Support NeoGAF

[Kumiko Nikaido]

Let's bring it back old-school Christopher Reeve style:

For me, it's a toss-up between Superman 1 and Superman 2. Superman 3 was goofy and Superman 4 was just utter cheese and low-budget.

Good:

Superman versus Lex Luthor in part 1. The race to save the west coast, and the revival of Lois Lane because of his feelings towards her.

Superman versus General Zod, Non, and Ursa in part 2. Metropolis being the battleground....it's one against three. And, Superman's inner-struggle to reveal his identity to Lois. Plus points for Terence Stamp as Zod. Great fun all around.

Bad:

Superman versus dumb robot thanks to Richard Pryor in part III. Only redeeming thing was Superman's struggle against his evil self thanks to Kryptonite.

Superman versus Nuclear Man in part IV. Low-budget = fake flying effects and noticable wire work. Nuff' said.

Oh yeah, Best Buy has all 4 Superman movies falling under the "Buy 2 for $20 deal" this week. Can't beat Superman 1 and Superman 2 for $10 bucks apiece! ^_^

 

[xabre]

The first one is obviously the best of the four although the second one was pretty hilarious when the shit hit the fan. One punch and someone goes flying across half the city lol

 

[GDGF]

The one that had those two dudes and that one gal from krypton. I think one of their names was Zod or something.

Edit: or I could fully read your first post and tell you that it is Superman 2.

 

[Ned Flanders]

It boggles the mind that those last 2 are actual cover art for those movies. I also didn't remember the WTC on the Supes 2 cover.

I is probably the most complete of the movies, and the origin story was the best ever (Spidey was corn, but Batty Begins may dethrone Supes I), but for some reason the whole "rewind time by spinning the earth backwards" thing never sat well with me. I mean I understand he's a superhero and all, but I figured his powers were confined to the conventions of time and space. Anyway.

II has one of the greatest superhero slugfests of all time (my second fave all time to the Kain/Murphy showdown in Robocop 2), and stood on it's own merits. If the series had maintained it's level of quality I would have been more than pleased.

Which leads me to the question; Why did Reeves stick with the series for the hackeneyed III (Richard Pryor, all respect due, is your daffy comic relief? What kind of cosmic bunnyhole..?) and for the abysmal tragedy that was IV?? Was he just not getting other offers, or was it the money?

Oh, and..

"One punch and someone goes flying across half the city lol"

???

You know these people are cosmic superheros/villains, correct? What were you expecting, some mild scarring and bruised egos? Supes ain't playin kid!! Start flashing that kryptonite and he's cold cocking some mofos into the stratosphere. Get with the program!

 

[GDGF]

Superman I's boxart kinda reminds me of Darkside of the Moon.

 

[xabre]

You know these people are cosmic superheros/villains, correct?

Shit, really?

What were you expecting, some mild scarring and bruised egos? Supes ain't playin kid!! Start flashing that kryptonite and he's cold cocking some mofos into the stratosphere. Get with the program!

Look I'm not mocking it, just thought it was funny that's all. Just like the poor bastard in the phone booth who keeps talking after getting blown over by SUPER BREATH!!!

 

[Ned Flanders]

*punches xabre and sends him flying across half the city*

 

[FightyF]

Haha, nice thread...this is my favourite Superhero to film adaptation. I share your sentiments on which is the best. S1 was awesome until the end (I agree with Flanders, the spinning the World around was lame), and S2 was pretty interesting all the way and had a good end. I love it when Clark was human and got beat up by the truck driver, and then comes back to kick the crap out of him when he's back to Superman.

 

[Baron Aloha]

Kneel before Superman 2.

 

[GDGF]

Which Superman flick had Ducky?

 

[evil ways]

Superman II by far. The original Superman was a borefest.

 

[The Bookerman]

 

[Hamfam]

Superman 2 was amazing, probally my favourite comic book movie EVER.

The scene where Clark Kent, after getting his powers back, gets revenge on that stupid bully guy in the restraunt who beat him up when he had no powers, is perhaps the greatest scene in any movie. ;o

 

[Future Trunks]

Does the World's Finest movie count with Batman?

Heck, or even the first few episodes of the animated series strung into a movie like it was?

If so, I'll take those.

 

[Raxel]

Superman II

 

[ConfusingJazz]

I will admit Superman III sucked ass, but you have to give it credit for giving Office Space an awesome joke.

Superman II is still the best one for me, because I could never believe the plot of I, especialy the whole spin earth for time reversal. Wouldn't that just really fuck up the orbit of earth and NOT cause time to go backwords?

 

[mightynine]

"SON OF JOR-EL....KNEEEEEEEEEEEEL BEFORE ZOD!"

Like there is anything better.

 

[EdLuva]

Superman II > Superman I > Superman III >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Superman IV

 

[Prospero]

Terence Stamp makes every movie better--I have to go with Superman 2 here.

 

[Kumiko Nikaido]

I agree where Clark Kent gets revenge on that trucky guy at the end of part II.....that was awesome and funny!

