This is excellent content. Research, editing, writing and narration are all absolutely S-tier. Sincere congratulations on your great talent and achievement, and thanks for sharing your gifts with us. Easy sub.

Christopher Reeve was never in it for the paycheck. He always took pride in his work, which is why he was a great actor. Even after his accident, he was an inspiration to many. RIP, Superman of my generation.

I was diagnosed with leukemia at age 6, and Superman was my idol. I wore my superman costume every time I went into the hospital for treatment. These characters MATTER. They can feel like a suit of armour when you go to face some of the hardest challenges in life. Rest in peace Christopher Reeve. You will always be the real Superman to me.

The epilogue with Chris made me cry. He really was Superman, even with clipped wings.

It still hits me to this day, the scene in the original Superman movie, where Superman sees a dead Lois Lane, his anger and reaction seemed to real, so genuine. I don't think I've ever seen someone act a rage scene so intensely and properly in all my life since. R.I.P. Mr. Reeve.

I remember being a teen when the news broke of Reeve's accident. It hurt my soul. Here was Superman, *my* Superman that I watched as a child. But what he was able to do with the time he had left was greater than anything that Superman could. RIP Christopher Reeve

That scene with the robot in Superman 3 scared the absolute living sh*t out of me as a kid. It still creeps me out.

I worked on his last film, which was an animated feature called "everyones hero". Many stars offered their voice talent and many didn't even want the screen credit for it (robin Williams) because they loved Chris. I remember one day driving through the city to work on one of my shots and the classic radio station played the theme from Superman and I welled up inside. we all knew what was going on and that Chris was close to death. Ive worked on 100's of projects since then but still my proudest yet most humbling work. RIP Chris, hope you are flying around up there.

I think it is still fitting that Reeves' final preformance was in two episodes of Smallville, returning to the world of Superman to guide a new Clark Kent towards his destiny. I love cameos in DC shows and movies, but Reeve appearing on Smallville was probably the best one of them all.

Christopher Reeve brought the quality of absolute sincerity to his performance of Superman

Superman II was actually my favorite. The one thing Superman I lacked was a super-powered villain to have a knock-down drag-out with Supes; II delivered on this and more. After II, ya everything went to shyte.

I love how well the footage is selected to match up with the script, like patch the holes, Supergirl tanking, Christopher Reeve suiting up, ettc. This is some top shelf content

Christopher Reeve really did embody Superman. So ingrained into all those that grew up watching him. Great behind the scenes video. It shows if only they had allowed the people with passion to make the movies they wanted, we would have got some amazing stuff.

The quintessential Superman. Quite amazing how he lived for 9 years after that accident. Amazing fortitude.

I remember being in third grade and watching Superman IV with my aunt and my mom. Years later the movie does not hold up but at the time just seeing Christopher Reeve playing Superman on the big screen was a total blast and now I remember that day very fondly.

It's funny how it's impossible to imagine an actor today bring the boy-scout charm of Superman to life the way Christopher Reeve did in 1978.

Reeve was an inspiring individual who had passion for his work and took pride in what he did. Thanks for the memories sir!

I adore Christopher Reeve, one of my all time favorite actors. For those who haven't seen it (or who have), Somewhere in Time is a wonderful movie. I've seen it more than a few times.

Going into this video for what it seemed to be on face value, I would've never guessed that it would leave me in tears by the end. Well done!

He was such an integral part of my childhood even in an country where people barely talked about superman . I grew up watching him, running around with a cape and a S on my chest. Rest well my superman

Christopher Reeve + Hans Zimmer’s Man of Steel soundtrack is almost like a filmmaker’s cheat code

Christopher Reeve is a true legend. He really was a Superman in a world of cut corners and greed

Seeing Superman IV as a kid I could tell something was off when the same shot of Superman flying was repeated multiple times, but I'd take it over Batman & Robin any day.

Loved Christopher Reeve as Superman when I was a kid. He was THE live action Superman everyone thought of when Superman was mentioned. An absolute class act.

It is always good to remember that Superman really existed and it wasn't just a myth.

Christopher Reeve will always be superman to me, rest in peace we'll never forget him.

