Every Superman Movie, Ranked From 'Superman' to 'Man of Steel'
In 1978, Superman became a movie star, thanks to "Superman: The Movie" and Christopher Reeve's iconic portrayal of everyone's favorite hero with a severe kryptonite allergy. For 40 years, Hollywood has tried to keep Supes flying with mixed (to just plain terrible) results. As "Man of Steel" celebrates its fifth anniversary, we're ranking all of the Last Son of Krypton's big-screen adventures.
8. 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace' (1987)
I mean... this isn't the worst movie we have ever seen, but it is definitely its cousin. "Superman IV" hailed from an era when studios tended to get a little more lazy and cost-cutting with each sequel, and it didn't help that Cannon Films stepped in for the first time to produce Supes' latest -- which marked Reeve's last time in the cape. The actor deserved a better outing than this cheap mess. And Nuclear Man? #NeverForget.
7. 'Superman III' (1983)
Again, you can never go completely wrong with a movie starring Christopher Reeve as Superman, but the third film in Reeve's run is definitely the "Batman Forever" of the franchise. With a Lex Luthor-lite villain and a woefully out-of-place Richard Pryor, "Superman III" captured little of what made the first two movies great. But, at least, it gave us this great junkyard fight between Clark Kent and evil, five-o'clock shadowed, day-drinking Superman and... the following gif:
*cue Superman theme*
6. 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' (2016)
More like "Yawn of Justice," amirite?! As the first live-action movie to feature the Caped Crusader and Dark Knight joining forces (after fighting each other), "Batman v Superman" should have been the cinematic event of the decade. Instead, it doubled down on everything we didn't like about "Man of Steel" and managed to fundamentally misrepresent both characters. You're better off guzzling some of Granny's Peach Tea.
5. 'Justice League' (2017)
Obvious CG mustache replacement aside, "Justice League" is a misfire but not quite a complete and utter storytelling fail on par with "BvS." Which, I guess, is a compliment? It's a mess. But, at times, it is a more tolerable mess than "BvS." It's also more entertaining, thanks to Joss Whedon's "oh-that-was-a-funny-line" contributions once WB and director Zach Snyder parted ways. The studio's knee-jerk reaction to everything negative aimed at the DC movies "BvS" and "Suicide Squad" is this Frankenstein'd mash-up of Snyder and Whedon's sensibilities, with the latter brought on to do extensive reshoots, which never quite shake hands with whatever the original intent of this movie was. And the "you smell good" line is, hands down, an all-timer eye roll for the genre.
4. 'Man of Steel' (2013)
If you've ever wanted to see Superman and General Zod duke it out in a meh CG f**kathon with such a disregard for human collateral damage that subsequent DC and Marvel films would shape their stories in reaction to it, then this movie is for you. Everyone had high hopes for this big-budget Supes reboot, especially with DC riding high on the "Dark Knight" trilogy. Unfortunately, "Man of Steel" borrowed way too much from those movies, presenting Superman as a brooding, reluctant hero with a casual attitude towards murder. Henry Cavill was (and still is) a good Superman in search of a better movie.
3. 'Superman Returns' (2006)
WB made the dubious choice to position "Superman Returns" as a sidequel to the old Richard Donner films, rather than do a complete reboot in the wake of "Batman Begins'" success. The result was that "Returns" channeled some of the appeal of those films but never escaped their shadow; it's more concerned with being a love letter to the previous era than establishing its own touchstones. And who cares if this Supes doesn't punch, Reeve's didn't do it in his first film, either.
2. 'Superman II' (1980)
While a little rougher around the edges than its predecessor (in part because of behind-the-scenes drama), "Superman II" remains one of DC's best. This sequel pitted the Man of Steel against three rogue Kryptonians, and -- in the process -- made the phrase "Kneel before Zod!" part of the pop culture lexicon. "Superman II" holds up even better now, thanks to the release of "The Donner Cut" a few years ago.
1. 'Superman: The Movie' (1978)
The first "Superman" promised "You'll believe a man can fly." And, boy, did it deliver on that promise. For whatever problems the film might have, script-wise, or the potential dated feel of certain flying effects (that were state-of-the-art at the time), this tonally perfect adventure brought Superman to life like no movie before or since. There's a reason we still regard Christopher Reeve as the definitive Man of Steel.
