonian criminals are blowing away the citizens of Metropolis with their super breath I can understand editing out. But everything else with those sequences should have been left alone.
Oof. I feel you on Superman III. It’s so bad. It brings the genre about twenty steps backward from Superman II (which... the Donner cut is pretty good but to me too, still a little disappointing compared to the ‘78 original) and I’ll never understand why... surely they could’ve tried just a little damn harder? Richard Pryor’s stand-up comedy from back in the day was actually funny but I don’t think anyone could’ve made the awful material they gave him to work with in the movie funny. The secondhand cringe is just painful. Superman IV sadly was Reeves’s dream/vanity project. :( I really think he meant well. He was passionate about nuclear disarmament, and wanted to express that through his character. I blame the studio. I think a legit GOOD movie could’ve been made from the bare bones of the script (as a writer, I’m so tempted to fic the shit out of it and try to fix it!), but I think the studio saw it as nothing but a cash grab and didn’t care about the quality at all. I’m loving the superhero film retrospective so much! As a huge Marvel/DC/DCAU/Comics & Superheroes in general fangirl, this is my jam! My two hedgehogs agree. Haha sorry this got so long (heh that’s what she said!) but thanks so much for all the great entertainment. I’m dealing with major medical crap right now and your archives and new stuff are keeping me smiling. 👍🏻😊🦔🦔
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Even 40+ years later, Christopher Reeve’s Superman remains the gold standard by which all other superhero performances- live action or animated- are judged by. He’s still the inspiration
Wish I could have met him before he passed, really sad what happened to him he still was a great man in real life
Him than Tobey Maguire, Both were Older Perfect Casting Decisions
He will always be Superman. No offense to Harry Cavil. I wish WB would restore Snyder verse and use Cavill since he's the best Superman we got since Christopher Reeves.
@@johncap6495 His last name was Reeve, not Reeves.
His last name was Reeve, not Reeves.
It's kind of crazy how these Superman movies went from being legitimately good movies to "hey at least Reeve's still got it" and literally nothing else.
It's okay, the real Richard Pryor was one of the funniest people to have ever lived
ssjdeadpool1227 Preach!
He was a blue comic, put into a family film and they didnt know what to do with him. The writing was bad and he was stuck trying to make something out of shit. The best writing the came up with was slapping an oversized cowboy hat on him and telling him to play drunk.
A total waste of comedic brilliance.
I think The Richard Donner Cut is a nice alternative to Lester’s version. I prefer it, but it only really works in context of it trying to emulate Donner’s original vision instead of being a natural follow-up to the first movie.
The “gotcha” bit in Superman 2 had me dead. Lois you mad genius
I watched Superman with my 12 year old, and it got to the bit where Clark leaves the Fortress like 12 years after he entered, and flies away as Superman, and she said:
"...what?! What just happened??"
and all I could say was "...well....he's Superman now."
"But where did his costume come from?"
"Well, he just....got it"
Yeah. It's one of my favourite superhero films but my, it has dated in certain parts, in terms of storytelling.
If you watch the Richard Donner cut of Superman II, there's a recap of the first film in the beginning and there's audio that was deleted from the previous movie that they put in the recap. This audio is from Jor-El when you hear his voice while baby Kal-El is in the ship that sends him to earth. In the recap, a recording of Jor-El tells baby Kal-El that his mother Lara gave him three blankets that were each a different color. One was red, the other was yellow, and the third one was blue. He also said that their protection will insure his strength which implies that Superman's costume was made from the Kryptonian blankets he kept from when he was a baby.
@@SpideyRules-pq6be Wow...that is a badass Snuggie.
Wait, a yellow blanket, but there's barely any yellow in Superman's Snu-I mean costume.
@@smashmaster521 Maybe the blankets were in different sizes and the yellow one happened to be the smallest.
@@SpideyRules-pq6be That makes sense...I suppose.
You could have answered with the information already present: he entered the Fortress and 12 years later LEFT. 12 YEARS. I'm sure a few things change in that time. Could have simply said that rather than giver her nonsense answers. Logical training is your job for your nephews and nieces - might not be as high on the list as for your own children, but... "He went in, spent 12 years there. What do you think?"
"He made it?"
"Good answer. Maybe the Fortress has advanced tech that lets him make stuff like that."
"Oh, yeah!"
Get the kids in your life to THINK. Fobbing them off with idiotic crap like you did teaches them nothing. Get them to pay attention. 12 years! I mean, really? I despair for the next generation.
I remember watching this movie with my friends last year in the build up to Endgame, we all loved it.
good choice
The scene where Lois dies is amazing. Reeves still gives me chills when he cries out in agony and flies up into the air. Also, he remade 'Rear Window' for tv after his accident. The opening scene of the movie features him awakening when his breathing machine stops working. Phenomenal performance.
