DVD/TV Series Review: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Season 4

 

+++Warning, this will contain mild spoilers from the prior season, but no major giveaways from season 4.+++

Season four ended up being the final season of Lois and Clark. It was not intended to be the final season, but the show was canceled after the season had already aired, so the writers were not able to really give it a proper wrap-up. The season starts with two episodes that resolve the new krypton storyline that acted as the season three cliffhanger and then in the third episode resolves the "fake" wedding from season three. The series mostly keeps the story of the week format, but there are many storylines that play out over the course of two episodes this season. The show does bring back the best villain who is not Lex, Tempus (played wonderfully by Lane Davies), and John Shea does return to voice Lex in a couple of episodes but does not make an in-person appearance. The show also introduces Mxyzptlk (played by Howie Mandel) in the Christmas episode. There are several recognizable guest stars including Delta Burke, Jack Larson (who played Jimmy in the 1950s series), Drew Carey, William Christopher (from M*A*S*H), and Harry Anderson (from Night Court), among others. The series ends on a pretty big cliffhanger that, of course, was never paid off because of the cancelation, so it really does feel incomplete.

For those who get the DVD set, the only extra is a trivia game. There are no behind-the-scenes material or commentary tracks, or any other bonus features similar to what was included in the prior season releases. So, if you only get the physical discs when there are a lot of extras, that is something to keep in mind.

Overall, the season was okay, but not great. Definitely not as good as the first two seasons (which, in my opinion, were the best seasons of the show), or even as good as the third. The ancillary characters like Jonathan, Martha, Perry, and Jimmy were relegated even more to sidekick status than they were originally, and I think the show hurt from the lack of a "main" bad guy. They tried to turn Tempus into that main foil by bringing back Lane Davies multiple times, but I think not having Lex (or someone like Lex) every week causing trouble took something away from the show. Ending the season on a mild cliffhanger was not ideal, but the cliffhanger worked about as good as one in a series finale could. But, it is obvious that the writers intended it to lead into the fifth season. I do think it is worth watching, especially for those of us who were fans when it aired on TV, as long as you temper your expectations for the season knowing that it does not get a proper finale.

DVD/TV Series Review: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Season 3

 

+++Warning, this will contain spoilers from season two, but no major season three giveaways+++

The third season of Lois and Clark picks up immediately after the screen faded to black at the end of season two, with Clark proposing to Lois. Her answer to the question has reverberations throughout the rest of the season. It is not really a spoiler to say that she does not give an immediate yes or no answer to the question. The season has some self-contained episodes but even those do have some of the serial arcs that run throughout the season. The big one is Lois and Clark's relationship status (of course things cannot go off without a hitch) and then toward the end of the season a version of the "new krypton" storyline in which Clark finds out he is not, in fact, the last Kryptonian. There are a lot of notable guest stars this season including Peter Boyle, Bruce Campbell, Jessica Collins, Julian Stone, Jonathan Frakes, Genie Frances, Shelly Long, Fred Willard, Tony Curtis, and Justine Bateman. This is also the final season in which John Shea physically appears as Lex Luthor, in a multi-episode story arc in the second half of the season. There was a mild controversy during the season about Teri Hatcher cutting her hair (not nearly as big a deal as Kerri Russell cutting her hair during Felicity), that was kind of dumb. Although, I admit that I liked her hair better in the first two seasons than I did the shorter hairstyle.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include a featurette on the romance story between Lois and Clark, a trivia game hosted by Dean Cain, sporting a ridiculous-looking hairdo (speaking of haircuts), which is quite hilarious now that he does everything he can to pass himself off as a buttoned-up conservative commentator, and an excerpt of the documentary "Look, Up in the Sky" that was produced by Bryan Singer and Ken Burns, telling the history of the Superman character that was made when Singer was making Superman Returns. It is a portion of the same documentary that is an extra feature with the Superman Returns DVD and Blu-Ray (and the Superman Collection disc release) and the same except that was included as an extra on one of the Smallville season sets.

Overall, the season is good, but in my opinion, not as good as the prior seasons. I don't think the villains were as good in this season (aside from Tempus, Luther, and the Church gang) as they had been in the earlier seasons, and I think a lot of the tension that the writers were trying to keep in the Lois and Clark relationship (to keep viewers interested) was a bit forced. That said, it was still Superman and was the only live-action superhero show on the air at the time. Because it was on ABC, and trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible to keep ratings up, it is a bit more of a soap opera than it would have been on one of the smaller networks. That said, it is still worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season 1, but no major spoilers from the second season+++

Season two of Lois and Clark is, in my opinion, the best season of the series, and definitely, the high point after which the show started to decline. It picks up down the line from the events of the first season finale in which Lex had jumped off his building and Clark told Lois he just wanted to remain friends. Of course, even though John Shea had left as a series regular, Lex was still a presence. Still, there are several episodes that involve him and introduce new characters such as his ex-wife played by Emma Samms, and his doctor played by Denise Crosby. There was more cast turnover with Michael Landes leaving the show as Jimmy and Justin Whalen took over that role. I don't think Whalen did a bad job, but I preferred Landes in the role.

