… and this film was a massive pull on the heart.

Superman is my favorite super-hero. I have 1000s of Superman comic books. It’s possible the reason this true because I saw Superman: The Movie in 1978 when I was six-years-old. I have faded memories of reading the comics at my grandmothers house, lying in the floor with the air conditioner blowing cool air over me and the comic pages. I remember holding the pages down so they didn’t turn on their own. I also have a memories of gazing at an image from the movie (the one below) and wishing there was a real Superman. I even prayed and wished I could be Superman.

To say, this film impacted my life is an overstatement. I bought the trading cards, the comic books, the soundtrack on vinyl and recorded the moving off the ABC Sunday Night Movies on VHS. I still have the VHS tape and the movie is in rough shape as I know I wore out that magnetic tape long ago. I recently found a digital copy of that ABC screening (it had scenes that weren’t in the theatrical cut) and watch it once a year.

So, back to the Christopher Reeve story. It saddened me in 1995 when Christopher Reeve suffered his riding accident that nearly took his life. I prayed he would recover. I’d be dishonest if I didn’t wish his recovery was because I wanted him to return to the role. Most of us comic geeks hoped that he’d return and maybe even team up with Michael Keaton in a cross over movie. It was just fan boy fantasies as movies like that weren’t as common as they are now.

I think the film brings great awareness of his life and struggles. I learned much about the man behind the Superman that I didn’t know. I also hope that the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation continue to fund medical research to hopefully find a remedy to spinal cord injuries. To see what Christopher went through was hard. He may not have had the physical strength of Superman but he had the determination and bravery of Superman. To see his children remember those horrifying days and years of recovery brought tears to my own eyes.

If you get an opportunity to watch the film and I insist you do see this documentary, you’ll see that Christopher Reeve had the support of many Hollywood celebrities, premier politicians and even some Presidents of the United States. A bill was even signed into law by President Barrack Obama to set aside roughly $150 Million dollars to do more research into spinal cord injuries. And I tried hard not to bring my own jaded emotions to this part of the film.

I know I’m cynical and as I get older it doesn’t get any better. So, we have something that impacts thousands of Americans, millions of people worldwide, and the US Government only sets aside $100 million bucks?! Why isn’t this more. Especially when we send billions to other nations. We sent $100 Billion dollars to the Ukraine alone in the last year. So yes, this is why I look at Congress and that President with disdain. It disgusts me that they send that kind of money funding a war that doesn’t benefit us. And they praise and expect us to cheer and give standing ovations because they got a minor $100 Million dollars for something thats much more important than foreign wars that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. (Ok, enough of the politics!)

But you’ll now understand why I have little faith in our respected leaders.

Please go see this documentary. Please donate money to the cause.

Be a Superman!