I love the fact that you used "Earth" from the MoS suite. It's the one theme from MoS that gave a true feeling of "smallville-ness".

My father took me to see Superman when I was a kid in the 70s and at the time my Dad was a hero for taking me ..I wanted to go so bad ..and he took me ,and I think after that I would wrap a towel around my neck and pretend I was Superman....then Batman 89 came out and I just really started loving comic books again thanks to these films.

"Superman... could no longer fly." 😔 That got me deep in the feels.

Superman:The Movie is the gold standard of all Superman movies. It had warmth, charm, great casting and a sense of humor. No over-emphasis of special effects which today reduces super hero movies to glorified cartoons. Ree ve was perfectly cast.

It was a travesty to see the characters and the 'Superman' series descend to this farcical level. Superman was a brilliant film and proved that a superhero movie could work on the big screen Superman II was flawed but still enjoyable with some great moments Superman III was an utter goof-fest that took a huge dump on the previous films. The junkyard scene was extremely well done though. Superman IV was a total disgrace

RIP Christopher Reeve. The one and only Superman/Clark Kent. Super Man 1 was one of the best movies ever. The only problem is Warner and Cannon could be a dangerous issue. Especially the movie budget went cut half. Thanks for showing the video.

Superman 2 was a great movie, despite a few missteps. The ending was great. The fight scenes were awesome. The drama was still there. While not as good as the original, it was still a great flick.

I and II were good, kinda cheesy but in a loving way, respectful toward the character and the idea. The problem with II is the loss of Donner's vision of Superman.

And the first Superman has one of John Williams' most iconic soundtracks. Recognizable as soon as you hear it.

I remember going to see the first Superman with my mom and other family. Everyone in the audience was floored by the effects, the story, the drama, and Reeve, Brando, Hackman, Kidder and Beatty. (what a lineup!). The women were all swooning over Reeve. It really is an enduring masterpiece. Such a shame the last two movies were so fraught.

I was a kid when the sequels came out. The scene in 3 with that chick turning into Brainiac always freaked me out and had me hiding behind the couch. And I remember seeing the 4th film in the cinema. They may have been shit from an adults perspective but they definitely appealed more to younger minds. And Reeve really was one of those special actors who was passionate their parts. He was a hell of a guy. Even crippled he had a sense of humour. I remember him on Dave Letterman saying he now knows every pothole in New York city. Then adds, "Mayor Juliani, you gotta spend a few bucks." He really had a strength in him that manifested through his portrayal of Superman.

Great deep-dive!! As bad as the film is, I still have a love for it based purely on childhood nostalgia. For years, I’ve been clamoring for a Sydney J. Fury cut much like the Donner cut of Superman II. Would be awesome to see you tackle another Cannon classic: Masters of the Universe!!

I love how Chris respected the legacy of Superman and made sure he respected the character and what he represented to people. I really wish other actors would act this way.

You’re dead wrong about Superman II. It was a massive hit, much more fun than the original, and fans loved it.

The failure is all on Canon. The idea of the movie is actually a great idea. "If Superman is so powerful why can't he just stop war?" And the moral is he can't. Superman loses in the end. It could have actually been a more philosophical film.

This is very heart breaking video. Love Superman. Thanks for the video.

I’ve always loved Superman II, and when I was a kid I thought it was better than the original. As an adult, I can see that the first one is far superior.

The take away is Cannon movie studios were cunning, showed me my first glimpse of tittles on screen, made terrible but cult classic movies. P.S blood sport was great when I was 10!

Christopher Reeve was not just Superman, he truly was a Super Man.

Great documentary. RIP Christopher Reeve. You WERE Superman. Completely irreplaceable.

Your scripts are amazing and i typically just listen instead of watch video essays but your choice of editing clips is very funny and interesting. Keep up the good work.

I've always loved Superman 1 & 2 and thought 3 was inferior but had some good moments. I had high hopes for 4 when it was being made. Everything in interviews & production updates in the news gave hope the series would get back on track & continue to fly for many more installments. When I saw Superman 4 in the theaters in 1987, I was like WTF happened. From the bad SFX and story I thought I was having a bad dream & would wake up to see the great film promised. Nope it was rest in peace for the series after this. I even saw part of it on TV a while back while changing channels and yes it is still that bad. Even my mother (who didn't see it in 1987) said ok can we change the channel from this garbage. Thank you for the flashback which really showed how messed up Cannon Films was.