This season also introduced new characters such as The Prankster (played by the wonderful Bronson Pinchot), and Professor Emil Hamilton (played by John Pleshette). One of the best episodes of the show involves H.G.Wells and a fugitive from the future named Tempus who knows that Clark is Superman and involves a trip to the past to save Superman as a baby. There is also a great slate of recognizable guest stars including Raquel Welch, Sherman Hemsley playing the Toymaster, and Isabel Sanford as his assistant, Cindy Williams, Peter Scalari, Melora Hardin, and the great Bruce Campbell. The season ends on a massive cliffhanger that sets up season three.

The DVD extras include a commentary track on the episode "Season's Greedings" by Dean Cain (who also wrote the episode, a making-of featurette on the making of season two, and a featurette about the fans of the series. So, a good amount of material if you like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the season is very good even with some of the cast departures like Landes, Shea, and Tracy Scoggins. To me, Hatcher really carries the show as Lois, even more than Clark/Superman does. Lane Smith is great in pretty much every scene he is in, and K Callan and Eddie Jones are wonderful as Clark's Earth parents. So, if you are a fan of the Superman story, this is definitely worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Season 1

 

Lois and Clark was an attempt in the mid-1990s to revive the Superman character on network television on a major broadcast network (ABC). It starred Dean Cain as Clark Kent and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane and really launched both of their careers. The first season was an origin story for Clark's transition to Superman, beginning with Clark coming to Metropolis and trying to get a shot at The Daily Planet. The show does mix out the story as it is in the comics and was seen in the movies, for example, not using the fortress of solitude, or having Clark "trained" by Jor-EL. The first season does establish Lex as the main villain (played wonderfully by John Shea) and has a great supporting cast including Lane Smith as an Elvis-loving Perry White, Eddie Jones as Jonathan Kent, K Callan as Martha Kent, Michael Landes as Jimmy Olsen, Tracy Scoggins as Catherine "Cat" Grant. Landes does a great job as Jimmy and Tracy Scoggins steals nearly every scene she is in.

The season is a blend of a case-of-the-week procedural with a serial arc (basically involving Superman and Lex and which will "win" both in terms of whether Luther will be brought to justice, but Lois' love. Of course, Lois is clueless as to who Clark really is, but fawns after Superman. The season builds perfectly to what is essentially a two-part season finale. It does not end on a cliffhanger, probably because John Shea left the show as a series regular after season one.

The extras include a commentary track on the pilot episode, a making-of documentary, and a featurette on the visual effects, and a conversation with Cain and Hatcher. So, while not a ton of extras, still a good amount for the people who like watching the bonus material. It is weird that now years later Dean Cain has turned out to be a right-wing nutjob (although usually not as big an asshole as some of the celebrity right-wing nutjobs are), and Terri Hatcher has a reputation of being awful to people because neither gave off that kind of vibe in their Lois and Clark days. 

Overall, the show is very good with some great moments. Teri Hater is absolutely great as Lois (I actually preferred her take on the character over Margot Kidder's), but the writing and acting all around are very good. The special effects were good for the time thanks to the larger budget. This was, however, pre-matrix and the big CGI revolution that came after that, so the effects can definitely be cheesy at times. The show also got a great slate of guest stars including Ben Vereen, Elliot Gould, David Warner, Penn Jillette, and Phyllis Coates, who played Lois in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men, and during Season 1 of The Adventures of Superman television series.

Blu-Ray Review: Superman the Complete Animated Series

 

Superman, the animated series aired in the mid-1990s. It was created and produced by the same team that created the very popular Batman: The Animated Series, and then expanded out into Batman Beyond and Justice League (after this series aired). It aired for three seasons with a total of 54 episodes and starred Tim Daily as the voice of Superman, Dana Delaney as the voice of Lois Lane, and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. It also sported a very strong supporting cast including Malcolm McDowell, Joely Fisher, Lisa Edelstein, and Brad Garrett (among others). And, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprised their roles as Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn from the Batman series.

The show was, by design, a lot different both in terms of feel and look from the Batman series. The look of the series was inspired both by the Jack Kirby comics and the Max Fleischer animated series from the 1960s. The creators made the choice to have a vulnerable version of Superman that could be hurt, even by things that did not hurt him in other incarnations of the character. This put him on more of a level playing field with the villains. While some episodes referred back to prior episodes and there were some two and even three-part episodes during the run of the series, the episodes were mostly stand-alone so that you did not necessarily have to remember what was going on in a first season episode to get what was going on during a third season episode. Not that it is a big issue when you can watch every episode back to back.

