Warner Bros. has been at the forefront of great DVD packages for the last several years. Their releases are loaded with content and almost always come in the most striking packages. Their 14-disc mammoth edition of Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition is no exception. It is a magnificent grouping of great, mediocre and not-so-good Superman films.
It should also be noted that first pressings of of this edition have two discs that Warner is replacing. Disc 1, which contains the 1978 version of Superman: The Movie, is being replaced because it doesn't have the 2.0 audio that was the film's original soundtrack. Disc 8, containing the film Superman III, is also being replaced because it is supposed to be a deluxe edition (with bonus materials) but only contains the original bare-bones disc. Anyone who bought the set can replace the discs by calling Warner at 800-553-6937. (Thanks to the good folks at TheDigitalBits.com for the information.)
Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie is an American classic. One of the very best films ever made, it is also likely the very best comic-book movie. Donner taps into our shared history and presents the Superman mythology we came to know in as realistic a way as possible. Not only will you believe a man can fly (as the film's tagline told audiences in December 1978), you will believe that great men of destiny walk among us, in the wheat fields of our small towns and in the skyscrapers of our metropolises. As impressive as Christopher Reeve turned out to be as Superman (for some, he eclipsed even the great George Reeves who played the character in the wonderful 1950s TV show), it is his father figures that steal the movie. Marlon Brando creates an indelible mark as Superman's natural father, Jor-El, with such subtly that it is no wonder director Bryan Singer went back and used what he could of Brando for his 2006 Superman Returns film. Equally indelible is Glenn Ford as Superman's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent. Ford shows the wisdom and the strength in the common man, and as a character who tends the land, represents common American ideals and dedication. Indeed, it is Kent's words that resonate with Superman at the end of the film and make him decide to defy Jor-El's decrees and embark on the course of action he chooses.
Perhaps most significant about this set is the inclusion of Donner's version of Superman II. Donner was fired from the production of Superman II in a dispute with the producers, who then hired Richard Lester (no filmmaking slouch -- Lester directed another film classic, A Hard Day's Night, in 1964). But Lester's film lacks the epic scale that Donner used so well in the first film. As a result, Lester's version of II uses comedy more than it should and the film, while entertaining and a good installment in the series, isn't what it could have been. Donner's cut restores as much of his work as possible, and as much of his tone as it could. You'll have to judge which is the better and more satisfying film. There is little doubt, however, that the best parts of II are Donner's.
Lester stayed on with the series to make the bizarre Superman III, which co-starred Richard Pryor. All traces of Donner's epic are gone, and instead this is a very comedic film, and not at all suitable for serious Superman fans. The same goes for Superman IV, which landed in theaters without much of a splash in 1987, and is largely a forgotten part of the series. It's probably better off that way.
Resurrecting the series is Superman Returns, which was released in 2006. Bryan Singer brings back the epic filmmaking, as well as the biblical allegory. Returns is a sequel to the works of Donner, as it pretty much ignores the intervening works, and is all the more satisfying because of it. It was a stroke of inspiration for Singer to use John Williams' incredible score for the first movie as the basis for his film's music. Hearing that grand soundtrack once again takes the audience back to a time in 1978 when the score was first heard in movie theaters, making movie-goers feel that they were seeing something truly spectacular and unlike anything that had come before. Returns is a great film, and a return to form for the series. We can only hope Singer is allowed to continue his vision in the next film (said to be titled The Man Of Steel) without the studio interference that marooned the Donner vision for 25 years.
The extras for the set are impressive. Remastered versions of the Fleisher Brothers' Superman cartoons of the 1940s are included, and although these fell into the public domain many years ago, they have never looked better. The Kevin Burns documentary Look Up In The Sky!: The Amazing Story Of Superman (released individually earlier this year) is included, as is a three-hour documentary on the making of Superman Returns. There are extensive extras for Superman: The Movie, including making of- documentaries, screen tests, deleted scenes and a wonderful music-only track with John Williams' score (which is quite possibly his best ever). It's all put together in a large tin with the classic Superman "S" embossed on it (the great "glass" S from Superman: The Movie), a lenticular slipcover, a color booklet, comic book reproduction and more.
This is a box set worthy of the legend of Superman.
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