RANKING Every Live-Action Superman / Christopher Reeve SPEED-ART
Hey guys, I'm back—this time with another Speed-Art! Today’s piece features the legendary Christopher Reeve as Superman. I recently covered Superman on my animation channel, where I compared the various versions of Superman over his franchise, and to do that, I had to watch every Superman movie ever. I also watched some episodes from each show, but to make it fair today, I’m just gonna rank the live-action movies. So, without any kryptonite to slow me down, let’s dive in.
13. Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987)
In unlucky number 13 is Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, or as I like to call it, The Quest For A Higher Budget. This film could’ve been great, but the budget was cut in half, and the movie was trimmed to 90 minutes to make room for more showings, leaving it with a rushed plot and gaping wholes in the story. Nonetheless, Christopher Reeve is still amazing, and the general story is pretty topical for the time, with Superman taking on the fear of nukes. It’s just unfortunate that everyone involved had to deal with insane production problems. But it’s still a fun watch in a so-bad-it’s-good kinda way.
12. 11. Superman (1948) / Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)
In 12th place, I’m lumping together the two Superman serials from 1948 and 1950, respectively, both of which star Kirk Alyn. For the time they were made, and watching at 1.5 speed, it holds up pretty well. Kirk Alyn is an underrated Superman and Clark Kent. It breezes by the origin and jumps right into the action. The first movie deals with the Spider-Lady and the second with Atom Man, who turns out to be Lex Luthor in his onscreen debut. Lois Lane in these Serials would go on to play her in the George Reeves TV show in later seasons, but her take on the character here is hilariously mean. Now the multi-part serials are a little tedious to watch, but put them on at 1.5 speed. Considering their age and budget, they aren’t too bad.
11. Justice League (2017)
11th is 2017’s Josstice League, which is not the worst movie in the DC catalogue, but it’s just a tonal mess. Sloppily introducing the plot, new characters, and rushing to bring back Superman, which gives the film a shoddy feeling as if it was stitched together. Thankfully, it’s only two hours long, although it feels much longer, but I appreciate the shorter runtime, since there’s less to suffer through. Much like Superman II, they brought in a second director, this time Joss Whedon, to finish a Superman movie, and that’s where the tonal mismatch happens. I didn’t enjoy it in theatres, and I really dislike having to rewatch it, but it’s not without its moments. I particularly like Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, and Ben Affleck and Jason Momoa are great in their parts. Unfortunately, the film is a mess, though.
10. Superman and the Mole Men (1951)
In 10th is Superman and the Mole Men, the first time George Reeves portrayed Superman, before it was picked up as a TV show. Although the film would later be cut up and turned into episodes of the show’s first season, too. George Reeves himself is great here, although the plot focuses more on little creatures who crawl up a mining shaft and a town that goes into hysterics trying to kill them. Superman is more a protector of the little guys in what feels more like a Universal Monster movie rather than a Superman film, but it is fun and barely an hour long, plus it had a substantially higher budget than the TV show episodes, so if you want to enjoy a quick older take on Superman you can do a lot worse than George Reeves debut.
9. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
9th place is gobbled up by Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s good and I enjoy it like I do most of Snyder’s work, but like usual, he could have cut out a few plot lines for pacing. Three hours for a movie is too long, even if the Extended Cut fixes the plot issues, a superhero film should never feel like it’s dragging along, this is Batman v Superman, not Kramer v Kramer. Still, the casting here is pretty good, even if Lex Luthor feels utterly out of place, but Ben and Henry are both great in their roles. I just wish we got a little more character work from both of them in the movie.
8. Superman III (1983)
In 8th is Superman III, while not nearly as good as the first two, it’s still a fun film with Superman; it’s a little more slapstick, but the humour works some of the time. Richard Pryor is a good addition, and the Evil Superman and cyborg are the coolest parts, even if they are a little jarring compared to the more family-friendly parts of the film. The budget was still pretty high for this entry, although lower than the previous films, but the effects work, music, and of course Christopher Reeve as Superman are still a delight to see.