As most hardcore fans are aware, this set was released on DVD years ago. This is the first time it has been on Blu-Ray. The big upgrade you get from the DVD set is that this one does not have the double-sided discs that the DVD set had. In the DVD set, each season had three discs. The first disc for each season was normal, but for some reason discs, 2 and 3 of each season were double-sided, which of course leads to the possibility of discs getting scratched up. Thankfully, this set corrects that. The 54 episodes are spread out over six discs. They did not break the discs up by seasons at all, just had them numbered 1-54. The one downside to the Blu-Ray set is that while most of the bonus material carried over from the DVD set, not all of the commentary tracks were put on the Blu-Ray set. On the DVD and the Blu-Ray, there are commentary tracks for selected episodes. However, there are a few commentary tracks that were included on the DVD set that are not on the Blu-Ray set. So, if you are a fan of the bonus features you may want to hold on to your DVD set. Otherwise, all the making-of and behind-the-scenes features that were included in the DVD set did carry over.

As far as the A/V quality goes, it was cleaned up, but I would not say the transfer was as quality as some older movies have gotten. The WB intro just before the episodes start did not get scaled up so when each episode starts it looks like it will be in standard definition, but from the opening credits on, you can definitely tell the video has been upgraded. 

Overall, the show is very good. It is definitely not just a "kids show" and at times does get very dark (especially toward the end). The series ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Not so much a cliffhanger in terms of character danger, but would have taken the show in somewhat of a new direction had the series not been canceled. If you are a fan of Superman or specifically this series, it is definitely worth picking up.

4k UHD Review: Zach Snyder's Justice League

 

+++ Warning, minor spoilers ahead +++

As most know, Zach Snyder had to drop out of directing Justice League during filming due to a death in his family, at which point WB decided to make it a single, stand-alone movie, and brought Joss Whedon, who had helmed many of the very successful MCU movies to finish the movie. Snyder originally intended to have a Justice League trilogy, so when it was turned into a stand-alone movie a ton of content was cut out. And, Whedon re-shot some portions of the movie, mainly to add humor into the movie to make it "less dark" than Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman had been. The resulting theatrical version went over like a lead balloon (I think in large part because of Whedon's rumored behavior on set), and pretty much ever since the theatrical release fans had clamored for and demanded the "Snyder Cut". The result is a four-hour-long movie that shows the direction Snyder had intended to take the films. 

As I mentioned above, Snyder had envisioned a Justice League trilogy of movies, with this movie split in two, and the third movie set in the nightmare world that we saw a glimpse of in Batman v. Superman. The biggest change from the theatrical version of the movie is that Steppenwolf was not really the "big bad" he was essentially a lackey trying to get back into the good graces of Darkseid, after having been banished from Apokolips. Lois's involvement in this cut of the movie is much different, and we get to see Martian Manhunter who was completely removed from the theatrical version. And, both the characters of Cyborg and Flash are set-up a lot more in this movie than they were in the theatrical version, and you get a lot more of each of their backstories (especially Cyborg). 

I have the UK import Steelbook. Like the US domestic release, that one has two UHD discs that have the movie split into two parts, probably where Snyder had intended to stop the first movie had he been able to execute his original plan. The first disc has the first two hours and forty-one minutes of the movie, and the second disc has the last hour and a half (approximately, excluding the credits). The UK import also has a 24-minute making-of feature that details how the Snyder Cut came to be and included interviews with the cast and crew. Unfortunately, there is no commentary track on the movie. The UHD discs are region-free and will play on US players, and I believe the regular Blu-ray discs are region-2 locked. But, there are no additional extras on the regular Blu-rays so you really do not have to watch them.

Overall, this cut of the movie is better than the theatrical version. While I do not think the theatrical version is as awful as some paint it, it is definitely a lot more flawed than this cut (which, admittedly, has its own flaws). There are rumors that WB might actually restore the Snyderverse and let Zach Snyder make the third installment of the movie, but for now, the theatrical version is the official DCEU canon. I personally like the darker, edgier tone that this movie takes (it is rated R, mainly because of a couple of f-bombs that get dropped), and respect that they did not try to be a carbon copy of the MCU movies. That said, Ezra Miller's quips in the theatrical version were great, and while a couple of them made it into this one (including wondering whether Wonder Woman would go for younger men), that is really the only thing I missed from that version. This is definitely worth checking out.

4kUHD Review: Justice League (Theatrical Cut)

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from the movie+++

The theatrical cut of Justice League is definitely a mixed bag. Joss Whedon is blamed for ruining the movie, and certainly, his additions range from chuckle-worthy to downright stupid, and there was, of course, his on-set behavior that was leaked out by Ray Fisher and later confirmed by Gal Gadot, which then caused an avalanche of accusations about him going as far back as when he was working on Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel and pretty much ended (for now) his career. However, it is clear that Warner Brothers really was the entity that fucked up this movie, and caused a version of the movie that was totally out of place with the movies that had come before it was released.

As most know, Zach Snyder had intended for Justice League to be a three-part story, with this movie split into two parts (which he essentially got to do with the Snyder Cut of the film four years after the theatrical release) then a third movie set in the nightmare world that was teased in Batman v. Superman. However, when Snyder had to step away from the movie due to a death in his family, Whedon was brought in to cut the running time of the movie down and make it a stand-alone movie. The result is a mish-mash of Snyder's story with Whedon's additions (mainly to add humor because WB thought the DC movies were too dark and wanted to infuse some of what worked for the MCU into their movies). For the most part, the theatrical version is stuff Snyder filmed, with some changes like tweaks to the battle with Superman when he is brought back to life, Lois' role in the movie, the race between Flash and Superman at the end, and the really dumb subplot of the family living next door to the contaminated nuclear reactor (which was a fictional Chornobyl) and would not leave the second the aliens showed up. Steppenwolf's arc was dramatically altered (as well as his look), so a lot of his dialogue ended up changing.  And, the post-credits scene was quite different than the scene that came at the end of Snyder's version. But, what Whedon cut was far more substantial than what he added (which is why Snyder still got the directing credit). 