And I noticed some edits to the DVD version of Superman II:

In the original version, the one scene where Clark Kent gets the hot dogs after saving the kid from falling in Niagara Falls.....he gets the hot dogs and pays for them by slapping the money over that pin-order holder (since no one is there). In the DVD, you just see him take the hot dogs.....then the scene cuts away toward and aerial view of Niagara Falls and continues. Why the change on this?

Also, when General Zod, Non, and Ursa attack the White House, in the original version there's a sequence where Zod pulls a soldier through the window (by his machine gun), takes his gun, and uses it too mow down a couple of soldiers. In the DVD, you see Zod just pull the soldier through.....then cuts away to what Non and Ursa are doing. Why the change on this one? Seeing Zod use a machine gun was too violent or something? :\

 

[Saturnman]

A superman thread with no Shinobi AM2 around?

 

[Iceman]

I just want to contribute my avatar to this discussion. Carry on.

As far as picking a favorite, it's obviously between 1 and 2 but I can't honestly decide between the two.

 

[bjork]

Even though the movie isn't too great, I've got to go with Superman III for one reason:

Richard Pryor.

 

[BojTrek]

It is really a toss-up between Superman I and Superman II... parts III and IV are the most unbelievable pieces of crap I ever watched... they are terrible...

But I will be picking up Superman I and II, along with Hellboy, tomorrow at Best Buy...

 

[Escape Goat]

Did anyone ever watch this one? Do they mention/show Superman at all?

 

[tedtropy]

My question is how they plan on bringing back the Superman franchise to the big screen. Christopher Reeves epitomized that character. Tom Welling makes a pretty good young Clark Kent, but I don't think he's old enough to pull off an older Superman. Then again, by the time the new movie even begins production that may change. And for the record, Superman I is by far my favorite. It's probably one of the most uplifting movies I've ever watched.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

My question is how they plan on bringing back the Superman franchise to the big screen. Christopher Reeves epitomized that character. Tom Welling makes a pretty good young Clark Kent, but I don't think he's old enough to pull off an older Superman. Then again, by the time the new movie even begins production that may change. And for the record, Superman I is by far my favorite. It's probably one of the most uplifting movies I've ever watched.

Christopher Reeves' head + CG body= Superman V

 

[EdLuva]

John Williams' score of Superman is my favorite movie theme music, period.

 

[FightyF]

Also, when General Zod, Non, and Ursa attack the White House, in the original version there's a sequence where Zod pulls a soldier through the window (by his machine gun), takes his gun, and uses it too mow down a couple of soldiers. In the DVD, you see Zod just pull the soldier through.....then cuts away to what Non and Ursa are doing. Why the change on this one? Seeing Zod use a machine gun was too violent or something? :\

Damn...yeah I remember that. I didn't notice it when watching the DVDs!

Check out the Trailer for Superman 3 in the DVD set...it's horrible...it's the entire movie, explained by a narrater, in 4 minutes!

 

[GLoK]

I can't believe no one has brought up the scene where Superman is flying with Lois in I as a detractor. That scene combined with the terrible inside lois' head poetry reading was one of the most cringe worthy scenes I've ever seen in a movie.

Other than that, still one of my fav's. II was awesome aswell.

 

[firex]

Superman V: Metropolis Wheelchair Adventure

 

[Blacklion]

At age 8 nothing could compair to the Metropolis fight in Superman 2.

Supe throwing Lord Zod into the Coca Cola neon sign high above the city was well.... asthonishing ... to an 8 year old @ least.

 

[jett]

Superman II, no doubt.

 

[Guzim]

Superman 2 is the best.

Hmm, never knew this about Superman 2. From IMDB.com

Actor Gene Hackman did not return for the second film and all his scenes were originally filmed by director Richard Donner. Existing Scene's that required Hackman used a look-a-like and a voice impersonator to add any lines needed.

 

[Jill Sandwich]

Superman III, because it has the ridiculous Walk/Dont Walk guys having a fight scene AND Supes flicking peanuts with great velocity.

 

[belgurdo]

SUPERMAN'S DRUNK

 

[Jill Sandwich]

And SUPER PISSED
*flick*

This gives me an avatar idea...

 

[PartlyCloudlike]

When I was a kid I had a real thing for the blonde broad in Superman III. I remember getting especially excited when evil Superman showed up at her place and she offered a drink but he had other things in mind. A full on sex scene would've rocked.

 

[Willco]

Superman II. There is no debate.

With Bryan Singer and both of the Donner's onboard with SUPERMAN RETURNS, and reportedly Christopher Reeve as well, this new incarnation could be something special.

 

[The Faceless Master]

Superman 3!!! gotta hold it down for my boy R-Pry


...


...


ok, just kidding...


Superman II

 

[isamu]

LOL great topic. This is my favorite series of super hero flicks by far. I is classic. But II is just off the hook! I love both of them equally.

