Superman

It's outdated in a lot of ways. The effects show their age. It's got its hokey moments. But Superman exudes a charm and genuine love and respect for the source material that shines above all else that can be said about it. In so many shots, it's like a Midwestern painting, brushing the fields of Kansas and casting them to be vast and wide. The Fortress of Solitude feels gargantuan and appropriately cold. Metropolis feels like a claustrophobic, crowded but beautiful and thriving city. John Williams' theme is as iconic as the themes for Star Wars or Raiders. His score backdrops so much of the film and elevates it to an entirely different tier. I think Mario Puzo (The Godfather) more than likely is what makes that screenplay work. He took what was almost exclusively viewed as a cartoon strip for children and penned it until it became a genuine piece of cinema. Richard Donner's Superman feels like a modern exhibit of American pop culture history, thanks to his careful and balanced direction. The film is truly beautiful and it looks like comic pages peeled out of the books and set it into motion. I can name you three different spots in the flick where my eyes start to well up: 1. Pa Kent's final lesson. Where he so lovingly hugs his son and says "You were here for a reason." 2. When Clark says goodbye to Martha and the two share one last hug before he faces the next chapter of his life, as the wind kicks up and rushes through the field. 3. When Lois Lane looks up at Superman and asks him if he likes pink, and Superman so tenderly replies: "I like pink very much, Lois." And Christopher Reeve is still uncannily great. The shift between his Clark Kent and his Superman is so significant and so dynamic. Right down to things like his body language and his vocal tone. His Superman is charming, charismatic, confident. When he shows up in those silly tights, you still somehow respect him and the presence he demands. His Clark is silly, bumbling and a bit sheepish. And he shows aspects of both that tell you the real man is somewhere in the middle. And that sequence that begins on Lois' patio, with the interview and then ends with him taking her flying? Heart warmingly beautiful and enough to make any cynic smile. Superman is a masterpiece of its genre, the genre that it created and the genre that is still feeling ripple effects from its influence.