DVD : Superman - The Movie

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- Miles better than the 2006 disaster!
I had only ever seen the TV version of the original Superman movie until I bought the HD DVD. So, as you can imagine, on TV it was in hideous pan and scan and with several scenes missing. In reality, I have never seen the 'full' movie until now. And I have to admit, it's far, far superior to Bryan Singer's self-indulgent mess of Superman Returns.

It actually takes quite a while to get going, but there's so much going on that the running time certainly doesn't seem two and a half hours. Richard Donner shot it back to back with Superman II, so there's an extended opening act that establishes the plot of the sequel at the same time.

Anyone who doesn't know the story of Superman must be from another galaxy, but for those people I will give you a quick soundbite. Kal El is the orphan of the planet Krypton, which has recently blown up. He comes to Earth as a baby and lands in Smallville where he is quickly adopted by a farmer and his wife and renamed Clark Kent. His dense molecular structure and his ability to defy Earth's gravity give him advantages over humans and ultimately he becomes...SUPERMAN! But who doesn't already know that?

Clark Kent assumes an exaggerated, clumsy, meek newspaper reporter persona to distance himself from the Superman guise. Somehow everybody, including secret love Lois Lane, falls for it even though the glasses and the hair are all that is different. Hypervillain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) doesn't take well to the man of steel as he might interfere with his plans for Real Estate Domination (the modern term for World Domination). But does he really think he can win? Hypervillains never know when to be humble.

Just about everything that was terrible about Superman Returns is completely right about this one. The cinematography, the music, the editing, the pacing. I won't call the SFX fake, since it doesn't ever take you out of the film, so I'll just call them 'quaint'. For 1978 they're good and even though they are all done optically it's still better than the CGI crapfest of Singer's interpretation.

Christopher Reeve's ultimate fate does kind of upset me, so it's good to see him in his prime and being made immortal in a way. The cast of this film does have a lot of big names. Along with the huge scope and spectacle, such a large cast adds to the epic feel of it. Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp and Glenn Ford just seem like a far more dynamic bunch of actors than Kate Bosworth and Kal Penn. Don't you think?

It's been 29 years since this film was released and people still make a big fuss over it today. In 29 years, will be still be talking about Superman Returns? Outside of ridicule, I think not.

The HD DVD features a nice 2.4:1 1080p transfer with Dolby Digital Plus sound and loads of extras.

Rating:

- super-duper...
A great movie from start to finish, with great acting, photography, and an outstanding score!

Rating:

- Superman Flies!
This is an essential movie to own for any Superman fan. Christopher Reeves is the perfect Clark Kent/Superman. He really developes both characters. A special effects icon for its time.

Rating:

- Video Quality Review (Blu-ray)
This is a tough one to review. For a film made in 1978, I don't think it could look any better. I'm willing to bet this Blu-ray disc is as good if not better than the premiere screening of Superman back in 78. Great care must have been taken to clean up and restore this picture. It is practically free of scratches and dirt. It is detailed, far above standard definition. Colors are balanced and eye catching. Contrast is natural and evenly spread. Inserted scenes are consistent with the rest of the film. Never looked better. Still, 1978. There are a few scenes with plenty of grain and most of the film gives the impression of being a little out of focus, a little blurred. Five star transfer, four star visual impact. I doubt if a 1080p display is getting much more out of this picture than a 720p display.

(PS3 - 1080p projector - 92")

Rating:

- Superman saves the dumb girl!!! . . .And the World.
To me Superman is the quintessential superhero. Buff, wholesome, bright and dull. He fights for good and exists without any inner conflict, no time for any of that when there is a world to save. Those well meaning but shrug inducing qualities carry over to this film which wants to be everything (comic book, romance, disaster flick) to everybody (nerds and non-nerds), and while it has endured all these years it did not win me over. Everything starts off well enough as the first hour is almost entirely Superman back story. And it is pretty rich back story considering that before he could even walk he was involved with political treason, exploding planets, paternal sacrifice, and a trip across multiple galaxies. All this exposition does dull the storytelling a little but I wish that all franchise movies were this disciplined. What sank the movie for me was where it went from there; Superman as an adult fighting all the evil he could. Instead of an actual plot with twists and turns, we get an extended montage. Superman saves the day. Superman catches a thief. Lex Luthor causes some evil doin'. Superman stops him. There is far more energy spent pandering to the crowd than there is on making any of this plausible.

A very basic outline has Lex Luthor, in one of the most ambitious plots in history, planning to blow off the western edge of California so as to make his own property value go up (better plan than just trying to keep the undesirables out, yes?). Superman, meanwhile, spends a lot of time hanging around Lois Lane. She is the perfect match for him as she is always on the verge of certain death thanks to her inability to use her head. He saves her, she falls in love, girlfriends in the audience are no longer mad that they came. Lois Lane is so stupid in fact that she doesn't notice that her co-worker Clark Kent is actually Superman only plus glasses and minus that hideous outfit. Eventually Lex Luthor shoots a missile into the San Andreas Fault so as to put his plan in motion. Superman, ever the hero, then drills himself into the fault and fixes it. . .by hand! And at that point the film had lost both its connection to reality and me.

I do think our obsession with the Superman myth does expose us to be some pretty funny people. We flock to these films to watch the impossible happen, like being able to save the pretty girl and have her fall in love. And to remind ourselves that if the girl could just look a little deeper, past the glasses, that she would find something truly super. I did find it odd that Superman openly states that he is fighting for the American way (um... Corporate Greed? Imperialism?). You could argue that his skills might be better put to use in Somalia as opposed to constantly rescuing a girl he fancies. . . but I guess Somalia is on its own. So despite the restrained first hour and the great set design for Lex Luthor's lair (an abandoned wing of Grand Central Station) I recommend you stay away from this. It is bloated and may cause severe eye rolling. Then again, from a historical perspective, this is the film that opened up the flood gates for the dozens (and dozens!) of other comic book movies that followed. So if you want to see the cause of "Catwoman" give this one a little look see. **3/4

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