The Complete Superman Collection:[4-Discs] [DVD]

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 trailers

Disc 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 trailer

Disc 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 cartoons

Disc 5 Superman III , commentary by the producers, tv special Making of, Additional scenes, theatrical trailer

Disc 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 pilot

Languages on the Discs

Extended Superman I
Spoken - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Russian

Theatrical Superman I
Spoken - English 5.1, English 2.0 (original theatrical), French, German, Itallian, Spanish, Portuguese
Subtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

Superman II Richard Donner Cut
Spoken - English
Subtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazillian), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish

Superman II Theatrical
Spoken - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Subtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish

Superman III
Spoken - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Polish
Subtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Polish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Portugese, Romanian, Sweden, Turkish

Superman IV
Spoken - English, French, german, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Polish
Subtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portugese, Romanian, Swedish, Turkish

Superman Returns
Spoken - English, French (Quebec), French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Russian
Subtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portugese (Brazilian), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish

Bonus Disc
Spoken - English
Subtitles - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese

Just 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!

With both this, Star wars and The Lord of the ring extended editions out this year on blu ray, 2011 is shaping up very nicely indeed !

All 5 films ( to date) are well represented in this set, with oodles of extras, alternate cuts, remastered picture quality and lossless audio, there should be enough to satisfy even the most cynical of fans.

The Superman 1 (extended cut) and Superman 2 picture quality pretty much mirrors the old blu ray releases, (even though Superman 1 has apparently be remastered) this is no bad thing though as both look faithful to the original source material and appropriate age of the film, clarity is mostly good, though soft shots appear at times. Colours also receive a welcome upgrade, the reds and blues of Superman's costume have never looked more vibrant, excellent. 3.5/5

What surprised me the most though was how good Superman 3 looks on blu ray! - wow ! this really looks fantastic for the most part, clarity is absolutely top notch and most of the movie easily rivals most modern films in it's presentation! 4.5/5

Superman 4 again looks very good, though a drop down from Supes 3. 4/5

Superman Returns is exactly picture as on the blu ray release from several years back, given the newness of movie, it's hardly surprising no effort was made to remaster the picture. That said though Superman Returns picture quality is a massive disappointment. Filmed with HD camera's you would assume this would look fantastic but many experts have commented on a lot of HD camera's shortcomings and this film backs that theory up.

Watching all the films again words cannot describe how bad Superman 4 is! ( you could write a book on how inept this film is) I'd forgotten how bad this movie was. With Canon films taking over the production from Warner Bros and The salkinds, the FX budget was slashed at the last minute with many fx shots unfinished. The tagline for the first Superman movie was You'll believe a man can fly"...The tagline for Superman 4 should've been "You'll never believe a man flies in this crap!" Saying that though, even if the fx had have been top notch, the script would still have killed this movie. Nuclear man must be the worst superhero ever created and the whole Nuclear disarmament plot( though admirable) is the sort of plot device that should ever be used in these types of films. Another shocker is how the legendary Gene Hackman agreed to reprise his role of Lex Luthor in this!, didn't he read the script!? and why is Chris Reeve wearing a really bad black wig in this and not his own hair like the previous films? the only postive i can say about this film though is that the even more horrendous deleted scenes (as found in the extra features section) were cut from the movie, you'll know when you see them !!

Still a fantastic boxset and well worth a place om any fans shelf.

There are special expanded editions of the three Superman sequels coming out next year - so it's well worth waiting for them in my opinion. The new DVDs will have all-new special features, brand new digital video transfers and Dolby 5.1 surround sound.