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Superman
Warner Bros. // PG // May 1, 2001
List Price: $19.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
I was born a hair under a month before "Superman" first flew into theaters during the concluding weeks of 1978, leaving my memories of this modern epic unfortunately primarily based around Sunday airings on TBS in the late '80s. Despite innumerable advancements made in special effects and an increased respect for comic books as a medium for storytelling, no comic-based film has come close to approaching what Richard Donner's "Superman" accomplished decades ago. It's been over a decade, I'd guess, since I last saw "Superman", with my enthusiasm for comics dying shortly thereafter, with a few exceptions, such as "Legion of Super-Heroes" and "Scud The Disposable Assassin". Still, when the menu screen featuring a crystalline version of the instantly recognizable 'S' spun across my television moments after inserting the disc, my eyes widened in awe and didn't let up for hours as I watched the film and explored its numerous supplements. Sure, saying 'I felt like a kid again' is a boring cliché, but it's the honest-to-Gord truth. "Superman" is an amazing film that holds up amazingly well today, and given a pricey restoration by Warner and the special-edition treatment, this is that rare sort of DVD that would be a welcome addition to the collection of even the most casual movie buff.
Video: I'm afraid I don't have much of a reference point, only having seen "Superman" previously on television, and even then, not in a number of years. The 2.35:1 image on this disc, enhanced for widescreen televisions, looks simply phenomenal, and it's a tremendous disappointment that this incredible restoration wasn't given its much-anticipated theatrical run. Upon seeing "Superman" in its original aspect ratio for the first time, I shudder to think of how much the composition must've been butchered when formatted for television. So many shots in this film are dependent on a wide frame that the thought of 40% of the image being lopped off seems unthinkable. Grain is minimal and infrequently noticeable, stock footage notwithstanding, and only an extremely brief close-up of Lois' watch seemed unintentionally soft. The print used is in near-perfect condition, free of rips, tears, or assorted specks of any note, and digital nasties like edge enhancement or compression artifacts are virtually non-existent. True to its four-color origins, the colors in "Superman: The Movie" are gorgeous, appearing rich, vibrant, and natural, belying its age. The inclusion of the eight additional minutes of footage is entirely seamless as well, with no apparent difference in image quality. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a theatrical re-release when the film turns 25 in a couple of years, but till then, the incredible quality of this DVD should be more than enough to tide you over.
Audio: The Dolby Digital 5.1 track, though a somewhat-controversial reconstruction of the original 6-channel audio, is absolutely stunning. Every channel buzzes with activity, though managing to never for a moment sound artificial or gimmicky. I've come across few discs with such frequent and effective use of surrounds, particularly split surround effects. John Williams' legendary score sounds incredible, roaring from every speaker, and the wall-ratting low-end punch of many of the sound effects is sure to impress. My only quibble is that less time seems to have been spent on restoring the dialogue, which occassionally sounds a bit harsh, though even that's a minor complaint, all things considered. How this reconstruction stacks up with the original theatrical presentation is best left to more knowledgable fans of the film, but I was deeply impressed by Warner's efforts.
Supplements: This DVD-18 release is chock-full of supplements, though I wish a little more effort could have been put towards differentiating each side so I wouldn't have to strain to see if side "1013.1.A" happened to be facing the proper way. Two alternate audio tracks are presented on the first side of the disc. First up is the commentary with Richard Donner and "special consultant" Tom Mankewicz, in which the two seem to have a ball recalling virtually every aspect of the first two "Superman" films from the conception of the original to the subsequent butchering of its sequel. Engaging, informative, and entertaining, this is the sort of commentary that might turn the uninitiated into fans of my personal favorite type of supplement. Also available is a music-only track, presented in Dolby Digital 5.0. Among the other extras on side A are a text-based run-down of Superman's history, cast/crew bios, a lengthy list of awards, a selectable list of the scenes newly added for this cut, and a theatrical trailer.
Side B kicks off with three documentaries. The first, "Taking Flight: The Development Of Superman", which runs around half an hour. It covers a lot of the ground from the commentary and is dominated by Donner and Mankewicz, but the inclusion of early footage and art that gives a glimpse of how laughable a film "Superman" could have been is worth the price of entry alone. The similarly-lengthy "Making Superman: Filming The Legend" starts where "Taking Flight" leaves off and isn't afraid to take a hard, honest look at the difficulties the cast and crew faced in the simultaneous production of two films of such a large scale. Virtually everyone involved in some capacity with the film is featured in interview segments, most of which are new and produced exclusively for these documentaries, with the occassional on-set chat. "The Magic Behind The Cape" provides an overview of the special effects utilized and developed for the film, delving in great detail into specific sequences. The numerous test shots of Superman's flight are of particular interest, but there are too many highlights to list.
Expanded versions of some of the screen tests seen in "Taking Flight" are presented. There are two scenes with Reeves, one as Clark Kent and the other as Superman. The Lois Lane screen tests feature Anne Archer, Lesley Anne Warren, Debra Raffin, Stockard Channing, Susan Blakely, and Margot Kidder, with optional commentary by casting director Lynn Stalmaster. These two sets of screen tests run around 10 minutes each. Much shorter is the series of tests for the part of Ursa by Rohan McCullough, Carinthia West, Dana Gillespie, and Marilu Tulo. Stalmaster also provides brief video introductions/outros for each of these three sets of screen tests. Two additional deleted scenes that weren't intercut into the film can be viewed on side B, one with Otis feeding Luthor's ravenous pets and the other following along those same lines, ending with Luthor's capture at the hands of Superman. Rounding out the supplements are a teaser trailer, a TV spot, and 8 additional music cues. A few hundred storyboards and MPEG-1 trailers for the first two entries in the "Superman" series are the bulk of the DVD-ROM supplements, aside from the usual web links.