The "Superman scream".
Rear Window.. they redid the classic movie? OMG Thank you, I will watch that someday for sure!
For my school a chairity event was formed around the anniversary of Superman The Movie,thats how beloved this movie was
Eh, Superman as a character as a whole, doesn’t do much for me. I just find him to be too much of a goody two shoes and basically plays it too safe and sometimes even ruined the character especially in BVS.
The thing to keep in mind with Lex in these films is that it was before 'crisis on infinite earths' and the superman cannon reboot that followed called 'man of steel'. That was when he was turned into the more serious business-man type. Prior to those stories he was more of a simple mad scientist.
The films Lex clearly signaled the switch from mad scientist to Donald Trump expy. The Real Estate Scheme is pure Trump. John Byrne made Lex into Trump officially in the comics.
@@panthergod 'cept Lex is actually smart.
Remember also, Mario Puzo wrote the script for Superman the Movie.
The author of The Godfather series. Boiled down, STM is a good crime drama, too.
"It's a bird, it's a plane" it's an awesome analysis of how these films represent our man of steel! Stay safe and keep it up!
5:44 Man of Steel wasn't written with the idea of starting the DCCU. That idea only came after they scrapped a MOS2 script in favor of adding batman into the script because WB wanted to make that Avengers money.
What a crime
The Superman movies are a moment in time, and preserve the innocence and joy that Superman does as a hero and they may not all be good, but they are all still great.
Best thing that I can say about Super Man 4 is that...
*So that’s why they call it that*
Scott the Woz reference?
I hate myself for knowing what you're referencing
@@jonathanc.5609 Lol me too.
I don't get it
@@jasonginessestemmet9661 Batman and Robin
27:35 All missing is Superman's power to shoot rainbow from his fingers that create miniature versions of himself (I'm not joking. That actually happen in the comics).
Yeah, the Silver Age was WEIRD.
And being able to destroy planets by sneezing at them, also not a joke
@@jonathanc.5609 Or be able to shape shift his face, also not a joke
@@smashmaster521 True, it was the time when Batman had a zebra suit and Superman had a legion of super animals, including Krypto the superdog, supercat, super monkey and super horse (who had a power to become a human, and use it to go on a date with supergirl)
@@alexandrefrauches132 ...And now I need Brain Bleach to forget about that last one because WHAT?!
Actually, Superman 2 ended with the memory erasing kiss, because the theatrical cut wasn’t the one you watched in the video. That was the donner Cut Where he reversed time, so the scene in superman 4 makes slightly more sense since it is in continuity with the theatrical cut.
Honestly, the theatrical cut is better because they didn’t reverse time again, so him beating up that guy at the bar makes more sense because if he reversed time, that guy wouldn’t know who he is and would be really confused to why Clark is beating him up.
I agree with that, actually.
@@JsReviews In addition to you doing a review of "Superman Returns", it would be nice if you did a video talking about the 3 cuts of "Superman"[1978] and which cut you think is the best.
This man can never run out of content.
There are people who consider him the best just because he died, but he truly was the best superman. I believed that before his death and still believe it to this day. He just looked like a superhero. As soon as you saw him, you were hooked. He also understood what makes a great superman and was cool without even trying. He captured the character's shyness, determination, ideology. Chris was the best.
My ranking of them:
4: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (5%)(It's really awful! Nothing is good! Very, very, horrible! Everything is bad! From the action to the acting to the CGI, it all is bad!)
3: Superman III (30%)(Better but still really bad! I like the stuff with Evil Superman but everything else is bad! Forgettable and bad!)
2: Superman: The Movie (95%)(Brilliant! Super fun and iconic! I really thoroughly enjoyed this film!)
1: Superman 2 (98%)(WOW! I freaking love this film! Really entertaining and action packed!)
Batman by Tim Burton is one of my favorite movies.
I just watched Superman The Movie and was struck by how I think they intended Superman to be a sort of nostalgic call-back for people in the 1970s to the earlier America before the 60's and then Nixon and Watergate. There were several references to corrupt politicians in the dialog, the one "date" scene with Lois they kind of had her make all the double entendres and it seemed like Superman was too good to be true, never telling a lie etc. It felt kind of like how in the recent MCU Captain Americas they make him seem too good and polite compared to the cruder modern American culture
This is gonna be awesome. I absolutely can’t wait until you get to the Sam Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy. 1 and 3 are some of my favorite movies (2 is my favorite), and I’ve recently gained a new appreciation for 3.
