Retrospective: Superman (1978) (Patreon)

Obviously I watched this in honor of Gene Hackman, whose death is as sad as it is bizarre. He's brilliant in this — turning the stock comic book villain into a funny yet genuinely alarming three-dimensional narcissist — but I was less bowled over by him than the fact that the rest of the movie is extraordinary too.

I hadn't seen Superman since I was 14, and I'd forgotten just how good this thing looks. Panaflex has never been used quite so well — the 2.39:1 aspect ratio makes the movie look enormous even on a small television like mine. The slight filmic glow and consistent use of reds and browns turn a picture that could have felt like an episodic slog into one coherent, unfolding saga. That Richard Donner didn't even receive a nomination for Best Director is one of the small tragedies of Academy history.

Superman is that rare thing: a movie that makes you forget to hate superheroes. I only slightly resented the fantasy of a powerful man flying in to save everyone. Christopher Reeve, aside from being an S-tier screen presence and a dramatic powerhouse, is a god of comic timing. The screwball comedy about Clark Kent and Lois Lane somehow feels like it belongs in the same movie as the fall of Krypton. Brando sells every second that he's onscreen. And Superman rewinding time is gloriously stupid. Superhero movies were never this good again. Blockbusters were rarely this good again. That the World Trade Center appearing only makes you sad for a minute is a testament to just how powerful that flying scene is.