Greatest portrayal of Superman?

[Takemetokrypton]

Just wondering who everyone thinks was the greatest actor to ever play superman. George Reeve, Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh or Henry Cavill?

 

[Rorschach2012]

Currently, Christopher Reeve by a mile. But after BvS, i suspect that Cavill might be my favorite.

But Superman and Superman II are some of my favorite movies of all time, and Reeve is a big part of that

 

[8ulk]

Easy. Henry Cavill all the way.

Christopher Reeve's movies were PRetty good for their era but if you watch them now they are outdated. They look cheesy and ridiculus. Compared to todays standards (im not talking the effects/cgi) they are pretty lame.

It was good for that time but it doesnt hold up. Its a very bad MCU analog for me. The MCU tone done horribly.

Its not the filmakers fault ofc they didnt know anybetter plus they didnt had the tools we have now. It is what it is. There are a lot of old movies that hold up to todays standards and Superman I & II are not 2 of them. Imo at least.

 

[Rorschach2012]

oh man i feel bad for you and your taste if you can't appreciate those first two Superman films. Those are some of the greatest movies of all time, absolute classics.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

I don't think anyone has crafted a really great story to portray Superman.

Reeve has the character down but is let down by a hammy Lex and plot.

Cavill had the effects but none of the story or characterization.

Routh had a decent set-up for characterization but it got muddled in a love story instead of a Superman story.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Yeah i agree with you, we haven't had the perfect Superman story yet. The perfect Superman film lies in between Superman The Movie and Man of Steel.

I enjoyed Routh, Cavill, and Reeve, but Reeve stood out the most for sure.

 

[B]

George Reeves was long before my time so it's not really fair of me I don't feel & judge his portrayal basically because I find films & TV shows of that era, for lack of a better word, bizarre. I honestly can't describe it, a lot of the acting in general, and this comment isn't aimed at George Reeves Superman in particular, seems very low standard in comparison to some of today's TV shows & movies... some, not all though.

Christopher Reeve was the portrayal I grew up with, even though the 1st film was made a good 10 years before I was born. In it's time his portrayal was fantastic.. pretty much flawless, both Reeve & all of those films, 1-4 (yes 3 & 4 included) will always be iconic & hold a special place with me.. but if you tried to bring it forward into today's world, it would seem dated & you'd essentially get what Singer, Routh & Superman Returns gave.. although I feel they made a mess of it. What I'm saying is although the portrayal was fantastic, I feel for me personally it's showed it's age in the late 90's/early 00's.

Brandon Routh's portrayal is probably my least favourite for a couple of reasons, the portrayal itself felt very dated. It felt like they were going for what Reeve/Donner gave in 1978 but seemingly missed the ball completely. Routh's portrayal & Singer's movie angers me quite a lot as well everytime I think about it because I felt they had such a fantastic opportunity to wipe the slate clean, take elements from Donner/Reeve's Superman, Dean Cain's L&C & Smallville, then really try to bring Superman to the big screen & instead they seemingly tried to stick far too similar to the 1978 Donner films in too many ways, which as I said, are showing their age.

Henry Cavill, as it stands, is probably comfortably my favourite portrayal even considering we've yet to see the Clark Kent/Superman character really develop truly yet. The reason being is because I feel his portrayal, thus far, is much more in line with the times. It's ironic that I feel Cavill's Superman, doing the most unlikely Superman thing, breaking Zod's neck, was the best thing to happen to the character for the big screen. I think it gives him a more relatable characteristic to the viewers in the sense that it's showed a flaw in the character in his early years of being Superman & it will provide a good character building point for future films. People will relate more to the character if they seem him overcoming doubt & adversity, not just in a physical sense with a fist fight with someone, but a mental one as well.

 

[Takemetokrypton]

I agree I'm a Henry Cavill man, I think we are still to see the best of him as superman but his performance in man of steel was outstanding. My friend pointed out to me that I forgot Tom Welling of Smallville, would anyone choose him as their favourite?

 

[Rodrigo90]

Tom's not the greatest actor, but I liked his Clark.

And my favourite Superman is Chris.
That guy was 24 and nailed it to perfection. If I wanted saving by any actor that has portrayed Superman, it would be him. He made you feel tomorrow was going to be a better day.
None of the rest come close.
Henry has the potential to shine out though.

 

[Rorschach2012]

You described Chris perfectly, Rodrigo. He did make you feel like that. Superman The Movie is seriously the most optimistic, inspiring, and uplifting movie I've ever seen.

