 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Superman: The Movie
- Review Date: March 7, 2005
- PG
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 1978
Common Sense Media says
Super-nostalgic superhero adventure still soars.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that many characters are in peril before Superman saves the day, including a school bus full of kids teetering off the Golden Gate Bridge, two coasts threatened by a missle launch, and Lois who is buried alive after an earthquake. Superman can't save his adopted dad from a heart attack, however, and is shown mourning his death. There is some smoking in the Daily Planet newsroom typical of the '70s and a few swear words. Superman fights for "truth, justice, and the American way" -- your basic superhero role model.
What's the story?
As the planet Krypton is about to explode, administrator Jor-El (Marlon Brando) ensures his son's safety by putting him in a spaceship intended for Earth. The Kents, a farm couple, discover the boy from space and raise him as their son, Clark. Upon adulthood, Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) sets out for Metropolis, where he lands a job as a reporter on The Daily Planet. He also fights crime as "SUPERMAN," a name given him by reporter Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), a coworker on the Planet whom Clark secretly loves. Meanwhile, criminal mastermind Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) develops a plan to cause a deadly earthquake in California, thereby increasing the value of his desert property. When Lois becomes a victim of the earthquake, Superman must literally turn back time by flying around the Earth with enough speed to temporarily reverse its orbit.
Is it any good?
Christopher Reeve proved an ideal Superman, with just the right level of steadfast simplicity. But the producers' emphasis on larger-than-life moviemaking (they won a Special Achievement Oscar for visual effects) results in a movie that drags in parts. The quartet of writers -- who individually had dreamt up the stories of The Godfather and Bonnie and Clyde -- concocted an overlong spectacle that spends an inordinate amount of time recounting Superman's origin, then fragments into episodic crime-fighting vignettes.
Younger viewers may not have the patience to wait through the first third of Superman before getting a glimpse of Superman's famous costume, and the picture is more than half over before he begins fighting crime in Metropolis. Thus, the movie will appeal primarily to adults looking to relive their youth by watching a 1970s-style blockbuster.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about favorite superhero movies. What makes a good superhero movie? What makes Lex Luthor one of the best villains?
Families can also talk about newer versions of the Superman story. And why do you think in the last century he fought for the "American way" and in this one he becomes more globally minded?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Great movie for the kids, but be advised of some language
We just watched superman with our 8 year old, and he enjoyed it very much, but there were some language references that we did not expect. Commonsensemedia is usually pretty thorough with the content descriptions, but in this case "Language: Not an issue" was not accurate for us. It is really mild stuff, but if you are worried about your children picking up phrases like "what the hell was that" or "who the hell was that" or "what the hell just happened", be advised these phrases are present. Overall, still a great experience for us and our young children.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Good movie, but some PG language! Wish Common Sense screening had been more dependable.
Warning!!! Language IS an issue!! I counted several (at least 4 times?) that "hell" was used as an expletive. Also, one d**n, and one a**. Not words I want my daughter repeating, although they are common in PG movies.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Superman: The Movie
An instant classic, and a fabulous superhero movie for the whole family.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 12 years old
July 17, 2011
AGE
CLASSIC!!!
This movie is really great. It is a classic, or at least I consider it. There was a lot of language that little kids shouldn't say. Also, in the beggining of the movie, you saw superman as a kid, nude, showing EVERYTHING! That was really disgusting for me, but thats about. Anyway, must watch movie!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
This movie still soars after all these years unlike Catwoman
This movie is still an instant classic after all these years. It has humor, suspense, and love. It's a much better movie than Catwoman. I highly reccomeded it.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Great for younger kids, this movie is really enjoyable and not too graphic with no drugs, drinking, sex or bad language. A really good adaptation.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
awesome movie
OMG I LOVE THIS MOVIE.
THIS MOVIE IS SO AWESOME.
YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS movie.
SUPERMAN IS SO AWESOME.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Great Film-Making
Well, I think there have been enough reviews of this movie from a quality perspective. However, I have yet to see a review that accurately described the bad content in this film, so I thought I might as well write a review.
Superman is not an overly gratuitous film. It shows quite a bit of restraint as far as violence, language and sexual behaviour are concerned, but it is not squeaky clean. There are about ten curses in this film (ranging from d-words and h-words to a scarcely audible s-word). Lex Luthor's girlfriend wears VERY revealing clothing on more than one occasion which shows off quite a bit of cleavage. These scenes are fairly brief, but very noticeable. Lois Lane and Superman share a few veiled innuendos in one scene, but nothing I felt too uncomfortable with. Lois Lane asks Superman at one point what color her underwear are (he can see through anything, remember?) and he tells her that they are pink. Superman is shown completely nude from the front as a baby. Thankfully, grown-up Superman wears a jock-strap underneath his tights so that the suit is not as immodest as it could be. In one scene played for laughs, Lex Luthor's girlfriend lies out in the middle of the road as though she has fainted distracting some soldiers from their duty. In their attempts to "revive" her, one soldier sticks his head on her chest (mildly suggestive) and another volunteers to perform CPR (implied strongly, but not shown). The violence is handled well, but may be too intense for some younger viewers. For example: Lex Luthor pushes a man out in front of a fast-moving train. The death is not shown. However, the man screams loudly and the hat he was wearing is shown lying beaten up on the ground afterwards. SUMMARY: A nice classic film for most of the family. You might want to fast-forward the parts with Lex Luthor's girlfriend.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Topics: | superheroes, adventures |
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Richard Donner |
| Cast: | Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 144 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 15, 1978 |
| DVD release date: | June 3, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | parental guidance |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
