Superman’s Origin: The Timeless Blueprint Other Superhero Films Are Missing!

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Instead of delaying watching Richard Donner’s Superman, I finally decided to watch it spontaneously one evening while wearing my Meta Quest 3 VR headset. To my surprise, it still stands strong! In fact, I believe upcoming DC and Marvel movies could benefit from studying its approach. The opening segments of the film do an exceptional job in setting up the story.

It’s widely understood that James Gunn’s Superman movie won’t retell the hero’s origin tale, given that the character has been around for over 80 years. This understanding is largely due to Christopher Reeve’s previous portrayal of Superman, which masterfully covered all the significant aspects of his origin story more effectively than any other film before or since.

Richard Donner Expertly And Efficiently Told Three Complicated Stories In Under 30 Minutes

In the 70s, I reckon folks had a general grasp of Superman’s tale, but that didn’t deter the movie from meticulously striking all major chords in just under half an hour. The film portrays Zod, Ursa, and Non’s trial and exile by the Kryptonian administration, their disregard for Jor-El’s warnings about impending doom, Superman’s flight from Krypton, his adoption and nurturing by the Kents, and the untimely demise of his adoptive father. It’s nothing short of remarkable and perfectly executed – just enough, yet not a single bit too much.

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Many superhero films today tend to dedicate an entire movie to depicting a hero’s backstory or origin. However, this movie streamlines much of that origin story into the first part of the film, while still incorporating key events like his job at the Daily Planet. What sets this movie apart is its ability to blend the hero’s origin with an engaging plotline in a way that’s seldom seen nowadays. For instance, why does every Batman film insist on showing Bruce Wayne’s parents getting killed? At this point, it feels more like unnecessary padding. If you can’t invest enough time and effort to make such scenes meaningful to the overall movie, they might as well be omitted. If a hero’s origin must be told, all future filmmakers should follow the Richard Donner blueprint for doing so effectively.

Why We Probably Don’t Talk About This As Much As We Should

In my opinion, although Richard Donner’s Superman often receives praise, it’s usually for John Williams’ legendary theme or Christopher Reeve, who embodied the real-life Superman so well. The way the origin story is portrayed tends to be overlooked, and I believe this might stem from a point I made earlier.

Superman is among the earliest superheroes in the annals of pop culture lore, and his tale is as old as a great-grandparent. If the film had begun with him being discovered by the Kent family inside a space capsule, I believe there would have been no room for confusion regarding past events in the theater.

Regardless, I strongly contend that Richard Donner’s Superman sets the benchmark for crafting an impeccable superhero origin story, and future films should strive to match its clarity. As we seem on the verge of a new era in the superhero genre, it’s important to acknowledge this fact.

Right now, you can stream Superman by subscribing to Max. If you haven’t watched it yet, which was my case only a week back, I highly recommend giving it a try!

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2025-04-15 18:08