dragonfire88's Full Review: Superman and the Mole Men
After becoming a popular character in comic books, Superman started to appear in cartoons and movie serials. In 1951, the character appeared in his first feature movie, Superman and the Mole Men.
The small town of Silsby is the home of the world's deepest oil well. Reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sent to cover the story for The Daily Planet. Not long after they arrive, they notice a few odd things and while investigating, discover the night watchman dead. Lois spots some strange creatures who are then seen by a few people around town. It is decided that the creatures came from the center of the Earth and climbed up the pipe to the surface. Their strange appearance, along with the fact that things they touch start to glow, cause the people around town to panic and decide the creatures are dangerous. A witch hunt is started by one of the men in town and Superman arrives to try to handle the situation.
Superman and the Mole Men is based on the DC comic book character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. I believe the story was original for the movie, though I could be wrong. Before this movie was released, there had been a few serials released. This movie led to Adventures of Superman television show being picked up. I've only seen a little bit of a few episodes of that show. This movie did end up airing as a two part episode of the series.
The movie isn't that long, so the plot for Superman and the Mole Men isn't that complicated, though there is a decent amount of development considering the length. There isn't that much going on, so some viewers might be bored. I feel like enough is happening to keep the movie interesting and entertaining. There is a science fiction feel to the plot because of the creatures. Some of what goes on is a bit silly, but it manages to work and makes for an entertaining movie. The movie isn't all silly because there is some seriousness to some of what is going on that manages to work along with the silly things. This isn't like any of the other Superman movies, and it could be too silly for some people.
There is only a small amount of mystery to what is going on in Superman and the Mole Men since the creatures are shown fairly early. The theory that the creatures were living in the center of the Earth is brought up fairly soon after the creatures are first shown. The only reference to them being mole men came up when Lois describes what she saw, saying they have bodies like moles. It seems like they just wanted to explore a bit when they first came to the surface, though a motivation for why they were on the surface is really never given. There really isn't much suspense to what is going on and many things are rather predictable, which will probably bother some viewers.
For a Superman movie, there really isn't that much action in Superman and the Mole Men. He is never shown flying. Instead, he sort of jumps out of the shot when he should be taking off and then he lands just in the shot, sort of like he had jumped off something just out of sight of the camera. During times when he is supposed to be flying, a sound effect is used to add to the illusion that he is flying. He does deflect bullets a few times and does a few other minor things that help to show that the character has strength and abilities. Superman does a little bit of fighting, mostly against people in the lynch mob. The violence is very mild and shouldn't bother anyone. The special effects aren't anything great, though they are decent considering when the movie was made.
Clark Kent/Superman does a lot throughout the movie. This version of Clark is mostly confident and he doesn't act like he is accident prone or clumsey like has been done with Clark in other versions. Not much is shared about Superman, but it is shown that he is strong, can fly, and he has compassion for others. George Reeves handles the part well. Lois and Clark seem to work together fine, though she is impatient with how Clark does things at times. She doesn't always think things through as much as she should. Phyllis Coates does fine with the part. Jimmy Olsen and Perry White aren't in this movie. Some of the various people from the town show up every so often, but most of them don't stand out that much. I remember Luke because he is the one who really pushed to hunt down the creatures and started the lynch mob. The creatures didn't talk and there really wasn't much shared about them.
Main Cast
Phyllis Coates - Lois Lane George Reeves - Clark Kent/Superman
Lee Sholem - Director
Superman and the Mole Men was released on VHS in 1987. The movie does turn up as a two part episode in the first season of Adventures of Superman, which is out on DVD now. The movie is also included in the Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD set, which is how I have the movie. I don't think the movie has been released in any other forms.
Superman and the Mole Men is an entertaining early Superman movie that deserves to be seen. Fans of the character should give it a chance.
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