We all have unique reasons for loving a film. That's what makes cinema so magical. It's personal. You can love the meat of the movie, or you can love the trimmings.

There's a bunch of good stuff here. Most people my age will refer to "Superman" as THE definitive superhero film. None will ever take it's place. A position no doubt dictated by the age we were when first viewing it. As with films like "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark", WHEN you experience them is just as important as HOW you experience them.

As we age, youth's eyes fade. Cynicism creeps in. Experience leads us to see the many injustices this life offers and we become more critical... less likely to accept that which we would rather believe. After all, an adult who clings to the youthful ideals of wonder is simply naive... right?

To this day, the opening title sequence for "Superman" fills me with the same magical joy it did over twenty years ago. Never was a score so perfectly crafted around a film. John Williams and Richard Donner created such an indelible experience that over 25 yrs later, Bryan Synger will use the same music and theme to bring the magic to a new generation of wondrous eyes.

As for me though, this will always remain the best.

The superhero film by which all those that followed are measured and rightly so. It is also no surprise that introducing a new Superman in the modern era has proved so difficult with such a perfect origin story already committed to film, as the split opinion over Man of Steel proves. From the opening moments, it is quite clear that this film is supremely confident in its story and characters and that the audience will invest their time in it too - hell, Superman doesn't even appear properly until well over an hour has passed. Pitch perfect casting throughout helps and whilst Reeve earns all the plaudits for his portrayal of Clark Kent and Superman, let's not forget some great work by Jeff East who plays Clark as a teenager. Both imbue Clark and Superman with such humanity and belief in what he represents that the audience is swept along with them. Verisimilitude was Donner's watchword when making the film, but he didn't just convince us that a man could fly, he convinced us that Superman's ideals and belief in humanity were possible and worth fighting for. There is a surprising lack of action sequences, which is worth noting given the clamour for action in the modern franchise and whilst the effects may have dated it really makes little difference as the audience is so invested in the characters. The helicopter rescue still thrills, the missile chase is still exciting and whilst the final resolution from a story point of view is a little cheap, it brings two key moments in Superman's story full circle as he refuses to accept a loss and Reeve's performance here is enough to render such quibbles moot. And then there is William's score...in the film it's enough to bring goosebumps at the mere anticipation of the anthem. Is it any wonder the filmmakers decided they needed a 5 minute opening credit sequence to show it off ? Still the best!!

_**"Miss Teschmacher!"**_

I didn't catch "Superman" (1978) until over 25 years after its release. It's a great superhero flick with a lot of wit, well worthy of its reputation. Although a couple of things are understandably dated, like the flying sequences and Clark Kent's glasses (which are so BAD they're laughable), the movie definitely stands the test of time despite being shot in 1977.

"Superman" may be a comic-booky superhero flick, but it's also a powerful piece of SCI-FI cinema. The outstanding Krypton sequences of the first half hour confirm this. These scenes are highlighted by the magnificence of Marlon Brando playing Superman's father Jor-El. So, if you're a serious Sci-Fi fan, don't skip "Superman" just because you assume it's some mere superhero flick. No, it's more, much more. The screenplay seems to have been written with little concern of cost so many are the great F/X sequences.

Speaking of Brando, you can't beat the cast, starting with newbie Christopher Reeve knocking it out of the ballpark in the starring role.

I'd like to point something out that is hardly ever mentioned: Lex Luthor's girlfriend, Miss Teschmacher, played by Valerie Perrine, is jaw-droppingly voluptuous! Watch out for the pool scene where Ms. Perrine is wearing a green one-piece bathing suit.

The film is a little long at 2 hours, 23 minutes, but it doesn't overstay its welcome.

GRADE: A

John Williams' epic overture is used to good effect to help illustrate the pretty stellar cast (Christoph Reeve gets only third billing) as this story opens with us on the icebound planet of "Krypton" where "Jor-El" (Marlon Brando) is encouraging his high council members to pass sentence on the treacherous "Gen. Zod" (Terence Stamp) and his co-conspirators. This all seems somewhat pointless as we soon discover that their planet is about to be decimated by it's nearby sun. It's only "Jor-El" and his wife "Lara" (Susannah York) who have the vision to build their son an escape pod and just in the nick of time launch him into space: destination Earth. Fortunately, he arrives under the very noses of the kindly Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter who, after a timely demonstration of his strength, decide to adopt their foundling. Skip forward many years and we start to appreciate the frustrations this young man faces - never being able to use his powers for good (or even American football). Tragedy strikes and to the city he goes where he finds work working for the irascible "Perry White" (Jackie Cooper) at the renowned "Daily Planet". He also realises that he is now free to don his red cape, remove his geeky spectacles, and become the world's first flying, strong-man, super-hero. These antics attract plenty of attention - not least from his colleague "Lois" (Margot Kidder) and from arch crook "Lex Luthor" (Gene Hackman). The former wants an interview (amongst other things); the latter wants to destroy him so he can carry his out his dastardly plan to redefine the geography of California. Some solidly entertaining contributions from Ned Beatty, Valerie Perrine and Marc McClure all help the consistently under-rated Reeve to own the part with a charismatic charm and to convey a quickly paced action adventure that also allows Hackman (perhaps just a bit over-scripted) to play a fun role as a baddie with megalomanic tendencies and a brain to boot. The visual effects have held up remarkably well and though I didn't quite love the ending, this is a strong and confident outing for Reeve that resists the temptation to overly moralise, and delivers us an enjoyable series of good vs. evil escapades that are well worth a few hours in front of a big screen with proper sound.

This movie will stand to the End of Time. This film is an absolute Masterpiece. The Writers & Director knew what they were doing. Christopher Reeve is a Powerhouse. He portrayed this Character So Well! He played Clark Kent & Superman as 2 Different Characters while being the Same Person. Margot Kidder was Fantastic as Lois Lane. Gene Hackman and Valerie Perrine were Great as Lex Luthor & Eve Teschmacher. The Entire Cast was Phenomenal. This Film will always get a 10/10.