Wow, this is quite possibly the most comprehensive box set release of any movie series ever. You thought that 9-disc Alien Quadrilogy (horrible name) was expansive? Warner Brothers' 14-Disc Ultimate Superman Collection blows it away.
Here's some quick thoughts on the movies in this set:
Superman: The Movie - To this day, still ranks as one of the best superhero movies of all-time. Didn't have the slam bang action of II, but holds up remarkably well. I can and have watched this film from start-to-end many times, and will continue to do so. Available in its original 1978 Theatrical Version or the 2000 Expanded Edition.
Superman II: Theatrical Version - The first time we saw real big comic book action on the big screen. Zod is not only one of the greatest comic book movie villains of all-time, but of all cinema. ZOD!!! Doesn't hold up as well as the first movie, but still very, very fun.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut - a fanboy's wet dream, read my previous post.
Superman III - Richard Pryor is no doubt a comic genius, but so out of his element in a Superman movie. Evil Superman was cool though.
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace - one of those movies that's so bad, it's good. Like III, it's camp factor is high, and it's fun for a laugh. As I read somewhere else, this is Mark Pillow (Nuclear Man's) greatest triumph.
Superman Returns - I enjoyed this but was dissapointed at the same time. If anything, this helped but Superman back into the public spotlight and helped raise interest in him again, and that's never a bad thing. Let's give it a decade or two and see how well it holds up.
Here's some of my favorite features that make this set worth buying (besides the inclusions of all the feature films):
The 1940s Max Fleischer Superman Cartoons - all 17 are available here. They are so interesting and such a joy to watch mostly due to its unique art and animation style. One of the true gems of this set.
You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman - Available only in this box set, this documentary chronicles the making of Supermans I through IV (and Supergirl!). Contains very candid comments from much of the cast and crew involved in the making of all the films. Of most interest are the segments that deal with the Donner/Lester/Salkind madness that occurred during the making of the first two films.
Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazking Story of Superman - this great documentary chronicles Superman's history throughout time since his birth to the present across all forms of media including newspaper, comic book, television, film, musical, etc., etc.
All movies save Superman Returns have commentaries (6 in total). Returns makes up for its lack of commentary with an expansive 3 hour making of documentary.
And that's just the best stuff, there's loads of more extra features piled into this set. Here is a complete list of all extra features.
This is one of those sets that promises 20 hours of extra features, but I bet there's even more than that. Honestly, there's so much stuff here, some things you've never thought about, but end up really liking (Warner Brothers Cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny and Daffy that spoof Superman) and some things you've never thought about, and still wish you didn't think about (The Adventures of Superpup - a live action TV puppet show with Superman as a dog/pupper, you've gotta see it to believe it).
For any Superman fan, this is truly the Ultimate in DVD sets. Even if you're only a fan of the Donner/Reeve Superman 1 & 2, and hate the rest, the extra bonus material justifies the extra money you'll be paying. If you do the math, you're really not paying that much more. And gosh darnit, that shiny metal box sure is purdy.
