Director James Gunn’s Superman (formerly titled Superman: Legacy) feature film starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as his sweetheart reporter Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as the nefarious ultra-genius Lex Luthor is getting close to finishing a production shoot that began this past February in anticipation of a high-flying release in summer of 2025.
In honor of this next cinematic treatment of the charismatic Kryptonian character first created by Joe Siegel and Joe Shuster back in 1933 and which debuted in Action Comics #1 in April of 1938, we’re presenting a heroic ranking of the six standalone Superman movies produced from 1978 to 2013.
This comprehensive examination and evaluation of Hollywood’s attraction to Kal-El and the three actors who’ve slipped on the super-suit faster than a speeding bullet doesn’t include serials, cartoons, cameos, or films where Superman is part of an ensemble cast. If you want to check out our thoughts on his crossover escapades, check out our DC movies ranked list.
Ready? Straighten your cape, pull on your tights, and it’s up, up and away to the boulevards of Metropolis with Space.com’s ranking of six Superman movies!
6) Superman IV: The Quest For Peace
- Release date: July 24, 1987
- Cast: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Mark Pillow
The Cannon Group takes over for longtime Superman producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind with a tired “No Nukes” script that feels distinctly stale. It’s shocking to see the aftermath of what happens when your production budget is chopped in half from Superman III’s $35 million cashbox. With only $17 million available to pull off a fourth and final chapter starring Christopher Reeve, director Sidney J. Furie does his best with the limited funds and poor script at his disposal, and it’s severely painful to watch the sub-par visual effects play out on the big screen.
It’s mildly amusing to see Gene Hackman once more as the diabolical Lex Luthor creating an atomic-powered clone of the Man of Steel named Nuclear Man (yes, Nuclear Man!) and see the wacky action that ensues. Reeve, ever the consummate professional, hands in a respectable performance nearly a decade after first donning the traditional blue and red costume. Not even the re-emergence of Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane can resurrect the magic and save this rehashed stinker from ridicule.
5) Superman III
- Release date: June 17, 1983
- Cast: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Robert Vaughn
Yep, this is the one with the awful musical score (except for Williams’ theme) and comedian Richard Pryor in it. It’s always been truly puzzling why the screenwriter, producers, and director chose to steer completely into goofy sight gags and outright slapstick in this third installment. Richard Lester is back to help the unstable production that falls off the rails early. However, it is possibly worth a rewatch as AI is a hot topic these days and the plot surrounding Superman taking on Pryor’s computer genius and an AI supercomputer seems quite fresh for its time.
Lester’s loopy spectacle feels like a mediocre made-for-TV movie that has its moments to allow the project to compete with earlier Hollywood siblings, but those flashes of minor brilliance are few and far between. Toss in a devious plan to control the weather by reprogramming weather satellites and this unloved sequel becomes somewhat timely in a strange if not cliché way. Pryor deserved much better!
Despite its flaws, its existential junkyard clash between dark Superman and Clark Kent is an absolute highlight. Dump the dumb slapstick in this entry and it just might have ranked a half-notch higher.
4) Superman Returns
- Release date: June 28, 2006
- Cast: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth
No one will doubt director Bryan Singer’s (X-Men, X2) honest love for the iconic character of Superman, but we can sum up this movie in one succinct word… Boring. It’s paced like molasses poured on a frigid winter day in Antarctica and everyone appears to be sleepwalking through their performances.
Newcomer Brandon Routh does his best with the mediocre screenplay that revolves around Kevin Spacey’s Lex Luthor employing stolen Kryptonian crystals to spawn a new continent. We dare you to try watching this resurrected Superman offering and not nod off at some point during its 154-minute runtime. Singer never truly finds a handle on the heart of the film and its glacial pacing and insistent concentration on character issues over superhero action eventually become insurmountable. While Spacey’s Luthor injects a modicum of laser-focused life into the effort, Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane is bland and forgettable.
