Superman: Motion Picture Anthology 1978-2006 [DVD] [1978]

***WARNING***My review of this Blu Ray collection has been duplicated by Amazon so it appears on 2 products.The review I originally posted was for the 8 disc version which has the case with the Superman symbol in the middle with the Fortress of Solitude in the background and uses this product link The Complete Superman Collection [Blu-ray] [1978][Region Free]. This is the edition you want if you want all the extra goodies - because i don't own the other collection I can't tell you what is missing in terms of extras in the 5 disc package though from reading various comments i understand that this package doesn't have the extended cuts of the films and i am guessing more of the extras are missing too!When you think about is a three disc difference in the two packages so i would guess quite a lot is missing from the 5 disc set. Incidentally the 5 disc set has the Superman symbol on a PLAIN BLACK BACKGROUND and it's product link is Superman Complete Collection (5-disc Edition) [Blu-ray] [1978][Region Free].My personal recommendation is to go for the 8 disc edition as it contains a huge amount of extras as listed in the main review below, and is only slightly more expensive than the 5 disc version. I apologise to anyone who accidentally bought the 5 disc version on the strength of my review - it is purely down to Amazon duplicating the review and not me posting it twice.***MAKE SURE YOU ORDER THE CORRECT EDITION FOR YOU***This is an amazing Blu Ray package and one I would recommend to any Superman fan.For a start, there are 8 discs included in this set absolutely packed with all the films so far - Superman I(theatrical release),Superman I (expanded edition) Superman II (cinematic version), Superman II (the Richard Donner cut), Superman III, Superman IV and Superman Returns. So, before you even get into all the extras, this package is an absolute bargain (just over £4 per Blu ray disc is amazing!).One issue that has been posted in the discussion regarding this blu ray is the fact that the discs all have Spanish printed on them. However, the rest of the packaging and the playback of the blu ray discs are ALL in English - so fear not! Also, the title denoting which disc it is, is very hard to find on the actual disc (it is in tiny writing around the edge) and this makes it a little annoying when trying to separate the two versions of Superman:The Movie, and the two versions of Superman II (cinematic release, and the Richard Donner cut). But ultimately, this makes no difference to me and didn't frustrate me in the slightest - so don't let this very minor niggle put you off!For those of you who already own the DVD version of this set, Superman - The Ultimate Collection [DVD] I can honestly say that it is worth upgrading to this Blu Ray version. All the extra features in the DVD collection have been transferred to the Blu Ray version, and with a couple of extra goodies that haven't been seen before on a collection. These include Heart of a Hero: A Tribute to Christopher Reeve, The Science of Superman, and most notably the unseen start to Superman Returns. This has never been released, and for the ultra-fan is probably going to be the place to start. Without spoiling what goes on, this sequence shows Superman returning to the destroyed fragments of Krypton.I am not completely au fait with all the technical aspects of what these Blu Ray discs play like - so I can't talk about aspect ratios, frame rates or sound specifics, I am afraid. However, I can tell you that all the films have been lovingly cleaned up on Blu Ray. They all look fantastic - very clean, precise and rich in colour, and if you compare the quality of the films to the prints contained in the deleted scenes section of the discs you will see what I mean.The packaging is of a high quality too - my copy arrived with all the discs securely attached,and unlike some boxed sets, I expect this to last a very long time without falling apart.I am a huge Superman fan. Superman: The Movie is the first film I can remember going to see at the cinema (showing my age now!) and it was an amazing experience for me back then in 1978(is it really that long ago now??!!), and this blu ray collection brings it all back to me. It is great to see the films so lovingly restored. Warner Bros deserve a lot of credit for producing a package of this quality.If you loved these films, you will definitely want to own this box set. If you are a Superman fan, you will simply HAVE to own this set - buy it now, and don't even stop to think about it! These are great family films to own too, so if you want a collection that can be pulled out on a Sunday afternoon, this is well worth investing in.Obviously, all the films aren't perfect in their content, style, scripting or even their effects and Superman IV The Quest for Peace is still an appalling film (right up there with Batman and Robin), but when they are good, they are something special to watch. Without Superman The Movie, there probably wouldn't have been other comic book adaptations - it set the bar very high for what was to come.Okay, that is the main part