7. Superman Returns (2006)
In lucky number 7 is the sorta-sequel to Superman II, Superman Returns. It’s a well-directed film that could’ve used some cuts for pacing and a lighter tone in spots. But the connections to the Reeve films are a nice touch. I like the retro look the film has, even if it is a little sepia-toned throughout. Brandon Routh is great in the role, although it’s largely a homage to the Reeve performance, and the new suit is pretty nice. I’m not sure why people complain about it. It’s unfortunate some accused criminals star in supporting roles and were behind the scenes, but if you can get over that, some good parts of this reboot work pretty well.
6. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
In sixth is more of a mini-series, but whatever, Zack Snyder’s Justice League joins the list here. It’s not a perfect film, and some parts, like usual for Snyder, drag on and on, but for the most part, this is a cohesive vision with better pacing than the theatrical cut and much better build-up. I still don’t think they should’ve covered this storyline so quickly in the franchise, but for what it is, it works pretty well.
5. Superman II (1980)
5th place goes to Superman II. While not as strong an outing as the first film, the equally matched opponents add a twist to the movie, and the tighter pacing makes it a quicker watch. It lacks some of the heart of the first one, though the Lois and Clark stuff is the film’s best parts, along with Zod and his minions. Unfortunately, it does have some tonal shifts, going from serious to funny, which isn’t handled as masterfully as the first film, largely because they fired the original director halfway through production. But Christopher Reeve continues to wow in this entry, and the supporting cast is great as well.
4. Man of Steel (2013)
In 4th is 2013’s Man of Steel. It’s a good superhero flick, although it could’ve used a few cuts, especially the action sequences, which drag on, which I should never think about an action sequence, that’ when my mind should be turned off and just glued to the screen. The darker tone doesn’t exactly fit the character, but I could see what they were going for. Henry Cavill is a good Superman, although we barely see his Clark Kent persona in this entry, but it was a solid enough start to the DCEU, which would unfortunately struggle to hit this high every time.
Special Mention: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024)
Before tackling the top 3, I want to give a special mention to Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024), which is a fantastic documentary covering his life and accident. So heartwarming and sweet, I can’t recommend it enough.
3. Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
In third, and I’m counting it as it’s own film, is Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, after 25 years they decided to allow Richard Donner to cut together the film he wanted to make in Superman II, and it’s a marked improvement over the theatrical cut, with a tighter pacing and darker tone, while still keeping the fun of the franchise alive. Unfortunately some of the effects work and scenes he wanted to film just weren’t so they had to sometimes use outtakes, or screen tests, and finish up some effects. Some of the other director’s scenes also had to be used to move the plot along, so it’s still not fully what Donner would’ve made, but it’s about as close as we’ll get, and I, for the most part, enjoy this version better than the original.
2. Superman (2025)
Second is the latest Superman film, Superman. James Gunn knocks it out of the park in the DCU’s opening film. Extravagant action scenes, funny, and heartfelt. Superman is a must-watch movie this summer. Multiple times during the film, my eyes were watering. It’s just a beautiful story of hope and acceptance, and good vs evil. While the real world isn’t as black and white, and some people might be a little irked by the political messaging in the film, to me, it’s really just about someone who is innocent and wants to save lives in a world where that is seen as radical by some or a political move by others. David Corenswet does a great job in the role, and so does the rest of the cast, which feel like they’re living inside a fleshed-out world with a grand scale. So why are you reading this? If you haven’t seen it, go and watch it; it’s great.
1. Superman: The Movie (1978)
But in first place is the all-time classic Superhero film, which ushered in many more films from DC and Marvel, Superman: The Movie. It’s a terrific take on the classic tale, following the destruction of Krypton, Clark Kent’s origin, training, and then eventual reveal as Superman in Metropolis. The film gets me misty-eyed knowing the fate of Reeve, and the story pulls on the heartstrings. Superman in all his glory doesn’t show up until the second half, but the first half is my favourite part. Undeniably, Christopher Reeve is the best part of the film, but Donner’s direction and the costuming, music, and set design were above what people were used to back in the 1970s for Superhero outings. It’s fun, heartwarming, and exciting. You’ll truly believe a man can fly.
So that is my ranking of the Superman franchise. Is it a franchise? I guess so for this list. Let me know what you’re favourite is and head over to Tell It Animated to check out the Evolution of Superman to learn more about this character. Before I sign off, I want to thank Henry Thomason for joining the Patreon recently. Until next time, I’ve been Aaron and I’ll tell you something later!