For those who get the 4k set, there are two discs. The UHD disc just has just the movie itself, and a Blu-ray disc that has the movie and the bonus material. That includes multiple behind-the-scenes features (clearly shot when Snyder was still on set, as Whedon was nowhere to be seen), deleted scenes, and a gag reel. There are also some features on how the Justice League has evolved from the comics to the various animated series to live-action. A good amount of material for those who like watching the bonus content. 

Overall, the movie is not as bad as its reputation, but it was definitely not as good as the movie that Snyder intended to make. I still think WB/DC would have been better off establishing the main characters through solo movies first like was done with the main heroes of the MCU movies, then doing the big team-up. But, diverting from what Snyder had set up made the problematic DCEU even worse because this movie just feels out of place. I would say it is worth watching if nothing else to compare and contrast with the Snyder cut of the movie, but it is not something that I would come back to a lot. 

4kUHD/Movie Review: Batman v. Superman Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition (Spoilers)

 

WARNING: This review will contain spoilers from the movie. For a spoiler-free review please read my review for the original blu-ray set.

This is the remastered 4k disc of the Ultimate Edition of Batman v. Superman which was made about the same time Zach Snyder was restoring his cut of Justice League. It should be noted that this just has the movie itself and a commentary track that Snyder made just for this restoration as the only extra. In his commentary, he does spoil his version of Justice League (identifying Martian Manhunter, for example) and generally discusses his vision for where the movies would have gone had he stayed on.

The ultimate edition of the movie adds about 30 additional minutes to the theatrical version, and aside from a couple of throwaway scenes that could have been omitted, really helped flesh out the fact that Lex Luthor, having figured out the secret identities of Batman and Superman, was really pulling the strings behind everything. And, added details like the fact that the guy who blew up the capital during the hearing had no idea the chair was a bomb. 

I think the movie gets an undeserved bad rap. While it could have been set up better with a stand-alone Batman movie first, to really establish his distrust of Superman and show a bit more of Lex pulling strings, you can get all that if you pay attention to the movie. I think Affleck did a great job as an older, more jaded Batman, and a stand-alone movie would have helped establish why he has no qualms against killing criminals as he did at times in this movie. 

Overall, the movie looks and sounds great (especially the restored IMAX scenes) in 4k UHD, and is worth the double-dip. The only thing is that it does not carry over any of the original blu-ray extras, so if you purchased that two-disc set, you will need to keep that one if you like watching the bonus material. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Batman v. Superman: The Dawn of Justice

 

Batman vs. Superman was in part a sequel to Man of Steel and in part, a setup for The Justice League movie, introducing the new DCEU versions of Batman (played by Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot), and via short cameos the new Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). It also brought back Amy Adams in her role as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and brought in Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

I won't go into too much of the storyline so as not to spoil it for the few who may not have seen the movie, but it essentially dovetails off the end of Man of Steel in which Metropolis was destroyed in the climactic fight between Superman and Zod. We see that battle from the perspective of Bruce Wayne who is trying to get to Wayne Financial to get his employees out of the building. This sets up his distrust of Superman, and then there is an 18-month time jump and Batman is becoming more violent which gets him on Superman's radar, and with Lex orchestrating things in the background, the two end up in battle, until they have to team up. 

The movie gets shit on a lot, undeservedly so, in my opinion. It is clearly setting up a larger story and has to be seen as a piece in a multi-movie arc. While I do think it would have been better for DC to follow the Marvel format of setting up the characters in individual movies before bringing them together, so there would not have been so many logic jumps as this movie took, the plot does make sense (especially after you see it a couple of times), and the darker tone that Snyder used for the movie (really all the movies in his "Snyderverse" worked well. And, of course, when Joss Whedon attempted to shoehorn his brand of humor that worked in the MCU into the DCEU, it totally fell flat and was universally rejected. 

For those who get this set, there are two blu-ray discs. One with the theatrical cut of the movie and the bonus features, and one with the Ultimate Edition of the movie that adds about 30 additional minutes to the run time. Some of the scenes are kind of useless, but others really flesh out how much Lex had put the events of the movie into motion. The extras included several behind-the-scenes and making-of features, character profiles for Wonder Woman and Batman, and shorter ones on the characters of Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. All, in all, there is about two hours' worth of extras, so those who like watching the bonus material will be satisfied. Also of note, there is a 4k version of the Ultimate Edition of the movie that does not include the theatrical version or any of the blu-ray extras (that I will review separately), so even if you double-dip for that one, you probably want to hold on to this version unless you are only interested in the movie and just want the Ultimate Edition of the movie.