The Christopher Reeve's superman movies (the first one at least) are enjoyable, but I still think the best Superman movie of all is the "Superman vs the Elite", which I think does a much better job than the live action movies exploring Superman as character and what he represents as a hero.
I love that film. It understands Supernan better than the people running DC comics.
@@tayojones9460 That movie is exemple of how to adapt Superman in the modern age. Not by making him dark as the world he lives but as counterpoint to the harsh reality, with Superman always making the hard decisions and tries to find a better way best to save the day without having to stoop to the level of his enemies, acting as prime exemple to all super heroes.
I've watched the 2nd movie in it's teatrical cut. And I liked it more since it doesn't used the same ending like in the first movie.
And Superman 2 is easily my favorite Superman movie, despite some of it's set backs.
I also kinda liked Superman 3 but it's easily my least favorite.
And I actually really liked the 4th movie more so then the 3rd. and while the effects aren't nearly as good. I still had a fun time watching it.
The Reversing the earth ending is the true conclusion to the 4.5 hr epic Superman origin film.
The character does NOT reverse the earth twice. He does it once. It was forced into part 1 which was a shame. When u watch 2 you are watching a sequel to the original script. Lois never died, he saved her. Thats all.
The Reversing earth ending works so much better in 2. The whole jor El set up is tied to it
@@integrity101 Thanks. :-)
@@gavinlucas9761
I highly recommend watching the Richard Donner cut of Superman the movie followed by Superman 2 the Richard Donner cut. It really is one giant film. Not a sequel. They are both better than the theatrical versions with KEY scenes added back in. I just watched em and wow are they fantastic.
Just remember Superman is supposed to save Lois in part 1. They only killed her to justify moving the ending to part 1. So they really messed up part 2 doing that. He isnt supposed to defy his father til jor el dies a 2nd time because of kal els mistake.
I always tell people if they like chris reeve superman and they never saw the Donner directors cut of both films, they never truly saw the whole story. Cant recommend those enough.
Grab some movie snacks & enjoy
@@integrity101 I'll have to view it at some point in the future. but I will keep it in mind.
Wow, I'm just now noticing Lana's played by Martha Kent from Smallville. I forgot her name, Annette O'Toole I think it was.
That first superman movie reminds me of what it's like to be a kid that hopeful optimistic outlook
A couple of years ago, I saw Superman rerun on TV, and you're right, the movie is super charming and it feels sincere. At some point I even teared up from how absolutely beautiful Reeves' portrayal was.
when i was young i loved superman 3 and it is so close to my heart so i get a lot of enjoyment from watching it even now.
Cool your next big retrospective I got really invested in your DCAU retrospective it is what got me into your channel and I look forward to this one very much.
Told you J you wouldn’t have a good time with Superman 3 & 4 good luck on the rest of your retrospective
Joe McKenzie huh?
What are your thoughts on the Smallville TV series? Provided you've seen it of course. I've been watching it and I really enjoy it.
The theatrical version of 2 adds something that was actually adapted into the comics. Superman's memory wiping kiss
The Pre-Crisis Superman was also capable of delivering a super-kiss that could knock Lois off her feet and leave her dazed and disorientated. This example is from Action Comics #306 (November 1963). s10.postimg.cc/ovle9ch61/image.jpg s10.postimg.cc/grda4luqx/image.jpg www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=2404.0
@@TMC1982Part2 thank you
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 1&2 also Marvels Iron Man had a part to play in the growth of superhero movies. 🤔
RIP Christopher Reeve you will always be superman Christopher Reeve we love you and miss you Christopher Reeve is the number one superman
I would recommend going back & watching the original theatrical cut of Superman II. This version is basically like taking a bunch of deleted scenes & trying to force them together to make some kind of film (which is probably what they did here).
For me Christopher Reeves is Superman. I recently rewatched Superman 1 and 2 back to back and loved them. I remember liking Batman more but now that I've gotten older ive grown to be more appreciative of Truth, Justice and the American way. I've always liked Superman but reading comics, rewatching the films, watching your retrospective of the DCAU Superman is now my favorite superhero in general. Batman TAS is still the best interpretation of a character besides Christopher Reeves Superman.
Chris Reeve easily has the best dichotomy between Clark and Superman, you cannot convince me otherwise.
Tom Welling tried toward the end of Smallville. But I feel nothing between Clark/Supes with Dean Cane or Henry Cavill.
Brandon Routh was....fine?
But Reeves owned it.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy i really like Brandon Routh as Superman maybe because he was the first superman i saw on screen. And Tom Welling is my second favourite interpretation of the character.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Brandon Routh was ok in Superman returns, but that was most because of the script. I feel he improve alot in Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinity Earths despite the not having alot of screen time compare to the other characters.