 

[Takemetokrypton]

Tom's not the greatest actor, but I liked his Clark.

And my favourite Superman is Chris.
That guy was 24 and nailed it to perfection. If I wanted saving by any actor that has portrayed Superman, it would be him. He made you feel tomorrow was going to be a better day.
None of the rest come close.
Henry has the potential to shine out though.

Yeah I've heard people compare the first two movies to the original Star Wars trilogy in terms of being revolutionary.

 

[Rodrigo90]

You described Chris perfectly, Rodrigo. He did make you feel like that. Superman The Movie is seriously the most optimistic, inspiring, and uplifting movie I've ever seen.

Definitely.
Sure, it can be considered "cheesey" and perhaps it is. After all, it was made in the 70's.
But even for its time, it was still crafted in a way that hasn't come close in a long time by anything. Not even MOS.
And it wouldn't have been what it was without Chris.
Even if people don't agree that he was the "definitive" Superman, he'll always be the most heroic and uplifting actor to ever portray him and that in my book makes Chris the best Superman so far.

 

[Longshot777]

Dean Cain

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Reeves was perfect (and i dont think STM is a good movie at all).

Cavill was perfect with the aspects of Superman he got to portray.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Reeve by a country mile. No one else comes close.

In fact I'd say Christopher Reeve's Superman is still the best portrayal of any superhero on the big screen.

Many actors can imitate a superhero's mannerisms but few can embody the spirit of the character like Christopher Reeve. Even the comics don't feel as genuine as Reeve's portrayal. That's how perfect he was.

 

[Boy Scout]

1) Cavill. I don't like MOS, but he turned in a performance that, for me, made the film watchable. I actually found him charming. There's just something about him that's very much Superman.

2) Reeve. I think he's overrated, but still very good.

3) Welling and Routh. Welling had more time, but technically wasn't ever Superman. He was also prone to very frustrating regressions in personality/emotional maturity. I liked his confidence, though, and when he was written well, he was an admirable character. Routh's Superman was intentionally made to be very, very human, and was therefore allowed to do understandable, yet arguably non-Superman-ly things that were a bit problematic when examined. I thought Routh turned in a decent performance.

 

[antonydelfini]

oh man i feel bad for you and your taste if you can't appreciate those first two Superman films. Those are some of the greatest movies of all time, absolute classics.

Yeah absolutely. I watched MoS and Superman 1978 back to back on HBO last week, and I appreciated the filmmaking and craft of Reeve's movie alot more.

 

[antonydelfini]

Reeve by a country mile. No one else comes close.

In fact I'd say Christopher Reeve's Superman is still the best portrayal of any superhero on the big screen.

Many actors can imitate a superhero's mannerisms but few can embody the spirit of the character like Christopher Reeve. Even the comics don't feel as genuine as Reeve's portrayal. That's how perfect he was.

I know, right?

 

[Batmannerism]

1) Christopher Reeve : he just had that X factor that made him both likeable and believable, both as the Man of Steel and Clark Kent.
Even as the Superman films got successively crappier, he stayed great, and was good, no matter how awful the movie - he was the one good thing about Superman IV.

I mean, if you think about it, Superman the Movie has one of the lamest resolutions to the final problem of any Superhero films (he flies really really fast around the world, and it turns back time ?) but still we love the film.
Maybe it's because I saw it when I was 8 and can't let go of the nostalgia, but regardless, Reeve's still my favourite.

2) Henry Cavill: A very very close second. A different version of Superman, and one I really like. I think Cavill did a great job with it, but for whatever reason (you could say the particular characterization didn't give him as much to work with, but I think that's a cop out, we have to accept that this was a different Superman).

Anyway, for whatever reason he's not quite on the same level as Reeve. A very good Superman indeed, and the right man for the job in Man of Steel, but there's just something special about Reeve that I can't put into words.

However, having said all that Cavill is the closest to the look by far. When he stepped out wearing the suit for the first time, I said to myself "That's Superman!" and his performance was very good overall.
I'm expecting great things from him in B v S, as he becomes more comfortable with the role.

3) Tom Welling: Never really liked Smallville, but he did the young Clark some justice.

4) Dean Cain: Not really a Lois and Clark fan, but he was a solid, likeable Superman.

5) George Reeves: back in the day, he was definitely a good Superman.

