Worst...move...EVER!
Makes Superman 3 and 4 look like genius.
shareTough to argue with that.
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MovieChat Forums > Supergirl (1984) Discussion > Worst...move...EVER!
It was a great move. Perhaps they should have done things a little differently, but it was still a pretty good idea. Once again, I don't see what's wrong with this or Superman III. 4 is OK.
shareYou're joking, right?
Just on a fundamental level this film has absolutely nothing to do with the mythos of Superman's cousin. Her origins, or rather how her city survived the catastrophe of Krypton are never explained. And she and some witch fight over some guy they both got the hots for? And that becomes a focal point of the story?
It's never explained what Selena ultimately wants. I mean, to bed the school ground's keeper? It's a childish-girly script ripped out of the pages of some teen schlock novel.
Superman's cousin had a sense of right and wrong like Supes himself. This has that, but is wrapped up in the subplot.
The Omega-thingy's powers are never explained fully, nor its origins. The producers, scum of the Earth that they are, treat the audience with as much respect and disdain as they did Richard Donner.
Supergirl isn't just some cute girl in a hero costume, but that's the premise she's given.
Finally, Helen Slater really doesn't find the role. She's a very capable actress, but is playing Clark Kent instead of owning the role. She was essentially hung out to dry when it came to her direction.
The list goes on.
You're joking, right?
About what?
*bitching and moaning*
To quote one of my favorite shows as a child (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092332/), "Well, aren't we Mr. Negative? I suppose you could do better."
I'm in awe over the Donner fanboys. I gave the original Superman 8/10, but that was very generous for a movie that's so freakin' slow (to be fair, it does have some magical moments)! It's not just that, but every Donner movie I've ever seen has been comatose. That includes the so-called "action movie" Lethal Weapon (maybe the sequels are better, but I certainly haven't taken the time to watch any of them). The worst offender is Ladyhawke. At least Jeannot Szwarc tried to make an entertaining movie, even if it doesn't spoon-feed you every little irrelevant detail. share
What does any of what I said have to do with the director of the Superman film?
I like Big Macs, but I don't call them 5-star cuisine. Nor do I compliment the chef after going through the drive-through.
I'm talking about the quality of the film itself, not any style tendencies. Szwarc is a capable director, but he's more TV-movie of the week caliber, and not so much major theatrical release material.
The fact that the script went through a number of rewrites, including one by the idiot who tried to write a Superman-musical for TV years before, just adds another nail in the coffin to a project that had no aspirations to entertain on a fundamental level. The project itself, unlike the first film, was designed simply to cash in on the property by riding the coat tails of the previous films.
If I were to do a comic book film I'd stick with the source material. If the source material wasn't that good, then I wouldn't do the project. End of story. That's my argument.
skiop is just being one of those people who tries really hard to drag down good movies in an effort to make something that wasn't such a big hit seem more well made than it actually was. Hey, I enjoy Supergirl for what it is, but at the end of the day your criticisms of the film are spot on and valid. It never aspires to be anything more than a simple-minded plot with witches and teenagers with everyone seeking to bed the hot guy. For some reason, female comic books characters are given less respect when it comes to live action adaptations. Look what happened to Catwoman! Thankfully, Supergirl ended up being better than that abomination of a film.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
I know I'm replying five years late, but you hit the nail on the head. I can watch the thing, but there's better films out there.
shareSzwarc is a capable director, but he's more TV-movie of the week caliber, and not so much major theatrical release material.
I heartily disagree. IMO, while his main career may well be focused on TV shows (and one of the best ever, by the way - I'm talking to you Rockford Files), Szwarc happened to direct one of the greatest sequels to one of the greatest movies of all time - Jaws II - in fact, it was the only decent sequel to Jaws. The other two were crap. And he did Somewhere in Time too, which is a fabulous movie. share
As opposed to Superman fighting to save Lois Lane in movie after movie? He went back in time to save her, and you have a problem with Supergirl fighting over a guy to save him? So it's okay for a guy to save a girl he likes, but it's not ok for a girl to save a guy she likes?
Selena wants world domination. It was pretty obvious even though it kept getting side-tracked by her one-track mind of "OMG HOT GUY".
How is the origin of the Omegahedron even relevant?
Yes, they both had that, and it was on display in the movie making it a non-issue.