The DCAU version and Christopher Reeves Superman are both great, but I feel the best one is the DCAU, especially the Superman TAS one voiced by Tim Daly (George Newbern is also good, but I feel Daly is better in given Superman a more mature and badass personality) .
@@alexandrefrauches132 i completely agree the DCAU's Superman is fantastic Tim Daley did an amazing job. But i do prefer Chris over Tim nothing wrong with Tim but for me Chris is Sups
Great video, I remember watching the first movie and feeling so happy when superman's theme started playing. For some reason I've never felt like watching the others, maybe because I thought that they wouldn't much, but I think I'll give them a chance.
Hope everyone's reading this is safe, have a great day.
Great video as always J, and its about some classic movies. Its a shame that Rocksteady didn’t come out with that Superman game. People are so afraid to touch the man of steel as a property which is why batmans more popular. Hopefully we will eventually get a good superman game.
The major problem with the first four Superman films, wasn't the acting, but the lack of compelling stories. The first, as noted, was pretty "spot-on" to the "character" of Superman. (Though there would never have been a second if the went with the original submitted script by Mario Puzo, who had such things as Superman thinking that that bald guy walking down the sidewalk was Lex Luthor, only to find Telly Savalis' "Kojak", instead.)
The second didn't have the "script Polishing" of Tom Mankiewicz, who greatly cleaned up the first script. The rest were "grab-a-buck" garbage. Those two films were made too close together, had no compelling stories, and were just made to CASH IN on the Superman craze.
They ruined Superman, at least, as a viable franchise. Which is a real shame to Superman fans like myself. I grew up reading Superman comics and watching, "The Adventures Of Superman" on television from 1955, when I was five years old, on until the death of George Reeves, when the show was cancelled. It was almost twenty years later that the Superman movie came out in theaters.
That was a long dry spell. I watched, and have on DVD, all of the "Smallville" episodes, and waited in line for the 2013 "Man Of Steel" film, with my grandkids. I was OK on one level, but not that great on another. In a way, it combined the first to Christopher Reeve films. A child is born on doomed Krypton and is sent to Earth, criminals are sent to "The Phantom Zone" and are freed almost immediately, but had to scrounge old Kryptonian bases on other planets for supplies, then they come to Earth demanding 'Kal-El". They find, and fight Superman, causing great damage and probably taking way too many lives in the process. Overall, I liked it, the color choices and the whole, "downer" aspect got to me. My son-in-law complained out loud in the theater, "Superman could break out of handcuffs ain a second, why is he putting up with that?" "I whispered to him, "that he is showing respect for the military, as they are doing things by the book." Just then, Superman stands up and casually breaks the handcuffs, by forgetting that they're there, when he spoke to the General. I will say that Henry Cavill and Michael Shannon are terrific actors, as they made me believe their characters.
Now I'm really curious for you to review the Lester cut of Superman 2
22:32 did they even try to use a computer when writing that plot point, like they clearly had computers to figure out how to use and they clearly didn’t because if they tried they’d rewrite guss to be an infamous master hacker or something
Darn it, I just finished all of your DCAU retrospectives and you're already pulling me into a new series? What do you want from me!? My car? Do you want my car?? I'll give you my car!??!
3:40 is that including direct to video stuff like Superman Doomsday?
17:00 I could’ve sworn it was mentioned in this cut that the process was reversed by Jor-El sacrificing his essence so while it was reversed it came at a huge cost
21:00 according to TV tropes (who don’t cite typically so take that as you will) the writers were expecting Pryer to ad-lib so they didn’t put effort into his lines. But Pryer was such a big Superman fan he wanted to stick to the script
27:00 in the theatrical cut of Superman II (which is the one considered canon) the film ends not with a time reversal but with Clark giving her a memory wipe kiss
But aside from that stuff this is a great video
Well done. Thank you for sharing.
While completely unrelated to the review itself, I kind of enjoyed the fact that the allegro version of "Questioning" from Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations was used during part of the review of Superman II. I actually had to pause for a second and listen closely. After that, I just beamed with a smile. Easily my favorite one of the bunch.
It's funny that Martha Kent in Smallville is Lana Lang in Superman 3 it's just a cool coincidence
16:40 There are a few times in the comics where exactly this happens. Superman has lost his powers by being exposed to red sun radiation. When he loses his powers, he will regain them by being exposed to yellow sun radiation, like a battery.
I love that u started freaking out because u were so mad about Superman 4’s final showdown 😂
Brandon Lee died from a blank...
I had to pause the video to say this: Richard Pryor is one of the GOATs! Go watch his standup movies Richard Pryor Live in Concert & Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip! Then go watch other videos. The man influenced so many current comedians.
