AmateurMovieReviews.com

By Simon Woodhouse

For along time, whenever I used to sit through the end credits of a movie, I'd wonder why the name of the person in charge of casting appeared so close to that of the director, the producer and the leading actors. The director and the producer are crucial to what takes place behind the camera, and the actors sort out what happens in front of it. But the person in charge of casting, surely all they do is suggest which potential stars might be right for which particular roles. Why is that so important?

The importance of the person in charge of casting can only really be seen in movies that are miscast. When the casting is just right, when the best person for a particular role is given that role, the audience doesn't really notice. The people on screen are the characters they're playing, and not just actors reciting lines whilst looking at the camera.

Superman The Movie is a triumph on so many levels (plot, script, acting), but it's the casting that really makes the film what it is. Christopher Reeve, an unknown at the time, is Superman; it's as simple as that. Others had played the role before him, and also taken up the reins afterwards, but no one nailed the character quite like he did. I can imagine as soon as Lynn Stalmaster (the person in charge of casting on the film) saw Christopher Reeve it was a done deal.

The story of Superman is well known by now, even to people who aren't superhero fans. But anyway, I'll offer a quick recap. Kal-El (to give him his birth name) is the sole survivor of the planet Krypton, a world destroyed when it shifted orbit and moved too close to its own sun. Doting parents Jor-El (Marlon Brando) and Lara (Susannah York), put little Kal into a life capsule and shot him into space. After eons of whizzing through the void, he crash lands on Earth, where he's adopted by Jonathon (Glen Ford) and Martha Kent (Phyllis Thaxter), who give him the name Clark. Luckily enough, the Kent's are decent folk and so young Clark is raised right. After growing up on the Kent's farm, and then learning who he really is and where he comes from, Clark moves to the city of Metropolis.

This whole chunk of the story, which is really just set-up for what's to come, is given plenty of screen time. In fact, Superman himself doesn't appear until forty-five minutes into the film, and even then it's only a fleeting glimpse. By devoting so much time to the back-story, the film makers portray Superman as more than just a costumed hero. He's a real person, with a history on Earth that's absolutely relevant to who he is. Dedicating so much time to this section of the film was a brave move by the people in charge. They could have chosen the easy option, and had Superman appear within the first five minutes, thus satisfying that section of the audience that's only interested in action sequences. In order to compensate for this, when Superman does make his first proper appearance it's a classic movie-going moment. During this fifteen minute montage he catches a helicopter with one hand, foils a bank robbery, nabs a jewel thief, saves the US president and rescues a cat from a tree. What more could anyone ask for?

Vitally important to any superhero film is the main character's alter ego. If this person isn't a believable entity in their own right, the whole movie will crash and burn. But there are no such worries here. Not only is Christopher Reeve the ultimate Superman, he's also the best Clark Kent to ever appear on screen. However, what would Clark be without his Lois? The character of Lois Lane, Clark/Superman's love interest, is so pivotal to any interpretation of Superman that if she's miscast the project is on shaky ground. But if Christopher Reeve is the ultimate Superman, then Margot Kidder is also the best Lois Lane. Not only does she nail the role perfectly, she also has a real chemistry with Reeve (whether he's Superman or Clark). Another key ingredient in a superhero movie is the villain. Superman's arch nemesis was always Lex Luthor, and he's brought to life here by Gene Hackman, in a role that's the perfect combination of threatening menace and acerbic wit.

Once all the elements are in place, the movie turns into the ideal mix of action, angst and humor. Lex Luthor's obsession with real estate leads him to hatch a plot that involves firing a nuclear missile at the San Andres Fault, and thus causing half of California to fall into the sea. At the same time, Clark is trying to win Lois's heart (without much success), Superman is doing the same (with plenty of success) and Lex is devising a plan to kill our hero.

Essential to all superhero movies is a sense of humor. At times, the dialogue in Superman The Movie is so witty it almost seems like a comedy. Lex Luthor delivers most of the funnies, but some of the scenes involving Clark and Lois are also pretty good. Besides the laughs, there are moments of genuine romance, sorrow and suspense. The last twenty minutes are all action, as Superman struggles desperately to thwart Luthor's evil scheme. However, it's the scene where he pulls Lois from her wrecked car that's the most gripping.

Blessed as it is with so much talent (in front and behind the camera), it's hardly surprising the movie did good work at the box office and therefore spawned three sequels. Of these, only Superman II lives up to its predecessor, and that's probably because it was filmed back-to-back with the first movie. Last year's rather dire Superman Returns can't be placed in the same league as this film, dependant as it was on style over substance. But if you watched that movie and thought it was good, have a look at this version if you really want to see Superman at his best.