{"id":1451541,"date":"2023-12-21T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comingsoon.net\/?p=1451541"},"modified":"2023-12-21T07:37:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T15:37:39","slug":"superman-1978-endures-as-a-majestic-epic-embodying-the-essence-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comingsoon.net\/movies\/features\/1451541-superman-1978-endures-as-a-majestic-epic-embodying-the-essence-of-hope","title":{"rendered":"Superman (1978) Endures as a Majestic Epic, Embodying the Essence of Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a kid, I was prone to running around in the backyard with a towel tied to my neck, arms outstretched, fists clenched, pretending to be Superman<\/a><\/strong>. Specifically: Christopher Reeve’s Superman. Like so many other kids, Richard Donner’s majestic Superman: The Movie captured my imagination. I wasn’t around when it first hit theaters in 1978, but I almost wore out my VHS tape watching the mighty epic dozens of times per day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In those days, superhero movies didn’t exist. Star Wars<\/a> was king. Late-stage John Wayne had paved the way for grittier, more flawed heroes like Indiana Jones<\/a>, Ellen Ripley, Alex Murphy, Axel Foley, and John McClane. Darker, edgier tales about war, greed, sex, and violence were the name of the game. In 1989, Tim Burton<\/a>‘s Batman<\/a> swooped in and usurped Superman as the de facto superhero of the era, a bleak reflection of our changing times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reeve’s Superman marked a last hurrah for the good-natured hero. He’s a decent man striving to live up to truth, justice, and the American way. His ideology is firmly rooted in 40s-era optimism; he seems a little cheesy against the cynical backdrop of the 1970s, but that’s the point. He always tells the truth, expects the best in others, and strives to be the best version of himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this day and age of constant bickering, hate, violence, and cynicism, Reeve’s Superman feels more necessary than ever. On a recent rewatch with my two daughters, I was swept up in the film’s overwhelming hopefulness, which remains its greatest strength. Something is endearing about a man who swoops around the city arresting petty criminals, who then saves a cat from a tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n