The Superman Motion Picture Anthology

This stunning eight-disc boxed Blu-ray set contains all four original Superman epics—Superman (1978—with both the theatrical release and the expanded version), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)—starring Christopher Reeve, as well as Superman Returns (2006), with Brandon Routh. The real “newsmaker” of this collection, however, remains Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut from 2006. Those who saw the Superman movies on their initial theatrical go-rounds might recall that director Richard Donner shot the first two films back to back. Donner had completed roughly 80 percent of Superman II when producer Ilya Salkind replaced him with British filmmaker Richard Lester, who not only finished the film but also re-shot much of Donner's material—now restored and reedited, so that Superman aficionados can see the second Reeve film (widely considered to be the best of the four) as its original director intended. Among the surprises in Donner's cut is a big chunk of footage featuring Marlon Brando, who played Superman's father Jor-El (his scenes for Superman II were jettisoned following a financial dispute with Salkind). Bonus material weighs in at over 20 hours, including audio commentaries, the feature-length documentaries You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman and Look, Up in the Sky!: The Amazing Story of Superman, as well as TV specials, featuretttes, deleted scenes, classic cartoons, and the 1951 theatrical feature Superman and the Mole-Men, starring George Reeves as the Man of Steel. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (E. Hulse)[Blu-ray Review—Oct. 31, 2017—Warner, 2 discs, 339 min., PG, Blu-ray: $21.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1978's Superman features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. This collection includes both the special edition of the film and the extended cut, with extras on the special edition including audio commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz, the audio-only “Additional Music Cues” (36 min.), production featurettes on “Filming the Legend” (31 min.), “Taking Flight: The Development” (30 min.), and “The Magic Behind the Cape” (24 min.), screen tests (22 min.), restored scenes (11 min.), additional scenes (3 min.), and a music-only track. Bottom line: for those who want the extended TV version—which is longer but not better—this is the one; others will be fine with the earlier Blu-ray edition.]