Relying on Lex Luthor one too many times over the franchise’s film history and not showcasing other interesting villains like Brainiac, Darkseid or Metallo never ceases to amaze. It had been nearly two decades since the last Superman movie had graced the silver screen and while it was an admirable effort, it just lacked the creative sparks needed to generate a firestorm of interest.
Caffeinate yourself heavily if you’re up for the rewatch challenge as it’s still an ambitious, good-looking attempt to bring Superman back into the limelight.
3) Superman II
- Release date: June 19, 1981
- Cast: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman
Vaulting off the undeniable success of 1978’s Superman and with the entire original cast and creators returning, this sequel was bound to be a crowd-pleaser. It’s possible fans forget just how good the successor is and it stands proudly right beside the 1978 classic. Part of the reason is that “Superman: The Movie” and Superman II were filmed simultaneously to provide a seamless tonal transition, but controversy arose when Donner was fired after shooting 75% of Superman II and the studio brought in Richard Lester to finish the film. Lester reshot key scenes and chose a lighter, more cartoonish approach to Donner’s epic, grandiose approach to the material.
The storyline centers on the trio of Kryptonian criminals (Zod, Ursa, Non), sentenced to imprisonment by Jor-El in the Phantom Zone seen in the first Superman feature, who are accidentally freed by a nuclear explosion in space. Of course, they head straight for planet Earth to seek revenge on Jor-El’s banishment (with Lex Luthor’s assistance) and bring his son Kal-El/Superman to his knees.
Fans curious about Donner’s vision can watch Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, a remastered director’s edition that’s superior to the theatrical version.
2) Man of Steel
- Release date: June 14, 2013
- Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon
We can hear some of the grumblings from detractors already, but this divisive effort from polarizing director Zack Snyder is a spectacular fusion of sound and fury containing one of celebrated composer Hans Zimmer’s most absorbing scores to accompany the striking visuals. Intended to be the cornerstone of a new DCEU endeavor, it pulled in a record-setting $670 million worldwide when it touched down in theaters in the summer of 2013.
Like Christopher Reeve before him, Henry Cavill was born to play Superman and he’s got the buffed build, intelligence, sensitivity, and intensity to pull it off. The Krypton’s destruction scenes delivered early on are magnificently staged, with Russell Crowe’s Jor-El a triumph of quiet strength and a worthy adversary to Michael Shannon’s imposing General Zod.
Amy Adams Lois Lane is a bit “vanilla” in many scenes and her chemistry with Clark/Superman never really catches fire, but it’s a minor complaint in a rousing production that even adds a grunge rock anthem from Soundgarden! Yes, Kevin Costner’s Pa Kent sacrificing his life to save Clark’s identity during a tornado still makes little sense, but as the ’80s metal band “Poison” sang, “Every rose has its thorn.”
1) Superman: The Movie
- Release date: December 15, 1978
- Cast: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman
Let’s be perfectly honest, director Richard Donner’s classic film was truly the best, with a natural balance of romance, comedy and superhero action that still holds up well today. The legendary Marlon Brando brings a steely gravitas to the noble character of Jor-El, Superman’s dad, and his crazy $3.7 million payday for two weeks of acting work was well spent by the producers and the studio.
Christopher Reeve, who tragically passed away in 2004 due to complications caused by an equestrian accident, has never been better as both the brawny champion of truth and justice and nerdy, mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent. Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane has brilliant comedic timing and a touching romantic side that creates an organic emotionality. Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor looks like he’s having such fun in every sequence and it was one of his favorite roles in a long and storied career.
Fortified with a record-breaking $55 million budget and stunning production design courtesy of the best craftsmen and visionaries in the business, “Superman: The Movie” is a standout achievement that does Siegel and Shuster’s comic book creation proud and raked in $300 million globally during its lucrative theatrical run.
And the fantastic music is timeless! Academy Award-winning composer John Williams followed up his old-fashioned Star Wars score of the previous year with this majestic musical miracle that soars like the caped title character.