If this movie was made today we'd have been given a 10 minute synopsis of her city surviving the destruction of Krypton and being put into a trans-dimensional space, but it wasn't made today and isn't really relevant. What I mean is it wouldn't add anything to the movie. When they remade Footloose, they added a scene to explain why there is a ban of public dancing in the city, but it didn't add much of value that wasn't explained as the movie went along.
The Omegaherdron's ability outside of making what was imagined into reality was kept super vague because it was a lazy plot-device.
Helen Slater found the role she was given. Complaining an actress didn't do enough with a poorly written role/poor direction is petty. Blame the director/writers all you want, but don't pin their failings on her.
Overall, the movie felt like a made-for-tv movie to me, and far from the worst movie ever. Not a great movie, not a terrible movie just an average movie.
Supergirl is NOT a bad film by any means. It just missed out on the general consensus as far as who wanted what in the audience personae. That doesn't make it bad.
Young man is angry! Girl is afraid! He wants to get high, she wants to get paid! City's Burning!
Oh I disagree. Technically it's competent, but it has absolutely no heart. You're saying it's a marketing issue, but the film itself is a giant Harlequin Romance aimed at the 12 to 35 year old female market, and it bombed miserably.
shareIt is true that Supergirl was being marketed for younger audience. It is also true that the script could have been better. A lot of the things that people say as negatives about this movie are also the very reasons why the movie is so popular to this very day. Campy? Cheesy? Maybe. The fact is that a huge number of people, myself included, see this movie as one of our coming of age films that helped us deal with growing up. That makes is very special and dear to us. It is a movie that is liked and considered special by the die hard fans for reasons that cannot easily be explained. Unless the film touched and changed your life in a certain manner, it will be hard for you to understand its magic.
Worst movie ever? I do not think so. There are a lot of other movies out there which can be considered really bad. Supergirl is different. It is not a male oriented action film, neither is it totally a chick flick. It falls in between and allows both the male and female audience to enjoy it. It has a something for everyone, who choose to enjoy the film rather than nitpick, that makes it a good film. For all the shortcomings that the film might have, the reality is that everybody dealt with and worked within the limited parameters they were given as the shooting progressed.
No sense in trying to lay blame for the failure of the movie now. What matters is that it is still around for everyone to enjoy and a new generation to discover. Since the film is still drawing attention and fans to this very day, I would say that this is not the worst movie of all time. Rather, it is a movie with a continuously growing cult following. Therefore, it is a good film. As was pointed out in one of the threads here "Either you love the film or you hate it." More of us choose to love it. Nuff said.
http://www.fanfiction.net/~karazorel
SUPERGIRL, the female super hero of all time
A coming of age film? Then why tell the Supergirl story at all? Why not just some young teen with her first crush or something like that?
This is supposed to be the girl of steel, Superman's cousin. The guy who goes around rounding up criminals, writing wrongs, saving people.
A coming of age story? Die hard fans? You've got to be kidding... right?
Oh I disagree. Technically it's competent, but it has absolutely no heart. You're saying it's a marketing issue, but the film itself is a giant Harlequin Romance aimed at the 12 to 35 year old female market, and it bombed miserably.
I've never laughed harder! It didn't BOMB as many may say, for it was the #1 film it's opening weekend. Do your research my child. Next, it is not a romance by any means. Either admit you are trying(very horribly) to be satirical or cynical in saying this, but don't expect us to REALLY take you seriously when you post things like this!I mean REALLY!
Then you have to look at the facts, little one. The US version of the film was geared toward children, yes, but this was a mishap, and has since been remedied by the release of two longer versions, though an even longer version is said to be out there. Personally, the editor would be the person on the set to blame, not anybody else. But he has NOTHING to be ashamed of. The film is a more poetic take that remains as fresh today, as it was back then.
True art cannot be taken at face value, and this film is no exception. It's a film about superhero. It's a film about good vs. Evil. It's a film that employs women in power, and they use their minds instead of their muscles.