This is one of the best retrospectives i've ever seen!!!! Brilliant video, well done

I love how this ended as a wonderful tribute to the incomparable Christopher Reeve 😢❤

Fantastic video man! The Salkinds wanted a campy-Batman tv series type of a Superman movie... Dick Donner fought with them every-day to keep the movie like the one we saw! The way they treated Donner was reprehensible! Lester became piggy-in-the-middle, as he wanted to put his own stamp on Superman II. Then 3 came out, with exactly the content the Salkinds wanted-all-along... Campy and crap for it!!! Superman is a cinematic masterpiece! Superman II has some merit, and is a very fun watch! Superman III only has a few notable scenes... IV has none! It was a sh*t show tell's it like it is.... Thank you!!!

I think donner made such a perfect superman that no other one will really come close. Reeve? Literally the gold standard. Obviously brando & hackman are the biggest acting legends. We don't make actors like that anymore. We don't make anything w/ quality anymore. What happened to the next generation of directors writers producers etc ?

So many 'What if...' moments on the road to the Chris Reeve Superman series. I've known people who use the Golem-Globus model of doing things. Never overpromise, you'll only underdeliver!

in Superman IV, they use the "flying toward the camera" shoot over ten times

Should've mentioned his return to a Superman universe with the Smallville series just before his death. He was so happy to be involved with and see the mythos carry on. But still a very well done homage to Reeves and the story of Superman 4. Great job!

Really well-made and informative video.

Superman (I and II ) are great films and Christopher Reeve is an icon. He was Superman. Period.

You know, Chris Reeve got me through cancer three times, including a stem cell transplant and a NDE. I never met him but I know friends of his, and my dad (who was much older) was an acquaintance of his father, F D Reeves, one of the great American poets, at least in the opinion of my dad who was a poet too. One of my earliest memories is sitting in this drawing room of friends of the family, having tea, and this woman opening the Chicago Tribune to its full extent to display the enormous ad for "Superman." My dad had a letter from Reeves in which he talks about the difficult choice of his son, a gifted student at Juilliard in NYC, on whether or not to take a big but not serious Hollywood role that would probably forever determine his career and make the stage career he had imagined an impossibility, and how he had changed the spelling of his last name. Even from the ad, it seemed like the film was something special. At that time, superhero things were strictly comic books -- the Spiderman television cartoon, the George Reeve shows where you could see the wires: very b-movie stuff, children's fare. This ad was indeed poetic: I remember it as an abstract expressionist painting, the kind of thing you'd see at Moma, without any hint of anything figurative that would be in the film. It just said 'You'll believe a man can fly.' A few weeks later there was this party at a friend of my dad's, a poet -- just a normal guy, I'm sure teaching somewhere, the apartment was a normal one in Rogers Park or somewhere -- and I guess he was also a friend of F D Reeves because some people from the film industry were invited. I wish I had gone, but of course I was too young. I'm getting all this from Joe, who did go: in the hallway, before they opened the door, there were these two men posted outside who stopped Joe from entering, and one of them said, 'Don't worry, there's nothing wrong, but this evening, your friends, the Seidermeyers, have had a happy surprise, because one of the guests we're hosting tonight is the actor Marlon Brando. Now Mr Brando has assured us that he's more than happy to meet and talk to anyone that's been invited here tonight; the only condition we do ask is that no one is at any point to mention his name. Not in any context. Do not address him and do not pronounce the name 'Marlon Brando.' You'll be introduced to him as Uncle Max, and that's the only name he's asking you to be kind enough to use. We cannot admit anyone who can't agree to these terms, and Mr Brando's handler has made it very clear that if this protocol is breached he will leave, and so your signing the guest registry Allen is passing around testifies to your acceptance of the terms, as well as contributing to a keepsake Frank is going to treasure for the rest of his life!' So they sign the thing, and go in, and in a little bit Joe's dad says, Joe, I'd like to meet Uncle Max! And there's Brando, looking down at him, and he gives him a hug and they have this funny conversation. Meanwhile we had some other friends who were very active and respected members of the community, and they were art collectors and gave money to the dems, type of thing -- Jerry Brown always stayed at their house when he was campaigning and I had this brown suit I'd wear for parties as a child, and when we met he says, "Dressed for the occasion, I see' -- everyone laughed. They had five kids, all of whom were either doctors or lawyers, except the one daughter, who wanted to go out to Hollywood -- and she got a job with Cannon! So this was like horrifying to her parents. At any rate I had such a crush on her, and we would talk movies, so it was like our secret thing; as I started getting a little older she was this literal fantasy woman, the first older girl I ever knew. She taught me how to swim. :) Anyway she got me a subscription to Variety and it was like our secret thing, and I was likely the only kid getting a Variety subscription in Milwaukee, and I remember waiting for the big fat trade issues where the studios would take out expensive full-color booklet ads, on glossy thick paper, for upcoming releases. These were for trade conventions although also for the festivals -- I remember Cannes, I think Venice? maybe not -- mostly these were industry conventions. But the Cannon ones were so shocking to me, I'll never forget "Angel: College Student By Day: Woman of the Night at Night" or something like this, this was eye-opening stuff for a kid back then, and Rachel was working on these things! The mind reeled. There were some amazing ones that I kept -- the REVENGE Of the Jedi announcement, a dramatic one for Scarface w/this huge picture of Pacino's face, the poster copy about the refugee crisis in Cuba stretched out over the first few pages of this thing, it seemed unimaginably adult and complex and violent and 'political' lol -- I've lost them all in theft, but the Cannon ones were the most lurid, and when Superman IV was announced, I couldn't believe it. Even at that age I knew it was either a huge step up for Cannon or a huge step down for Superman. Ah well. Thanks for the great video!

