10 Things About Christopher Reeve’s Superman Movies That Have Aged Poorly

There is no denying the impact and influence that Christopher Reeve’s incarnation of Superman has left on superhero films, and the wider cinematic landscape. Richard Donner’s 1978 classic Superman made audiences believe that a man could fly and from there, superhero films found their place in modern culture.

However, as revolutionary as Reeve’s Superman was, the films themselves do suffer from aging. This is particularly true of the sequels which continued to degrade in quality across the five films. When looking at how the films have aged, it’s also important to consider Superman Returns since it is still a sequel to the Reeve movies, despite the casting of Brandon Routh in the titular role.

The Movies All Feel The Same

The first – and arguably the best – movie in the series was a massive success. As a result, the sequels suffered from sequelitis by having the structure be very similar apart from a few plot elements. The first stands out the most by featuring an extensive look into Superman’s famous origin story, Clark and Lois at the Daily Planet, and a montage of Superman saving people around Earth.

The subsequent films all follow a similar pattern: Superman and Lois have a romantic flight, a threat slowly emerges, Superman brings down the threat, Superman ends the movie by flying in space. As a result, if someone has seen the first Superman movie, they’ve essentially seen the rest.

Over-Abundance Of Powers

Superman is indeed a powerful being in the comics but the movies seem to confuse him for a genie. The more the movies went on, the more Superman could do, to the point where he could seemingly do anything and everything. In Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, he had the ability to repair anything with another form of vision; this rivals some of the weirdest arcs from the comics.

One of the most famous examples of Superman appearing to be godlike was during the climax of the first Superman movie. To save Lois Lane, Superman flies around the Earth so fast that it makes the planet spin in the opposite direction thus reversing time. Not only was this physically wrong in every way but it was such a ridiculous power that came out of nowhere.

That Is So Obviously New York City

In the comics, Metropolis is depicted as a futuristic, advanced city with a very art-deco aesthetic. Granted, this was a period when special effects were limited and it was hard to make a real-life city look like one of the fantastical cities of the DC universe. Tim Burton showed that it was possible with his crazy take on Gotham City in Batman.

The Superman movies do a poor job of hiding the fact that Metropolis is clearly just New York City. In some shots, while Superman is flying, the filmmakers didn’t even bother hiding any landmarks. Even in future films, locations such as the Statue Of Liberty and Time Square are on full display. While it may have been adequate at the time the films were made, for today’s viewers – who are used to some elaborate and crazy film sets – it just doesn’t hold up.

Mishandled Comedy In Superman III

From the opening scene until the very end, Superman III suffers from issues with tone. For the most part, the film tries to be a comedy, but the jokes tend to fall flat. Even the inclusion of legendary comedian Richard Pryor didn’t work out due to the PG rating of the film.

Pryor was famous for his raunchy comedy so watering him down to a quirky supporting role did not do the comedian, or the film, any justice. The overuse of slapstick was also a detriment to the film, feeling more akin to a parody of Superman than an actual Superman movie. In light of the gravitas and quick-witted humor of today’s superhero films, this “comedy” has just aged all the more poorly.

Superman Returns Could Have Used More Action

This is often the most common complaint with 2006’s Superman Returns. Despite having a giant budget and really impressive visuals, not much happens in Superman Returns. Most of the movie is spent on Superman stalking Lois from afar and the world dealing with his return, both in good and bad ways.

Other than the plane sequence, the brief minigun scene, and the finale where Superman lifts a kryptonite island into space, the action is rather sparse. The grounded approach might have been a good idea but there should have been at least an iconic villain from the Superman comics for the hero to fight in the climax instead of an island. In an era where both DC and Marvel are putting out action-packed films, Superman Returns action pales in comparison.

Physics Don’t Exist

Realism is not exactly what audiences look for when it comes to any superhero movies, let alone Superman movies. However, that does not excuse how each and every film defies the laws of physics. There are scenes where Superman and Lois fly together by holding hands and yet Lois somehow doesn’t fall out of the sky.

Between the infamous time-reversing scene, the fact that humans can survive the vacuum of space in Superman IV, Superman can somehow talk in space, and more besides, the physics and realism are completely lacking. There is a difference between suspension of disbelief and throwing logic completely out of the window, and the Superman films often fall into the latter.

The Villains

With the exception of General Zod, Ursa, and Non in Superman II, the villains of the Superman movies are a bit disappointing. Lex Luthor is often forgotten by the plot in the films he appears in and when he does show up, he rarely ever looks, sounds, or feels like a proper Lex Luthor.

Ross Webster in Superman III feels like a villain that was created at the last minute because they couldn’t bring back Gene Hackman to play Lex Luthor. The supercomputer meant to destroy Superman was a wasted opportunity for Brainiac and finally, Nuclear Man in Superman IV: Quest For Peace has become infamous for how laughable he is.

The Visual Effects Got Worse And Worse

Made in 1978, the special effects used to bring Superman to life in the first film are still impressive. The only exception is the scenes where Superman and Lois are flying in a way that defies all physics. Even the effects in Superman II are pretty good, even if they are a little campy.

As the films went on, however, the effects only seemed to get worse and worse. In Superman IV: Quest For Peace, the filmmakers simply reused the same shots of Superman flying over and over until it becomes akin to a running gag.

The Plot Of Superman IV Makes No Sense

For most, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is the worst Superman movie. From the visual effects to the ridiculous villain, it is a disaster that rivals the likes of the guilty pleasure Batman & Robin from 1997. The big difference is that Superman IV is so nonsensical that the plot feels like it was written by a child.

Superman deciding to remove all nuclear weapons from planet Earth and world leaders being behind it is an idealistic but somewhat naive idea, considering certain nations need those weapons to protect themselves from potential enemies. Then the movie even ends with Superman saying that world peace will happen when people want it bad enough which is borderline insulting for viewers.

When Does Superman Returns Take Place?

The canonicity of the fifth and final movie of the series, Superman Returns, has always been a mystery. It is intended to be a continuation of Christopher Reeve’s tenure but the details of when exactly it takes place are a bit confusing. While some fans see it as the fifth movie in the timeline but it lacks any real connection to previous films.

There is the possibility that it took a similar route as the new Halloween movies, erasing certain films from the timeline. Either way, Superman Returns never directly connects to any events of past films which can make the canonicity frustrating to some viewers.

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