And please...III NOT ass! It KICKS ass! The junkyard scene with evil supes vs good supes > every other scene in the entire quadrilogy. And WHAT? The spinning around the globe in I is lame??? STOP IT KILLA! That shit is the bomb. Best scene ever!

 

[Felidae_Khrall]

 

[Felidae_Khrall]

When I was a kid I had a real thing for the blonde broad in Superman III. I remember getting especially excited when evil Superman showed up at her place and she offered a drink but he had other things in mind. A full on sex scene would've rocked.

Super Rape

 

[TheOMan]

Oh, this is toughie...I have the DVD box set and recently watched through all of the movies.

3 is mediocre and 4 made me want to poke my eyes out.

However 1 and 2 are masterpieces. I am a sucker for origin stories, but I'm gonna have to go with Superman 2 on this one. Zod and his cronies make this movie with their evilness *and* comic relief.

If only Supergirl was a good movie

Edit: How could I forget the evil Supes vs good Supes in Superman 3...doesn't change the fact that Superman 2 was the best, but it raises Superman 3 to above average from mediocre.

Also, did anybody notice that Martha on Smallville is the lady that Clark knows in Superman 3? (The one he makes a diamond ring for).

 

[Shinobi]

I'd have to go with Superman II, followed closely by the original. General Zod is one of the coolest villians in history, and that Ursa chick was pretty sexy as well. And the battle in Metropolis was truly epic, though I think it could've used another couple of minutes. Like one person said, seeing Zod get thrown into the Coca-Cola sign back when this movie came out was absolutely incredible (there's an example of product placement being absolutely perfect for a scene). It would've been interesting to see how this movie would've turned out with the original director and script. As for the original Superman, the origin story is as good as any in the comic-based movies, and Hackman was simply great as Luthor. There's some stuff in both movies that kinda take 'em down a notch (as mostly noted, the spinning around the world stuff was a bit silly), but the rest was just solid stuff.

A superman thread with no Shinobi AM2 around?

Whatever gave you the idea that I was big into Superman? And where's your contribution?

Does the World's Finest movie count with Batman?

Heck, or even the first few episodes of the animated series strung into a movie like it was?

If so, I'll take those.

Don't see why not...

The Batman/Superman movie is incredibly cool...you get to see a brief confrontation between the two, a frosty relationship form, and Wayne getting it on with the sexy Lois Lane. And Joker and Luthor are pretty cool as well, along with Harley and Mercy going at it. (come to think of it, this is one of the episodes that might prove Joker had huge financial difficulties throughout Batman's WB run). Some of the scenes are just terrific stuff. So I'd rank it pretty close to the first two Superman movies.

"Her first great adventure"...hilarious. Still can't believe this sack of shit had two DVD versions released by 2000, including a special edition with extras. Meanwhile I'm still waiting for Goodfellas SE (thankfully that's only a couple weeks away). On the plus side, Helen Slater was pretty damn cute in that Supergirl outfit. BTW, Superman was mentioned in the movie, and I think Supergirl in her secret identity was said to be Clark Kent's cousin. Also Jimmy Olsen played a pretty prominent role in the movie, played by the same guy as the one in the Superman flicks.

When I was a kid I had a real thing for the blonde broad in Superman III. I remember getting especially excited when evil Superman showed up at her place and she offered a drink but he had other things in mind. A full on sex scene would've rocked.

Oh hell yeah...Lorelei Ambrosia, played by Pamela Stephenson. Hard to believe she was born in 1949. In the original version of Superman III, you actually hear her voice reacting to the sweet embrace of Superman (among other things), while viewing her sister being annoyed at the noise in the adjacent bedroom. Rather amazed they shot that scene to begin with, all things considered. Wouldn't be surprised if it's been turfed out of most versions of the movie now, much to my displeasure.

 

[Kumiko Nikaido]

Check out the Trailer for Superman 3 in the DVD set...it's horrible...it's the entire movie, explained by a narrater, in 4 minutes

I just saw that. Wow, talk about stupidity. The trailer pretty much gave away the entire movie.

 

[Jim Bowie]

You know, come to think of it, I've never seen Superman I. Huh.

Superman III has a special place in my heart- it's so bad that it's good. But, I suppose Superman II is better overall. I'm sort of indecisive since I hate Superman, and since I know Batman could kick his ass (and did it before!)

 

[Spectral Glider]

I can't believe no one has brought up the scene where Superman is flying with Lois in I as a detractor. That scene combined with the terrible inside lois' head poetry reading was one of the most cringe worthy scenes I've ever seen in a movie.

Oh yeah, just an absolutely dreadful scene.

 

[Ristamar]

I vote for numero dos. *kneels before Zod*

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Lol, Supergirl was horrible from start to finish. I hate all the magic crap that was in it, wasn't the main villian some type of witch? Eugh

There is only one Supergirl that will ever matter.

As far as Superman goes, I would say that 2 is my favorite. but 3 has that awesome good supes vs evil supes fight in the junkyard.

I have high hope for this next Superman project, it has a lot to live up to.