Conclusion: Warner's exceptional release of "Superman: The Movie" is unquestionably among the best DVD has to offer, and I'd go so far as to say it's by a country mile my favorite disc of the couple hundred currently resting on my DVD rack. An absolute must-own for any collection, I'm giving "Superman: The Movie" the highest recommendation possible.
Video: I'm afraid I don't have much of a reference point, only having seen "Superman" previously on television, and even then, not in a number of years. The 2.35:1 image on this disc, enhanced for widescreen televisions, looks simply phenomenal, and it's a tremendous disappointment that this incredible restoration wasn't given its much-anticipated theatrical run. Upon seeing "Superman" in its original aspect ratio for the first time, I shudder to think of how much the composition must've been butchered when formatted for television. So many shots in this film are dependent on a wide frame that the thought of 40% of the image being lopped off seems unthinkable. Grain is minimal and infrequently noticeable, stock footage notwithstanding, and only an extremely brief close-up of Lois' watch seemed unintentionally soft. The print used is in near-perfect condition, free of rips, tears, or assorted specks of any note, and digital nasties like edge enhancement or compression artifacts are virtually non-existent. True to its four-color origins, the colors in "Superman: The Movie" are gorgeous, appearing rich, vibrant, and natural, belying its age. The inclusion of the eight additional minutes of footage is entirely seamless as well, with no apparent difference in image quality. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a theatrical re-release when the film turns 25 in a couple of years, but till then, the incredible quality of this DVD should be more than enough to tide you over.
Audio: The Dolby Digital 5.1 track, though a somewhat-controversial reconstruction of the original 6-channel audio, is absolutely stunning. Every channel buzzes with activity, though managing to never for a moment sound artificial or gimmicky. I've come across few discs with such frequent and effective use of surrounds, particularly split surround effects. John Williams' legendary score sounds incredible, roaring from every speaker, and the wall-ratting low-end punch of many of the sound effects is sure to impress. My only quibble is that less time seems to have been spent on restoring the dialogue, which occassionally sounds a bit harsh, though even that's a minor complaint, all things considered. How this reconstruction stacks up with the original theatrical presentation is best left to more knowledgable fans of the film, but I was deeply impressed by Warner's efforts.
Supplements: This DVD-18 release is chock-full of supplements, though I wish a little more effort could have been put towards differentiating each side so I wouldn't have to strain to see if side "1013.1.A" happened to be facing the proper way. Two alternate audio tracks are presented on the first side of the disc. First up is the commentary with Richard Donner and "special consultant" Tom Mankewicz, in which the two seem to have a ball recalling virtually every aspect of the first two "Superman" films from the conception of the original to the subsequent butchering of its sequel. Engaging, informative, and entertaining, this is the sort of commentary that might turn the uninitiated into fans of my personal favorite type of supplement. Also available is a music-only track, presented in Dolby Digital 5.0. Among the other extras on side A are a text-based run-down of Superman's history, cast/crew bios, a lengthy list of awards, a selectable list of the scenes newly added for this cut, and a theatrical trailer.
Side B kicks off with three documentaries. The first, "Taking Flight: The Development Of Superman", which runs around half an hour. It covers a lot of the ground from the commentary and is dominated by Donner and Mankewicz, but the inclusion of early footage and art that gives a glimpse of how laughable a film "Superman" could have been is worth the price of entry alone. The similarly-lengthy "Making Superman: Filming The Legend" starts where "Taking Flight" leaves off and isn't afraid to take a hard, honest look at the difficulties the cast and crew faced in the simultaneous production of two films of such a large scale. Virtually everyone involved in some capacity with the film is featured in interview segments, most of which are new and produced exclusively for these documentaries, with the occassional on-set chat. "The Magic Behind The Cape" provides an overview of the special effects utilized and developed for the film, delving in great detail into specific sequences. The numerous test shots of Superman's flight are of particular interest, but there are too many highlights to list.
Expanded versions of some of the screen tests seen in "Taking Flight" are presented. There are two scenes with Reeves, one as Clark Kent and the other as Superman. The Lois Lane screen tests feature Anne Archer, Lesley Anne Warren, Debra Raffin, Stockard Channing, Susan Blakely, and Margot Kidder, with optional commentary by casting director Lynn Stalmaster. These two sets of screen tests run around 10 minutes each. Much shorter is the series of tests for the part of Ursa by Rohan McCullough, Carinthia West, Dana Gillespie, and Marilu Tulo. Stalmaster also provides brief video introductions/outros for each of these three sets of screen tests. Two additional deleted scenes that weren't intercut into the film can be viewed on side B, one with Otis feeding Luthor's ravenous pets and the other following along those same lines, ending with Luthor's capture at the hands of Superman. Rounding out the supplements are a teaser trailer, a TV spot, and 8 additional music cues. A few hundred storyboards and MPEG-1 trailers for the first two entries in the "Superman" series are the bulk of the DVD-ROM supplements, aside from the usual web links.
Conclusion: Warner's exceptional release of "Superman: The Movie" is unquestionably among the best DVD has to offer, and I'd go so far as to say it's by a country mile my favorite disc of the couple hundred currently resting on my DVD rack. An absolute must-own for any collection, I'm giving "Superman: The Movie" the highest recommendation possible.
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