Very well-told summary of the sequels' decline. One noteworthy thing about Superman III is Christopher Reeve at his bodybuilding peak. His weight varies throughout Superman I and II because he still putting on muscle during filming, and in IV he went with a much leaner look, but in III he is huge, the biggest Superman has ever been without a fake muscle suit.

I love how actors say they want to quit the role... until they are offered a HUGE amount of money.

Recently saw these movies for the first time, 4 was laughable

Wow. Great documentary with the heart-breaking sight of Donner nearly in tears at the end over Chris accident. I’m tearing up at that bit.

Christopher Reeve is my favourite Superman, I still to this day love the first 3 movies, he'll always be a legend to me, thank you Christopher and RIP

Reeve was the best Superman but he was an even better human. RIP Man of Steel - with a Soft Centre.

Thank you for this video! I loved and still love Superman IV!

Chris was great in village of the dammed , I always remember his performance in that. Watching it on a tiny tv in the dark ages. RIP

Great video, better edition and what superb end! Bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This was a very good retrospective

Really nicely put together, I enjoyed watching that. 👍

Extremely well done, thank you for sharing.

Watched the whole thing and cried at the end

I watched the movie objectively last night after not seeing it for about 20-30 years. The special effects are easy to go after..even when I was 8 or 9 watching this, I knew they were bad at the time. In the movie itself, there are absolutely no pauses at all. The movie is just one big, long string of events and discussions. When Superman gets injured, that's a questionable pause, but he's recovered in about 3-5 minutes onscreen. There isn't enough time for the audience to recognize how menacing or seriously dangerous Nuclear Man really is, which is a waste. And the plot mechanism used for Lex Luther to create Nuclear Man (he just gets to act like a reckless, 4-Star General??) was just way too convenient..it's something out of a children's storybook. The movie seems more like a short, bite sized side story than anything else. Superman I&II are master pieces (in all their various versions), III is a very good spin off type story worthy of a rewatch once a year, and IV is worth watching just one time to once every 10 years. It's a shame they tricked Christopher Reeve into doing the movie...at least he was still very convincing as Clark and Superman throughout the whole movie.

Superman 2 was fine.

