Superman Returns to DVD

I just caught this release from DVD Times. The announcement that there will be a 14-disc DVD release of the 4 Superman films (along with a re-release of Supergirl) is great news in some respects, and crappy news in others.

The good news is what the set will include, and the support that Warner is finally showing this series - particularly Superman II by including the original restored Donner Cut. The set will feature the first three movies in 3-disc Special Editions, the fourth in a 2-disc SE and Supergirl as a 3-disc SE. Like the absolutely amazing Alien Quadrilogy from Fox or the Matrix Ultimate Collection, extended editions and theatrical cuts make up the first two discs with a third special features disc to round out each installment of the series. The aforementioned Superman II Donner Cut has never been seen previously, and the extended cuts of III and IV have not been seen since they first aired on television, so their inclusion is a welcome one. I, for one, am quite curious to see whether or not an extra 30 minutes will improve the dismal IV.

Still, I can't help but think that for those of us who have bought some of this material in the past we will be seeing a lot of what we already own. Warner may yet surprise me (as FOX did with the Quadrilogy) but I'm not sure what could be added to Supergirl that isn't on the wonderful Anchor Bay Collector's Edition and what new features they could conjure up for Superman.

There's some commentary and an interview with Donner over at AICN which I'm going to head over to read. It may address some of the concerns I have about the set, or it may just be an entertaining interview with Richard Donner. Either way, I'm probably going to be pleased by the end result.

I'm going to fly. I'd be curious to hear thoughts on the set so feel free to comment.

Later!

mike