Superman: 1978-1987 4K Collection
review by Bobby Blakey
As part of Warner Bros 100th anniversary celebration they are rereleasing a lot of their classic films on 4K. With this celebration in full swing they are bringing their most iconic character of all time Superman back to the forefront with the Superman: 1978-1987 Collection on 4K. This new collection includes Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III, and Superman IV all together in one cool set.
Superman: The Movie follows the doomed planet of Krypton, where two parents launch a spaceship carrying their infant son to earth. Here he grows up to become Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Metropolis Daily Planet. But with powers and abilities far beyond those of ordinary men, he battles for truth and justice as Superman.
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said, I still have a great time watching it and for the sheer nostalgia. Knowing all the issues that went down in production on the first two films it is a wonder they work at all. Dated as it may be, it still brings the essence of the Man of Steel to brilliant life like we could have never imagined. There is a reason it is a classic piece of cinema and this 4K transfer looks outstanding and will no doubt be a winner for fans.
As a comic fan I love all these movies, but honestly have never been the biggest fan of this film. I respect what it did for the genre and
Reeves is great as Superman, but the film is just silly and revisiting it feels dated. That being
Superman II follows three super-powered Planet Krypton criminals, Ursa, Non and General Zod who are unwittingly
released from Phantom Zone imprisonment and plan to enslave Earth – just when Superman decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane and makes a sacrifice that could doom the planet.
Of all the films in this franchise this was my favorite. Yes it is still just as cheesy, but it’s just a more enjoyable flick. I loved the corniness of the original cut, but the Donner Cut stepped up the already entertaining flick to something even better. Gone is the stupid mind wiping kiss and so many of the goofy forced comedy bits and instead a more serious tone similar to the first film. It just works better, especially the way Lois proves Clark is Superman making her a more confident character instead of a buffoon. The biggest problem with the Donner cut is that it repeats the ending form the original film with not much originality, but still happy the kiss is gone.
Superman III follows Gus Gorman, a naive computer-programming natural. For him, a keyboard is a weapon – and, as a result, Superman faces the microelectronic menace of his life. Clark Kent sees Lana Lang at a Smallville High class reunion reigniting an old flame, just when the Man of Steel becomes his own worst enemy after exposure to Kryptonite.
This film has so many issues, but still manages to be fun for the most part. Pryor looks to be having fun here despite only being in the film based on a joke he made on a talk show and his bit about Black Superman. The story is dumb, but at least was trying to do something new rather than just repeat everything all over again. While a lot of it is just silly and fully embraces the camp, the whole portion of Superman dealing with the evil persona is great stuff with Reeves showcasing some of his best acting of the franchise.
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace follows Lex Luthor who creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man to make the world safe for nuclear arms merchant,. The two foes clash in an explosive extravaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, plug the volcanic eruption of Mount Etna and rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China.
While not a great entry either, I think this film gets more hate than it deserves. It is better than part III in almost every way and feels like it was trying to get back to the core of the franchise complete with bringing the entire cast back. I always love Nuclear Man in all is over the top silly glory, but this film would have worked so much better had they did a Bizzaro treatment giving Reeves more time to bring some range once again. The worst part is that they bring back the dang stupid mind wipe kiss again that makes no sense whatsoever.
No matter the feeling son any of these films there is no doubt they look better than ever. The stylized look of the time is enhanced by the 4K transfer making every one of them look fantastic. In addition to the films it offers up plenty of bonus content across all the films including commentaries, trailers, cartoons, deleted scenes, featurettes and so much more. Grab your copy of the Superman: 1978-1987 4K Collection available now from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.
