Fuzzy Wuzzy Favorite Movie Quote: "The kindest thing that I ever did was not bumping you off right away, Miss Lois Lane." This classic Superman flick from 1950 contains some of the most hilarious, unintentional humour that I've ever come across. In this flick things get blown up, real good, especially trucks and cars. And with the added bonus of super-cheap special effects, it all serves to heighten every minute of the B-Grade Fun.In Atom Man Vs. Superman we find Lex Luthor (secretly Atom Man) once again blackmailing the city of Metropolis. This time Luthor threatens to destroy the entire community by carefully aiming his powerful Thermo Gun (with its suction ray) on the city's skyscrapers.Perry White, editor of The Daily Planet Newspaper, assigns Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent to cover the story. Naturally, it's our hero Superman who ends up saving the day.

poe426 While it's not quite as tightly done as the first SUPERMAN serial, ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN boasts even better fx (although he still turns into a cartoon when he flies, this time around there are shots of Kirk Alyn "in flight" to balance things out a little- including a beautifully done shot where he removes a smoking bomb from the wing of a plane). The storyline gets a little convoluted from time to time (Lex Luthor, working on some top secret stuff for the U.$. Government, a la concentration camp overseer Werner Von Braun, is actually the "Atom Man" of the title- an early indication that this one isn't going to be all smooth sailing), but it's still great fun, nonetheless, and harks back to the comics in a way that most cinematic ventures never manage (like when we see the ghostly image of our hero superimposed over the day-to-day activities of his colleagues as he tries desperately to communicate with them). Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White actually deduce that Clark Kent is Superman at one point (I told you this one got convoluted), but turn around and conveniently overlook the fact thereafter. Still, another triumph for The Man Of Steel.

ayupodgey I've always been a bit prejudiced against the serials produced by Columbia. They just seemed a little tawdry when compared to the production values of the typical Republic chapter play. Certainly "Atom Man..." is no exception especially in the special effects department. The animated version of Superman that takes over every time that character flies is simply laughable. The actual animation itself is fine, reminiscent of the old Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 40's in fact, but it just doesn't key in with the live action sequences. The rocket, featured in the final episode, from which Luthor plans to dominate the Earth is a joke. The model is very amateurish when compared to the ones produced by the Lydecker brothers over at Republic while the interior simply doesn't make sense. It wouldn't look out of place in an Ed Wood movie. What does save this serial however are the lead performances, particularly those of Kirk Alyn as Superman/Clark Kent and Noel Neil as Lois Lane. Alyn plays his role with almost total conviction and unbounded enthusiasm. As an actor he's clearly aware that this is all pure nonsense and there is a definite hint of a tongue in cheek approach in his performance but not enough to detract from the action. He seems totally unable to be embarrassed, for instance, being caught leaping around in an outfit that is clearly adapted from a set of mens long underwear. Noel Neil is equally enthusiastic in her portrayal of Superman's "girlfriend". Visually she is a dead ringer for the actual comic book Lois from the 40's and early 50's and I was almost convinced that she couldn't actually see that Superman and Clark Kent ("mild mannered reporter") where one in the same. As I catch up with more and more of the old Columbia serials I realise that it is with these lead performances that they score over the Republic product. Warren Hull gives colourful interpretations of both The Spider and Mandrake. Lewis Wilson is an enthusiastic Batman. Victor Jury brings a real touch of class to his role of The Shadow. With one or two exceptions the Republic heroes tend to be rather colourless. Dennis Moore, hero of "The Purple Monster..." virtually defines this. Even Kane Richmond in "Spysmasher", an undisputed classic, often does little more than look granite jawed and mildly concerned in the face of potentially fatal situations. Luckily Republic did have Ralph Byrd but simply not long enough due to his early death. So have a look at "Atom Man..." and revel in both it's weakness' (laughably cheap production values) and strengths (admirably enthusiastic performances) and simply have a good time.

beejer This serial is a sequel to "Superman", the 1948 serial. In this one the Man of Steel is battling the evil Lex Luthor and his alter ego, the Atom Man in a bid to take over the world with another of those deadly rays popular in serials of the time.Kirk Alyn is back as Superman/Clark Kent and once again does a creditable job. Noel Neill is the spunky Lois Lane, former Little Rascal Tommy Bond is Jimmy Olsen and Pierre Watkin as cranky old Perry White. Lyle Talbot makes an excellent villain as Luthor. The serial is populated with the usual assortment of villains from Columbia's stock company including Don Harvey and Rusty Westcoatt. Even veteran "B" western villain Charlie King turns up briefly in suit and tie as one of the baddies. The usual assortment of narrow escapes and explosions abound.As in the original, most of the special effects are handled through the use of animation. Although it looks a little tacky by today's standards, it is nonetheless quite innovative for it's time given the limited budget and lack of technology. Don't forget, Superman IS a comic book character.In my opinion, the Superman serials were among the best ever produced by Columbia. Taking them for what they are, they are very entertaining and enjoyable.