One thing positive, one thing negative about the Supermans

[The Borgified Corpse]

In keeping with the similarly themed Batman thread, post one positive thing & one negative thing each about each of the screen adaptations of Superman over the years. These adaptations include...

The early 1940s Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios cartoons

The 1948 live action serial with Kirk Alyn

Superman & the Mole Men (1951)

The Adventures of Superman

Super Friends

Superman: The Movie (1978)

Superman II (1980)

Superman II The Richard Donner Cut (1980 by way of 2006)

Superman III (1983)

Supergirl

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Superboy

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

Superman: The Animated Series

Justice League

Smallville

Superman Returns (2006)

The Legion of Superheroes

Etc. Remember, one positive & one negative for each. Enjoy!

 

[davejames]

Fleischer
-- great animation
-- the ugly racism in later episodes

Serials
-- Kirk Alyn was great in the role (and no muscle suit either!)
-- the animated flying scenes

Adv of Superman
-- love the attitude George brought to the role, and his dynamic takeoffs
-- the repetitive stories

Superfriends
-- the awesome theme music and corny narrator
-- pretty much everything else

STM
-- the elegant flying scenes
-- the cheesy model town that almost gets flooded (sorry, that's all I got)

SII
-- Zod
-- some pretty cheap looking effects here and there

Lois and Clark
-- Lex
-- the marriage

STAS
-- a pretty good voice cast
-- Superman too wooden, and stories too generic

Smallville
-- a pretty good concept
-- just way too soft and angsty

SR
-- a great tribute to STM
-- too much CG Superman

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

1940s Fleischer cartoons
PRO: High quality animation.
CON: No Lex Luthor.

Superman & the Mole Men
PRO: It has a nice moral about tolerance & understanding.
CON: Holy fuck, this movie is slow!

Superman: The Movie
PRO: Christopher Reeve. Will never be topped, ever!
CON: Beginning is kinda slow.

Superman II (Richard Lester Cut)
PRO: General Zod. One of the all-time great scenery chewers. "KNEEL before ZOD!"
CON: Superman gives up his powers to be with a woman who has all but said that he's not good enough for her as Clark Kent.

Superman II (Richard Donner Cut)
PRO: Restored Jor-El scenes.
CON: Superman turns back time so far that the entire movie never happened at all!

Superman III
PRO: Evil Superman.
CON: Too much slapstick.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
PRO: They brought back Lex Luthor & Lois Lane.
CON: Christopher Reeve's politics are quite juvenile.

Superman: The Animated Series
PRO: Livewire is the hottest cartoon character ever!
CON: Stories don't hold up very well now that I'm older.

Smallville
PRO: Lex & Lionel Luthor.
CON: Lana Lang. Why won't she die?!?!

Superman Returns
PRO: Beautifully, subtly directed by Bryan Singer.
CON: Too much pre-Crisis Lex Luthor. I understand it's an homage to the Donner movie but I wanted more evil businessman & less real estate schemes.