Young man is angry! Girl is afraid! He wants to get high, she wants to get paid! City's Burning! share
The movie did indeed bomb, both critically and with overall audiences. Being number one for an opening weekend only says that there was an audience for Supergirl that quickly died out when they realized that the film wasn't very good. It did well overseas, but only made 1/3 of it's budget in the Unites States (where a film is really intended to make it's biggest money). Stop trying to twist the simple facts into something else, please. If it did so well as folks like yourself love to claim, then where are the sequels? Right, there aren't any. It's alright to enjoy the film, but it is NOT alright to start lying and talking down to folks because you live in a bubble where Supergirl was suddenly a hit. It was NOT a hit. Sorry. Take your own advice and do some real research on the facts and not just an effort to take tidbits to prop up some distorted reality that isn't accurate. When you cross the line into being an apologist for a movie who can't accept the truth, then you become an embarrassment to fans. One can like a movie whether it was a bomb or not. Get a clue and stop trying to warp the facts to match your opinions.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
Grow up blughost. The film IS a superhero film, but the elements thrown into the mix are not the same as conventional type. It's not bad, just different, and you can take that and eat it with Custard on a lawn chair, because nobody cares what you think.
shareAnd you're telling him to grow up? If you don't care what he thinks, then don't respond to him, and CERTAINLY don't chime in with the childish attitude of "nobody cares what you think".
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
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‘Supergirl’ is far from a good film, but I actually think it’s better than ‘Superman 3’ and ‘Superman 4.’ ‘Superman 3’ is actually my least of the series. >>> I actually agree that as a whole, Supergirl is a more entertaining film that Superman III. The third Superman is seriously dragged down by eye-rolling comedy and a terrible plot. Superman IV is pretty bad too, so at least Supergirl is a beautiful film to look at.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
Get lost stupid sailor. you have said so many damn things that you're contradicting yourself. Shut up and get out already!
shareLittle baby fanbois like mrhappening can't stand being slapped in the face with reality. I'll never understand why fans turn into whiny bitches who delude themselves into thinking that their precious film is more than it really was. Why is it so important to you that you sacrificed credibility and common sense in such a way? Be a fan, but don't be a deluded idiot about it. Well, I guess that is too late, seeing that you're already there as judged by your passion for an old movie about Supergirl that makes you act so foolishly idiotic. Just know that I am laughing over your apparent obsession and your inability to maturely handle yourself on IMDb. Have fun with that, silly deluded fanboi. Just know that extremists like yourself are an embarrassment to normal fans.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
Hey little buddy,
You don't know what you're talking about. The reviews (of which I HAVE studied thank you) were varied from state to state. It was well received in the mid-west. It was praised in the NYT, and LAT, In Chicago, and everywhere else it was hailed as "a good try" with Faye and Helen being praised, and other factors, like the effects and Goldmith's score being acclaimed.
There were a few cities (i.e. Oklahoma City, many in Iowa, etc) that did not give the film a bad review. But also remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So as to whether it's a good film, there opinions, and facts. You state the opinions, I state the facts. Stop wasting your breath kiddo.
Young man is angry! Girl is afraid! He wants to get high, she wants to get paid! City's Burning!
HeartMonger, I'll assume that was directed at me. Your attempts to talk down from imagined pedestals exposes your own inadequate arguments from the start, I'm sorry to say. I was alive and more than old enough to follow Supergirl's performance from back in the day without having to look at it through rose-colored glasses like some here feel the need to do, but let's face it, EVERY film has the handful of folks who do this. Yes, even the terrible Catwoman. The film has fans and there is nothing wrong with that, but there is something wrong with fans who live in a bubble that is designed to prevent their precious movie from suffering any sort of critique. In another thread, you tell people they are wrong (just like you've done here) and then go on about how Supergirl is not campy, as well as reading all sorts of things into the film that simply wasn't there to start with. You are making things up in an effort to present the film as a masterpiece when it is really nothing more than a campy adventure that is purely what the Salkinds had wanted to do ever since they first started working on Superman. Yes, it's a fun flick. Yes, Faye Dunaway was lots of fun in the role of a evil witch, and Helen Slater was great as Supergirl...but the film could have been so much more. Quite frankly, the premise was weak, the material of children's programming. The stakes were bedding a good looking guy, for goodness sakes. The movie is nothing more than the sum of its parts. This was the final nail in the Salkinds' big screen presentations of the super-franchise, a huge success with the first two movies that they managed to eventually run into the ground as they staved off the talent behind the camera in favor of light and campy fluff. Why must one's enjoyment of a film suddenly make anyone elses comments who doesn't fully 100% agree with you be absolutely wrong? Your opinion is not fact, and I believe that your opinion causes you to not see the facts as clearly as you could. You are hellbent on defending Supergirl tooth and nail, not allowing for any of the obvious flaws the film actually has. That's called being an apologist. Don't fall prey to talking down from a pedestal, skipper, especially when it is an imagined one. Opinion doesn't give anyone the upper hand or more credibility, and the need for you to proclaim yourself as the be all end all opinion only serves to make you easily dismissed by others.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
You speak with to many metaphorical and boorish imaginative ways, I find it quite exhausting. Now, If you are here to tell us that it is campy, bad, or just plain not that good, I suggest you try a much more philosophical way of wisdom. Any artists know's,it and perhaps you can't handle it, but here I go:
The Naked eye is the form by which we see something and then ask ourselves what it is we are really seeing. It goes back to philosophizers that studied the most lush paintings of artists way back when. We're simply dealing with it here, by way of film. I come to tell you now just how wrong you are in that way YOU attempt to present numerical facts, and all your back up is statistical, perhaps, but you still lack the skill of really asking whether what you are seeing is really what you are seeing, or what the filmmaker wants you to see. That said, a film could NEVER just be "the sum of its part" You just shot one there. Duck, there might be another one, oh yes. Then we take that question, and many others, and put them into terms regarding the film Supergirl.
