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| Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Marlon
Brando, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Valerie Perrine, Jackie Cooper, Glenn
Ford |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Clark
Kent (Christoper Reeve): Really, Lois, supposing that man had shot
you? Is it worth risking your life over ten dollars, two credit cards,
a hairbrush, and a lipstick?
Lois Lane (Margot Kidder): [looking down into her purse] How
did you know that?
Clark Kent: Know what?
Lois Lane: You just described the exact contents of my purse.
Clark Kent: Hmm. Lucky guess.
Superman
arrives on Earth from the planet Krypton and foils the evil plans of
arch criminal Lex Luthor.
 Superman
is the kind of foolish, non-sensical, over-the-top, entertaining blockbuster
that's almost impossible not to enjoy and can't help but make you wonder
how so little can actually happen in such a long movie. Its style is
all over the place, shifting gears wildly from earnest religious allegory
to small-town melodramatic Americana to sophisticated urban comedy blended
with high-octane action dynamics. This makes for a somewhat bumpy ride,
but it moves along at such a fast pace that one is rarely bored, and
the film is so accomplished at a technical level that even the most
tawdry scenes still manage to keep the eye - if not the brain - occupied
well enough.
The biggest names in the all-star cast prove to be the biggest disappointments:
Brando lumbers through his scenes like an overweight Charlton Heston
mumbling pretentiously about the destiny of Superman and mankind, while
Gene Hackman, supported by completely inept henchmen, hardly ever seems
either truly threatening or very funny as Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor.
Other major actors like Trevor Howard and Glenn Ford are thanklessly
reduced to window dressing, with no more than a handful of lines between
them. The film's lasting attraction comes purely from Reeve, perfectly
suited to his effortlessly heroic superhero role as well as his Cary
Grant-inspired turn as Clark Kent. There's a sweetness to him that's
impossible not to like, and this along with the still-impressive action
set pieces continues to make Superman an enjoyable ride to this
day. |
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Available
in identical double-sided single-disc editions for Region 1 and Region
2 (UK). The Region 1 version served as a basis for this review.
A limited edition release, featuring the same DVD as well as an additional
remastered soundtrack CD, is released exclusively in the Netherlands
in late February, 2002 [see separate
review]. It is packaged in a deluxe case similar to the box used
for the limited edition DVD release of 2001:
A Space Odyssey, but somewhat smaller in size (close to Amaray's
standard case size) and with a ribbed holographic logo on the front.
The
anamorphic widescreen image is framed at an aspect ratio of approx.
2.35:1. Painstakingly restored from the original film elements, this
transfer presents an outstanding picture that belies the film's age
and does justice to the outstanding visual effects. Warner was apparently
so impressed with the restoration results that they seriously considered
postponing the DVD for a full-blown theatrical release. Only very occasionally
does the source material exhibit instances of noticeable grain, most
notably in some of the more elaborate composite shots. This hardly detracts
in any substantial way from a magnificent restoration job with bold,
strong colors and great detail.
The Dolby
Digital 5.1 sound mix is more a redesign than a restoration job,
as many of the audio masters turned out to be irredeemably lost or damaged
beyond repair. Many of the sound effects have been redone, and though
purists and overly nostalgic fans will argue that this mix doesn't accurately
represent the way the film originally sounded, the agressive surround
mix presented here is quite an experience, and is in any case perfectly
suited to the film. Directional effects are amazingly strong, and John
Williams' memorable score comes alive like it rarely has before.
 This
much-publicized, long-awaited Special Edition DVD provides two full
sides of a DVD-18 packed to the hilt with great audio, video and a plethora
of extras.
Side 1 holds the film, which has been expanded by the inclusion of eight
minutes of previously deleted scenes. These scenes can also be accessed
separately, but there is no way of watching the film as it used to exist.
This is a bit of a pity, as the added scenes don't really add all that
much to the film, and they make a movie that was arguably already on
the long side a real stretch. There is an audio commentary track
from director Richard Donner and 'creative consultant' (read: 'uncredited
screenwriter') Tom Mankiewicz. Their commentary is laid-back, relaxed
and jokey, as the two clearly enjoy seeing the movie again after so
many years and spotting minor errors and inconsistencies, as well as
remarking on many of the amazing technical accomplishments made possible
by the work of so many talented crew members. More entertaining than
informative, this audio track provides a most enjoyable and often very
funny way of re-experiencing the film. John Williams' great score is
also available as an isolated music score track in Dolby Digital
5.0, and I expect more than a few will find themselves relistening to
this track just for the impossible-to-forget musical themes (as I did).
Some informative production notes are also on side 1.
Side 2 of this disc hold the bulk of the extras. First and foremost
among them is a set of three half-hour documentaries called 'Superman:
Taking Flight', 'Filming the Legend' and 'The Magic behind the Cape'.
The first two might easily have been combined into a single documentary,
as the first charts pre-production and development and the second, derived
mostly from the same interview sessions, follows the film's production
history. The third documentary is hosted by Superman's optical
effects supervisor and reveals how the ground-breaking special effects
were achieved. All three documentaries provide outstanding insight into
the film's production and include great interview footage as well as
numerous tests and behind-the-scene material. Another nice addition
is a generous selection of screentest footage featuring Christopher
Reeve and several different tests for the roles of Lois Lane and Ursa.
Two more deleted scenes are also available, that - thankfully
- were not edited back into the film. Also on this side of the disc
are unused and alternate music cues, more great stuff from John
Williams. The teaser trailer, theatrical trailer and a
TV spot are also included. Lots of storyboards and screenplay
notes are available as DVD-ROM content.
The
animated main menu screen incorporates key shots from the movie into a
shiny, rotating Superman logo, accompanied by the orchesral theme. There
are nice animated transitions to some of the other menu screens, which
also incorporate the logo shape as a design element.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001,
updated: February 28, 2002
Click
here for IMDB info on Superman.
Click here
to return to the front page.
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