Post by Tim on Aug 21, 2016 11:27:20 GMT -5
Decades before the successful CBS TV series, Supergirl took to the big screen.
In 1984, the Salkland's, who had done the Superman movies, starring Christopher Reeve, decided to branch out. They, by then, had done three movies with Kal-El, now it was time to bring his cousin, Kara, to the big screen. It was hoped, of course, that this would lead to a series of Supergirl movies.
Of course, that didn't happen. When Supergirl hit theatres in 1984, the critics showed no mercy, and the movie tanked at the box office (rumour has it that the failure of this movie was one of the key factors in DC decided to kill Supergirl off in their Crisis On Infinite Earths maxi-series the following year).
It would be thirty-one years before Supergirl would be a lead character in a live action production again, the aforementioned CBS series (although she did have supporting roles in various animated series and, of course, Smallville).
What went wrong?
I think the problem with the movie was the script. The story was all over the place and didn't make sense in some places (just where was Argo City supposed to be, for example). And the villain, played by Faye Dunaway, was WAY over the top. You just couldn't take her seriously, IMO.
However, Helen Slater made a good Supergirl (and she now has a recurring role as Eliza Danvers, the human foster mother to the current Supergirl, played by Melissa Benoist). One has to wonder how she would have fared had this series continued.
Interesting fact, Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane (Lois's sister) played key supporting roles in this movie. Both these characters are supporting characters in the current TV series.
The special F/X were pretty good for a 1984 movie. The escape from the Phantom Zone sequence comes to mind here.
So, yes, while this movie wasn't a hit, I did like some of it. Shame that Supergirl would have to wait three decades before getting another shot at being the lead character in live action production (while Superman and Batman kept getting more movies, despite diminishing returns).
So, have any of you seen this movie, and, if you have, what did you think of it?
In 1984, the Salkland's, who had done the Superman movies, starring Christopher Reeve, decided to branch out. They, by then, had done three movies with Kal-El, now it was time to bring his cousin, Kara, to the big screen. It was hoped, of course, that this would lead to a series of Supergirl movies.
Of course, that didn't happen. When Supergirl hit theatres in 1984, the critics showed no mercy, and the movie tanked at the box office (rumour has it that the failure of this movie was one of the key factors in DC decided to kill Supergirl off in their Crisis On Infinite Earths maxi-series the following year).
It would be thirty-one years before Supergirl would be a lead character in a live action production again, the aforementioned CBS series (although she did have supporting roles in various animated series and, of course, Smallville).
What went wrong?
I think the problem with the movie was the script. The story was all over the place and didn't make sense in some places (just where was Argo City supposed to be, for example). And the villain, played by Faye Dunaway, was WAY over the top. You just couldn't take her seriously, IMO.
However, Helen Slater made a good Supergirl (and she now has a recurring role as Eliza Danvers, the human foster mother to the current Supergirl, played by Melissa Benoist). One has to wonder how she would have fared had this series continued.
Interesting fact, Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane (Lois's sister) played key supporting roles in this movie. Both these characters are supporting characters in the current TV series.
The special F/X were pretty good for a 1984 movie. The escape from the Phantom Zone sequence comes to mind here.
So, yes, while this movie wasn't a hit, I did like some of it. Shame that Supergirl would have to wait three decades before getting another shot at being the lead character in live action production (while Superman and Batman kept getting more movies, despite diminishing returns).
So, have any of you seen this movie, and, if you have, what did you think of it?