Anyway, since I finally got caught up on the recent Superman
animated movies, I wanted to do a different list. I wanted to list off my
favorite Superman movies, and I’m not stopping at live-action either. While
Superman doesn’t have as many movies as that Dark Knight guy, there are at
least 10 out there I can throw on a list. They may also involve that Dark
Knight guy, but considering the villains in those movies are mostly Superman
villains, they apply. This isn’t going to be in any order, but I’ll list some major
favorites off in the beginning. First, I might as well mention a couple that
didn’t make it. Whether they’re honorable is a matter for debate:
- Superman Returns – Yeah, it’s up here and you pretty much know why. While the cast (except for Kate Bosworth) was nice and that plane sequence was awesome, this was a subpar entry. The story homaged Superman: the Movie way too much. Also, it made some changes to Superman that felt kinda weird. Even Superman’s reason for leaving Earth in it was weird. Add that fact that it felt like it didn’t know what it wanted to be. Tying it to the Donnerverse wasn’t the best move.
- Superman 4: The Quest for Peace – Speaking of the Donnerverse, we have its worst entry. Yeah, some could say that Superman 3 is just as bad, but I can at least find some good things in that movie. Not so here. Yes, Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman are in good form here. Also, the concept of Superman facing nuclear proliferation was good. Unfortunately, this was a Cannon Films production. The effects were lazy, the story had problems, and quite a bit got cut out of the film.
- Superman: Doomsday – I had to add DC’s first official animated movie to the list. While the movie did house some nice visuals, had an okay story, and a fine cast, it was just okay. The fact that’s a really loose adaptation doesn’t help matters. Also, what they replaced with that story wasn’t really up to snuff. By the way, what was up with Superman’s face??? Those lines… why? At least we finally got a better adaptation of that story years later.
1. Superman: The Movie – It’s the granddaddy of all superhero
films. Even though one could say it’s a bit dated, and some of it is, it’s
still a personal favorite of mine. Pretty much everything was done right from
the casting to the visuals. Christopher Reeve sold it as Superman. Everyone else
were pretty good too. While I’m not the biggest fan of this version of Lex
Luthor, Gene Hackman was pretty good. The effects look good for the time and
they still work now. The music from John Williams is legendary. While there are
some weird odds (Lois’s “Can you Read My Mind” thing, the world-reverse thing,
and a couple of other things), this is still a great movie.
2. Superman Vs. The Elite – This movie was a pretty close
adaptation of Action Comics #775. There, Superman went up against amore brutal
hero team called the Elite. This is probably the first movie where Superman’s
no-kill policy is tested and I thought it handled all of that well. Even though
I kinda have no problem with Superman doing the deed as a last option (and
written well), I’d rather see him not kill. Hopefully, this doesn’t contradict
my next pick. Anyway, the story was solid, the action was great, and voice-acting
was pretty good. We got George Newburn back as Superman for this one. While the
character designs were… okay, that doesn’t stop this movie from being good.
3. Man of Steel – Yeah, I know some might have a problem
with this and another pick of mine. I still think MOS was a nice revamp of
Superman for modern times. It was well-casted, well-acted, and boasted some great
visuals. Hans Zimmer’s score was also on fire. Superman’s first flight is
probably one of my favorite superhero movie moments. Henry Cavill also did his
thing as Superman. I will say that the movie isn’t perfect, though. I’m still
not a fan of Jonathan Kent’s demise and some of the destruction can be a bit
much. Also, Zod’s plan need a little more “oomph” for me. Other than those
things, This is a pretty cool movie.
4. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies – this was the pretty accurate
adaptation of Jeph Loeb’s and Ed McGinnis’s. Basically, President Lex Luthor
puts a bounty on Superman and Batman. Pretty much every villain and some heroes
come after the two and it is pretty much on. While the story may not be real
deep, this was a pretty cool movie. Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, and Clancy Brown
returned to their iconic roles. The animation and action was on point, the banter
between Clark and Bruce was cool, and Lex is probably at his most maniacal.
Good stuff all around.
5. Superman 2/SM2: The Donner Cut – I thought I’d combine these
two since they are pretty much the same movie. In this movie, Superman goes up
against the Phantom Zone villains and also hooks up with Lois for a bit. Almost
everything about the movie works. Superman’s fight with the villains was cool. His
chemistry with Lois was nice too. On a recent watch, I did think Superman giving
his powers up for Lois was weird, and I still think that. He’s Superman, Jor-El/Lara!
He can multitask! Also, I remember the soundtrack to this movie not being as
good. There’s also the Lester slapstick to consider. Unfortunately, it got much
worse in the later installments. Even after those issues, this is still a good
time.
6. All-Star Superman – This movie almost closely adapts the
story of the same name. the story is considered to be a classic and I’m right
there with those folks. The movie is not as classic as the story, but it is
still a good time. In it, Superman is dying, so he does his best to fulfill
some labors before his time is up. The animation tries to invoke Frank Quietly’s
art style, it is well voiced acted, and it has some fine action. While it is a
close adaptation, it didn’t adapt some of the best things from that story. Most
of those elements could’ve helped it work much more for me.
7. The Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen – This recent
entry and its sequel succeeded where Superman: Doomsday failed. I might as well
combine these two as well. While it was also not
an accurate adaptation, it did its best to add a lot of the story’s elements in
that new DC animated movie universe. The story, while a little slow at times,
was good and did its thing in the end. The voice-acting (save for Rainn Wilson
in the first movie) was nice. The animation was good, but there were points
where it had issues. I covered all this in my look at both movies. It also
earned that death which is something the next pick kinda didn’t.
8. Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition –
Yes, this is on the list. No, I don’t think it’s the Second Coming nor is it
the Anti-Christ of superhero films. While it has some issues (Jesse Eisenburg’s
Lex, the whole Batman fighting Superman thing that’s already been done to
death, and Superman’s death itself), I do like this one. It has a good cast even
though Eisenburg does ham it up a bit. The acting is on point, certain aspects
of the story are pretty good, the music was good, and it was interesting to see
how this world would react to someone like Superman. It packed some mighty moments
during the film. I only wish the Ultimate Edition was what we got in theatres
instead of the cut-up theatre edition, though.
9. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse – This animated feature was
another adaptation from Jeph Loeb’s run on Sueprman/Batman. It’s basically a
new origin for Supergirl that throws in the New Gods of Apokalips. While it is
more of a Supergirl movie in places, it still counts. The animation invokes the
late Michael Turner’s art style, the story is most good, and the ladies
(Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Big Barda) really get to shine. Yeah, Superman
and Batman do their thing, but to invoke the 90’s for a second, I must say the
following: GIRL POWER!
10. Superman 3 – Finally, there’s this movie. Yeah, it’s not
that good. The overbearing slapstick kills this movie. Having Richard Pryor
here is fine, but I don’t think he was needed. Also, the villains here are pretty
much carbon copies of Lex and his goons. That being said, there are things I
like about it. I love the Smallville scenes with Clark and Lana, Annette O’Toole
is kinda hot, and Christopher Reeve is still on his A-game. Also, the fight
between Clark and Evil Supes in the junkyard is still cool. Also, some of the humor
worked… just some. Also, creepy robot lady!!!
…………………………………………….
Well, that’s all I pretty much have for this list. I got one
more left for the month, and then I’ll be done. Here’s hoping the next Superman
movies we’ll be getting can be put on this list. Also, I’m still hoping for a
Man of Steel 2. Come on, Warner Bros! You know you can do it! Anyway, I’m off
to bed. Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there.
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