of my review. In my opinion, it is an essential Blu Ray box set to own and I can't give it anything less than five stars.The highlights for me are the reproduction quality of all the films ; Superman has NEVER looked so good. The huge amount of featurettes and documentaries are worthy of praise. Superman II the Directors Cut is a gem (see what the film would have been like had Richard Donner been allowed to direct the sequel). And to see the previously unreleased sequence at the start of Superman Returns, was a very interesting watch.At the bottom of this review is a full list of all the languages on each disc - spoken and subtitles.Below is a complete list of what is contained on each disc - to give you a/ a feel for how much is contained within this set and b/ for the fans to compare with what was contained in the aforementioned Superman : Ultimate Collection on Dvd. Hope this helps!Disc 1 - Superman the Movie: Original theatrical release. Commentary by the producers, Tv special Making of documentary, 1651 theatrical feature Superman and the Mole men starring George Reeves, classic cartoons Suepr-Rabbit, Snafuperman and Stupor duck, Tv spot and theatrical trailersDisc 2 - Superman the Movie : Expanded Edition, commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz, Restored scenes, additional deleted scenes, screen tests, music only audio track, audio only bonus : additional music cues, 3 documentaries :Taking Flight(developing Superman), Filming the Legend and the Magic Behind the Cape.Disc 3 Superman II: Original Theatrical release, commentary by the producers, tv special Making of documentary, additional scenes, featurette First Flight :The Fleischer Superman series, 9 Fleischer Superman cartoons, Theatrical trailerDisc 4 Superman II : 2006 Richard Donner Cut, commentary by the director, introduction by Richard Donner, featurette Superman II Restoring the Vision, additional scenes, 8 1940s cartoonsDisc 5 Superman III , commentary by the producers, tv special Making of, Additional scenes, theatrical trailerDisc 6 Superman IV The Quest for Peace, commentary by co-screenwriter, vintage tv special Supermans 50th Anniversary, additional scenes, theatrical trailer.Disc 7 Superman Returns, 9 documentaries on how the film was developed, and evolved, Resurrecting Jor-El (as played originally by Marlon Brando), additional scenes (including the previously unseen opening of Superman's return to Krypton), theatrical trailers, Bryan Singers video journals.Disc 8 All Documentaries and Featurettes :Look, Up in the Sky! the Amazing Story of Superman, feature length documentary in 5 parts : Origin (Superman in the Media and the challenges the Salkinds faced), Vision (creating the script, choosing the right direct and the right cast), Ascent(production and launch of a new kind of a fantasy film), Crisis (complications and conflicts between the creative forces of Superman II) and Redemption (criticisms and burnout of Superman III and Superman IV).TV documentary Science of Superman, Mythology of Superman: Legend, folklore and cultural influences that shaped Superman, Heart of a Hero: tribute to Christopher Reeve, Adventures of Superpup 1958 Tv pilotLanguages on the DiscsExtended Superman ISpoken - English, French, German, Italian, SpanishSubtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, RussianTheatrical Superman ISpoken - English 5.1, English 2.0 (original theatrical), French, German, Itallian, Spanish, PortugueseSubtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, SwedishSuperman II Richard Donner CutSpoken - EnglishSubtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazillian), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish, TurkishSuperman II TheatricalSpoken - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, PortugueseSubtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, FinnishSuperman IIISpoken - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, PolishSubtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Polish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Portugese, Romanian, Sweden, TurkishSuperman IVSpoken - English, French, german, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, PolishSubtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portugese, Romanian, Swedish, TurkishSuperman ReturnsSpoken - English, French (Quebec), French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, RussianSubtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portugese (Brazilian), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish, TurkishBonus DiscSpoken - EnglishSubtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, PortugueseJust a quick note on these languages; every one of these was taken from what appears on each blu ray disc and NOT what it says on the packaging. The packaging is very bad - it is very generalised, and doesn't really give specifics for what is on each disc. As you can see from the above list, some languages are on one disc, but not on another! And finally, there are some languages on the discs that are in symbols that I don't know and haven't the facility to look up so I apologise for them being excluded!

