40 Films in Robotech: Superman (1978)

Superman seems eternal. Generation after generation has its own rendition of the Man of Steel. Pre-Robotech, this was the latest incarnation.

 ROBOTECH MENTION:  

In Robotech episode 64 Survival, Rand almost drowns hiding from the Invid alien invaders. Once Lunk saves him, he jumps up ready to fight – not realizing the Invid have left. Fellow rebel Rook sarcastically reassures him – and, jokingly, calls Rand “Superman” in this clip from Robotech. In case it doesn’t cue up at 14.58 (when Rook calls Rand “Superman”), you may want to slide the player to around 14:40 to get a sense of the scene….

 SYNOPSIS:  

Hugo Award Winner David Pringle sums up Superman in The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: The Definitive Illustrated Guide (1996): “With their planet, Krypton, doomed, parents Jor-El and Lara send their baby through space to Earth. On landing, he is discovered by the elderly Kents, who adopt him as a son and call him Clark, choosing to ignore his superhuman abilities. In adulthood, he takes a job as a reporter on the Daily Planet, and falls for colleague Lois Lane; yet, he has been indoctrinated, during his interstellar flight, never to divulge his origins, and she cannot make the link between the caped Superman, who fights crime all over Metropolis, and the withdrawn, bespectacled Clark Kent who works next to her. The supercriminal Lex Luthor deflects two test intercontinental missiles to the San Andreas Fault as part of a real-estate swindle; when they hit, Lois is killed. Superman enters Earth orbit and builds up enough orbital velocity to reverse temporarily the Earth’s rotational direction, thereby reversing time (this movie is not hot on science) to a moment before Lois’ death; he thus saves her and, incidentally, the world. The special effects are dazzling and Reeve’s own charm does much to carry the movie: this is bad sf, but exceptionally good junk. It was sequelled by Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Supergirl (1984) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).” (p. 100)

 AWARDS & KUDOS:  

IMDB.com lists 19 award wins for Superman including a 1979 Special Achievement Award Oscar for Visual Special Effects. TCM writer Sloan De Forest also lists Superman as a “Keep Watching” movie for Star Wars (1977) fans in her 2018 book Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies That Are Out Of This World (p. 183). This Friday April 25, 2025 at 2:45pm PT, Superman is screening at the Chinese Multiplex House 1 in Hollywood, CA as part of the TCM Classic Film Festival.

 OTHER COOL FACTS:  

The #classicfilmreading book The Rough Guide To Cult Movies: Your Guide To The Good, The Bad And The Weird (2004) lists some cool and some not-so-cool facts about Superman: “Superman, the movie, was a long time coming, 40 years in fact, but it was worth the wait. Brando gained a cool $10m for a few minutes’ work; and Reeve and Margot Kidder became stars, both previously destined for soap-opera hell. Unfortunately, bad luck follows good. Reeve was paralyzed following a horse riding accident and a car crash left Kidder unable to work for two years, leading to bankruptcy. She was later found living on the streets suffering from depression. As for Brando, his daughter committed suicide in 1995 following the incarceration of her brother for murdering her boyfriend. But at least the millions he earned here helped pay for the legal fees.” (p.116)

 ROBOTECH REASON:  

Any man fighting off evil will eventually be compared (or compare himself) to Superman. It’s also great timing that a new, nerdy Clark Kent/Superman hits screens later this year…

To read my ⭐⭐⭐ (out of a possible 5 star) rating for Superman (1978) on Letterboxd, click here.