Superman has long been Hollywood’s toughest nut to crack: the original superhero, yet often labelled “too perfect,” “too square,” or—worst of all—“boring” for modern audiences. Since Richard Donner set the gold standard in 1978, filmmakers have tried to solve the Superman problem by darkening him, complicating him, or basically turning him into Batman. James Gunn,…
Tag: Superman
The Adventures of Superpup (1958) – Review
Before Supergirl, before Smallville, before the endless reboots and multiverses, there was… Superpup. Yes, in 1958, someone genuinely thought the future of the Superman franchise was a pint-sized, big-headed dog in red tights.
“It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman!” (1975) – Review
The first Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve Superman movie was three years away when this Broadway musical adaptation was forced on the unsuspecting public and despite being well-reviewed on Broadway it was the biggest flop to hit “The Great White Way” at that time. This led to the creation of a heavily reworked TV special which was…
Superman: The Movie (1978) – Review
With the current glut of superhero content being released theatrically – as well as streaming at home – it’s hard to imagine a time when comic book characters weren’t considered a financially viable for the big screen yet for years studios wouldn’t touch what was considered by most to be “kids stuff” with a ten…
Atom Man vs. Superman (1950) – Review
The 1948 Superman serial was an incredible success for Columbia Pictures, so successful that it was even released in theatres not known for showing serials, which meant a sequel was pretty much a foregone conclusion. And while that first one featured the nefarious plotting of the femme fatale known as the Spider Lady, who was…