Anton Kozlovic, talks about the Superman story from Superman and compares it to the story of Jesus from the Bible. He first begins by stating that the original story for the movie was more based on Greek mythology, but the director insisted that it be changed. He then goes on to elaborate and twenty Jesus-Superman parallels, including the three migrations that eventually led them to do their father’s work, their appearance as that of human beings even though they are both aliens, and the fact that they are both thirty years old when they begin their missions. Then Kozlovic elaborates on specific personal traits that both figures share. For example thought they both had great power, they were always willing to turn the other cheek and they both had dual identities. He then concludes by stating that it is no wonder Superman was so heavily enjoyed by so many movie goers—he is the modern day messiah. He also believes that the true meaning of films rest in the subtext, like it does in Superman.

The modern Hollywood blockbuster is not successfully just because of its extravagant special effects. One other important aspect—probably the most important—is the story. Without a compelling narrative a film has no chance of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster. Throughout history there has never been a story more captivating then that of Jesus Christ because it offers hope in a world of disorder. By emulating the Gospel, Superman again helped set the stage for future Hollywood blockbusters. Now many modern Hollywood blockbusters can be found that like Superman have modelled their plots on the story of Jesus Christ. Truly, there is no story more captivating and Hollywood writers now know what it takes to make a successful screen play, thanks to Superman.

This article by Hardy is mainly a response to the title of the then upcoming Superman movie Superman Returns. His argument is that the Superman craze has never died since he was first conceived in 1938; therefore, he never left. He continues by pointing out that he has had such a strong influence on American culture because he means so much too so many people. To some he is a symbol of the American dream—he immigrates to Earth and starts out as a small town unknown and quickly moves to the city and becomes a national superstar. To others he stands for justice and everything that comes to mind when one thinks of a hero. Finally, to all, he is a savior; almost a god in a world that is losing faith. Hardy even touches on some events that helped to make superman a symbol of hope and strength, such as the Cold War, World War II and 9/11. Obviously, he agrees that the story of Superman is tremendous in that he has always been thought of as a symbol of things that we all strive for.

The movie Superman was also very successfully because of its powerful narrative. The world had known about Superman and his story for four decades before this movie came out and yet the plot was still compelling enough to attract a wide variety of audiences in different parts of the world. Superman once again proved to movie producers that the future Hollywood blockbusters had to be superb narrative with excellent plots. No other movie in the 70’s could have proven this observation better than Superman. Star Wars, Jaws, and even Close Encounters of the Third Kind, all Hollywood blockbuster, were compelling narratives; but, at the same time they were fresh and never before thought of. On the other hand, Superman had had his own industry for decades. Audiences knew of countless storylines, events, and plots; yet, in 1978 Superman was still able to draw in the masses. Had the narrative not been up to par with what people expected and sought for in Superman, the movie wouldn’t have been a blockbuster.

In light of the then upcoming new Superman film, Superman Returns, Andrew Ryan wrote this article to tell about a research project that was being conducted by noted scientists to determine the plausibility of Superman’s powers. He touches on how fans have always been intrigued by the awesome abilities of Superman and though most people know he is a fictitious character, these scientists wanted to know just how possible it would be for him to have his powers on Earth, were he a real being. He then goes on to elaborate of specific abilities and what conclusions the scientists came up about them. For example they found that for a being to be as fast as superman on Earth, it would have to have frictionless knee joints.

Once again Superman proves to be a model for future Hollywood blockbusters. 1978 was the first time movie goers and fans got to truly witness the awesome abilities of superman and ever since then he has truly been immortalized. This is what a typical Hollywood blockbuster must be able to do to receive notoriety. Not only does it have to captivate the audience, it also has to become intertwined in several aspects of society. Superman’s tagline was, “you’ll believe a man can fly,” and now noted scientists are actually actively investigating this claim based on Superman. Star Wars coined the phrase, “may the force be with you,” and now people sometimes repeat the same phase to wish someone luck. To be a true Hollywood blockbuster it is not enough for a film to make a large amount of revenue; it also has to affect society in some facet.

According to Rickitt in the 70’s, special effects had an important role to play in defining what would come to be known as the modern Hollywood blockbuster. The special effects crazed began with the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), which had spectacular never-before-seen visual effects. Hollywood was not ready to adopt this style because the special effects technicians for this movie were unknown foreigners. Therefore, it was time for Hollywood to experiment. Unfortunately, the poor performance of the American film industry in the previous decade had caused some fundamental changes in Hollywood’s business practices. Hollywood was not as willing to make several random productions and also chose to market a few movies per year for long periods of time to numerous theatres. Consequently, it only wanted to produce blockbusters because only they would bring in profits based on this new system. Soon after a few productions, it was obvious that audiences were captivated by these new visual effects. Finally, after studios adopted narratives that appeal to several types of audiences, the time had come to give birth to the modern Hollywood Blockbuster.

The year was 1975 and Jaws was the first $100 million dollar box office hit in history. It is a movie that contains awesome visual effects and features a humongous shark that is essentially an actor. How was this possible before the days of CGI technology? This was part of what captivated the multitudes that adored this movie due to its groundbreaking ability to not only feature but also to control a mechanical shark in water. Finally, Hollywood had proof that visual effects were the keystone to the modern blockbuster. A few years later, in 1978, special effects were still captivating audiences and continuing to prove that the future of Hollywood rested with them. Superman again aided in strengthening this perception by earning worldwide revenues of over $300 million. It was also a template for many special effects that would be used in other blockbusters for years to come.

Rickitt, Richard. Special Effects: the History and Technique. 1st ed. New York: Billboard Books, 2007. 34-35.

Because of the kind of movie it was in its time, Superman (1978) helped substantiate what film goers now know as the traditional Hollywood blockbuster. Whether it is because of special effects, a great plot or its affect on society, Superman helped to set the definition for todays Hollywood blockbuster.