Hell. I still liked him in Superman 3. If you take that movie by itself, it really isnt all that bad. Knowing 1 and 2 exist is what makes people hate it so much.
I really want to edit Donner's and Lester's cuts together because I like aspects of both films. But they also have their problems
Do it. Thats what i did. Ive got at least 3 versions of S2.
@@integrity101 That's so cool! How did they turn out?
@@drewevans3054
Awesome. I'm still working on perfecting them but i highly recommend you make your own fan edit. Its not that hard. Fun little hobby too. I'm a total amateur but i like how it turned out.
Ive got a version with the Lois River Jump, another with Lois jumping out of the Daily planet and another where he reverses the earth in S2 *because i removed it from one version of S1*
Honestly i think reversing the Earth in S2 makes a lot more sense. Its for many reasons. He saves all the people Zod killed, restores monuments worldwide, wipes the worlds memory, puts Zod back in the phantom zone and spares Lois the devastation of the break up. Its a *one time only thing* and he's not supposed to do it til Jor El is dead and gone so i put Jor El up in the sky (from part 1) into the version of part 2 where he reverses Earth. Thats really the movie they were making. I'm sure u know at the last second they forced the reversing Earth into part 1 so Lois had ro die to justify it but thats not the original plan.
There's a lot you can do with Superman 1 & 2. Honestly ive got about 8 or 9 versions but I'm just focusing on the 3 main ones.
Donner's duology is the perfect representation of Silver Age Superman. Nationalistic Patriotism, escapism adventures, etc. But I think it's important that people realize that's not the only interpretation of Superman that exists. In the Golden Age he was violent and anti-government. In the Byrne era he was conflicted and more humanized. Morrison showed an infallible paragon. New 52... sucked.
So keep in mind, just because Reeve is the perfect Silver Age Superman doesn't mean it's okay to bash other live action versions that take a different route and are inspired by different versions of Superman. Cavill is Byrne's Superman for example. Conflicted, darker, more angsty. Even Dan Jurgens (Writer of Death of Superman) praises Snyder's take on the character. Why? Because Snyder's Superman was late 80s/early 90s comic Superman above all else. Singer's Superman was the depressing Bronze Age take. The George Reeves show exuded Golden Age violence. Etc etc.
When you have a character that has changed as much as Superman in comics, it's completely unfair to make a determination over a "true" version and say other directors "don't understand" the character just because they take different inspiration. It's gatekeeping in its purest form.
Superman II (Theatrical Cut) actually started the trend of made up powers and had the memory wiping kiss instead of time travel. The Donner Cut only used the time travel ending because they didn't have a choice. Though IMO a good compromise was using the memory wipe kiss scene up until just before the kiss ends. It was a well acted scene.
Superman II the theatrical cut is superior to the donner cut damnit!
Really? I disagree. Donner Superman 2 is the highest rated Superman film of all time. Its so much better imo i can't watch the theatrical anymore
“And over the last few years we have heard a lot about something called ‘family values’. And like many of you, I have struggled to figure out what that means. And since my accident, I've found a definition that seems to make sense. I think it means that we're all family. And that we all have value.”
Christopher Reeve, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in 1996.
What a Super Man.
The bit from where he gets the kryptonite necklace is the BEST part. In the roof scene earlier Lois defines Superman, Truth, Justice, and the American way, and then she repeats Truth, Superman ALWAYS tells the truth. That's what Miss Tessmacher refers to when she releases him on a promise. At that moment he has a choice, to do what is right or do what is good for himself. He can be the Superman Lois respects and always tells the Truth or he can be an asshole who prefers to save his gal. He does the right thing, he makes the right choice, he becomes the parable that power doesn't always corrupt, it just makes you more of whatever it is you are. He goes to Jersey.. but since this is Superman the status quo needs to be restored so you can tell another Superman story, so Lois needs to be saved anyways, even if he made a choice and that choice has consequences.
Just don't think too hard, and enjoy him choosing what is right and suffering the consequences... before restoring the status quo.
.. and again, in Superman II he gets a choice, the selfish option, to be with Lois, or the selfless one to stop Zod and not be with Lois and he chooses and his choice has consequences. We always know what his personal hopes and desires are, we always see he can get them, but to do so means sacrificing the innocent or abandoning principle. That is what makes Superman more than just a flying strongman with all the best superpowers.
I absolutely agree with these takes. Those first two movies were really good and overall well written, I was just pointing out what came to mind in this video. On Superman as a character, I really love that about him. 'With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility' really applies to Superman above many other characters, since he really has the ability to rule over Earth if he wanted to, but he chooses not to. Great character.