Overall, the movie is very good. Dark, but good, and it makes a lot of sense. I do think it could have used a better setup through a stand-alone Batman movie first to establish that character more and possibly releasing the stand-alone Wonder Woman movie first. But, despite the reputation it has as a bad movie, it is not. Affleck did a great job as an older, more jaded Batman, and I liked the idea of Batman trying to figure out how to stop an unstoppable alien. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Man of Steel

 

Man of Steel is a much better movie than it gets credit for being. I think it gets shit on by a lot of whiny comic book fans who would frankly never be satisfied with anything that deviates from the story they want to be told. This is, of course, the movie that launched the current version of the DC Cinematic Universe. It tells the origin story of Superman in a much different way than the 1978 film did, but still stayed true to the comic book mythology. Like the 1978 movie, this one starts out on Krypton, showing the planet in its last days, and setting up Zod, played by Michael Shannon, as the villain of the film. It has many of the same elements as the origin story we know, Jor-El (played by Russell Crowe) trying to convince the leadership of Krypton that the planet is doomed, Zod being sent to the phantom zone, and Jor-El and Lara (played by Ayelet Zurer) sending Kal to Earth.

Then the movie jumps to a time when Clark/Kal-El is an adult (played by Henry Cavill), working odd jobs as a drifter until he would be discovered helping someone and then have to move on. His childhood is told in flashbacks as he learns how to deal with powers like x-ray vision and super hearing, and learning to control them with the help of his Earth father and mother, Jonathan and Martha Kent (played by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). So, for much of the movie, he is not Superman until Zod comes to Earth and threatens all of humanity. The movie is really about how he becomes Superman, which he fully is by the end of the movie. 

The movie was directed and produced by Zach Snyder (of 300 and Watchman fame) and as a result, has a much grittier feel than the original movies with Christopher Reeve or the Superman Returns reboot with Brandon Routh. This version of Superman is not the "big blue boy scout" but you can see that he has that in him. Lois (played by Amy Adams) is much wiser than any other version of the character and finds out pretty much immediately who Clark is and about his abilities. The rest of the cast is made up of very recognizable actors including Laurence Fishburne, Michael Kelley, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, and Harry Lennix. 

For those who get the blu-ray set, there are three discs, two blu-rays, and one DVD. The first blu-ray disc and the DVD has the movie and about an hour's worth of behind-the-scenes and making-of material. The second Blu-ray disc has the movie with an in-movie mode in which clips from the cast and crew are interspersed throughout the movie explaining how various scenes were shot, how they approached making the movie or a particular scene in the movie, and the like. It adds about 30 additional minutes to the running time of the movie but is entertaining to watch. Then, there is a mockumentary made for the movie about Krypton and Kryptonian technology that was gleaned from the aftermath of the invasion. 

Overall, the movie is very good. Very well written and acted. Yes, it changed the origin story of the character a bit, but as I said above, it still stayed true to the overall mythology. Henry Cavill did a great job in the role, getting absolutely jacked for it, and totally pulled off the superhero look. He, wisely, did not try to mimic Christopher Reeve or any of the other actors that ever played the role. He made it his own and ran with it, as did Amy Adams with her version of Lois. Of course, the movie sets up the larger DC Cinematic Universe that would go on to include characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc., but they really kept this a contained Superman movie. It was very well done and is definitely worth watching.

Movie/Blu-Ray Review: Superman The Motion Picture Anthology

Review of the 8 Disc Superman Motion Picture Anthology (8 Disc Set) on Blu-Ray

This is the blu-ray set that has all the original four Christopher Reeve-Margot Kidder (as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane) led movies, and the 2006 Superman Returns starring Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth in the same roles. It also includes the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II, which shows that movie as Donner, who was the director of Superman I and the original director of Superman II envisioned the movie. The set has eight discs, which include a ton of special features, including behind-the-scenes material from each of the movies as they were filmed, as well as the great  "Look, up in the Sky" documentary that was produced by Bryan Singer, the director of Superman Returns. This is a must-have for any fan of Superman from throughout the years.

Superman: The Movie (1978)

Disc 1 contains the theatrical release of Superman, as it was released in 1978. This was really the movie that launched the modern-day superhero movies, and was, for its day, the innovator of practical effects (mainly to make Superman fly, and make it look realistic) like The Matrix was the innovator of digital effects about 20 years later. Of course, computer-generated effects did not exist back in 1978, so the kinds of effects that are used now were not available to the filmmakers back then. Interestingly, Marlon Brando received top billing, followed by Gene Hackman, then Christopher Reeve. This was, in large part because Reeve was a total unknown when he was hired, and Brando (and then Hackman) committing to the movie was really what got the movie made. And, Brando was still a huge star, although his career was starting to wind down at that point.

The movie is set in three acts, the first on Krypton (which is where the majority of Brando's scenes are set. It also sets up Superman II, which was initially being filmed at the same time as the first movie, with Zod, Non, and Ursa being exiled to The Phantom Zone. The second act is set in Smallville, with Clark being found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, and then a few minutes of footage with a teenaged Clark. Then, the Fortress of Solitude is the bridge between Smallville and Metropolis (set in NY City) which is the third act, and where Christopher Reeve shows up as the 30-year old Clark/Superman.

