Directed by Richard Donner, Richard Lester, Sidney J. Furie and Bryan Singer.
Starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Terence Stamp, Susannah York, Richard Pryor, Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth.
SYNOPSIS:
The complete big-screen adventures of the Man of Steel.
With a cinematic Superman reboot set to begin filming later this year courtesy of director Zack Snyder (Watchmen), producer Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises) and The Man of Steel himself Henry Cavill, now would seem like a pretty good time to deliver a shiny HD upgrade of Warner Bros.’ Superman feature film series. Well, that’s exactly what we’re getting with the release of The Superman Motion Picture Anthology on Blu-ray this coming Monday and – with a set that consists of all five theatrical movies, two alternative versions and a whole boat load of special features – this really is a must-buy for fans of the Last Son of Krypton.
So, first of all, what about the movies themselves, then? In all fairness, aside from the fine work of Christopher Reeve in what became his signature role, Warner Bros.’ Superman movie franchise has been pretty mediocre overall and never quite managed to hit the same heights as its titular hero. Things started out well enough though, with Richard Donner’s landmark Superman: The Movie (1978) paving the way for the modern superhero film, while Superman II (1980) somehow managed to survive all the internal wrangling and firing of its director to deliver not only an entertaining sequel, but also one of the great screen super villains in Terence Stamp’s General Zod.
Unfortunately, it’s all down hill from there and the problems really start to kick in by the time we get to Richard Lester’s Superman III (1983). Rejecting a pitch from producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, Warner Bros.’ preferred to camp things up with a disappointing comic approach for Supes’ third outing while frankly, the less said Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) the better. Then, almost twenty years later, director Bryan Singer delivered another disappointing effort with his homage to the earlier films, the lacklustre Superman Returns (2006), which saw Brandon Routh’s Superman pale in comparison next to Christopher Reeve (you can’t help thinking that Singer should have went for the reboot, although it is entertaining in parts and certainly a vast improvement over the previous couple of movies).
Now, putting aside the fact that three of the movies are a bit naff, what is it that makes this set so special? Well, it’s just so damn comprehensive, that’s what. Aside from pristine transfers of the five theatrical movies we get two alternative versions (an Extended Cut of the original and 2006’s Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut), along with a mountain of special features that even Superman himself would struggle to leap. In addition to commentaries and making of documentaries for each of the movies, highlights include all 17 episodes of the fantastic 1940s Superman cartoon from Fleischer / Famous Studios, the 1951 Superman and the Mole Men feature film starring George Reeves, The Adventures of Superpup 1958 TV pilot, the feature-length Look, Up in the Sky! documentary (directed by Kevin Burns, who previous credits include the fabulous Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy), the previously unseen opening to Superman Returns, and much, much more. In fact, the only thing that seems to be missing is the 1984 Supergirl movie, which isn't too much of a disappointment in all honesty.
While later efforts in the series are severely lacking, there's no disputing the fact that for fans of the Man of Steel, The Superman Motion Picture Anthology really is the ultimate box-set and, given the sheer wealth of Superman goodness that Warner Bros. have crammed across the eight discs, it could very well be the best box-set available on the Blu-ray format. Although the majority of the special features are already present in the Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD set, if you haven't made that purchase - or just want to upgrade your Superman movie series to HD - then The Motion Picture Anthology will make a fine addition to your collection.
Check back early next week when we'll be giving away a copy of The Superman Motion Picture Anthology on Blu-ray.
Gary Collinson
Movie Review Archive
The Superman Motion Picture Anthology is released on Monday, June 13th.
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