Walking is for suckers
by Matt Sernaker, Senior Editor
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
It’s the Superman Motion Picture Anthology 1978-2006, now available for you to own on Blu-ray!
Watch as Superman takes on Lex Luthor, General Zod, Lex Luthor, Richard Pryor, Lex Luthor, and….(wait for it…) LEX LUTHOR! Wow…that’s not a lot of variety in the villain department, and really, listing Richard Pryor as the “villain” of Superman III is kind of a stretch. Now fans can witness all of the cinematic adventures of The Man of Steel in glorious high definition in this new 8-disc set.
While there have been several interpretations of the Superman story brought to life in movies and television, Superman: The Movie set the bar high in terms of the characterization and iconic imagery that we associate with Clark Kent and his path to becoming the hero that we all know and love. This film took all of the core elements of the Superman mythos and created an interpretation that was incredibly close to it’s comic book counterpart. Christopher Reeve personified Superman without skipping a beat. His ability to exude confidence as Superman and then channel the clumsy, yet lovable Clark was impressive to say the least. I always loved when Clark intentionally made a scene and caused everyone to dismiss him as a goof, because then we were treated to a shot of Reeve giving this sly grin and then super-speeding off to save the day. Moments like that made the character that much more approachable. Gene Hackman also gives us a memorable performance as Lex Luthor, who decides that it is a good idea to sink California into the ocean in order to increase the surrounding land value (silly Lex Luthor!). While there are some goofier elements to the story (I am looking at you, Time Travel), Superman: The Movie is a solid take and helped to establish superheroes on the big screen. This set also contains Superman: The Movie Expanded Edition, and features deleted sequences and extended footage (and increases the running time of the film to 151 minutes).
A few years after Superman: The Movie was released, audiences would come to know these words very well: ‘Kneel Before Zod’. These three words have been immortalized by actor Terrance Stamp in his malicious portrayal of General Zod in Superman II. After accidentally being freed from imprisonment in the Phantom Zone, Zod (along with Ursa and Non) make their way to Earth and decide to use their new found powers to take over the world! This looks like a job for….someone else, because Clark is too busy trying to distract Lois from the fact that he is actually Superman. But eventually, Clark decides to share his secret and takes Lois on a tour of the Fortress of Solitude, where he announces that he is going to give up his powers and become human so that he can live a normal life with Lois. While Lois and Clark are spending some alone time together, Lex Luthor (yup, him again) escapes from prison and makes his way to the Arctic where he learns more about the connection between Zod and Superman. Lex makes a deal with Zod (requesting to rule Australia) and Zod goes after Superman’s biggest weakness: Lois Lane! Clark realizes that he must reverse the process and restore his powers so that he can save the world, even if it means that he can’t have a life with Lois. Can Clark stop Zod and the others once and for all?
While Superman II was shot simultaneously with Superman: The Movie, there has been much controversy over the film due to the fact that Richard Donner, who directed the first and the second movies, was fired from the film after having completed a large portion of the production. In 2006, fans were finally treated to the Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, which featured over 80% of the footage that was shot by Donner and featured the story as he originally intended it. While the overall story might have been similar, it is important to note that these are two entirely different films from a cinematic standpoint. This version included alternate scenes and shots that were not included in the original Superman II theatrical release that was completed by Richard Lester. I highly recommend watching this version as it is a great look at how the film was originally intended.
After taking on the task of reshooting and completing Superman II, Richard Lester went on to fully oversee and direct Superman III (aka Superman meets Richard Pryor). This film featured a drastic tonal shift from the previous films, showing a more campy take on Superman, and is considered to be the worst of the series. Only three good things came out of this movie: the amazing and dark performance of Reeve as the “bad boy” Superman, Annette O’Toole’s introduction to the world of Superman as Lana Lang (which would later lead to her taking on the role of Martha Kent in Smallville), and the fact that the actual story for Superman III inspired the plot of Office Space. Richard Pryor is featured heavily in the movie (more so than Superman at times) as the computer hacker named Gus Gorman who is blackmailed by Ross Webster, who has grandiose schemes of using computers to control the world (or at least make lots of money). Using a computer system named Vulcan, the men attempt to create their own Kryptonite so that they can keep Superman from spoiling their plans. Things don’t quite go as planed when their version of Kryptonite seemingly had no immediate affect on Superman, but things start to go their way when the Man of Steel starts acting out of character and becomes destructive (Superman doesn’t like the Eiffel Tower). Clark must face his own demons as he is separated from the Evil Superman persona, which culminates in a massive slugfest at the local junkyard.
Following the flop of Superman III, Superman went back to basics in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Clark returns to Metropolis only to find that things have changed a lot during his absence. The Daily Planet had been purchased by David Warfield, who decided to fire Perry White and place his own daughter into the role of Editor-In-Chief. We also learn that the United States might enter into nuclear war with the Soviet Union, causing Clark to question his level of involvement in global affairs. He takes it upon himself to rid the world of all nuclear weapons in a quest for peace (that’s the movie title!) and disposes of them in the sun. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor returns to Metropolis with plans to take his revenge on Superman once and for all. Using a strand of Superman’s hair (which was conveniently available at a local museum) he creates the Nuclear Man, who he unleashes upon the world. Superman engages the Nuclear Man in a fight and is poisoned by radiation sickness. Will Superman be able to stop the Nuclear Man and save the world? While Superman IV returned to the more traditional tone of the original movies, it was still very far away from recapturing the magic and iconic nature that was lost during the third installment.