The writing, acting, and direction of the film were all very good. I think the fact that the film took itself seriously and did not go the campy route of the 1966 Batman TV series and some of the prior Superman serials, made it work. Reeve did a great job as both Clark and Superman, and Margo Kidder was very good as Lois Lane. I personally think Hackman and Ned Beatty stole all the scenes as Luthor and Otis, the bumbling lackey.

The extras include a commentary track on the movie with the producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spangler. They detailed how the film was made and provided a counterpoint to the commentary by Donner and the screenwriter/creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz on the extended cut of the film (on disc two). For those who don't know, Donner was supposed to direct both Superman and Superman II. The two movies were initially being filmed at the same time and Donner completed about 70% of Superman II, but because of budget overruns and timing the decision was made to complete Superman I and hope it was a hit, then finish filming Superman II. Even though Superman I was a massive hit, Donner, depending on whose account you believe,  was either fired after Superman I was released and not allowed to (or refused to) come back to complete Superman II. 

As a result, there is a lot of hard feelings between Donner and the surviving producers. Although they all tried to stay civil when talking about each other on their respective commentary tracks, a lot of the bad blood and hard feelings managed to come through. The rest of the extras include a making-of feature that was made for television back around the time the movie was released, the very cheesy Superman and the Mole Men movie from back in 1951 starring George Reeves, some Looney Tunes parodies of Superman, and original trailers and TV spots.

Superman: The Movie (extended cut):

Disc 2 contains the extended cut of the original movie, adding about 15 minutes worth of additional footage, sometimes extending scenes that were in the movie (such as the post-trial scene on Krypton), or adding new scenes (such as a new fortress of solitude scene between Superman and Jor-El after Superman reveals himself in Metropolis). There is also an additional scene where young Lois sees Clark running alongside the train in Smallville. In that scene, Noel Neill, who played Lois in the 1940s and 1950s, and Kirk Alyn who played Superman in some of the Movie Serials before George Reeves took over the role, played Lois's parents.

The extras on disc two include the commentary track with Richard Donner and his creative consultant/screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz then updated behind-the-scenes and making-of documentaries that were made sometime around 2000 (when the extended cut was put together) which were hosted by Marc McClure (who played Jimmy Olsen).

Overall, the extended cut was very good but did make the film drag on a bit too long, and it is understandable why the scenes that got cut from the movie were cut out. The most interesting extra was the commentary by Donner and Mankiewicz that discussed the process of figuring out how to make the film the way they wanted to and going into some of the behind-the-scenes drama that went on between Donner and Salkind/Spangler. 

Superman II (Theatrical Cut 1980)

Disc three has the theatrical release of Superman II. As die-hard fans of the movies likely know, and is discussed above Richard Donner was originally hired to direct both Superman I and II, but was either fired or essentially refused to return to finish the filming of the second movie after the first movie was released. According to Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spangler, they invited Donner to return and he issued an ultimatum that he wanted total control over the rest of the filming and wanted Pierre Spangler off the movie, and only hired Richard Lester after Donner's ultimatum. Donner basically says he was straight-up fired by telegram, and never invited to be brought back. As a result, Superman II was released with some of the footage that was filmed concurrently with the first movie (basically anything with Gene Hackman in it), and a lot of new material(including the Paris footage, the scene where Lois discovers Clark is Superman, and some of the footage of the villains).

For extras, the disc includes a commentary track on the movie with Salkind and Spangler, where they give their side of the Donner controversy, and why the decisions that were made regarding changes to the story were made. Then, there is nearly an hour-long making-of documentary that was released sometime back in the 1980s. Then there are nine episodes of the 1941 Max Fleischer serial cartoons that were played before movies. The nine episodes are about half of those that were made. There is also a short feature on the animated versions of Superman by the creators of the Batman and Superman animated series that played in the 1990s.

Superman II (Richard Donner Cut 2006)

Disc 4 includes the "Donner Cut" which was the early 2000's version of "The Snyder Cut". From what I remember from back then was some clamoring on internet message boards to have Donner finish his version of the movie as he originally conceived it. Nothing like the social media campaign for The Snyder Cut, but enough that the studio cooperated in a restoration of the film using the footage that had been in storage for years. There are, obviously, a lot of differences between this cut and the theatrical version that was completed by Richard Lester. The film totally changes the beginning and the ending of the movie, and some of what appears in the middle of the film. Some of the footage shot by Lester had to be used to complete the movie (much to Donner's chagrin because he hated the theatrical version), and there were some scenes where screen test footage had to be used because 

Donner was not able to actually film them for the movie before they stopped filming for Superman II while Superman I was being shot. So, you will see both Christopher Reeve and Margo Kidder looking totally different within the same scene as footage from two different screen tests was used. The other big change was re-inserting the footage of Brando that was shot to be used for Superman II but got replaced with Susannah York in the theatrical version to save money. 

