Origin:

Synopsis:

Richard Donner's big-budget blockbuster Superman: The Movie is an immensely entertaining recounting of the origin of the famous comic book character. Opening on Krypton (where Marlon Brando plays Superman's father), the film follows the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) as he's sent to Earth where he develops his alter-ego Clark Kent and is raised by a Midwestern family. In no time, the movie has run through his teenage years, and Clark gets a job at the Daily Planet, where he is a news reporter. It's there that he falls in love with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who is already in love with Superman. But the love story is quickly sidetracked once the villainous Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) launches a diabolical plan to conquer the world and kill Superman. Superman: The Movie is filled with action, special effects and a surprising amount of humor.

© Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Prequels, Sequels and Follow-ons:

Superman [Serial] Directed by: Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr. Starring: Kirk Alyn

Atom Man vs. Superman [Serial] Directed by: Spencer Gordon Bennet. Starring: Kirk Alyn

Superman and the Mole Men (aka Superman & the Strange People - 1951) Directed by: Lee Sholem. Starring: Phyllis Coates, Jeff Corey, Walter Reed, George Reeves

Superman Flies Again (1954) Directed by: George Blair, Thomas Carr. Starring: George Reeves

Superman and the Jungle Devil (1954) Directed by: George Blair, Thomas Carr. Starring: George Reeves


Superman II (1980) Directed by: Richard Lester. Starring: Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp

Superman III (1983) Directed by: Richard Lester. Starring: Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Annette O'Toole, Christopher Reeve, Annie Ross, Richard Pryor

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) Directed by: Sidney J. Furie. Starring: Jackie Cooper, Jon Cryer, Gene Hackman, Marc McClure, Christopher Reeve, Mariel Hemingway

Superman Returns (2006) Directed by: Bryan Singer. Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Brandon Routh