The story begins many years before the main setting. The planet, Krypton, is going to explode. The people there are warned about that. But they are all in denial.

Shortly after, a woman named Lara is walking with her infant son, currently named Kal-El. She and her husband, Jor-El, place their child in a small ship and send him to Earth. This is to keep him safe since Krypton will be gone soon.

Two farmers, Jonathan and Martha Kent, find the child. They are impressed with how strong he is. Although they are hesitant to raise him at first, they decide to do so. They also name him Clark.

Years have gone by. Clark is now a teenager playing soccer. He wants to go to a party with his teammates. But he can’t because his coach is making him stay behind and work on something.

At some point, Jonathan dies from a heart attack. This saddens both Clark and Martha.

Later, Clark is contacted by a glowing green crystal. He goes to that spaceship and it leads him to the Arctic, where there is something called a Fortress of Solitude. It ascends from the ground. There is also a hologram of Jor-El, who reveals Clark’s heritage. He also trains him for several years.

After that amount of time has passed, Clark is now working as a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He meets this lady, Lois Lane, and develops feelings for her.

Some time after, Lois is in danger and almost falls out of a helicopter. Clark transforms into a superhero, flies up to Lois, and rescues her. This prompts him to become famous right away.

It also leaves Perry White, the chief of the Daily Planet, shocked, confused, and curious. He decides to learn more about this.

While wearing his superhero costume, Clark visits Lois. She gets to know him a bit.

Then he takes her on a flight. This prompts him to call himself, “Superman.”

However, trouble is happening nearby. Criminal Mastermind Lex Luther discovers some special missiles from the military. He decides to use them as a way to destroy the western part of the United States.

In order to that, he would need to weaken Superman, which he eventually does. This leads to lots of issues later with Superman and his strength.

I found the beginning to be slow. I know the setup was necessary. But I wish they’d done it just a little bit quicker.

The scenes switched pretty quickly. That also caused some occasional confusion of the plot.

That being said, the movie did get more engaging later on. I did enjoy seeing Superman save people and report criminals.

One scene that stands out to me was when he rescued a little girl’s cat. She thanked him and told her mom. But unfortunately, her mother refused to believe her.

He and Lois had a nice relationship, as well, whether he was Superman or just Clark Kent. The amount of action was also just right. There were no gruesome or disturbing moments.

I admired Christopher Reeve’s portrayal of the titular character. Superman/Clark Kent was very kind and likable. It’s too bad that the actor playing him got paralyzed and died in 2004.

Lois Lane was also likable. Most of the characters were well-developed and distinguishable.

And I will not forget to mention that there were plenty of twists and turns. See the film to find out what they are.

Overall, Superman: The Movie was decent. Despite the strengths, the weaknesses were almost as big.

I give this film 3.5 out of 5 stars.