How Richard Donner Saved Superman

[caj]

Nice write up here on CBR of how the first Superman film could've been - and it would've been a disaster.

https://www.cbr.com/richard-donner-s...perhero-movie/

[caj]

People probably take it for granted now, but the ad for the film said 'You will believe a man can fly' and that was the first film I ever saw where it was believable that he was flying.

[Slowpokeking]

The script is the major thing. Superman III and Supergirl both suffered from it.

I think the Salkinds are ok as producers.

[Kirby101]

The script is the major thing. Superman III and Supergirl both suffered from it.

I think the Salkinds are ok as producers.

All report are they were not. Including putting Lester in for Superman II because they owed him money.

[Scott Taylor]

Really not true that superheroes at the time were the butt of jokes. In 1978, we had Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Bionic Man and Bionic Woman TV shows going. All serious, all with serious acting and serious plotlines. It was a huge boom in live action hero stuff! The Superman movie wasn't treading new ground, except in it being a feature film rather than a TV show.

The decision to cast Reeve is probably most likely why it succeeded. The plot was pretty mundane and just doesn't hold up well. Luthor was the worst of all Luthors put on screen, even worse than Jessie Eisenberg. Margot Kidder was ok, surely not some casting coup. Same goes for the rest of the cast. But Reeve - he was Superman for everyone, with his great smile, that chiseled face and the easy serious acting style in which he played the part. Its his personal masterwork!

[caj]

But Reeve - he was Superman for everyone, with his great smile, that chiseled face and the easy serious acting style in which he played the part. Its his personal masterwork!

If I'm not mistaken, he was trained to add bulk by David Prowse, who was a bodybuilder and the physical person in the Darth Vader costume for the Star Wars trilogy.

[Slowpokeking]

Really not true that superheroes at the time were the butt of jokes. In 1978, we had Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Bionic Man and Bionic Woman TV shows going. All serious, all with serious acting and serious plotlines. It was a huge boom in live action hero stuff! The Superman movie wasn't treading new ground, except in it being a feature film rather than a TV show.

The decision to cast Reeve is probably most likely why it succeeded. The plot was pretty mundane and just doesn't hold up well. Luthor was the worst of all Luthors put on screen, even worse than Jessie Eisenberg. Margot Kidder was ok, surely not some casting coup. Same goes for the rest of the cast. But Reeve - he was Superman for everyone, with his great smile, that chiseled face and the easy serious acting style in which he played the part. Its his personal masterwork!

The plot was at least ok by that time's standards.

Helen is as good as Reeve but the plot ruined the movie.

[Godzilla2099]

The plot was at least ok by that time's standards.

Helen is as good as Reeve but the plot ruined the movie.

Agreed. Helen captured Supergirl perfectly. The plot destroyed this movie's potential

[Scott Taylor]

The plot was at least ok by that time's standards.

Helen is as good as Reeve but the plot ruined the movie.

Supergirl is severely underrated. The plot of Superman is barely better than in that movie. Superman II was the superior plot by far over both movies.

[From The Shadows]

I loved the Donner Superman films and even the awful Supergirl film when I was a kid. I knew the latter wasn't a masterpiece but I didn't care.

[Slowpokeking]

I loved the Donner Superman films and even the awful Supergirl film when I was a kid. I knew the latter wasn't a masterpiece but I didn't care.

If only Supergirl could get a nice script...

But even if it did and made the movie a success, the character might limit her career.

[Osiris-Rex]

Supergirl is severely underrated. The plot of Superman is barely better than in that movie. Superman II was the superior plot by far over both movies.

There wasn't really anything all that bad about the basic plot of Supergirl. It was Faye Dunaway's ham fisted scenery chewing campy acting that ruined the movie. A better villain would have saved the movie
or at the very least a competent director that reigned in Dunaway.

[caj]

There wasn't really anything all that bad about the basic plot of Supergirl. It was Faye Dunaway's ham fisted scenery chewing campy acting that ruined the movie. A better villain would have saved the movie
or at the very least a competent director that reigned in Dunaway.

I agree. Dunaway really stunk up that film. Otherwise, it was pretty decent. And I LOVED Helen Slater as Supergirl.

[Surf]

Really not true that superheroes at the time were the butt of jokes. In 1978, we had Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Bionic Man and Bionic Woman TV shows going. All serious, all with serious acting and serious plotlines. It was a huge boom in live action hero stuff! The Superman movie wasn't treading new ground, except in it being a feature film rather than a TV show.

Sure, that couple of properties made it to air but not only did The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman nor the Bionic couple ever fly, there wasn't a tangible super villain in any of the seasons of those shows. Unless you count the Nazi's in S1 of WW... or Bigfoot. Donner's Superman was exactly new ground. Being a feature film, is- was new ground.

The plot was pretty mundane and just doesn't hold up well. Luthor was the worst of all Luthors put on screen, even worse than Jessie Eisenberg.

Stop it. Luthor's plot in the first Superman was brilliant. NO SUPERHERO CAN BE IN TWO PLACES AT THE SAME TIME... Now, the resolution of Lex Luthor's plot is a separate argument that still doesn't sit well with many fans of the movie but that Lex was the most ruthless iteration he's ever been in any movie. How many people died when that second missile hit the West Coast? Several million at least, just so he could own a major U.S. shoreline, that was fucking ambitious as hell and it worked.

Sometimes as a professional writer (and I know Puzzo did the screenplay but I can't think off the top who scripted the story without Googling, maybe Donner...) you can come up with a plot point that is SO well done that the resolution of it is not going to rise to the same level. Laugh out Loud, NOBODY knew Superman could turn back time.

Eisenberg... how dare you. His Luthor just copied and pasted the Luthor scheme from Superman 4. Hell, if you are just going to pick up scraps from a previous Villain threat and make it your own, Michael Keaton's Toomes, did that better than anybody.

[caj]

Sure, that couple of properties made it to air but not only did The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman nor the Bionic couple ever fly, there wasn't a tangible super villain in any of the seasons of those shows. Unless you count the Nazi's in S1 of WW... or Bigfoot. Donner's Superman was exactly new ground. Being a feature film, is- was new ground.



Stop it. Luthor's plot in the first Superman was brilliant. NO SUPERHERO CAN BE IN TWO PLACES AT THE SAME TIME... Now, the resolution of Lex Luthor's plot is a separate argument that still doesn't sit well with many fans of the movie but that Lex was the most ruthless iteration he's ever been in any movie. How many people died when that second missile hit the West Coast? Several million at least, just so he could own a major U.S. shoreline, that was fucking ambitious as hell and it worked.

Sometimes as a professional writer (and I know Puzzo did the screenplay but I can't think off the top who scripted the story without Googling, maybe Donner...) you can come up with a plot point that is SO well done that the resolution of it is not going to rise to the same level. Laugh out Loud, NOBODY knew Superman could turn back time.

Eisenberg... how dare you. His Luthor just copied and pasted the Luthor scheme from Superman 4. Hell, if you are just going to pick up scraps from a previous Villain threat and make it your own, Michael Keaton's Toomes, did that better than anybody.

Thank you. You managed to express a lot of us Superman and Superman II fans perfectly.