The Superman 5-Film Collection (1978-2006)

First off apparently Amazon is at it again, and a lot of reviews are getting mixed up. Pay attention to the number of discs you are getting in the set. I ordered the five disk version, but most of these reviews are about an eight disc version I have not even seen on the store. The 5 disc set comes with only the theatrical releases of the five films, not the extended editions or donner cut. You still get some of the other features like the making of documentaries, the cartoons, and the original film with "Superman and the Mole Men".The transfers are good, so if all you wanted was the movies then you are fine, but don't order this set thinking you are getting extra versions of the movies. Check the info before you add to cart. I'm still happy because all I really wanted was the movies, the cartoons and George Reeves film were still nice bonuses, but I was set aback when I put the disc in and saw no alternate cuts available.

The product arrived in perfect condition. I am huge DC fan but i have never really been interested on superman. I have always been more of a batman fan. But after watching some of the DC Animated movies that have come out over the past years, i have grown to enjoy the man of steel and wanted to watch the original movies. Plus what kind of DC fan would i be if i hadnt watched any of the superman movies. This is exaclty what i needed not only to watch the superman movies, but this is an absolute must for any DC fan. This comes with all 4 Christopher Reeve films ( Superman The Movie: Expanded Edition, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace) as well as the Brandon Routh film (Superman Returns). 5 full legnth movies, 2 of which are extended cuts, and with all of that coming in one colletion, you get way more than what you pay for. The mailing process was great and the film watching experience was amazing.

THE FILMS: Not having seen the Christopher Reeve Superman films before, I was essentially guilted into buying this collection (really, it was my choice to see them in this way). Thank goodness I did get this, though. There are several comic book films that I'd put above these, but I feel like I did myself a service by hunkering down and marathon-ing this Blu-ray set over the course of a month. This set contains the following feature films:- Superman: The Movie (1978)- Superman: The Movie - Expanded Edition (2001)- Superman II (1980)- Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)- Superman III (1983)- Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)- Superman Returns (2006)For my thoughts on those, you can visit their respective Amazon pages. Both versions of SUPERMAN and SUPERMAN II are listed on the same page, so the review contains both. My general thoughts on the series (1-4) are that while they opened the door for the flood of comic book adaptations that were to come in the following decades, there are aspects which haven't aged as well, namely the lighter tone and some of the special effects. Even still I enjoyed them all, particularly the first two.THE SUPPLEMENTS: Despite only giving entries in the series 3-4 stars, the extra material provided is why I'm giving this set 5 stars. There is just so much stuff for the film fan to dig into. The first four films each have commentaries, with the first two having a separate one for each version. There are also several documentaries, vintage and retrospective, which cover all aspects of production. For me, the retrospective docs were a little more valuable in terms of assessing the successes and failures of the films, as well as providing more detailed information on how they were made. That's not to put down the vintage specials, which did have some behind-the-scenes footage, but they just didn't hold up as well. In particular, the Lorne Michaels-produced 50th Anniversary Special was rather corny and stupid. Still, it's impressive how complete they were in what they included. Additionally, there was a wealth of material not related to the films or their production. Perhaps the most interesting/substantial of these was the theatrical feature SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE-MEN, which served as a pilot for the George Reeves TV series. They also included all 17 Fleischer/Famous Studios Superman animated shorts. While they were well-animated, the subject matter and tone dated them considerably. For SUPERMAN RETURNS, there wasn't any commentary but there was a nearly 3-hour documentary on the making of the film and a short featurette on how they digitally recreated Marlon Brando. There was also roughly 80 minutes of Bryan Singer's video journals he made during production. The most interesting segments, however, were jokes. In one, Bryan Singer "takes over" for Peter Jackson on KING KONG, and the other one has Frank Darabont "replace" Bryan Singer. Otherwise very thorough, if a bit dry at times. However, the crown jewel of the additional material in this anthology set is the Bonus Disc, which has the bulk of the retrospectives. The two biggest explore the history of the Superman character and the production history of the Christopher Reeve films. Lots of great anecdotes and interesting information, particularly for someone who doesn't read comics and hasn't followed the history. The only hole I could find was that they were unable to interview Richard Lester for any of the documentaries. His perspective would have made all of this as complete as possible. There is also a shorter featurette on Superman's cultural influences and role as modern mythology. They wrap things up with a touching tribute to Christopher Reeve and a surreal/stupid, unaired pilot for THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERPUP (which thankfully never went to series). Aside from all I mentioned before, there was the usual extras like deleted/extended scenes and trailers.OVERALL: Say what you will about the films themselves, which have become a pillar of pop culture and continue to be loved/reviled to this day. I certainly enjoyed watching them for the first time, and look forward to rewatching them in the future. What really makes this set worth your money is the care that went into the films' restoration (they look stunningly good) and the material provided to supplement them. I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better Blu-ray set that I've so enthusiastically delved into. And, for those who worry about such things, the actual physical set is well-constructed. It comes in a slip-case and the inside container opens up with four separate compartments that house two discs each. Honestly, I prefer when they have cases with "pages" with one disc per side, but the spacing between each disc is sufficient so that they don't touch each other. If you're a Superman fan or like comic books movies in general, I could not more highly recommend this set. It will be money well-spent.