Overall, I think this cut of the movie did some things better and some worse. For example, what is probably the second most iconic line from the movie after "kneel before Zod" when Superman asks Zod to step outside is not included in this cut. Also, Hackman's great line from the theatrical version about the dummies not learning how to use a doorknob is not in this version. I do think the reveal to Lois is better in this version, and the NY fight is a bit better. But, the climax in the fortress is a lot better in the theatrical cut. So, I personally think that the best version of Superman II would be a combination of what Lester and Donner envisioned. 

For extras, there is a commentary track from Donner and Mankiewicz, where you can tell there is still a lot of hard feelings from Donner that he was not allowed to finish his version of the movie and keep directing additional movies (which may have meant he would never direct Lethal Weapon, which ultimately became his franchise of movies). There is also a short feature on how this cut of the film was made and restored and the rest of the episodes from the 1941-1942 cartoon series.

Superman III (1983)

Disc 5 contains Superman III is where the franchise dips its toe into the hot-garbage category. The movie was still decent, and in parts very funny, but it definitely shifted from the feel of the first two movies and had some very stupid elements to it (like a killer computer that was not Brainiac). The main villain of the movie, since Gene Hackman refused to return in large part because of Richard Donner's firing from Superman II, was played by Robert Vaughn. He played a mogul named Ross Webster who wants to take over the coffee and oil industries. Richard Pryor, who famously got the role because of a segment on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show where he acted out Superman I and said he wanted to be in a Superman Film, plays Gus Gorman who goes from being unemployed to being a computer genius in a matter of days. His role was famous for inspiring the "fractions of pennies" embezzlement from Office Space. Rounding out the main cast was Annette O'Toole playing Lana Lang. Of course, she would go on to play Martha Kent in the series Smallville about 18 years later. Pamela Stephenson was brought in to play a Miss Tessmacher like role, and Annie Ross played Vera Webster, the other villain of the movie.

Like I said earlier, the film has some good points, but a lot of bad stuff as well, including the cheesy Rube Goldberg like opening credit sequence, having Margo Kidder in for what was basically a cameo appearance, Lana's whole existence revolving around needing a man, and the killer computer. The good, however, was pretty much any scene with Pryor, the Clark vs. evil Superman fight, and Christopher Reeve's ability to play a bad, almost Bizzaro version of Superman.

The extras include a commentary track on the film by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Salinger. As you can imagine, they mostly stick up for the movie, but Salkind does mention some aspects he would change. He also vehemently denied that Margo Kidder's role was downgraded in the movie because of the fact that she was very vocal about Richard Donner's firing from Superman II, but given how tiny a role she had, it is not surprising that rumor got going.  And, in later bonus materials, Kidder basically said she was cut out of most of the movie for sticking up for Donner. The rest of the bonus material includes a 50+ minute making-of documentary, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer. 

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Disc 6 has the movie that pretty much ended the live-action Superman Movies for about a decade. If Superman III dipped its proverbial toe into the hot garbage category, Superman IV jumped into it headfirst. The main problem that the movie encountered is that the Salkinds sold the production rights to the Cannon/Golan-Golbus group, which were mainly known for making extremely low-budget B movies like Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, Ninja III: Domination, etc. Basically, movies that could be filmed in a few weeks on a shoestring budget. They tried to branch out into major motion pictures and failed miserably. Therefore, the Superman IV budget was cut both in pre-production and in post-production so what was supposed to be a slightly longer than two-hour-long movie ended up being an hour-and-a-half. That said, the script was not all that great either.

The movie was made as the cold war was nearing an end, and Christopher Reeve wanted to do a plot that revolved around the nuclear arms crisis. It was an issue that he was passionate about, so much that he helped write the screenplay. While the plot is pretty cheesy 30+ years down the line, for its day it made sense, the main issue was that the execution of the story was horrible because of the budget issues. That is evident from the opening credits which were a very poor man's version of the opening credit sequences from the first three movies. Basically a dollar store version of what the first movie did with the opening credits. The only good thing about the movie is that they were able to get Gene Hackman and Margo Kidder to return (which was a requirement of Christopher Reeve). Hackman outright refused to do Superman III and Kidder basically had a cameo in that movie. The basic story is that Lex breaks out of prison with the help of his nephew Lenny (played by Jon Cryer, who now plays a great Lex Luthor on the Supergirl TV series), steals a lock of Supermans's hair, and manages to "clone" a nuclear man using Superman's DNA. It would have worked 1000 percent better had they used Reeve in a dual role by introducing Bizzaro, but alas they found a guy named Mark Pillow to play nuclear man, who basically just growled and had long fingernails. The other main addition to the cast was Mariel Hemmingway, who was brought in to play a love interest for Clark and do a love rectangle with Lois and Superman. 

The Extras include a commentary track on the movie by the screenwriter (who basically slams the final outcome repeatedly, and notes how Cannon was way in over its head producing the movie), a Superman 50th anniversary special from 1989 that was part SNL skit (including being hosted by Dana Carvey) and part retrospective on the character. The parts that were like an SNL skit were cringe-worthy bad, but the historical parts were interesting. Then there were deleted scenes that showed just how much worse the movie could have been (the first version of Nuclear Man was even worse than the one we get in the film), and the theatrical trailer. 

