Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a 2024 documentary film chronicling the life of American actor Christopher Reeve and how his horse riding accident that left him paralyzed made him into an activist for disability rights. Admittedly, I was not fully aware of that being the story. I didn’t know as much as I should have when it come to the full extent of his story. I was a big fan of the original 1978 Superman. I honestly thought this film would tackle more of that over what the film actually tackles, but what we got here makes for one of the most important movies of the year.

I don’t think I have ever gone to a single Fathom Events movie. As an A-List member and with the movie having such limited showtimes, I decided to skip it and watch it whenever it became easier to watch. After winning a giveaway, I made the time to catch this in theaters, and I am so glad I did. I happened to walk in the theater just as the movie started (just in case anyone needs to know if Fathom Events plays any trailers beforehand). As soon as I sat down, my eyes were glued from beginning to end for its 104-minute runtime.

The documentary takes an unorthodox approach to its structure. In its first 10 minutes or so, I thought I was being gaslit, because I thought I was watching the third act of the movie. On first glance, this may have been where my problems occur; however, as the film goes along, you begin to understand the need for this type of structure. For those familiar and unfamiliar with the actor, it brings a sense of urgency to his story and why it is being told. We get to see all kinds of different viewpoints from those impacted by the actor and really see what kind of legacy he left behind.

When the film cuts back in time from the actor’s young life to his Superman days adds in information I never thought or knew about before. Coming from an unusual upbringing, I could understand why he wants to be better. I can heavily relate to that myself as someone who wants to help others in ways that I wasn’t. You can see that with Reeve before and after his incident. He says that he isn’t a superhero, but there is a reason why his story continues to be felt today. He is a superhero.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater that I was in. Even if Reeve wasn’t exactly Superman, the way he lived made him a superhero. From his bipartisan support in advocacy issues in politics to his relationship with family & friends, it would appear everyone loved the guy in life and in death. I’d hate to make comparisons as this film isn’t about him, but you can see how similar his experience as Superman correlated to Henry Cavill’s experience. I overheard the people in front of me upset that it was an emotional film. If you’re upset about that, then I don’t this film will be for you, but then again, I hope that won’t be the case for everyone.

Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, the co-direction helps the film navigate the early days of Reeve’s life, as well as interview those who were impacted by the actor. Most notably, I was really impressed by their interview work with Reeve’s kids & romantic partner. The information that they are able to get out of them helps the film hit its emotional beats.

With Reeve being seen as Superman is one of the many reasons why I love film. The way he lived can go on and inspire generations to come. There’s a strong sense of optimism that this film delivers and it’s exactly what the world needs today, which can be frustrating when there are barely any showtimes. It kind of beyond me why this was the case. Nonetheless, I hope it will encourage those to seek it out and see it for what it is. In a perfect world, I hope this will be at least nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.

I am not entirely sure how it was done, but there are moments where Christopher Reeve is speaking in the film to better understand his mindset during specific moments in his life. I found this to be an interesting aspect of the film that seems to help us understand just how down to Earth he was. The film also tackles his friendship with the late actor, Robin Williams. Once again, there wasn’t much I didn’t know about there, so it was very touching to see how he also impacted Reeve’s life and vice versa.

Lastly, I have to talk about the pacing. At 104 minutes, I didn’t once check the time. Not only does the time fly by, but the film is consistently feeding you new and interesting information. Sometimes you can feel the runtime in a documentary. Here, you don’t feel it. It really reminds me of my experience with watching Apollo 11 or 20 Days in Mariupol.

Overall, Super/Man helps split the difference between who Reeve was. He was super. He was human like many of us. And he was superhero. This story delivers thematic messages that I believe can heavily benefit those who watch it. It shows that we can still be better for the next generation and to keep fighting no matter what our circumstances are.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)