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2004 Movie News Archives

July 1, 2004: A Look at the History of Superhero Movies

MSNBC published an article recently looking at how superheroes gave gone from inconsequential juvenile pulp to big budget hollywood filsm.

A you and I know, origin lies in "Superman: The Movie" the 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve, directed by Richard Donner and written by Mario Puzo.

Here's an excerpt from the article...

Donner took the Man of Steel for what he is, a wholly American myth. Conceived by two sons of immigrants in the early years of the Depression, Superman embodies the American ideal - lantern-jawed, unconflicted and nearly unbeatable. Plus, as a super-powered, ostensibly illegal alien dumbing himself down to live under the guise of a mild-mannered reporter, he's the ultimate assimilator. Although Puzo might have seemed an odd choice to adapt a comic book, similar themes ran through his "Godfather" scripts, and he treated them with the same epic scope. As a reflection of its time, "Superman" may well have been a response to the exhausted '70s and a first look ahead to Ronald Reagan's optimism.

That's not to say it's perfect - we are dealing with a hero who wears his underwear on the outside, after all. Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty, strong actors both, provide caricature in place of villainy. And "Can You Read My Mind?" Lois Lane's spoken-word poem, remains a howling show-stopper. Unfortunately, after the well-regarded "Superman II," which was actually written along with the first film as part of a single script, the series spiraled into a childish hybrid of camp and political righteousness.

Read the complete article at the MSNBC website.