Best live action Superman/Supergirl film (1978-2006)

Am I the only one who enjoys the fuck out of Supergirl? The first Reeve Superman film is great, but I actually enjoy the Slater Supergirl film more.

Supergirl.
For not being Christopher Reeve.

I didn't know it was possible to hate Reeve's Superman. I've always thought Reeve had great presence.

Supergirl for me was sadly a lot of wasted potential in the end. Largely because of the script being rotten. It was definitely no fault of Helen Slater who I would've loved to see as Supergirl in a better film.

I'm gonna vote for Superman (1978) then.

On paper Superman II should be the best.... it's got the best villains, the best challenges for Superman, and has some of Lois' best moments, but it ends up incredibly patchy where even the more climactic battles are tonally all over the place. What I wouldn't give for a decent editor to have saved it.

I've not seen the director's cut, but I'm told it's even worse.

Superman III has its amusing bits but barely has any plot to speak of. Everything just seems pulled out the air with it. Again it just feels wasted potential.

Superman IV: The Quest For A Fuck To Give.... that's all the plot problems of Superman III but without Richard Pryor or enough of the humor. Reeve and Kidder are the only good thing about it.

Superman Returns, I actually would take IV over this. At least that felt like a Superman film. This just feels needlessly dark and charmless, and when it's not offending my sensibilities it's just boring me rigid.

I don't hate him, I just thought he was a rubbish actor. I always found his Superman films a bit corny, and lacking any edge.

I'd say Superman 2. I'm not as big a Superman fan as Batman fan, so maybe I'm biased, but I don't think Supes ever had a really classic film like Batman did.

The best Supergirl for me was probably the one from Smallvile. I do quite like Mellisa Benoist however, its just that the show she's in is such unbearable shit.

Speaking of Christopher Reeve, did anybody ever see this documentary he hosted about Dinosaurs?

It was always one of my favourites, and I think along with Bill Oddie he was the best host of any Dino documentary I've ever seen.

Superman the Movie.

I don't like Supergirl. Slater is okay and it was great to see her twenty years later when she cropped up in some episodes of Smallville. The film is hindered by some horrendous acting - Peter O'Toole, Peter Cooke especially - with everyone seemingly there to take the piss. Just makes the whole film difficult to watch. I was really dissapointed when i rewatched it recently.

Tanmann wrote:

Superman IV: The Quest For A Fuck To Give.... that's all the plot problems of Superman III but without Richard Pryor or enough of the humor. Reeve and Kidder are the only good thing about it.

Superman IV is weirdly edited. Important scenes were cut for reasons that remain unclear. This results in silly continuity errors like Nuclear Man leaving a location only to fly to the same exact location. It also explains why major characters like Lacy and Jeremy disappear from the film and are never heard from again. I think the movie is a fun watch, but it makes very little sense and it isn't a satisfying way to say goodbye to Reeve's Superman. I do find myself watching this one more than original probably because it's about two hours shorter and I generally find the 80s-ness of it quite comforting. The music is also remarkably good.

Superman 78.
I actually re-watched Superman II as well last Christmas and actually enjoyed it more than I had prior. It's not a great movie but still mostly better than everything after.

Indrid Mercury wrote:Superman 78.
I actually re-watched Superman II as well last Christmas and actually enjoyed it more than I had prior. It's not a great movie but still mostly better than everything after.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I personally prefer III, IV and Returns to II. There's just something about it that doesn't quite work for me. Hackman is a lot of fun, though.

Pepsi Maxil wrote:

Indrid Mercury wrote:Superman 78.
I actually re-watched Superman II as well last Christmas and actually enjoyed it more than I had prior. It's not a great movie but still mostly better than everything after.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I personally prefer III, IV and Returns to II. There's just something about it that doesn't quite work for me. Hackman is a lot of fun, though.

I've never actually seen Returns. I might actually get round to seeing it. I might even re-watch III and IV as well and see if time has mellowed my opinions on them.

By the way, what do you think of the new Henry Cavill films?

Indrid Mercury wrote:

Pepsi Maxil wrote:

Indrid Mercury wrote:Superman 78.
I actually re-watched Superman II as well last Christmas and actually enjoyed it more than I had prior. It's not a great movie but still mostly better than everything after.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I personally prefer III, IV and Returns to II. There's just something about it that doesn't quite work for me. Hackman is a lot of fun, though.

I've never actually seen Returns. I might actually get round to seeing it. I might even re-watch III and IV as well and see if time has mellowed my opinions on them.

By the way, what do you think of the new Henry Cavill films?

I've only seen Returns a few times in my life, but I've enjoyed it on every watch. III has this breezy 80s feel and is generally much better than most people will have you believe. IV is enjoyable shlock.


The Cavill films are too drab for my tastes. I found Man of Steel to be a depressing slog and Batman v Superman is just awful.

Superman II has the best overall story, though Superman III has the all time great sequence that is Clark vs Superman

Supergirl stays true to the comics by mixing superheroics with sorcery (something that Superman is also vulnerable too), and is highly entertaining.

The whole Evil Superman stuff in Superman III is incredibly powerful. I often feel like I have two people fighting inside of me and I'd love to fight the destructive side of my persona in the same way that Clark fought the bad Superman in the junkyard. I watched the film again tonight and it seriously rules. Gus Gorman is such a relatable character and his salami slicing scheme at the beginning was the main plot for the 1999 film Office Space. One character even says as much and adds that he thinks Superman III is "really underrated". It really is and what's more is that he doesn't throw a cellophane S at the villain or teleport. Even the rebuilding the wall scene in Superman IV makes more sense than the entirety of that Fortress of Solitude battle in II.