The big screen adventures of Superman arrive in a collected, high definition anthology.
Thus far,Supermanin high definition hasnt done too badly.
Weve had one cut ofSuperman II, the extendedSuperman, and Bryan SingersSuperman Returnsall released.
What weve been missing areSupermansIII and IV, along with the originalSuperman IIcut.
Throw in a disc of bonus features, and thats just what thisSupermancollection boxset gives you.
The gold, as you might expect, is with the first two films.
Which explains the two different cuts you get of that particular film.
But it doesnt really matter.
Were coming to that shortly.
Supermanitself was and is a massively ambitious film, and that still comes across.
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The third film?
Well, its a mess, but its a mess Ive a little bit of soft spot for.
Its easy to post-mortem from a distance.
Then you get illogical moments, such as the massive, death-defying Richard Pryor ski jump.
And, generally, you get a lot of nonsense.
But then you also get, Id argue, Reeves best performance in the cape.
You dont need me to jump over this one, really.
Superman Returns, then, took a long time to arrives, and I really quite liked it.
Again, there are obvious missteps.
But I love the reverence to the old films, and I think Brandon Routh is a good choice.
Its a shame hes not being invited back forThe Man Of Steel.
The Discs
Tip-top transfers here, even at the expense of the visual conviction of the films.
What I really enjoyed, though, was the attempt to dig into the legacy of theSupermanfranchise.
Even though weve seen many of them before, theres no shortage of feature material here.
Theres little doubt thats what happens here.
Id suggest, though, pairing the set with the terrific bookSuperman Vs Hollywood, by Jake Rossen.
Rating:
5 out of 5