This box set won me Wife of the Year awards with my husband! He’s idolized Superman since he was a young boy growing up without a dad, so when I saw that the movies had finally been released on Blu-ray as a set, I scoured all the listings to find the best one. This is definitely it! From all of the extras to including both cuts of the first film to including the early 2000s Brandon Routh version, he was ecstatic. The only thing missing was the original Supergirl movie, arguably something that should’ve been included since it’s in the same era/style/storyline as the Christopher Reeves movies, but luckily that has also been released on Blu-ray so I bought it separately. We would’ve loved digital copies as well (we like to use digital most of the time but keep discs as a backup or for when we really want the high def to shine without any possible buffering/downchanneling) but for the price, you can’t beat this set.

I had bought this damned set THREE times now. Mostly because the first dvd version of this anthology that came in the tin decided one day, to not let me watch the special features on the Superman The Movie disc one. I LOVE the Making of Superman The Movie 3 part documentary. It's very informative, and doesn't hesitate to speak truthfully about the treachery of the Salkinds and that idiot Pierre Spengler. If not for those feckless boobs, we would not have the disgraceful movies that are Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.Needless to say, I was devastated to find that documentary disc no longer played in ANY of my players. Neither my Xbox 360, Xbox one, nor my PS2 or blu-ray/dvd players. So I decided it was time to buy another dvd set of this and got the basic 5 disc movies ONLY set BY ACCIDENT. So after THAT fiasco, I decided to just get the damned blu-ray version, finally. And you know what? This is the far SUPERIOR set. The slip case is GRAND. The fold out disc holder is something to behold as well with its red cape-like appearance.Don't get any other version if you haven't owned this anthology yet, as it's just the best.

Vorneweg: Diese Rezension bezieht sich auf die Box "Superman 5 Film Collection" - Amazon zeigt unter diesem Produkt nämlich auch Rezensionen an, die sich auf andere Boxen beziehen.Die Box an sich ist okay, die originalen Filme sind enthalten, dazu gibt es reichlich interessantes Bonus-Matrial. Die Bildqualität an sich ist in Ordnung, auch wenn sie von Film zu Film etwas schwankt (bezogen auf die vier älteren Filme, Superman Returns ist makellos). Wirklich schlecht ist das Bild nie, Teil 4 sieht allerdings beispielweise besser aus als Teil 2.Teil 1 liegt hier ausschließlich im Directors Cut vor, nicht in der originalen Kinofassung und auch nicht in der 180 Minütigen Fernsehfassung.Nun aber die beiden Hauptgründe, warum ich diese Rezension schreibe:1. TEIL 1 WURDE NEU SYNCHRONISIERT!Mich persönlich stört das nicht, da ich die Filme im Original sehe, aber wer sich möglicherweise Kindheitserinnerungen (an die deutsche Fassung) ins Haus holen will, wird zumindest in diesem Punkt von der Box enttäuscht sein.2. DER DONNER-CUT VON TEIL 2 FEHLT!!Großer Kritikpunkt an den Machern der Box und an Amazon: Da Amazon wie gesagt oft die Reviews mehrerer ähnlicher Produkte durcheinanderwirft werden unter dieser Box hier ("Superman 5 Film Collection") Rezensionen zu einer anderen Box angezeigt in denen die Rede davon ist, dass der Donner-Cut von Teil 2 enthalten ist. Das ist bei der "5 Film Collection" ausdrücklich NICHT der Fall!Die Kritik geht aber genau so an die Macher der Box, die in den Credits auf der Rückseite ebenfalls behaupten, dass der Donner-Cut (und sogar NUR der Donner-Cut) enthalten sei. Das ist schlicht Etikettenschwindel, auf der BluRay findet sich ausschließlich die Version von Richard Lester!Insgesamt bereue ich den Kauf nicht, finde die Sache mit der neuen Synchro und vor allem mit dem Donner-Cut enttäuschend. Dies ist aber vor allem ein Amazon-Problem, da Rezensionen angezeigt werden, die sich nicht auf das Produkt beziehen!

Excellent quality Viewing

This superman collection is brilliant.Superman II,The Richard Donner's cut is the best in this box set.

Brilliant keeps my grandson entertained excellent buy, good package arrived early,well worth the money

ALL MY SON WANTED