It's something of a cliche to roll out the expression "the original is still the best," but rarely has it been more appropriate than with Richard Donner's 1978 version of Superman. A perfect balance of action, drama, characterization and humour, it remains to this day a textbook example of how to adapt a superhero comic to the big screen. Superman tells the origins of Superman - aka Kal-El - in a sequence which is both efficient and exciting before focusing on his early years growing up as a boy in Smallville with Jonathan and Martha Kent. Clarke's character arc, building up to his transformation as Superman, has never been better portrayed, and Donner clearly proves himself to be a master of pacing, expertly shifting between tension and release while avoiding subsuming the film with unnecessary exposition. But what really impresses is the effortless way in which the large scale visual spectacle sits comfortably alongside the human element - as the action escalates, so too does the audience's engagement with those involved. Perhaps the real credit for its success should go to Christopher Reeve, arguably the only actor to have brought a level of warmth and personality to the character, with a pleasingly distinct contrast between Superman and his alter ego Clarke Kent. Both actors in the subsequent reboots failed to deliver performances with anything approaching the same level of charm, regardless of the limitations of the scripts they were handed or the tone their respective directors were hoping to achieve. And we should be thankful that Reeve got the part - who knows how it would've turned out had they plumped for Burt Reynolds or Sylvester Stallone? We suspect this would've turned out to be a very different list... Agree or disagree with the order of this list? Which Superman movies do you think are the best and worst? Why not write a comment below and let us know?
