Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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68 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Real Superman Returns!, September 17, 2006
All of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies arrive on DVD once more after being given the V.I.P. treatment by WB! Here are the specs for this DVD set:
SUPERMAN THE MOVIE (Four-Disc Special Edition) contents:
DISC ONE
* Original 1978 theatrical version with soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
* Commentary by producer Pierre Spengler and executive producer Ilya Salkind
* Theatrical trailers, TV Spots
DISC TWO
* 2001 expanded edition movie with commentary by director Richard Donner & consultant Tom Mankiewicz
* Soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
* Music-only audio track
DISC THREE
* Taking Flight: The Development of Superman
* Making Superman: Filming the Legend
* The Magic Behind the Cape
* Restored scenes
* Screen tests
* Audio-only bonus: additional music cues
DISC FOUR
* The Making of Superman the Movie vintage TV special
* 1951 Movie Superman and the Mole-Men, starring George Reeves
* 9 Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons mastered from superior vault elements
SUPERMAN II (Two-Disc Special Edition) contents:
DISC ONE
* Movie with commentary by producer Pierre Spengler and executive producer Ilya Salkind
* Additional scenes (over 8 minutes worth)
* Soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
* Theatrical trailer
DISC TWO
* The Making of Superman II & Superman's 50th Anniversary vintage TV specials
* First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series featurette
* The Remaining 8 Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons mastered from superior vault elements
SUPERMAN III (Deluxe Edition) contents:
* Movie with commentary by producer Pierre Spengler and executive producer Ilya Salkind
* The Making of Superman III vintage TV special
* Additional scenes (over 19 minutes worth)
* Theatrical trailer
SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (Deluxe Edition) contents:
* Movie with commentary by screenwriter Mark Rosenthal
* Additional scenes (over 30 minutes worth!)
* Theatrical trailer
The Supergirl Movie and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut are not included in this set and are sold separately. This set is also not to be confused with the 14-disc Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition, which features a ton more additional content. To appease all the fans, WB is targeting the more affordable Christopher Reeve Collection for the general public and the more expensive Ultimate Collection for the collectors. Despite owning the 2001 DVDs of the Superman movies, I was still excited to add these new releases to my collection as all of the movies have supplemental material this time around, instead of just the first film. It's also fitting that Christopher Reeve's name has been added to this collection, as it shows how synonymous he's become with the Superman legacy. His brilliant performances brought a larger than life appeal to the Man of Steel that still has yet to be eclipsed. The Superman movies may have their fair share of flaws, but they're still wildly entertaining even after all these years and worth adding to anyone's collection!
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
There's still a problem even with replacement disc, April 23, 2007
As many already know Warner set up an exchange program for the first disc in this box set. It seems the origianl theatrical 2.0 (Dolby Surround) mix was not correct but instead a 2.0 verison of the new 5.1. There are many differences between this one and the original 2.0 theatrical one released to theatres upon release. Warner's exchange program was meant to replace those discs with new and corrected ones. After waiting nearly 3 months I was forced to call WB and question where mine was. It was then sent to me overnight. But when it arrived I found the 2.0 mix (simply labled ENGLISH) is defective. In Dolby Surround 2.0 all dialog is meant to be in the center channel. Insead this release has it coming from all speakers, and if you have a 6.1 or 7.1 set-up it get really annoying with an echo. If you need to test your disc go to a scene where there is more dialog and no music and a low amount of sound effects like when Lois interviews Superman. Then compare the way is sounds with SUPERMAN III and SUPERMAN IV, which are both 2.0 Dolby Surround. You will see what I mean. It's a shame that WB has let this sloppy mistake happen - it should be fixed. Since this is a replacement disc I would imagine its the same version in the re-release of the Silver Box Set as well - even in the SUPERMAN:THE MOVIE sold on its own. I've been reviewing film professionally and have been a consultant for home video for 20 years and haven't seen a mistake like this in a long time. I tried to connact Warners several times but no one has returned my calls in the past month. Even the Home theater fourm deleted my postings on this. Having interviewed the film's producer several times I know this soundtrack shouldn't be like this. This film is considered a classic and should have been given better treatment.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
So much to see, and so much to enjoy., December 16, 2006
Let me say that this edition has much going for it, and a few things that are fun - once. I will probably not watch all of the cartoons many times. They are late war years propaganda and terribly un PC today. But the point of the editions is not the cartoons or the single episode from the TV series. The point is the four movies. (See my review under Donner Cut for his edition of Superman II.)
Superman, the Movie has been cleaned up and given two times, theatrical release and expanded version. I enjoyed both, though I can see why the scenes were cut for theatrical release. I like, in the expanded version, that Noelle Neal, playing "Lois Lane"s Aunt", had lines with young Lois. Noelle Neal was the TV Lois (She also appears in Superman Returns). Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve are at their youthful best in this flick. And they are surrounded by great actors who live up to every part of their end of the script (except maybe Brando, who walks through his part with a sense of the monumental, but without much real passion). The "Making of . . ." movies are interesting to watch, too. Hackman and Beatty are a great team.
Supe II - Lester CUt - is a little too long. Some scenes of the three villains are simply there for laughs - except they aren't very funny. The sight gags during the fight between SM and the three are out of tone for the rest of the story. BUT, the kiss works at the end of the show - Donner's version does not. The making of carefully side-steps any reasons for Donner's dismissal.
Supe III - This movie tries too hard to be funny. Richard Pryor's character is a funny character - strange, quirky and off-beat. That's fine. But when the others start trying to be funny, it's really deadly. The story kind of works, and the special effects are great. The fight between SM and Clark Kent is really well done. (And one senses that some of that story line has been nipped for Spiderman III.)
Supe IV - is presented in the theatrical cut - roughly 90 minutes long. It is actually an entertaining movie, with good FX. The story line gets mildly preachy about disarmament, but at least they try to keep things moving with action and no long speeches. In the "deleted scenes" we finally get to see the 30 minutes or so of footage that was cut shortly before the movie hit theaters. Some of the scenes - the extended flying sequence for example - are really nice. Others are in character but not really needed. Others are longer versions of scenes that don't add a thing to the story and were better left out. The Nuclear Man I was a pretty silly - read: embarassing - attempt at humor where humor just did not work. But what a joy to have Hackman back. Jon Cryer as Lex's naphew was wasted. Better to have brought back Beatty. I once had a fan magazine that came out just before Supe IV opened. It gave pretty much the entire plot, so I knew about Nuclear Man I, and it indicated that Mariel Hemmingway took the part because it was interesting. With the deleted scenes at last visible, we now know why. The scenes are in an incomplete fashion - special effects are not fully finished. But why couldn't Warner Bros. take the marking pencil off the film so the image was not messed up by black crayon going across the picture. Or are they expecting an expanded series later of their own, and don't want enterprising home editors to re-edit Supe IV for home viewing.
All in all, an admirable and long awaited re-release. The last picture is the least of them, but it no longer had the Salkinds, Lester or Donner. No wonder it is less. It isn't only about the actors.
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