@@JsReviews I enjoyed your take on it, I just felt that in both cases the bit that most pulled me into the movie was the bit you felt took you out of it.
There is a lot of stupid and silly stuff, however, the moral dilemmas are always harsh and difficult. Superman must make a choice, he must make the right choice, the must be consequences... but, because he's superman, he can fix everything so the next episode starts with the normal status quo. The cause of his power inflation is writers trying to keep the whole thing internally consistent.
Superman's thing isn't with great power comes great responsability. It's we all have responsibility, powers or no. He doesn't help people because he has powers, he helps people because that's what good people do.
He's part of my personal trinity along with Luke Skywalker and Optimus Prime and I feel strongly about the moral aspects of Superman, I may not know what he might do, but I'm always certain why he does it.
Superman III felt like they smashed two movies together: A Superman sequel and a Richard Pryor comedy and failed at both. I did find the jackass Superman parts humorous just because his level of evil in those was basically Professor Chaos from South Park, but that was about it. I have a feeling the third one was brought to us by cocaine. For a better Richard Pryor vehicle, I'd recommend Silver Streak - his first appearance with Gene Wilder.
Okay, I have to ask: While it looks obvious that it’s theatrical films only, what about animated theatrical films? The Incredibles, its sequel, Lego Batman, Teen Titans Go to the Movies, and Spiderverse? I’m not expecting Mask of the Phantasm for several reasons, including being previously covered ground
The animated movies, whether Theatrical or Home-Video, are too numerous and varied to put into a review of the overall progression of Superhero films.
Sure, you can ask him to review the amimated films as well but expect them to be disjpinted from the primary idea of this curremt series of videos: To see how films interpret the comics into films, with respect to their era.
The original Superman II didn't end on a time travel scene. It was a weirder ending. Clarke erased Lois' memory by giving her on hell of a kiss. Seriously. Apparently, it was so good, she just forgot everything that happened in this movie.
Your commentary is epic! 😎
Superman was my first film love yes I'm old, sue me!
Fun fact: the actress who plays Lana Lang in Superman 3 is the same actress who plays Martha Kent in Smallville.
I'm a man
Will you be doing Superman Returns at some point? Since it is a canon sequel to the 2nd Reeves film...although not the Donner cut, the theatrical version where the events of the movie did happen. The cuts get confusing, even the first film has an extended version made for TV airings.
No Superman returns is in continuity with Donner cut which doesn’t make even more sense when you think about it. Also doesn't make sense logistically because the Donner cut was released just months before on DVD, before Returns was released in theaters.
One thing I think you missed is a big problem the director and crew had is “how do you adapt a comic book to the big screen?”. This is especially hard as Superman and most DC comics at the time were more like a body of work like looney tunes where each comic is loosely in the same continuity but there’s also no real linear narrative (for the most part). How do you make a movie out of that? Do you pick and choose or try to condense the whole thing?
14:14 Oh shoot! I never saw this scene. Does that mean this whole time I only ever saw the theatrical version and not the Donner cut? I remember her finding out when Clark trips on fire but doesn't get burned.
I honestly think Superman 2 the original theatrical cut is better ( despite a few scenes in Donors cut) the ending is different. There little slapstick comedy during the fight in Metropolis but it actually fit unlike the 2 movies going forward. The Donor cut scenes like their fight in Metropolis felt less epic. Zod wasn't as iconic like he was in the theatrical version. Please check out the theatrical version I think you'll like it as most people do. Only good part of 3 is Clark vs evil superman.And the reason he didn't rewind time in 3 and 4 because part 2 at that point wasn't canon. It was only done in part 1.
It frustrates me that WB sells this collection with ONLY the Donner Cut of Superman II. The Donner Cut is a novelty. It doesn’t fit well with Superman 1 (since it effectively gives both films the same ending), and creates plot holes in Superman IV (the crystals, the memory-wiping kiss, etc.), as this video pointed out... Lester’s cut has its issues, but overall it’s more polished and makes more sense within the context of the series. 🤦♂️
I agree and is basically erasing film history. I think it’s more important to release a film as it originally was seen in theaters on home video for the historical aspect, whether if you like it or not. And it’s really hypocritical because they have films like Superman III & IV and Batman & Robin included in that box set. 🤦♂️I think it would be better for future releases to include both cuts so we can still be presenting the film as it originally was seen in theaters, and fans of either the Lester or Donner Cut could have the version they personally enjoy.
Hunter O'Laughlin 👆Yes!
So....will ya be doing mask of the phantasm again? because I think that's still counts nah jk can't wait to watch these
If you thought the power of rewind time was stopped, think again.
