Post by crazy_asian_man on Apr 15, 2023 2:11:51 GMT -5
This is just from my own small corner of the world-
In December '78--- this was shortly after Star Wars became the global phenom (prior to that- fantasy/scifi were mostly all depressing dystopias and kids fare generally limited to Disney) in '77-
So....
- At the time, the sfx tech was still so new with ILM's breakthroughs and innovations, that Star Wars overnight created a giant hunger for fantasy in films and even made copycats that were even somewhat good successful at the box office. (i.e. Buck Rogers' tv pilot was refashioned into a theatrical film and made some $$$).
Star Wars and Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind was the double punch of special effects in movies taking a GIANT leap forward and making people gasp with how good they were (the prior fx Academy Award winner with breakthroughs I believe was the "Logan's Run" movie which still... had a ways to go).
- Also..... NO BIG BUDGET superhero films. The last Superman adaptation was cheap fx color tv with Reeves, that was pretty underwhelming.
- So- for STM to be as great a film as it was.... one wonders if it would have been EVEN bigger if Star Wars hadn't happened two years before.
- BUT- it was not just the first big budget superhero film, it took THE most famous superhero with the most powers.
- From my vantage point, it was one of the greatest memories I had at the movies, even waiting two hours in line chatting it up with others who were also excited about it- and having in-person speculations. 70mm and giant screen wasn't on every block, so I was lucky to live in a city where they had it. (If I was old enough to drive, I would have also checked out at other giant screens, but...)
Anyways, it was a first of a kind. If another director who wasn't a perfectionist like Donner directed- I think it still would have succeeded if it was shot like a tv movie (if everything else was equal)- given the rarity of any real decent fantasy film at the theatres.... but I don't think it would have garnered the giant acclaim and box office that it got. It was a phenomenon.
THEN....
Superman II.
By this time- Hollywood had a chance to throw different hats in the ring to compete for the fantasy audience, given the gap from STM's release to SII's theatrical release.
1976- had DeLaurentis' King Kong, Futureworld, Logan's Run, Man Who Fell to Earth
1977- had Star Wars, Close Encounters of 3rd King, Wizards
1978- Superman!, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (remake), Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, The Wiz, Heaven Can Wait, Star Crash
1979- Star Trek: the Motion Picture, Alien!, Time after Time! (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!), Mad Max
1980- Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, Flash Gordon!, Somehwere in Time, Galaxina
1981- Superman II (at least this is when released in the US), Excalibur, Dragonslayer, Clash of the Titans, Escape From New York, Mad Max 2: Road Warrior, Quest for Fire, American Werewolf in London .... but also Raiders of the Lost Ark, which outgrossed SII.
From my recollection, there were still lines and it played on the bigscreen and it was widely enjoyed overall.... but for me, everyone knows my love/hate with SII- but was glad at getting some of my fantasy movie 'fixes' getting satiated with the influx of Speilberg produced films as well as the Star Trek franchise jumping into theatres.
1982- Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek II, Blade Runner, Cat Thing, E.T., Dark Crystal (Actually a pretty cool year, also with Rocky III- which some consider a fantasy film also!)
1983- Superman III, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Dead Zone, Videodrome
SUPERMAN III
Read the script from a convention before- and thought: 'eh, this seems ok- if done well'. But it was meh. The story was underwhelming.... but the lack of spectacle and real drama that were in the first two were gone imo.
(But I was also bummed by Return of the Jedi with the Ewoks and the brother/sister nature of Luke/Leia... disappointing year)
Also- the long lines I don't even recall for the rock concert-like experience. People were still excited for Return of the Jedi, less so for Superman 3 from the vibe from the local comic shop. It was NOT the same experience as the first two Superman films.
1984- A mixed year. Supergirl was... will get to that later...
Starman was excellent, Ghostbusters was excellent, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was excellent, Electric Dreams was a great uplifting cult film, Last Starfighter I dug (though hasn't aged well), Buckaroo Bonzai was different, Dreamscape was not bad, Streets of Fire I had mixed feelinsg on, Star Trek III- Search for Spock was good enough (it's grown on me over time),Red Dawn & Firestarter were fun 80's films...
Supergirl started in a second run theatre, not a good sign. Even though I loved the flying sequences and the casting- it was an instant bomb. Such a pity. I still prefer it to Superman III, but- terrible script.
Later on, I'd purchase the movie script that originally had Reeve in it... only later on, would find out that Reeve backed out at the last minute- even though the script at the time heavily relied on Superman being there.
So.... to this day, I wonder- the script wasn't a classic, but far better than the rewritten one without Superman's involvement. Would it have saved the franchise? Or at least have allowed one Supergirl sequel with Slater? Dunno...
1985- Ladyhawke, Brazil, Back to the Future and Young Sherlock Holmes I thought the best of the year.... considering... Not a bad year!
