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Christopher Reeve became a star 35 years ago by playing the title role in Superman: The Movie. He died in 2004. A decade later, we look back at the man who helped launch the superhero genre, the impact he had on the comic book community and how his influence is continually felt even today.
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Each month the Cinelinx staff will write a handful of articles covering a specified film-related topic. These articles will be notified by the Movielinx banner. Movielinx is an exploration and discussion of our personal connections with film. This month, to go along with the summer movie season, we'll be discussing comic books as they relate to film. Feel free to add your own comments or reviews regarding the ever-growing role of comic books in movies.
Many people have played the character of Superman. Kirk Alyn was the first on film, followed by names like George Reeves, Gerard Christopher, Dean Caine, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill and the voice work of Tim Daly. However, the late, beloved Christopher Reeve has achieved a special place in the public’s hearts and remains the standard by which all future Supermen will be judged. Reeve’s magnetic, appealing performance as the man of steel helped to kick-start the entire super-hero genre, which had gotten no traction before the Reeve’s film.
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Undoubtedly, the super hero genre really began in 1978 with the phenomenal success of director Richard Donner’s big budget adventure Superman: The Movie. Before Donner’s blockbuster came to the screen, super heroes were mostly limited to comic books, TV and animation. No studio was willing to invest a large amount of money in a comic book adaptation.
Of course, Donner’s film wasn’t the first time super heroes had made it to the silver screen. Way back in the 40s and 50s, there were a number of low budget movie serials featuring comic book heroes such as Superman, Captain Marvel, Captain America, Congo Bill, Blackhawk, the Shadow and Batman. An ultra-low budget Superman film called Superman vs. the Mole Men was released in 1951 as a pilot for the 1950s TV series the Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves. And in 1966, a feature film version of the popular Batman TV series was produced. All these films and serials were of uniformly low quality. The scripts were simplistic, or in the case of the Batman film, self-parodying. Films like these merely added credence to the myth that Super Heroes could never be mainstream entertainment. Although there had been successful TV shows, (The Adventures of Superman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman) films were seen as another matter altogether.
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The 1978 Superman film starred an unknown young actor named Christopher Reeve, who many today see as the ultimate Superman actor. The novice star appeared along with Gene Hackman as arch enemy Lex Luthor, and screen legend Marlon Brando who added credibility to the project by appearing as Superman’s father. Despite being third billed in his own film, Reeve managed to carry the project admirably, making for a very appealing and heroic man of steel. The movie became one of the top 10 most profitable films ever made at the time. Fans and critics alike praised it. The genre that was once a joke suddenly became the cool new trend.
The Superman film series was the dominant super hero franchise of the eighties. It spawned three sequels of diminishing quality, as well as a spin-off. Superman 2 (1981) was action packed and blessed with a deliciously evil performance by Terrance Stamp as General Zod. Superman 3 (1983), co-starring comedian Richard Pryor, made the mistake of being self-parodying. Superman 4: the Quest for Peace (1987) was the least successful of the films and ended the franchise. The spin-off Supergirl (1984) was meant to start a separate franchise but flopped at the box office.
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All the Superman films were done with a wholesome, family-friendly style that suited the image of the moral Man of Steel. The tone remained light and there was no extraneous violence. On the heels of Superman, other super hero films started to pop up during the 80’s, including Tim Burton’s popular Batman, starring Michael Keaton. The comic book super hero genre grew and eventually exploded into the dominant summer blockbuster genre. Christopher Reeve was a huge part of that.
Christopher Reeve proved himself heroic off-screen, as well as on. After suffering a horrific, crippling accident, he became a tireless crusader on behalf of people with spinal-cord injuries and for human embryonic stem cell research, founding the Christopher Reeve Foundation and co-founding the Reeve-Irvine Research Center. He died in October of 2004.
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If any single actor can be said to have had the most impact on the super hero genre, it has to be the man who got the genre started. He came out of the gate faster than a speeding bullet and made himself a role model that even Superman would be proud of.
35 years after he first put on the red cape, and 10 after his death, he’s still the best Superman of all. RIP Chris.
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