I love the first Superman film, so grandiose and epic. Christopher Reeve remains the best Superman. Superman II and III I really like and enjoy, not as good as the original but still really good. Superman IV is certainly a bad film but I don't mind it that much. For me, they're enjoyable films. If they were all made by Richard Donner, people would look back on them with more fondness.
Unpopular Opinion: I think that the Richard Donner cut of Superman 2 was complete and utter rubbish. Where as the Richard Lester cut was better.
Rubbish? How? That doesnt even make sense. Because of one screen test??? The Donner film is more complete than the Lester film. I think mpst Lester fans are oblivious to who shot what & how duct taped together the Lester version is. The Donner cut is more impressive in everyway. Ill never watch the Lester again.
It is far superior in literally every way. I dont know how anyone could prefer Lesters. The whole reason Lester was hired was to complete the cheapest film possible. He reshot a ton of pointless scenes.
The Donner cut is the 2 hr conclusion to SUPERMAN the movie.
Both cuts are flawed. The original theatrical II had a few tonal seems between Donner's and Lester's interpretations, although I like it better than the Donner recut, warts and all.
@@75aces97
That always surprises me. Is it nostalgia?
@@integrity101Could be. Really depends on what you like. Richard Lester has a certain wry sense of humor. Some people like it in a Superman movie, some don't. I liked it to a point in the original cut of II. Some of the sight gags fell flat. III was also his, but somebody forgot to write the jokes.
@@75aces97
I tried watching the theatrical recently and NOW, with the existence of the Donner cut i find it hard to get thru. It feels more like an episode than the true conclusion to SUPERMAN the movie that it was supposed to be.
Try watching both Donner cuts back to back some day. Maybe itll grow on you. THE Donner cut has become possibly my favorite film.
PS I enjoy Superman III much more than I used to. The emotional gravity of Supes losing who he is & not knowing why is great. The poetry of Superman literally confronting his dark side.
OK there is a bunch of dumb parts, but at least there's no Lex Luthor & I like the chemistry he has with Lana, who actually likes him for Clark.
Great video. Thanks!
16:58 a lot of the plot hole issues are because of the mishmash quilted together nature of this film. Two directors, multiple scripts, and a rushed production mean that unfortunately the Richard Donner Cut is not the actual film as conceived. They had to edit together what they had.
Funny thing, the Leaning Tower of Pisa gag was meant for the second film. Technically, there's like 4 different cuts of Superman II. The theatrical cut, the tv version which is where Superman II: Restored International Cut came from. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, and the version of that cut that's available on Vudu. Which neither Donner nor the editor had anything to do with that one. And that one is actually longer. But the version that's meant to be canon, is the theatrical cut. Either to the original sequels and spin-off or to Superman Returns. The theatrical cut is the cut that's canon. Donner's cut is more of a "What if...?" Is just for us to get an idea of the movie we would've gotten. That's why he used the same ending. Even though I prefer that cut, the theatrical is the canon version. Hence why Lois has a kid on Superman Returns and doesn't know Superman is the father or that Clark is Superman. Cause they slept together, and he wiped her memory.
Richard Pryor is one of the best comedian that I have ever had the pleasure seeing. You honestly should check out hes other works.
Making him boring and unfunny is certainly an unholy achievement.
The memory wiping kiss was how the Richard Lester Superman 2 ends. That’s why he does it in Superman 4.
I remember watching Superman 1 after STAS when I was left home alone
It was different,but i still liked it quite a bit
Yeah. You should've watched the theatrical version of Superman 2. The Donnor cut was made for us fan boys who just wanted to see what COULD have been. The theatrical cut has "finished" special effects and, despite the cheesy moments, has a more direct story. Plus, the time travel stunt does NOT happen again in that release. As for the rest of the movies (3 and 4) are God awful!
What i find weird is that isn't there a huge age gap between Clark and Lois because we see her as a little kid in the train when clark is in his late Teens
they explain that, 12 years pass in the outside world while he is in the fortress being trained by Jor-El.
@@clockstomper oh
There is one detail everyone seems to miss in this case; The time that passes between Pa Kent’s death and Clark leaving. When Jonathan dies, Martha’s hair is still brown. But when Clark leaves it’s grey. That means we don’t know how old Clark was when Lois saw him. We only know he was 18 when he left. So the age difference doesn’t have to be that big at all.
js review you must talk about blade it really impacted superhero movie it was the first good marvel movie and the first box office succesful marvel movie. And it came out 1998 years before xmen, spiderman and it was the first black superhero and R rated superheo movie it changed marvel movies and it was the beging of marvel movies being huge success
I always get a kick out of how the warden turns away while Superman is still talking. Like he sees flying super-guys all the time.
