![[box cover]](../../reviewimgs/s/superman_se.jpg)
Superman: The Movie
Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie, in this superb DVD incarnation, is still grand fun and a treat for the eyes, ears, and imagination. The basics of the familiar story are intact: the planet Krypton's destruction, Jor-El (Marlon Brando adding appropriate gravitas, the Clark Kent/Superman duality (played to perfection by Christopher Reeve), Smallville, Metropolis, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), Perry White (Jackie Cooper), arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), Superman saving the world from danger... it's all here. With John Williams' magnificent score, the late Geoffrey Unsworth's beautiful cinematography, Donner's vision is still flies a quarter of a century later.
Warner's DVD release features a solid anamorphic widescreen transfer (2.35:1), with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1. There's a truckload of extras as well: a feature-length audio commentary by director Donner and "creative consultant" (read: uncredited writer) Tom Mankiewicz; added scenes; three making-of documentaries; screen tests for Clark Kent/Superman, Lois Lane, and Ursa; and much more. Snap-case.
—Mark Bourne