Ironically, this was supposed to be a Superman Returns kind of movie, to reintroduce the characters and reinvigorate the franchise. Instead, it was the Batman and Robin of its day and ended the movie franchise until Bryan Singer resurrected it with the actual Superman Returns movie about a decade later. It seems that almost all the comic franchise movies that go beyond a trilogy have a horrible entry (see X-men, the original Batman Franchise, and the DC Cinematic Universe movies). This was definitely a horrible movie that could not even be saved with Reeve and Hackman giving strong performances and Kidder returning in a major role. The special effects were horrendous, and there was not a ton of thought in some elements, such as having Superman and Nuclear Man fly around in space carrying humans who would be dead instantly. It is worth watching once just to see the trainwreck, but it is not one that needs repeated viewings at all.

Superman Returns (2006):

Disc 7 contains Superman Returns which is essentially a direct sequel to Superman I and II, of course, made almost 20 years after Superman IV was filmed with an entirely new cast. Although in the Arrowverse Crisis on infinite Earths event, in which Brandon Routh reprised his role also referenced part of Superman III. The basic story was that Astronomers believed that they found Krypton and Superman leaves Earth to try and find it. How exactly he did so is not exactly clear (did he just fly off, did he have a ship or build a ship, etc.). Then, after five years he returns to earth (in a ship, which may or may not be how he left). Lois (played by Kate Bosworth) is in a relationship (but not married) to Perry White's (played by Frank Langella, who was actually up for the bad guy role in Superman III) nephew Richard (played by James Marsden). Superman tries to readjust to his new life both as Clark and as Superman, and his feelings for Lois. Rounding out the cast is Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski who is Lex's girlfriend (maybe), Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olson, and Tristan Leabu as Jason, Lois' son.

The movie was not as huge a hit, despite being very good, as the studio wanted, and as a result the multiple sequels that were hoped for by everyone never materialized. Honestly, all the actors did a great job with their characters, which was especially hard given that they were playing the same characters as Margo Kidder, Christopher Reeve, etc. This is easier to accept now given the multiverse concept that the DC television universe introduced, but at the time, a lot of the criticism was around replacing Christopher Reeve, who had recently passed away. Now you can just handwave it away and say that this version was on a different Earth than Reeve's version, although they shared some commonalities (like having Marlon Brando as a father). But, when the movie was released, it was acknowledged that Routh was taking over Reeve's version of Superman. Even with that pressure, Routh did an awesome job, nailing both Clark and Superman very well. Bosworth was great as Lois, and personally my favorite version behind Teri Hatcher's and Erica Durance's versions of Lois in live-action. Sam Huntington was hands down, in my opinion anyway,  the best version of Jimmy Olson. Granted, he had a lot better material than Marc McClure ever had to work with. Spacey played a much more constantly sadistic version of Lex than Hackman (basically if you take Hackman's version and removed the one-liners and jokes, you get Spacey's version). The movie was definitely setting up for at least one sequel, but as I said that never materialized. Routh was able to get closure for the character with his arc in Crisis where he basically stole all the scenes he appeared as Superman. The movie also was able to get Noel Neill and Jack Larson, who played Lois and Jimmy in the 1950s series (and Neill also played Lois in some of the Superman Serials that aired before the TV series) for small cameo roles. I believe those were the last cameos either of them made in a Superman-related movie or series before they passed away. 

The movie does not have a commentary track, but there is a massive making-of documentary as the main extra. It is about an hour and twenty minutes longer than the movie itself. There are also about an hour and twenty minutes of video journal entries from Singer, deleted scenes (which make some of the plot holes make more sense), a feature on resurrecting Marlon Brando (his role was a mix of the live-action material he had filmed for the first movie and CGI effects) and the theatrical trailers. So, there are a ton of extras for those who like watching the bonus material.

Bonus Disc:

Disc 8, the final disc of the set is just bonus material. This includes the wonderful "Look, up in the Sky" documentary that was produced by Singer, which detailed basically the entire history of Superman from the comics to all the live-action versions (up to 2006, give or take) so there was no discussion of the Arrowverse version. The documentary was light years beyond the 50th-anniversary special included on the other disc.  There is also the You Will Believe documentary which is basically a giant making-of documentary on Superman I through Superman IV and gave a lot more detail on the Donner vs. Salkind controversy. Then there is a documentary on the science of Superman, a featurette about Christopher Reeve, and the horrid Superpup pilot which was filmed after George Reeves's death and was going to potentially replace The Adventures of Superman. Thankfully, it never went beyond the pilot stage, but it makes Superman IV look like a masterpiece it is so bad. 

Overall, this is a dream set for Superman fans. It basically has everything as far as the movies go that you could possibly ever want, and hours and hours of bonus material. If you are not one who likes to watch the bonus materials then this set is probably a bit overkill for you, but if you like watching all the extras, you definitely get your money's worth and then some. I highly recommend it.