1986- Big Trouble in Little China (fun) and Howard the Duck (bleah) and Labryinth (bleah) and Legend (visually stunning, but empty)... bright spot in Star Trek IV: The Whale movie (go figure)
1987- Superman IV!, Predator, Lost Boys, Lethal Weapon-
Probably one of the most disappointing experiences- after years of disappointment with Superman II & Lester's involvement.... I was getting extremely excited that - against all odds- this franchise with possiblities could be saved.... but, I still like moments- but I hate to say it, but, besides Reeve.... even if better done, the supporting cast did seem too old to play them the same way, for the most part.
Lethal Weapon (and Ladyhawke prior) re-affirmed my feeling that Donner was the reason for the higher quality of the Superman series when he was in charge.
I think it is remarkable that a similar scenario with X-men 3 killing the X-franchise and then--- being restored with X-men: First Class and DOFP was a minor miracle theatrically (though sad that Apocalypse would turn around and kill it... and then Phoenix being a zillion times worse. Sad sad sad!)
1988- Beetlejuice, Akira, Willow, Who Framed Roger Rabbit - weak year...
1989- The Year of Batman, Shatner's horrific Star Trek V, Indiana Jones 3
On one hand, it was neat to see the anticipation all around for a comic book superhero film- from reports of people buing movie tickets just to view the Tim Burton Batman film to just hearing people at restaurants and in the public talking about getting excited to see it.
I got a copy of the older script at a comic convention and I actually was disappointed with the Burton film- but, it was neat to get a taste again of the public's anticipation on seeing something that was going to be (sorta) brand new.
Back to two-hour lines and people getting REALLY excited. Comic book shop mentioned sales for Batman stories going up like crazy at the time.
For me- the definitive Batman films are Batman Begins & the Dark Knight--- but, in some ways, it was sort of full circle for awhile from what I experienced with the first Superman film with the Burton Batman anticipation.
Sadly, Batman seemed to follow Superman's creative deterioration on screen with Schumacher's poor choices.... and superhero films died again-
But it was neat to see that all it took was Raimi's two Spiderman films and Singer's X-men films to ignite the fire that was the MCU...
But- anyhow- now that the MCU has had 3 phases culminating in the awesome Infinity War & Endgame--- it's interesting to look back and trace how things were each summer starting from Star Wars and Superman to today....
... and whether or not the next Superman will signal big box office--- or--- if it's time for the genre to lay dormant for awhile. Will see...
In December '78--- this was shortly after Star Wars became the global phenom (prior to that- fantasy/scifi were mostly all depressing dystopias and kids fare generally limited to Disney) in '77-
So....
- At the time, the sfx tech was still so new with ILM's breakthroughs and innovations, that Star Wars overnight created a giant hunger for fantasy in films and even made copycats that were even somewhat good successful at the box office. (i.e. Buck Rogers' tv pilot was refashioned into a theatrical film and made some $$$).
Star Wars and Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind was the double punch of special effects in movies taking a GIANT leap forward and making people gasp with how good they were (the prior fx Academy Award winner with breakthroughs I believe was the "Logan's Run" movie which still... had a ways to go).
- Also..... NO BIG BUDGET superhero films. The last Superman adaptation was cheap fx color tv with Reeves, that was pretty underwhelming.
- So- for STM to be as great a film as it was.... one wonders if it would have been EVEN bigger if Star Wars hadn't happened two years before.
- BUT- it was not just the first big budget superhero film, it took THE most famous superhero with the most powers.
- From my vantage point, it was one of the greatest memories I had at the movies, even waiting two hours in line chatting it up with others who were also excited about it- and having in-person speculations. 70mm and giant screen wasn't on every block, so I was lucky to live in a city where they had it. (If I was old enough to drive, I would have also checked out at other giant screens, but...)
Anyways, it was a first of a kind. If another director who wasn't a perfectionist like Donner directed- I think it still would have succeeded if it was shot like a tv movie (if everything else was equal)- given the rarity of any real decent fantasy film at the theatres.... but I don't think it would have garnered the giant acclaim and box office that it got. It was a phenomenon.
THEN....
Superman II.
By this time- Hollywood had a chance to throw different hats in the ring to compete for the fantasy audience, given the gap from STM's release to SII's theatrical release.
1976- had DeLaurentis' King Kong, Futureworld, Logan's Run, Man Who Fell to Earth
1977- had Star Wars, Close Encounters of 3rd King, Wizards
1978- Superman!, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (remake), Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, The Wiz, Heaven Can Wait, Star Crash
1979- Star Trek: the Motion Picture, Alien!, Time after Time! (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!), Mad Max
1980- Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, Flash Gordon!, Somehwere in Time, Galaxina
1981- Superman II (at least this is when released in the US), Excalibur, Dragonslayer, Clash of the Titans, Escape From New York, Mad Max 2: Road Warrior, Quest for Fire, American Werewolf in London .... but also Raiders of the Lost Ark, which outgrossed SII.
