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Superman - The Movie (Four-Disc Special Edition) Review

Now, before I get to assessing the Blu ray version of "Superman - The Movie, I want to give my overall critique of the film itself.

Pardon me, it may take a while, lol:

I LOVE THIS MOVIE----With A Passion. Ive loved it every since I was that 6 yr old kid sitting in that dark movie theatre in late 1978 with my older brother, oohing and aweing at the images, amazed that I was seeing actors and filmmakers bringing one of my all-time favorite comic book superheroes to VIVID LIFE. I seen it perhaps more times than the Earth has revolved around the sun or Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson have won Grammys, lol. It's magnificent entertainment. Pure and simple. From a time when film craftsmen actually cared about their film subject and gave their audience something to be proud to spend their money on.

Director Richard Donner and producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind took a great American character and built a full scale old style Hollywood epic around him. Donner has stated over the yrs he wanted realism...nothing more, nothing less. If the filmmakers couldnt believe wholeheartedly in Superman and his world, why would we? Makes sense. It has heart, humor, a few strong dramatic moments, a few sad moments....a lot like the real world.

First, we see the planet Krypton in all its majesty....cold, sterile, highly advanced. Then, we go to Earth as baby Kal-El is sent by rocketship there after Krypton's destruction. We watch him grow up under the watchful eyes of his adoptive parents, the Kents. Then, after he learns his true heritage and his destiny, we follow him to Metropolis, where hes now Clark Kent, news reporter, and our world's all mighty protector, Superman. Simple storytelling yet so powerfully told on screen.

This is one adventure film thats so well cast its scary; the actors are so committed to their characters, theres not ONE FALSE MOVE, from anyone: Marlon Brando, dignified as Superman's Kryptonian father, Jor-El; Gene Hackman brings excellent comic relief as the villianous Lex Luthor; Margot Kidder is a sexy yet strong and intelligent Lois Lane (is there any other kind?); Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter are the definitive Jonathan and Martha Kent; Ned Beatty is a funny Otis the hapless henchmen; Valerie Perrine is sex and playfulness as Luthors femme fatale, Miss Teschmacher.

However, you cant have a Superman film with the title character himself, and the late Christopher Reeve IS and ALWAYS will be the ULTIMATE Man of Steel. Reeves interpretation of the hero is so definitive, so realistic, so intelligent, that in the hands of any other actor, it mightve come off as phony and a caricature. It wouldve been a tragic mistake. Reeve deftly handles the duality of Superman/Kent. His Kent, supposedly modeled after Cary Grant, is a sweet yet fumbling everyman....his Superman, on the other hand, is majestic, bold, with a bit of a swagger that doesnt make him look too arrogant and a dash of upright DO-GOODER AT YOUR SERVICE....Perfection. He inhabits these two individual personalities so completely that although we all know its the same man, he makes them look like two separate entities. Why Reeve wasnt considered for Oscar consideration has always baffled me over the years.

Everything, from the script to the set designs; from the cinematography to the Academy Award winning visual effects to the grand, inspiring score (one of my truly favorite pieces of music, ever) by the great John Williams, is flawless. Attention to detail is part of what makes or breaks any film and "Superman" has it in spades. Nothing seems out of sync and the affection for the material is infectious. Even those who either never read a comic book or hadnt read Superman in yrs loved this movie. Watching it is fun and it sweeps you in, like the best adventure stories are supposed to.

Now.....the presentation on Blu ray. I own this classic on VHS, the 2000 special Edition DVD and the four disc 2006 Special Edition DVD, and ive never had a problem in my viewing of it, especially in the digital format, where "Superman" shines. Having just seen it on Blu ray for the first time in that format the other night i can say the picture and audio quality are very well rendered; the colors and details are very vivid and the audio, while no different from in other digital presentations, is clear in the 5.1 Dolby capacity.

Superman - The Movie (Four-Disc Special Edition) Overview

A box-office smash, an Academy Award winner* and a fan favorite since it first flew into theatres in December 1978, Superman: The Movie assembles a cast and creative contingent as only a big movie can. At its heart (just as in three sequels) is Christopher Reeve's intelligent, affectionate portrayal of a most human Man of Steel. Watching Superman again isn't just like being a kid again. It's better. The movie's legacy soared even higher when director Richard Donner revisited this beloved adventure 22 years later and integrated eight minutes into the film. Enjoy more footage of the Krypton Council, a glimpse of stars of prior Superman incarnations, more of Jor-El underscoring his son's purpose on Earth and an extended sequence inside Lex Luthor's gauntlet of doom. Reeve, Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Luthor) and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) give indelible performances that fuel the film's aura of legend. Looks like a swell night for flying. Why not come along?

Superman - The Movie (Four-Disc Special Edition) Specifications

Richard Donner's 1978 epic about the Man of Steel showed how a film about a superhero could be a moving and romantic experience even for people who long ago gave up comic books. Beginning on the icy planet Krypton, the story follows the baby Kal-El, whose rocket ship lands in Smallville, Kansas. He is found there by a childless couple and raised as the shy Clark Kent (the young Kent is played by Jeff East). The film is perhaps most touching in these sequences, with expanses of wheat fields blowing in the wind and with a young man who can't figure out what part in destiny his great powers are meant to play. The second half, with Reeve taking over as Clark/Superman, is bustling, enchanting (the scene in which Superman flies girlfriend Lois Lane--played by Margot Kidder--through the night sky is great date material), and funny, thanks largely to Gene Hackman's sardonic portrayal of nemesis Lex Luthor. --Tom Keogh

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Customer Reviews

Buyer Beware ..!!! - Tyrone B. Stacey - JAMAICA, NY USA
You have seen the bright and rich looking blu-ray Warner Bros. or the Universal Studio's logo in the introduction of their blu-ray movies ,right ..? You have seen the great video transfers done with the X-MEN dvds and Pirates of the Caribbean dvd's , right ? Well i have some bad news for you... You are not gonna find that quality in "Superman the movie" .!!
Its good to see old faces in this movie but that's about it .... This dvd is good for nostalgia but if you're looking for great blu-ray transfer , forget it, you're wasting your time ....
Its not my TV , i have the Samsung LN55A950 LED and the Oppo SE blu-ray dvd player and this dvd sounds like and looks like a regular SD dvd ...!!
Its just a crying shame , there should be just one standard when making dvd's in Hollywood .. When Sony license their blu-ray technology out , sometimes it seems like every Studio seems to think they know what there doing and ends up creating or transferring pure garbage and selling it to the public...
I don't want to cry the blues but this just make me angry ....!
Its your money , you make the call ...
Romans 10:9-13

I Love Superman. - I Love Yahweh Yeshua Christ! - Brooklyn, New York
Superman how do I Love thee let me count the ways. Superman: The Movie I first saw this movie in the early 1980s and the other three Superman movies with Christopher D'Olier Reeve before I was 10 years old. Superman: The Movie is how I became to love Superman and to make him my favorite and number 1 SuperHero. This movie is good and sweet like Sugar, Honey and Pancake Syrup mix together. Four Stars because I like it and it is a must see. Rest in Peace Christopher D'Olier Reeve!

Superman I - Mark J. House - USA
The original superhero movie of modern times. Spider- Man had one in the 70's but was a joke, period. Superman I is still one of the better superhero movies ever made although with Iron Man released, is no longer the best. Some would say Batman was better as well. Worth buying if you ask me.

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Saturday, August 7, 2010