There are very serious connotations in every scene, be them where they're directed, or how an actor performs. The simple logic is that this differs in no way differently from The Reeve Superman, it has tongue in cheek touch to it, but beyond that, we have to consider the intentions of why we are seeing things the way they are. This is NOT an easy task, and I know for a fact you will NOT get it if you try. It takes many days and many studies before you even begin to crack any codes, and honey, you are up * creek w/ no paddle Give it up and please leave. I have worked with philosophers who will tell anyone that this film is pretty damn good,. GREAT men who are among the most well respected in their field. So please stop wasting our times with your made up pedestals and throne and just leave
Selena is through worrying!!!
I suggest you look other places than Supergirl if you wish to be seen as philosophical. I am sorry, but a handful of devotees to a 1984 movie just isn't impressive by any stretch of the imagination, and certainly not worth anyone's time. The fact that your signature is a quote from the movie says it all.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
Dude, you really are a jerk. I find the philosophical approach quite refreshing, and you turn it down on the basis that this guy is a fan of the film, with a quote as his signature? Dude, a$$hole!
With every beat of my heart, there's thunder inside...
^ Go throw your tantrum to the easily impressed, as that is certainly not me. It isn't my problem that the truth hurts you so much. Learn to deal with it and stop being such a thin-skinned puss over it. I mean, my points still stand after you chimed in with nothing but a temper tantrum as a rebuttal.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
i have to disagree. I say Batman & Robin make Superman 3, 4, and Super Return and Supergirl look like genius. That's not to say they ARE genius...they just look the part due to Batman & Robin
so i really think Batman & Robin is the worst movie ever atleast in the Superhero realm anyways.
I think that we need to realize that, like all films, there will be fans and there will be haters. There's really no point in trying to bring a fan to hate a film and vice versa. The film medium was formulated to be subjective, and the basis of its appeal is the fact that it continues to be open to interpretation. Did I hate Supergirl? No. Did I think it was a masterpiece? No. But I enjoyed it for what it was: a popcorn flick which combines the trials of adolescence with the strength and steel of a super-being. If people love it, fine. If people hate it, fine. But my opinion rests.
shareIt's an entertaining flick and the villains are far more likeable than the ones in Superman 4, which, as much as it hurts me to say, was an idiotic movie.
Superman III is an ok movie and would have been much better with less screen time for Richard Pryor.
I suggest you look other places than Supergirl if you wish to be seen as philosophical. I am sorry, but a handful of devotees to a 1984 movie just isn't impressive by any stretch of the imagination, and certainly not worth anyone's time. The fact that your signature is a quote from the movie says it all.
Oh for God's sake then get away if these "handful" of fans are boring you. No one is asking you to be here. All you are doing is looking for a fight. Your methods of argument and your tactic of conquering are subpar at best. There is a reason no one is listening to you. Get lost.
"All I want in life is a thirty share and a twenty rating." share
^ More angry pusses that couldn't mount a rebuttal of any merit or weight if they tried.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
More like there's no point. But that's okay, keep holding up your manufactured reality! We all do it anyway, so no need to be a hypocrite about it.
There's a slogan written here. 'Happiness Will Walk Away'...