Bought this as I have a lot of 1980s dvd. Memories of being a kid during that period. These are the original Christopher Reeve movies along with one from 2006 with a different superman. To be honest, I’d forgotten that Reeve did 4 movies in total. I only remember 1 and 2. So I’ll be watching these as a grown up but with my own kids now who are teens. Brilliant movies. Not like all the cgi nonsense they have nowadays.

All good

I love comic book movies. As a child at christmas there were only two films I ever wanted to see Star Wars and Superman. Superman was the ultimate and really the only superhero around in the 80's inless you include the mini series of the Hulk and watching the movies again took me back to a time before CGI when effects were done the old fashioned way and people acually flew on wires and the back drops were and green screen were not always perfect.The first thing that grabs you with Superman is the amazing score by John Williams. This is one of the most iconic pieces of music in film only a few movies can grab you with a tune before anything happens and Superman is one of the along with Star Wars and Indiana Jones I defy people not to smile and feel just a little bit happier when the superman theme kicks in.The movies themselves are a mixed bag Superman 1 & 2 were made at the same time and as such look identical both of these movies come on two discs. In the case of first movie you get the original movies on one disc and the expanded version on the next disc. Both are good but if your gonna watch the first movie you may as well watch it with everything in. The blu ray release is good and the transfer is very clear. Also included here is Superman And The Mole-Men a 1951 black and white movie. In the case of Superman 2 you again get the original release one disc and the Richard Donner Cut on the next disc. For me I prefre the original version I understand the reason for it to be included and some of the extra material is good but there is a problem. This is not a case of deleted scenes being put back in. Much of this never even made the movie as a result what you get is screen tests and original ideas of scenes meaning things get a little jumbled. For example 1 minute Clarke Kent is in a suite talking then in street clothes with different glasses then back in a suit as a result it doesn't seem to run as smoothly as the original release and is worth watching once but I doubt I shall watch this verson again. Again the tranfser is pretty good and the special effects while dated by todays standards still hold up fairly well.Superman 3 comes on 1 disc. Many people thought this was the movie that brought about the end of the original Superman franchise I how ever disagree. This is my wifes favourite Superman movie and I really like it myself. Richard Pryor is a little over the top at times but it injests a little light heartedness into something that was getting in danger of taking it to seriously. The idea of a super computer that can do anything and take out superman is a little far fetched but then so is the idea of a man who can fly. This movie also gives us the evil version of Superman and the junkyard battle between he and Clark Kent wich is pretty good. Its one of the few times we ever see an evil side to the always noble man of steel and the leaning tower of Pizza scenes are pretty funny. It doesn't appear to have recieved the same treatment as the first two movies which is pretty much what I expected. Superman 3 is not as good as the first movie but its a comical distraction to the second which at times takes itself a little to seriously.Superman 4 again on its on disc but I doubt I shall ever watch it. The plot is beyond stupid the super villian inept to say the least and from what I recall I dont even think the cast wanted to be involved in it. Sadly you gain another disc here thats pretty pointless although some of the bonus features are ok I guess.Superman Returns released I think in 2006 this movie saw the return to the big screen for the man of steel to some mixed reviews. I enjoyed the movie and even though Christoper Reeve is really the only Superman Brandon Routh does a pretty good job. Directed by the man that gave us Xmen this is a different pace then the prievious films. Set years later this see's Superman returning to Earth after seeking out his home planet. Lois Lane is now married with a child and the world is calm and neither Clark nor Superman seem to be needed until that is Lex Luthor played in this movie by the brilliant Kevin Spacey once again plans to take over the planet. This movie is darker and a little grittier but some of the scenes seem to be there foor the sake of it or have been done before. A good example is the plane scene Superman saves a plane falling from the sky this was also done in the first Superman so is it a case of just doing again cause now we can do it better. As you would imagine for its age this film looks good on blu ray a few of the cgi shots don't hold up that well by today's standards but on the whole its pretty good and deffinatley better theen Superman 4.Disc 8 is the features disc filled with documentries ranging from the comic book roots of Superman through to the changes made over the years to how the movies were made. Also this disc includes some of the less then good Superman spin off like superboy and the pilot episode of The Adventures Of Superpup which is not good by any stretch of the imagination.So including Superman And The Mole-Men you get six movies and hours after hours of bonus features. Superman 1,2 & 3 are really good movies Superman 4 is a waste of a film and Superman Returns is an ok return. With next years re-boot Man Of Steel looming and the promise of a more grittier and darker Superman this is the ideal time to get this collection as I suspect the price will rise the closer to that movie we get.In closing this is a Super set(no pun intended) and well worth the money there are a few complaints however. I am not a fan of these fold out cardboard cases much like the Star Wars blu ray set I feel this would have been better if packaged in slimline blu ray cases 1 each for Superman 1&2, 1 for Superman 3&4 and another for Superman Returns and the bonus material. My other complaint is that there is nothing on the disc to actually tell you what each disc is. Its a case of guess work which is a little bit much to be fair. But these are petty gripes although Superman is not in my opinion the easiest Superhero to relate to. Due to the fact that he is above repute and pretty much has no weaknesses. These films are classics well most of them the picture quality is great and the audio is crisp and with more features then you can shake a stick at its well worth £20 of any ones money. Plus just sitting there hearing that theme is a comic book fans dream. Also I would give The Superman Motion Picture Anthology 4.5 out of 5.

Finally got round to getting these films as wanted to relive my childhood and watching the early films it's clear that there will only be one Superman that was made for the role and that's Christopher Reeve.Haver watched the first 3 films and the quality on Blu ray is beautiful.Can't judge Brandon Routh as haven't watched him yet but for me the man that created the legacy of this character will forever be Christopher Reeve as he embodied his strength and resilience not just on screen but how he handled life after the tragic accident that paralyzed him but made him fierce to not sit back and fight so that future people in his condition could walk to new scientific research due to his foundation.

Superman movies never looked so good. And full with extras, some new. Recomend!