...

and in last place by several million Brandon Routh, a truly lame performance as Superman, nothing Super about it. Just because he bore a passing resemblance to Chris Reeve he got the part...but is that Bryan Singer's fault, who knows ? Anyway, he was a terrible Superman - I would struggle to find a less enjoyable version of Krypton's last son. (even the voice actors were more compelling !)

 

[Takemetokrypton]

1) Christopher Reeve : he just had that X factor that made him both likeable and believable, both as the Man of Steel and Clark Kent.
Even as the Superman films got successively crappier, he stayed great, and was good, no matter how awful the movie - he was the one good thing about Superman IV.

I mean, if you think about it, Superman the Movie has one of the lamest resolutions to the final problem of any Superhero films (he flies really really fast around the world, and it turns back time ?) but still we love the film.
Maybe it's because I saw it when I was 8 and can't let go of the nostalgia, but regardless, Reeve's still my favourite.

2) Henry Cavill: A very very close second. A different version of Superman, and one I really like. I think Cavill did a great job with it, but for whatever reason (you could say the particular characterization didn't give him as much to work with, but I think that's a cop out, we have to accept that this was a different Superman).

Anyway, for whatever reason he's not quite on the same level as Reeve. A very good Superman indeed, and the right man for the job in Man of Steel, but there's just something special about Reeve that I can't put into words.

However, having said all that Cavill is the closest to the look by far. When he stepped out wearing the suit for the first time, I said to myself "That's Superman!" and his performance was very good overall.
I'm expecting great things from him in B v S, as he becomes more comfortable with the role.

3) Tom Welling: Never really liked Smallville, but he did the young Clark some justice.

4) Dean Cain: Not really a Lois and Clark fan, but he was a solid, likeable Superman.

5) George Reeves: back in the day, he was definitely a good Superman.

...

and in last place by several million Brandon Routh, a truly lame performance as Superman, nothing Super about it. Just because he bore a passing resemblance to Chris Reeve he got the part...but is that Bryan Singer's fault, who knows ? Anyway, he was a terrible Superman - I would struggle to find a less enjoyable version of Krypton's last son. (even the voice actors were more compelling !)

Swap the top two and I agree with you entirely. Perhaps you had to be young whilst those movies were released to truly appreciate Reeve's performance and the movies in general. So hyped for b v s though, Cavill will grow with the universe.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

Reeve by a country mile. No one else comes close.

In fact I'd say Christopher Reeve's Superman is still the best portrayal of any superhero on the big screen.

Many actors can imitate a superhero's mannerisms but few can embody the spirit of the character like Christopher Reeve. Even the comics don't feel as genuine as Reeve's portrayal. That's how perfect he was.

One of the best posts this year. Give this man a prize

 

[The Batman]

Christopher Reeve is to Superman what Sean Connery is to James Bond...in other words, he's the definitive version. IMO, it really dosen't come close.

Second place is easily George Reeves, however. He was the perfect emodiment of 50's Superman.

 

[Dark Raven]

I agree I'm a Henry Cavill man, I think we are still to see the best of him as superman but his performance in man of steel was outstanding. My friend pointed out to me that I forgot Tom Welling of Smallville, would anyone choose him as their favourite?

Your friend forgot to point out you forgot Dean Cain of Lois & Clark the New Adventures of Superman, and John Haymes Newton/ Gerard Christopher of Superboy. And if you wanted to go animated, there are plenty there too, including Tim Daly or George Newbern.

As for me I'd say Christopher Reeve easily.

 

[8ulk]

oh man i feel bad for you and your taste if you can't appreciate those first two Superman films. Those are some of the greatest movies of all time, absolute classics.

I did appreciate those movies... when i was 10.
They are so outdated. They have no ties to realism whatsoever and they feel ridiculus if you live in todays world & have a functioning brain.

They are classics yes. But classic doesnt mean good.

Superman I and II just dont hold up.The same goes for Lois & Clark series . They are for kids (not trying to be rude just state facts.). Total lack of physics is pretty unforgivable for me.

All modern superhero flicks try to pay some respect to the laws of physics.
And yes they have fantastical & sci-fi elements & they bend the rules all the time but completely ignoring them is unacceptable by todays standards.

If you rewatch the Original Superman film quadrology and you can sit through the end of all films there is something wrong with you or you re doing it on purpose.

I got used to the reality of it.

 

[Rorschach2012]

You are wrong ^
Long live Superman The Movie and Superman II!!