Just discovered this channel this week. Well researched, written, and edited

There were thousands of stories in the comic books that would've been great for 3 & 4 but as usual, Hollywood preferred to make up crap and watch their box office receipts dwindle.

I love Superman III. I watched it endlessly when I was a kid. There are a lot of strange and unusual set-pieces and concepts that really had an impact on me.

Chris acting was always on point in every Superman movie. He’s the one who can make a not so great movie very watchable. Just wish donner would have been able to finish 2 and go forward. Imagine the series we could of gotten

Superman III was the only theater movie that I ever walked out on and I was a teenager when it released. It was that insulting and time wasting. I don’t thing I even made it halfway though the picture. This compared to the two previous films where my younger brother and I would spend an entire Saturday afternoon in the theater watching them over and over again. ❤Thank you for this fascinating content.

The man inspired many with his iconic depiction of superman and went on to inspire many more in real life after his accident. One of the most bittersweet tales in Hollywood.

Superman II was the best, and Superman III was also an excellent movie, so the only one that actually sucked was #4.

Amazing documentary and much appreciated. He was Superman to me starting at a very young age. Always will. Thanks for everything Chris. :)

Thank you for this amazing docu :D

9:11 Whoa there kid, you best pump ya brakes before dismissing Blood Sports or Missing in Action! 😲

What an underrated channel

I feel bad for Donner and Reeve at the end of all this. Stuff like this is why I tend to be soft on Zack Snyder. The guy already had to reinvent a character who was around for a long time, telling an origin story that was told over 9000 times in a way that is new and fresh, I get why MoS was made the way it was. I'd probably do the same in some ways.

Just found your channel and wow my dude this is incredibly well edited and written, you put the work in and it shows

I always come back to the interview when the reporter asked him about superman. he said it so clearly "a friend."

That bear being thrown in space and the talking chimp is amazing

You know what? I actually kind of like this movie. Very flawed, but enjoyable.

It ALWAYS sucks to watch a Superman/Chris Reeve doc. It always ends the same way. So heartbreaking. Great video!

Even paralysed I know of one more movie Reeve starred in. Was a very decent remake of Rear Window in which his paralysis is confining him to his apartment rather than a broken leg. Even used it as a near kill method for the killer cutting Reeve's breathing apparatus.

This is a fantastic analysis of an iconic franchise, led down a dark path. Nicely done!

I always thought Gene Hackman intentionally said “nucular” as sort of a “so smart he’s dumb”-type of gag. Because (his) Luthor is always bragging about being the greatest at everything.

You lost me at Superman II was a shit show. Any version of that movie whether it's Richard Lester or Richard Donner cut, is nothing short of a mythical masterpiece.

Really enjoying these. Nice tribute at the end as well.

I remember watching Brandon Routh and being surprised at how like Christopher Reeve he looked and sounded. They can put anyone in that blue suit, Chris Reeve will always be the best Superman of them all.

Thanks for the history lesson.. as a kid I’ve always wonder why 1st Superman movie were so much better in special effects than the others that came out years after...

I always enjoyed Part 4 despite the errors it had for what it was. I thought it was more seriously toned than Superman 3 ever was to be reckon with. I agree that the film was made in the wrong hands of people like Cannon,etc. And their mistake to over spend on multiple films at the sametime with all of them having such cheap budgets to go on that they all failed. I mean, what the heck were the head hunchos even thinking to stretch money out so thin. I doubt even Reeve himself could've saved Supergirl from failure if he agree to have minor role or cameo in it. It had such bad plot/story,mostly cast to it except Helen Slater & Mark McClure reprising his role.I think imo Superman 4 might of been better if some of the deleted scenes weren't cut outta the film cause some of them helped the film make more sense to the viewers,especially between Lacy/Nuclearman 2 and how/why he went after her. Among other scenes. I think the ending in the final cut was better imo than original with Superman/Jeremy flying in space. Some scenes work while some don't for the film. Like the cast said, they released a unfinished film with really no good budget.

I remember seeing Superman 4 in the theater and thinking, "Wow, this is absolutely terrible." I was actually embarrassed to be seen leaving the theater.

I didn't expect to moved by a video about Superman IV. Great work.