Ranking the Superman films

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I figure that there are a fair number of Superman fans here, so that this would be a topic worth discussing.

How would you rank the films that feature the Man of Steel?

For my list, I'm only talking about theatrical films (with the exception of Superman 2: The Richard Donner cut, which was intended to be theatrical anyway), although you may include non-theatrical films if you wish.

Also, I never managed to sit through the entirety of Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice so that is not in my list, and have never watched Justice League either (although I hear that it barely counts as Superman film due to him only appearing for fifteen minutes or so).

Anyways, here goes (from worst to best):

7. Superman 4: The Quest for Peace

Spoiler:

Undoubtedly the worst Superman film, I can't see anyone ranking the other films any lower than this one.

The story is complete garbage, the actors look bored for the most part, the special effects are at their cheapest, and the film isn't even complete, so just watching it feels wrong.

Also, Nuclear Man is a ridiculous concept even by campy Superman standards, and his actor looks like he just walked off a bad 80's porn film.

Just about the only good things I can say for Superman 4 are that there is an occassional good scene, usually those which don't involve special effects such as Clark at the farmhouse with the buyer and the speech by Superman, and the 95% of the movie which is bad is so terrible that it actually comes off as amazing at times (i.e. so bad its good).

6. Superman Returns

Spoiler:

Some people might be surprised that I rank this film so low, and I know this movie has its fans, but I was never one of the hardcore ones.

While I do appreciate all the effort that Bryan Singer went through in order
to faithfully re-create the Donnerverse (even getting footage of Marlon Brando which cost millions), the fan-service just doesn't fix the problems of the films, which are too many.

Firstly, the characterizations are completely off.

Superman is constantly moping and brooding, and spending time spying on Lois instead of saving people like he usually should.

Also, why did he leave to look for Krypton for 5 years? He knows his home planet was destroyed, and even if it wasn't, Superman is bound by his duties to protect Earth.

I don't even think I need to mention the problems with Lois, I don't know what Bryan Singer was thinking when he cast her.

Speaking of casting, while Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor was fantastic, and minor roles such as Eve Techmascher, Richard White, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen have good actors, there are major issues with the issues of Superman and Lois.

Brandon Routh may look like Christopher Reeve, but his performance leaves much to be desired, while I can't think of anything about Lois' acting in this film which even remotely resembles Margot Kidder from the original.

That being said, there are positives to this film.

There may be a lack of action, but some scenes such as the airplane rescue are pretty awesome, as well as Superman lifting the island.

The colour palette may be washed out, but some of the setpieces were pretty good too (such as the Kryptonite island and the farmhouse).

And finally, while there are so many inconsistencies that this film has with the Donner films (which it supposed to be a sequel to), it is atleast a coherent film, which is more than what I can say for Superman 4.

5. Superman 3

Spoiler:

I actually like this film, and rank it a lot higher than what many people usually would.

For all the criticism it gets, I think that this film doesn't get enough recognition for all the positives.

Christopher Reeve is at his most confident here, not only excelling in acting but looking part too with him being the most muscular for Superman 3 out of all of his films.

There are great scenes everywhere, from The Superman vs Superman junkyard fight, Clark and Lana Lang in Smallvile, Evil Superman's rampage, The end fight with the robot, the fun Atari-style game which the robot shows when tracking down superman, etc., etc.

The special effects are good, and Richard Lester, despite his love for campiness, was still a competent director.

That being said, while I didn't mind the camp too much, the film was still a rather mediocre follow up to the one that came before it.

After the epicness of General Zod in Superman 2, what we get is a lame businessman with generic motivations and not any interesting personality traits.

Also, Richard Pryor? What in the world does he have to do with Superman?

I enjoy this film immensely, but in my eyes, is more like a direct-to tv special than an actual theatrical follow-up to the near-perfect first two films (more on them later).

4. Man of Steel

Spoiler:

A polarizing film no doubt.

For all the criticism it gets though, I absolutely love it.

Unlike Superman Returns, which was trying to re-create Richard Donner's Superman, this is an entirely new take on him.

The entire point of the film is to show an inexperienced Clark, who is only beginning to realize his powers and purpose, which is portrayed wonderfully.

Henry Cavil is great in this role, not only showcasing his struggle with the world around him, but when he actually rises up to save humanity, its all the more uplifting.

Just that amazing smile at the end when Clark joins the Daily Planet (which even Reeve would be proud of) gave me hope that since he has now overcome his internal struggles, he will become the Superman we all know in love (until Batman vs Superman happened).

Jor-El, Jonathon Kent, General Zod, Lois Lane, Martha Kent and Perry White are perfectly cast, no questions asked.

The film also has a ton of amazing action, a bit too much infact but I guess it makes up for a single punch not being thrown in Superman Returns.

There is little that I can say bad about this film, and the following entries are ranked higher, not because Man of Steel is flawed, but because even a great film like it would have a hard time living up to what was Superman in his Prime.

Moving on...

3. Superman 2: The Richard Donner cut

Spoiler:

Basically a less polished version of the theatrical Superman 2, in my opinion.

There are certainly things I like about this cut better than Lester's version, like the greater prominence of Lex Luthor, and the footage of Jor El, who was completely absent from the theatrical cut due to Marlon Brando's insane and legendary demands.

Also, the Richard Donner cut of Superman 2 is tonally closer to the first film (with less camp, which I didn't mind too much in the first place), but suffers from being an incomplete film, with Richard Donner himself stating that he would've done many scenes differently, had he been able to complete the film.

So in the end, what we get is a great film, but a great film littered with errors, such as the time travel ending, screen test footage, shoddy editing in regards to music/scene composition, bad special effects from time to time, and some of the performances not seeming quite as refined due to the Donner directed scenes of Superman 2 being filmed quite early on, when the actors hadn't quite settled into their roles yet.

2. Superman 2

Spoiler:

An amazing film, despite its hugely troubled production which saw a change of directors.

Almost everything I love about the Donner cut, is present in the theatrical cut as well, and some more.

The scenes with the super villains in Houston, the fight in Metropolis, Lara in the Fortress of Solitude and Superman helping repairing the White House at the end were all excellently done by Richard Lester in my opinion.

The enhancements by Lester on scenes shot by Donner, were also better done than Donner's original scenes in my opinion, but not because of Donner being a bad director, far from it.

Rather, Richard Lester was given the luxury of being able to finish the film and refine it to a high standard.

When watching side by side comparisons of the same scenes in both cuts (such as Superman saving the child at Niagra falls, and the defeat of General Zod), I end up preferring the theatrical versions, which often have a better choice of music that fits the mood of the situation much more.

The tone is slightly more campy than the first film, and has less of the epic grandiose that Donner was going for, but as it is, the theatrical cut of Superman 2 is an excellent follow up to the first film with a great story, performances and presentation. Only one film is superior.

1. Superman: The Movie

Spoiler:

Perfection Incarnate, nothing more I can say.

Richard Donner sought to honour the concept of verisimilitude with the making of this film, and he succeeded on all fronts by making a film that changed the Hollywood Superhero genre forever.