Superman

Superman II - The Adventure Continues dir. Richard Lester US 1980

Revisiting my first and favourite films 28 years on, I'm conscious of my personal journey from blockbuster action heroes to art house drama. Surprisingly, for one now firmly of the latter taste, there is still much to be admired in these first two films.

The change of directors is apparent in the theatrical releases. (There are now other versions available, including a repiecing together of the original director's unused footage of the second film). There's a confused hotchpotch feel both in tone and quality veering from brilliant to frustrating.

Halliwell's criticises the first film for the time it takes to set up the Superman legend, but this is both necessary and fascinating. It's true - there's no sign of the cape for 40 minutes, and the first hero action takes 70 minutes, in contrast with Superman II who plunges into a terrorist alert within moments of the title sequence ending. But understanding the world from which Kal-el comes is vital, as is the impetus for the villains in the Phantom Zone to wreak such revenge on their unwitting release. Compared to the comic legend, the movie feels lacking as an explanation. Zod (Terence Stamp) and his comrades are given no personality and no rationale for their crimes. The most satisfying baddie is the hero's equal. This is why the other adversary feels meagre.

Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) is like the comic element in Shakespeare -a lighthearted aside to balance the epic drama and intimate moments - but felt like wasted screentime to me. Unlike Smallville, Lex isn't given a reason for his behaviour and so Lex misses out on a potentially rich characterisation which is the strongest part of this television series.

The father/son relationship between Jor-el and Kal-el is deliberately biblical, giving both mythical and an intimate feel. The dominance of Marlon Brando's paternal lines over Susannah York as Superman's mum Lara is reversed in the sequel, which feels like an imbalanced weight in transit veering from one extreme to the other. The director's cut includes a vital scene with Superman and his father which sets up Kal-el's boundaries and responsibilities, ending in a beautifully moving speech. It puts an ever sillier action sequence where Superman saves every calamity in Metropolis from criminals to cats into a dramatic and character driven narrative.

The changes to the end of the first movie take from this development. Lois wasn't meant to die until the second film, where her relationship with Clark/Superman has become stronger. The plot culminates in a nuclear explosion meant to release the villains we met at the beginning, thus setting up the drama for the next film. Mark II of Superman II needed to find another nuclear bomb to release the trio from their prison.

As the sequel whizzes over the first film during the brilliantly rousing theme music by John Williams, it is at first tempting to feel the fist film was extraneous. But those moments with his father, the first halting meeting and nightflight with Lois, are all what makes Superman an appealing film.

Christopher Reeve's winning performance is so because of the marked contrast he brings to his dual role of Superman/Clark. And having seen the screentest for various Loises, it's clear why Margot Kidder was chosen because of the sparkle she brought to a part which was pretty feisty for a late 70s mainstream portrayal of a woman.

While Superman ends both movies by a flight into space and a smile that captures his ethos of 'truth, justice and the American way', Superman II does not close on a note of rejoicing. After all he rocked to be with Lois, he has to give her up. And it's Kal-el alone who has the knowledge of what happened between them - for his kiss makes the struggling Lois forget. Clark keeps his secret alone - never again to really have the earthly relationship he wanted and is allowed in the comics.

The potential and the good moments still make this the best rendition of Superman on the screen, and for many, what superheroes are all about.