I'm glad a sequel of superman 78 comic is coming as well as Batman 89
J, you haven't lived until you've seen Pryor do stand up. Look up some clips, you won't regret it.
17:39 If both films had been made as Donner intended, time travel would not have been used in the first one and this would have been the only time we saw it. We dont get much emotional impact from it, of course, because unfortunately they had to edit together what decades old footage they had. The theatrical release has a completely different ending, which is also silly and convoluted, but does have a much better emotional impact.
27:34 The memory wiping kiss was in the Richard Lester version of Superman II (instead of Superman rewinding time). That's what that was alluding to. It makes more sense that way but its still stupid. Why would he do it twice? And at least he had an actual reason for it in Lester's II (to spare Lois' heartbreak), but here it comes off as "Oh I want you to remember for a few minutes but then will just undo it willy nilly when I feel like it"
Richard Lester = Memory erasing kiss. WTF!
14:34 lmao he has such a "Oh shit she got me" face here
I respect the Reeve films but I prefer the Superman films that came after them, I didn't grow up with that era.
My favorite superhero is Spider-Man, but that was not always the case when I was a very young kid my favorite superhero was always superman, at the time my dad was a giant superman fan, and he watched the original superman movie with me all the time and superman. The movie is one of my favorite movies ever. Superman may not be my favorite superhero anymore, but that movie will always be one of my favorites.
The part in the Lester cut where Clark tripped and didn't burn his hand and had to just take the glasses off and fess up, was better.
I think Superman choosing to ignore what he learned from Jor-El and rewinding time to save Lois instead was meant to be the setup for the arc he goes through in Superman II. He chose to interfere with human history specifically to save Lois, showing how he's already putting her above his duty as a superhero.
I was born in the late seventies for me it's always going to be the Christopher Reeves Superman movies. After Superman it was Luke Skywalker, Batman and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan.
He's not reversing the spin of the earth to go back in time, he's using earths gravity to make himself fly so fast he can travel through time, the earth changing directions is just a visual indicator that time is reversing.
Ready for the spoodeyboy reviews!
It's worth your time to look for the fan edits by: Selutron for Iⅈ and by ADigitalMan for III&IV. I saw all of them in theaters as a kid, the campy Lester versions, so I'm partial to those, but Donner's is probably the most hopeful vision for the Superman icon that I'd love to see on TV & film today. In fact the CW's Superman & Lois is very like Superman 1978, also worth your time.
I would have definitely watched both versions of Superman II for this review. It would have brought a slight adjustment in perspective for this film series.
The Donner cut is the real version. I dont understand how anyone could prefer the Lester version. Its like prefering Supermam 3 to SUPERMAN the movie. I just dont get it.
@@integrity101 Donner's intention for his movies was sincere drama and adventure. Lester just wanted shits and giggles comedy.
Of course these days people only see Superman 1 as "campy fun" and not sincere adventure. Even though Donner specifically wanted the movie NOT to be campy.
@@northwindkey
I wouldn't consider either Donner film campy.
I don’t consider Donner’s Cut the real version because of the re-editing of the Metropolis Battle and the Attack of Houson. I just hated that and didn’t think it was necessary. Well, okay, removing the slapstick during the scene where the Kryptonian criminals are blowing away the citizens of Metropolis with their super breath I can understand editing out. But everything else with those sequences should have been left alone.
@@hunterolaughlin
I think both of those were greatly improved by editing down Lesters silliness.
Oof. I feel you on Superman III. It’s so bad. It brings the genre about twenty steps backward from Superman II (which... the Donner cut is pretty good but to me too, still a little disappointing compared to the ‘78 original) and I’ll never understand why... surely they could’ve tried just a little damn harder? Richard Pryor’s stand-up comedy from back in the day was actually funny but I don’t think anyone could’ve made the awful material they gave him to work with in the movie funny. The secondhand cringe is just painful. Superman IV sadly was Reeves’s dream/vanity project. :( I really think he meant well. He was passionate about nuclear disarmament, and wanted to express that through his character. I blame the studio. I think a legit GOOD movie could’ve been made from the bare bones of the script (as a writer, I’m so tempted to fic the shit out of it and try to fix it!), but I think the studio saw it as nothing but a cash grab and didn’t care about the quality at all. I’m loving the superhero film retrospective so much! As a huge Marvel/DC/DCAU/Comics & Superheroes in general fangirl, this is my jam! My two hedgehogs agree. Haha sorry this got so long (heh that’s what she said!) but thanks so much for all the great entertainment. I’m dealing with major medical crap right now and your archives and new stuff are keeping me smiling. 👍🏻😊🦔🦔
Fun fact: Mala was played by Sarah Douglas (Ursa) in her 2nd appearance