Superman (4 Stars)

I'm always happy when classic films are shown in the cinema. It doesn't matter how many good films are released every week, the older films are still worth seeing. It used to be more common in Germany. When I first moved to Stuttgart, there was a cinema opposite the main station which showed only old films, a different one every day. I admit, those were the days before DVDs, and VCR players were still very expensive. Today we can all watch old films at home, but it doesn't match the magic of the big screen. In my opinion, any multiplex cinema with at least three screens should dedicate one screen to an old film at least once a week.

"Superman" is a film that brings back memories. It was released in December 1978, but I went to see it in January 1979. I went to the cinema with my friend Thomas Kassühlke. I was a friend of his family, and his father encouraged me to be friends with him. He said that Thomas was a wild boy with bad friends, and he thought I would be a good influence on him. I was surprised when I finally met him, because he was a very polite, well-spoken boy, nowhere near as bad as I expected.

Unfortunately, he had a bad motorbike accident a few months later. He spent months in hospital. I was in telephone contact with his sister Claudia, and she gave me regular updates on his condition, but she refused to tell me which hospital he was in. She said it was better if I didn't visit him. I didn't understand it. Maybe she thought I was one of the bad friends that had to be kept away from him. I never saw him again.

Believe it or not, today is the first time I've seen the film since 1979. I never bought it on DVD. I had mixed feelings about it, which I still have today. I don't intend to buy it on Blu-Ray after seeing it today.

The film is a classic. I don't deny it. It's a wonderful film that deserves to be seen on the big screen. The special effects were excellent for their time. It's cheesy and corny, which I mean as a compliment. Christopher Reeve has an overwhelming nobility as Superman, although his buffoonery as Clark Kent goes too far. My problem is with the totally ridiculous final scene. Lois Lane dies, so Superman makes time go backwards by spinning the Earth in the opposite direction. That's not corny, that's not cheesy, it's just silly. It spoils the rest of the film.

I don't know when I'll watch "Superman" again, if ever. If it's shown in the cinema again I might be tempted. I might wait another 40 years. Who knows?

Success Rate:  + 3.5

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