Superman wouldn’t grace the silver screen again until 2006, when Brandon Routh took on the lead role of the Man of Steel in Superman Returns, Directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men). The Powers-That-Be decided that they would write a story that would essentially make it so that Superman III and IV never happened . While this movie was designed to reboot the franchise and take place following the events of the second movie, it really was a complete retelling of Superman: The Movie (which defeated the purpose of moving forward with a new story). Clark returns from deep space where he went to find the location of Krypton (for reasons never truly explained) and finds that the world is still in need of saving. Lex Luthor is still causing problems and is back to his old bag of tricks and trying to get as much real estate as possible (because trying to sink California the first time worked out so well for him). Lois is still around, but we learn that she actually has a son (insert dramatic music here) but she doesn’t reference who the father is (probably because Superman was a jerk in Superman II and erased her memory after they slept together). Now Clark must step back into his old shoes at the Daily Planet and find a way to not only fix things with Lois, but also stop Lex and his crazy plans. While the film itself was full of imagery that harkened back to the original films, it was missing the soul of the character and featured a story that was overly weak. Audiences enjoyed Routh’s portrayal of Clark Kent, but were unable to connect with the character on the same level as Christopher Reeve due to the poor storytelling. The best performance in the film came from Kevin Spacey as the sinister Lex Luthor. This was a role that Spacey was destined to play and brought an incredible energy to the movie that rivaled Gene Hackman in the original series of movies.
Special Features:
Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1978-2006 includes hours of bonus content that would make this a must have for any fan. Highlights of this set include Superman: The Movie original screen tests, the feature commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz on Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman II: Restoring the Vision Featurette, The Mythology of Superman Featurette, and the Requiem For Krypton production series which featured several behind the scenes looks at the development of Superman Returns.
Disc 1
Superman: The Movie, Original Theatrical
Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler (Original Theatrical Version)
The Making of Superman: The Movie [1978 TV special]
Superman and the Mole-Men [1951 feature]
Warner Bros. Cartoons
– Super-Rabbit [1943 WB cartoon]
– Snafuperman [1944 WB cartoon]
– Stupor Duck [1956 WB cartoon]
Trailers
Disc 2
Superman: The Movie, Expanded Edition
Commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz (Extended Version)
Taking Flight: The Development of Superman
Making Superman: Filming the Legend
The Magic Behind the Cape
Screen Tests
Superman
Lois Lane with Optional Commentary
Ursa
A Selection of Restored Scenes
Additional Music Cues
Main Titles
Alternate Main Titles
The Council’s Decision
The Krypton Quake
More Mugger/Introducing Otis
Air Force One
Can You Read My Mind (Pop Version)
Music Only Track (Donner Cut)
Disc 3
Superman II, Original Theatrical
Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler (Original Theatrical Version)
The Making of Superman II [1980 TV special]
Deleted Scene
First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series
Fleischer Studios’ Superman
– Superman
– The Mechanical Monsters
– Billion Dollar Limited
– The Arctic Giant
– The Bulleteers
– The Magnetic Telescope
– Electric Earthquake
– Volcano
– Terror on the Midway
Theatrical Trailer
Disc 4
Superman II – The Richard Donner Cut
Commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz (Donner Cut)
Introduction by Richard Donner
Superman II: Restoring the Vision
Deleted Scenes
Famous Studios’ Superman
-Japoteurs
-Showdown
-Eleventh Hour
-Destruction, Inc
-The Mummy Strikes
-Jungle Drums
-The Underground World
-Secret Agent
Disc 5
Superman III Theatrical Version
Commentary by Iilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler
The Making of Superman III (1983 TV Special)
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Disc 6
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace Theatrical Version
Commentary by Mark Rosenthal
Superman 50th Anniversary Special (1988 TV Special)
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Disc 7
Superman Returns
Requiem for Krypton: Making Superman Returns
– Pt. 1 Secret Origins and First Issues: Crystallizing Superman
– Pt. 2 The Crystal Method: Designing Superman
– Pt. 3 An Affinity for Beachfront Property: Shooting Superman- Superman on the Farm
– Pt. 4 An Affinity for Beachfront Property: Shooting Superman- Superman in the City
– Pt. 5 An Affinity for Beachfront Property: Shooting Superman- Superman in Peril
– Pt. 6 The Joy of Lex: Menacing Superman
– Pt. 7 He’s Always Around: Wrapping Superman
Resurrecting Jor-El
Deleted Scenes including the never-before-seen original opening to Superman Returns
Bryan Singer’s Journals – Video production journals
Trailers
Disc 8
Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman [Hi-Def]
You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman
o Pt. 1- Origin
o Pt. 2- Vision
o Pt. 3- Ascent
o Pt. 4- Crisis
o Pt. 5- Redemption
The Science of Superman [Hi-Def]
The Mythology of Superman
The Heart of a Hero: A Tribute to Christopher Reeve
The Adventures of Superpup [1958 TV pilot]
Overall
The Superman Motion Picture Anthology 1978-2006 Blu-ray Collection is a gorgeous set, that easily earns a place next to the Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997 Blu-ray Collection. Warner Brothers has gone to great lengths to include as much content as possible for this release, and making this the definitive collection to own. The original movies look glorious in 1080p and the remastered 5.1 HD Audio is quite apparent. The Man of Steel has never looked like this before, and it is something that you have to see. While the Superman cinematic franchise has had its share of ups and downs, it paved the way for other heroes to get to the big screen and helped to drive the desire to see our heroes come to life.
ComicsOnline gives the Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1978-2006 Blu-ray Collection – 4 out of 5 times that Lex Luthor wants to sink California.
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