According to the latest figures, so recent that I only just now made them up, in 2015, when the lights go down in a movie theater, especially in the summer months, chances are greater than 72 percent that the movie you will be seeing involves a superhero. For almost as long as comic books have been popular, they've been adapted to film. Starting with movie serials aimed at children, the first super hero in theaters was Mandrake The Magician in 1939. He was followed by serials such as The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941), Batman (1943), and of course, in 1948 by the biggest of them all, Superman. No matter who your favorite superhero is, you simply have to acknowledge the strange visitor from another planet as the most influential hero in the history of comics, and quite possibly in film. Yes, Batman and the MARVEL properties may have taken in significantly more profit over the past 25 years, but none of them would have even seen their day in front of the camera if it wasn't for Superman: The Movie. This week, we'll be looking at Superman on the silver screen, and his adaptations into action figure form.
CHRISTOPHER REEVE
Superman: The Movie (through Superman IV) I grew up in a house where Christopher Reeve was a beloved and respected figure. My late mother was his number one fan, her favorite movie being Somewhere In Time. When my grandparents purchased a new device called a "VCR," the first tape I can remember renting was Superman: The Movie, and we rented it again and again. In the summer of 1980, my brothers and sisters sat with our mother in the family station wagon once a week at the Drive Inn to see Superman II, a memory that will stay with me forever (I currently live less than two miles from that Drive Inn, which still exists today.). And in 1983, we returned with the kind of anticipation I image Kirk Cameron has for the rapture, to see Superman III, which the advertisements promised was going to be the best of all. To this day my twin brother talks of crying himself to sleep that night, thinking of Richard Pryor and the ultimate computer, and an experience in disappointment that would eventually prepare us both for several relationships with women, as well as being enthusiastic Democrats in Utah.
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace came later on (1987), but still managed to be a defining chapter in our lives by teaching us the difference between low budget and big budget filmmaking. I still remember the day Christopher Reeve had the tragic accident that paralyzed him like I remember the Challenger explosion, 9/11 or the premiere of The Chevy Chase Show, and I like to imagine that earlier this year he was there to greet his old friend Robin Williams at the gates of heaven, and to introduce him to my mom, who probably instantly made him fell better by telling him that she actually quite enjoyed Patch Adams. DC COMICS MULTIVERSE SUPERMAN (1978 FIGURE)
I discovered this small but fun figure at a WalMart in North Carolina last year and simply had to buy it. Standing at 3.75 inches, and for truth, justice and the American way, this is minor gem. The facial likeness is quite good, as is the suit. This is definitely the Superman of the 1978 classic, and just holding the figure filled with emotion because of the connection to memories of my mother. It's almost hard to judge it fairly because sentiment gets in the way. All my life I wanted a Superman figure that looked like the REAL Superman, and though I didn't see one until I was almost 40, I will protect it with my life. ARTICULATION: Shoulder joints, elbow joints and knee joints. His arms can be placed in pointing upward in flying position, and his legs move forward, back, and out (he can do the splits.). He rotates at the waist and the thighs, and his head moves very slightly side to side.
BRANDON ROUTH
Superman Returns This movie has its very vocal detractors, and I have to admit that it is indeed flawed, but it's also a lot better and was much more widely praised than revisionist cultural history tells us. A wonderful piece of nostalgia for those of us who grew up on the first two Superman films, Superman Returns ended the series on a high note by ignoring III and IV and giving us an alternate version of what happened. True, there were some major plot holes, the biggest being: Superman had been gone for five years, and yet the Lois Lane he came back to was about 22 years old, which would have made her underage at the time of Superman II, making Superman, the ultimate hero, guilty of statutory rape (not to mention the fact that she would have had to be an established, ace reporter by like 15 to match the story). Routh was given the tough job of trying to be a Christopher Reeve impersonator while somehow making the character his own, and he came as close to achieving it as was possible, given the constant reminders of the iconic shadow he was standing in. I really hope that hisAtom TV series allows him to solidify a persona of his own, because this guy was born to be a superhero.
SUPERMAN RETURNS KRYPTONITE SMASH SUPERMAN from MATTEL
A good likeness of Routh, this 5 inch figure is a fun one for play, especially flying (the lightweight cloth cape is well suited for it.). ARTICULATION: The legs move forward and back, the arms up and down, and he bends at the knees. His waist rotates to the left so you can pull have him haul back and then let go and he snaps back into place so he can bust that Kryptonite. Wait a minute . . . isn't the whole point of Kryptonite that Superman CAN'T bust it? Doesn't it bust him? The big feature that sets this one above the others is this: his head, which moves side to side, also tilts back just enough almost look forward when he's flying, which is a big plus. ACCESSORIES: He comes with a big thing of kryptonite he can bust (again, I don't get this one.). And finally, we have . . .
HENRY CAVILL
MAN OF STEEL First off, I have to state clearly that this is a movie I have flip flopped on: I liked it the first time, but then elements of it started to really bug me, chief among them the fact that we see Superman destroying more than he saves, plus some major plot holes such as the fact that young Clark Kent is seen pushing a bus out of a river in his hometown, and yet when the aliens come looking for the alien with superpowers they end up in Smallville, Kansas of all places, and yet absolutely no one stops to think "Hey, remember that middle schooler that lifted a bus? What was his name again?" And for that matter, Metropolis is left in ruins, but that stops no one from showing up to work on Monday. The intense emphasis on action leads to the best, and the worst, moments of the film. Still, it is a fun movie with some very inventive variations on the story; I love the X-Files element to Lois tracking down this mystery man, the elimination of the element of Clark hiding his identity from Lois and especially the much less cheesy way they dealt with making Superman vulnerable (as opposed the standard "allergic to green rocks" explanation.). And personally, I have no problem with Superman snapping Zod's neck. Sorry, detractors, but you're just flat out wrong on that one. He has no real alternative, and when you think about it, what he does to Zod and his minions in Superman II, though played comically, is much more sinister. Cavill is not exactly the most charismatic presence, but he comes across as very sincere, which is the most important quality for the character. It's become cool to bash him but he gives the performance that's called for and does it well.
MAN OF STEEL MOVIE MAGIC SUPERMAN from MATTEL
Great detail work, from the curly hair to the texture of the costume, though the "S" is surprisingly simple, sticking to the normal design instead of trying to look like the movie version. A decent likeness to Cavill, if not a a truly great one (the jaw is a bit thick.). ARTICULATION: His arms go in and out, rotate at the elbow and wrist, and can be put in flying position. The legs go in and out, forward and back, rotate at the calf, and he has knee and ankle joints. Unlike the Superman Returns figure, he has almost no head movement, and can't watch where he is flying at all, which actually explains a lot of the final third of the movie. Ultimately, whoever the actor, and whatever the figure, Jerry Seinfeld said it best: "Superman is the guy".
Patrick Gibbs is an award-winning screenwriter, director and film critic who resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.