The DC Comics legend comes alive in this wonderfully entertaining saga of Superman's life from a baby on the doomed planet Krypton (with Brando as Supe's dad) to Earth's own Man of Steel (a chiseled Reeve). Hackman and Beatty pair marvelously as super criminal Lex Luthor and his bumbling sidekick Otis, while Kidder is an intelligent Lois Lane. Award-winning special effects and a script that doesn't take itself too seriously make this great fun. Followed by three sequels.