While Batman might be the first to get a Hollywood Star when it comes to Superheroes there is no denying that Superman is the original that every creation since has taken inspiration from in one way or another (even Batman was based on Superman). And while every generation has their own Superman, Christopher Reeves was it for the 1980s and now in a new documentary we get the rise and fall of that Superman.
Officially the first film to carry the new DC Studios logo this film is very much a documentary up and down so this might be a bit shorter than our usual review as this isn’t really a movie, but two stories of what really occurred in Christopher Reeve’s life.
For those who don’t know Christopher Reeve’s was the first big screen in colour Superman and really one of the first big budget comic book movies. Directed by Richard Donner with a cast including Marlon Brando, much like the Superman comics inspired 80 years of comic books and publishers to create entire universes Superman and it’s success in 1978 made comic book movies happen.
Cast at only 24 years old Christopher Reeve was a relative unknown Broadway performer when he got the role that lead to 4 films in total across the 1980s for Superman and an impressive box office even by todays standards without adjusting for inflation. However the tradegy that struct was in the mid-1990s when he had a riding accident that left him/Superman paralysed from the neck down. That is where this documentary starts.
The film Super/Man with the slash being more than just creative title actually tells you a little bit about how the story is structured as a narrative with the film starting just before his accident in 1994 and playing through with home footage, Christopher Reeves voice over interviews as narration and interviews with his family. The documentary then jumps back to just before he was cast as Superman in 1977 before proceeding to tell both stories at the same time jumping back and forth while they play out chronologically.
For fans of the original Superman films there is behind the scenes and other footage that you may not have seen before with extra details as to how Reeve added to the role and how it impacted his life (and what he did past this in roles and with friends he had known before they hit it big like Robin Williams). But equal or even more time is spent on the time of his accident and beyond where Reeve was left completely paralysed from the neck down.
For those who do not know while this was a shock to all Christopher Reeve was hopeful about recovery and went on to establish the Christopher Reeve Foundation and became an advocate for disability which at the time was not something that was pushed into the public forum unlike environmental or world peace related activism.
The over 2 hour runtime of the film consists mostly of footage from the time but outside of hearing from Christopher’s own voice he is supported with interviews for the documentary from his children and friends, including a number of celebrity actors and film makers who worked with him on stage and screen (including Superman).
So should you go see it? This is definitely not a movie and squarely in the documentary style of film making, but if you were a Christopher Reeve Superman fan there is definitely something for you and likely some small details you may not have known that made his Superman, Superman and made you believe a man could fly.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is in limited cinema release from October 10 across Australia
