Review of Superman and the Mole Men (1951) by Artistew A — 08 Jul 2010

Superman and the Mole Men (1951).

Written by Robert Maxwell.

Directed by Lee Sholem.

Starring George Reeves (Superman/Clark Kent), Phyllis Coates (Lois Lane).

"Superman and the Mole Men" was the first time Superman appeared in an independent feature film. Until 1951, Shuster and Siegel's superhero only guest-starred on the Silver Screen in serial shorts that were, frankly, ridiculous. But, influenced by a growing interest in "The All-Time Ace of Action!", Producer Barney Sarecky took a calculated risk and gave Lee Sholem twelve days and a back lot to shoot what eventually launched the worldwide culture staple we recognize today. The 58-minute feature was so well received that it later served as the 2-episode pilot for the TV series "The Adventures of Superman" starring George Reeves, which ran six seasons.

Obviously, they did something right here. I would say The Man of Steel speaks for himself, but I'm betting the creators of "Superboy" would disagree with me (yes, there was such a show, and, yes, it ran multiple seasons). It was more than just society's enthusiasm in Superman that made "Mole Men" a hit, it was the brand-spanking new special effects, the topical themes, and the hottie-mc-hottie Reeves that attracted fans.

In "Superman and the Mole Men," Clark Kent and Lois Lane arrive in a calm 50s suburbia to cover the unveiling of the world's deepest oil well. Unfortunately the townsfolk don't know that said well has penetrated the center of the earth, which happens to be hollow and home to a race of Mole Men with a phosphorescent and potentially radioactive touch. When various items around town start glowing in the dark and the Mole Men are spotted hanging out with little blond children, the town goes mob and begins hunting the "monsters." (SPOILER ALERT) Thankfully, Superman just happens to be in town too, saves everyone and stops a war between the species.

The point of the story being, of course, to show that people quickly lose morality and rationale when faced with things that are alien and therefore instigate avoidable conflict. It's not a veiled attempt at peace propaganda in post-World War II, red-scare era, America. This theme is reflected in many films, including the more successful "The Day the Earth Stood Still," which was released the same year. Clearly it was topical in 1951, but I personally think it's still pretty darn applicable today. (Maybe they'll remake this too!).

I was actually a little saddened at how relevant it was in topic, despite being almost 60 years old. But at least cinematically we've shown a little improvement since then. Predictably, the effects were non-existent. You can see the Mole Men's wig lines and the laser beams don't line up with the mouth of the gun. But you have to remember we're talking about a film featuring an alien who can fly and see through walls shot in the same year the first commercial computer was purchased. They had to use trampolines and creative editing to produce effects that we could master in 30 seconds on a Mac. For the time, the overall film was extremely impressive.

And George Reeves? Oh baby, he's good. Christopher Reeve will always be my favorite Supes, but Reeves was the inventor and earned his place in history with this film. By '51, the Kent nerdy-ness wasn't added yet, which I did miss from the performance. In fact, Kent, being a man, was a more respected reporter than Lois at the time and was often taking the lead. But Reeves had plenty else to do while creating the moral compass for America. His command of the screen as Superman is halting and Superman's reprimand of the townspeople at the end rivals Klaatu's. That's not to say it was all time-outs and detention. Reeves' finds humor everywhere he can, and isn't afraid to use it. You just have to watch out for those canned one-liners that are strangely akin to pick up lines at a bar.

Overall: If you can get past the 60-year old special effects and appreciate the quality of the performance and the story, this film is an underestimated treasure of film history. I highly recommend it to everyone as 58-minutes well spent.

Rating: Night of the Living Dead.

Best Quote: "Now I'm going to give you one last chance to stop acting like Nazi Storm Troopers." -Superman.