VHS : Superman the Movie

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- ONE OF THE BEST BLU RAY
CONSIDERING THIS IS PART OF THE SUPERMAN RETURNS SERIES I WANTED THE PICTURE QUALITY FOR PART ONE TO BE THE BEST THAT IT POSSIBLY COULD BE AND IT WAS WORTH IT. IT MADE PART ONE LOOK LIKE IT WAS MADE IN THE 90'S AS OPPOSED TO THE 70'S. IT WAS SHARP AND THE COLORS FROM HIS OUTFIT REALLY CAME OFF THE SCREEN. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIES EVER AND IT LOOKS GREAT ON BLU RAY. ALSO, THIS IS THE EXPANDED VERSION AND NOT THE THEATRICAL VERSION. I PREFER THE EXPANDED ANYWAYS. PICTURE AND SOUND IS AMAZING. I DEFINITELY RECCOMEND THIS.

Rating:

- Brando
Although he only appears for about 10 minutes in the movie, Brando gives a great performance---"This is no fantasy." That line alone is worth watching the movie for me. I liked the first third of the movie best, because it is more mythos than camp. John Williams score is amazing.
The documentary included is interesting, although short. The director's commentary is very disappointing. The Director, Richard Donner, doesn't offer much insight, basically he talks about the pranks that went on during the filming.

Rating:

- Great for a Superman and HD fan!
Obviously this movie wasn't filmed in high definition since that technology didn't exist when it was made. However, it does provide better clarity. If you don't own the movie, buy it in one format or the other. It's a definite classic and the best of the series. If you're an early adopter, buy the HD-DVD version to be prepared for the future. In my opinion, the HD-DVD format will win the format battle between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

Rating:

- Great but theres a downfall.
This movie is so good it set really high standards it is one of the three best superhero movies (Batman Begins and Superman Returns) (Well at least I liked Superman Returns) but the things is that the HD is ok it is a lot clearer than the original but not 1080p standards. If your looking for full HD picture this is not it but it's better than SD picture.

Rating:

- Set the Standard for all Comic Book Films to Follow
What Star Wars did for science fiction and fantasy films, Superman did for comic book films. In fact, Christopher Nolan (director of Batman Begins) frequently credits Superman with how to do comic book films correctly. He wanted his own film to be on that level.

I was seven-years-old when I went and watched the movie. As a young kid, I was a huge fan of the old Adventures of Superman, and ignorantly, that's what I thought I was going to see: a movie with all the characters from the television show. I still recall walking out of the theater absolutely dumbfounded by such a fantastic film that made Superman come alive. It was the flying scenes that captivated me. It looked so real to me, especially compared to the dated effects of the television show.

Thankfully, an unknown actor, Christopher Reeve, was chosen to play the part. In the extra features Richard Donner cites that Reeve immersed himself in the part and even made his body move in such a way that you felt he was flying, even though he was strapped into a harness.

As I've stated in my Smallville reviews, the thing that makes Superman so compelling is that Clark Kent is his disguise, and Superman is who he really is. Most heroes have it the other way around. Reeve also recognized that to pull off a realistic disguise, he'd have to act much differently as Clark Kent. Crediting Cary Grant as the man he borrowed his "nerdy" persona, Reeve successfully creates two separate identities. It's believable that nobody would ever suspect the nerdy, bumbling, and clumsy Clark Kent was being the Man of Steel.

Other performances in this film are very good. Gene Hackman is great as Lex Luthor, even though he decided to give Luthor a decidedly humorous spin. I still like Michael Rosenbaum's depiction the best from Smallville, but these are two different eras. Ned Beatty is hilarious as Luthor's bumbling henchman, Otis.

It's also great to see Jackie Cooper after all of these years (from the Our Gang) to take on the role of Perry White. He's great in the role as well, giving White a fiesty side.

Margot Kidder also does a good job as Lois Lane. I had to admit that she was a pleasant surprise. Considering the women she beat out for the role such as Lesly Ann-Warren and Cindy Williams, it speaks highly to her interpretation of the character.

It's nearly an hour before Superman finally shows up, but when he does, it's a scene that even by today's standards still takes your breath away as he flies up to catch the falling Lois Lane with one hand and then catching the helicopter in the other.

You simply can't mention the greatness of this film without talking about the timeless music of John Williams. The opening credits that start with one of Williams' signature pieces simply speaks to the power and grandeur of this cinematic masterpiece. Donner still recalls vividly of being literally speechless and feeling the hairs on his body stand up when he first heard John Williams' rendition.

If you're going to do a comic book movie, you have to know the character. Unfortunately, most people who attempt to do comic book films don't know the character, and the characters are only shadows of who they truly are. The first four Batman films are a testament to this. Sam Raimi is an avid Spider-Man reader, and Christopher Nolan has also been a Batman reader for quite some time. Richard Donner also immersed himself in the world of Superman to make sure that he made a film that stayed true to the character.

Superman is the hero that all other heroes are compared to. There is no other hero who retains such a mystique and grandeur of goodness and justice. Unlike Batman who is driven by vengeance or even Spider-Man who is driven by guilt and responibility, Superman is driven by a sense of trying to make the world as a whole a better place.

Superman transcends the comic book world to be an American hero as well, as he embodies all the things that we, as Americans, hold nearest and dearest to ourselves. This film gives us that Superman.

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