You will believe a man can fly
Son of Kal-el, Jor-el is sent to earth by his father mere moments before his home planet of Krypton is destryoed. It takes a year for the boy to travel to the earth crashing in a field to be discovered buy the Kents who raise him as their own. Though he is no ordinary boy, he has super-human strenghts and grows up to be Superman! He fights for truth, justice and the American way!
It sounds a bit hokey but after all it is Superman. Now finally we have the box-office smash, Academy AwardŽ winner and a beloved fan favorite for more than a generation, Superman: The Movie now soars even higher in a state-of-the-art digital transfer from restored elements and with dynamically remixed digital audio. There's more: the epic adventure now includes eight minutes integrated into the film by director Richard Donner. Among the highlights: added footage of the Krypton Council, a glimpse of veterans from previous Superman incarnations, a meeting with Jor-El that underscores the Man of Steel's purpose on Earth and an extended sequence inside Lex Luthor's gauntlet of doom.
Having mentioned some specifics and disc propaganda, let me say this is a great movie. While this took well over a year to shoot, (they shot this and Superman 2 simultaneously) and plagued by an ever burgening budget and producer - director infighting, this film nevertheless was a breakthrough in special effects technology. The tag line of the film was, "You will believe that a man can fly." And you did. They made it appear as though Christopher Reeve was flying through the air. You cannot read history backwards and say it looks fake, because maybe by todays CGI world it may look a bit hokey, but in 1978 it was a marvel, and in my opinion, it still is.
Unknown actor at the time Christopher Reeve gives us a powerful and believable performance in the dual Kent/Superman role. Hackman gives a brilliant comedic performance as Lex Luthor, and Margot Kidder rounds out an excellent cast. (On principal I am not mentioning the actor who plays Superman's father, you probably know that already).
The only contention I had with this disc was the fact that some scenes were added that were not in the theatrical cut. They were edited in and while the chapter list lets us know I feel there should have at least had a branching option to watch them within the movie or alone. Aside from that this is a stellar disc.
FEATURES:
2 Deleted Scenes
2 Original Theatrical Trailers
4 Behind-the-Scenes Documentaries: The Magic Behind the Cape (Special Effects), Making
Superman: Filming the Legend (Production and Release), Screen Tests (Casting) and Taking
Flight (Preproduction)
Audio Outtakes: Alternate Scoring for 8 Sequences
Cast/Director Film Highlights
Feature Length Audio Commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz
Music-Only Audio Track (Dolby 5.1) Showcasing John William's Magnificent Score
New Digital Transfer And Remixed Dolby Surround 5.1 From Restored Elements!
Previously Unseen Footage Added By Director Richard Donner
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Superman and Lois Lane Screen Tests
Web-Enabled ROM Features Include Storyboard to Screen,
Featuring Production Storyboards compared to the final version
Widescreen (16x9 2.35:1)
C's Final Word - DA BOMB!
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