From my recollection, there were still lines and it played on the bigscreen and it was widely enjoyed overall.... but for me, everyone knows my love/hate with SII- but was glad at getting some of my fantasy movie 'fixes' getting satiated with the influx of Speilberg produced films as well as the Star Trek franchise jumping into theatres.
1982- Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek II, Blade Runner, Cat Thing, E.T., Dark Crystal (Actually a pretty cool year, also with Rocky III- which some consider a fantasy film also!)
1983- Superman III, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Dead Zone, Videodrome
SUPERMAN III
Read the script from a convention before- and thought: 'eh, this seems ok- if done well'. But it was meh. The story was underwhelming.... but the lack of spectacle and real drama that were in the first two were gone imo.
(But I was also bummed by Return of the Jedi with the Ewoks and the brother/sister nature of Luke/Leia... disappointing year)
Also- the long lines I don't even recall for the rock concert-like experience. People were still excited for Return of the Jedi, less so for Superman 3 from the vibe from the local comic shop. It was NOT the same experience as the first two Superman films.
1984- A mixed year. Supergirl was... will get to that later...
Starman was excellent, Ghostbusters was excellent, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was excellent, Electric Dreams was a great uplifting cult film, Last Starfighter I dug (though hasn't aged well), Buckaroo Bonzai was different, Dreamscape was not bad, Streets of Fire I had mixed feelinsg on, Star Trek III- Search for Spock was good enough (it's grown on me over time),Red Dawn & Firestarter were fun 80's films...
Supergirl started in a second run theatre, not a good sign. Even though I loved the flying sequences and the casting- it was an instant bomb. Such a pity. I still prefer it to Superman III, but- terrible script.
Later on, I'd purchase the movie script that originally had Reeve in it... only later on, would find out that Reeve backed out at the last minute- even though the script at the time heavily relied on Superman being there.
So.... to this day, I wonder- the script wasn't a classic, but far better than the rewritten one without Superman's involvement. Would it have saved the franchise? Or at least have allowed one Supergirl sequel with Slater? Dunno...
1985- Ladyhawke, Brazil, Back to the Future and Young Sherlock Holmes I thought the best of the year.... considering... Not a bad year!
1986- Big Trouble in Little China (fun) and Howard the Duck (bleah) and Labryinth (bleah) and Legend (visually stunning, but empty)... bright spot in Star Trek IV: The Whale movie (go figure)
1987- Superman IV!, Predator, Lost Boys, Lethal Weapon-
Probably one of the most disappointing experiences- after years of disappointment with Superman II & Lester's involvement.... I was getting extremely excited that - against all odds- this franchise with possiblities could be saved.... but, I still like moments- but I hate to say it, but, besides Reeve.... even if better done, the supporting cast did seem too old to play them the same way, for the most part.
Lethal Weapon (and Ladyhawke prior) re-affirmed my feeling that Donner was the reason for the higher quality of the Superman series when he was in charge.
I think it is remarkable that a similar scenario with X-men 3 killing the X-franchise and then--- being restored with X-men: First Class and DOFP was a minor miracle theatrically (though sad that Apocalypse would turn around and kill it... and then Phoenix being a zillion times worse. Sad sad sad!)
1988- Beetlejuice, Akira, Willow, Who Framed Roger Rabbit - weak year...
1989- The Year of Batman, Shatner's horrific Star Trek V, Indiana Jones 3
On one hand, it was neat to see the anticipation all around for a comic book superhero film- from reports of people buing movie tickets just to view the Tim Burton Batman film to just hearing people at restaurants and in the public talking about getting excited to see it.
I got a copy of the older script at a comic convention and I actually was disappointed with the Burton film- but, it was neat to get a taste again of the public's anticipation on seeing something that was going to be (sorta) brand new.
Back to two-hour lines and people getting REALLY excited. Comic book shop mentioned sales for Batman stories going up like crazy at the time.
For me- the definitive Batman films are Batman Begins & the Dark Knight--- but, in some ways, it was sort of full circle for awhile from what I experienced with the first Superman film with the Burton Batman anticipation.
Sadly, Batman seemed to follow Superman's creative deterioration on screen with Schumacher's poor choices.... and superhero films died again-
But it was neat to see that all it took was Raimi's two Spiderman films and Singer's X-men films to ignite the fire that was the MCU...
But- anyhow- now that the MCU has had 3 phases culminating in the awesome Infinity War & Endgame--- it's interesting to look back and trace how things were each summer starting from Star Wars and Superman to today....
... and whether or not the next Superman will signal big box office--- or--- if it's time for the genre to lay dormant for awhile. Will see...
