Rating: 
Summary: It's Superman!
Review: It is Superman. He is one of the most recognized American heroes of our time. The movie was a landmark in the comic to film genre. If you have not seen this film you are ineligible for the title movie-buff. No collection is complete without this and it's sequel. This film is a classic that is why it gets five stars.
Rating:
Summary: A triumph for composer John Williams
Review: 'Superman' remains a cinematic milestone, in my opinion, for its superb score by John Williams at the very height of his powers. A 'hot' property after his Oscar-winning 1975 'Jaws' soundtrack, Williams was given his head just as a stream of very bold and innovative blockbusters was in production in Hollywood. Having heard Williams' more restrained scores antecedent to 'Jaws', the picture that emerges to explain his distinguished output in the late 1970s is analogous to a musician who has been paying the bills with jingles for years whilst writing a prodigious and incredible body of unknown work for which he had as of yet found no demand. When the demand finally came, there was, for some years, no stopping him.It's hard to believe, listening to the 'Superman' score in all its moods and variations and subtleties, that not a note of it existed before the commission came - instead it sounds like an extraordinary compilation of inspired moments collected over a long period and seamlessly interwoven into a cohesive film score that is indubitably one of the stars of the movie (would that Brando had made the same effort instead of producing the three-million dollar sleepwalk that begins the film). One hears strands of Williams' other work of the time in the 'Superman' score: the 'Star Wars' jawa music in the bass-buffoon restrain of the 'Otis' theme; the theme to the 1979 remake of 'Dracula', which is basically an inferior reworking of Superman's 'hunting' music, which can be heard, amongst other places in the film, during the infant Kal-El's journey to Earth. The score is sinuous and insistent, one memorable composition after another: the various 'heroic' acts of the main theme, thundering its way into the American cultural subconscious; the proto-romantic love theme of Superman and Lois Lane (just wind the poetry forward when it comes, or you may get some bad associations forming!); the unquieting 'hunting' restrain....and of course, the various comic restrains that accompany Lex Luthor's 'nincompoops'. If other reviewers here rate this as one of Williams' best scores rather than his finest, it may be because it lacks a subtlety that would have been entirely inappropriate for a film on such a grand scale and treating of such a biblical, epic theme. One feels that Williams understood profoundly what the film -and the legend- had to offer and what it was about, where perhaps he may have been guessing or indulging in a little necessary transference for such off-worldly adventures as 'Star Wars', 'CE3K' and the various others he was involved with at that period. It was strong material, and Williams responded with one of the strongest soundtracks ever written. 'Superman' contains much input by various acting and technical talents at the height of their powers, never more so than in the case of John Williams' incredible score, which in my opinion he never bested, and which was never bested by any other 'classical' soundtrack composer.
Rating:
Summary: YOU'LL BELIEVE A MAN CAN FLY
Review: I really love the effects in the movie' when i first saw the special edition was on encore channel but now im glad i brought the dvd' its got 2 deleted scenes from the abc cut superman the movie ;i seen the special features they are good i like the teaser trailer now that just blowed me away when i saw it i liked the background music to it
Rating:
Summary: All Restored With Extra Unseen Footage.
Review: All of America accepts Christopher Reeve as "Superman". Adults love this film and so do the kids. I personally enjoyed the scenes on the farm. The cinematography that is, the sunrise, the fields of wheat and tall grass. Superman flying in the air is still convincing. There is so much to see in this film and so much action, well in fact, it is an epic. The sets and special effects are breath-taking. Marlon Brando truly gives this film a good start. His acting is brilliant, mesmerizing and touching. In this DVD version, there is so much extra footage (never before seen, not in theatres, however last seen on the ABC Network in the 1980's) many new scenes include Marlon Brando. One with Christopher Reeve and projected Marlon Brando in the ice fortress. Also included are deleted scenes, three behind-the-scenes documentaries, screen tests of some well-known actresses who tried for the part of "Lois Lane". Perhaps you can see why they didn't get the part or ran a close second. Christopher Reeve is in these screen tests as well. There are many other special features to see too. Superman: The Movie has all been restored for this DVD version and on December 15, 2003, this film will celebrate its 25th Anniversary. There are three more Superman movies to see with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. The sequels are Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987).
Rating:
Summary: GREAT DVD
Review: Superman:the movie DVD is the best it has tons and tons of
deleted scenes threw out the special edtion.I loved how they
went back and cleaned it up and added new sound effects to it
also this is far better than the origianl VHS verison of the
film.And the extended krypton sequnces was neat to.I give this
DVD a five star rating because I am a big fan of this particular
movie..............
Rating:
Summary: A fan of Superman- Forever
Review: The DVD edition is nice for those who like Superman. Although I only purchased Superman I & II- they were the best, it is nice collector item. You have to turn over the DVD to get the special features which is the down side. However, it is a great movie, and as I said before if you Clark Kent- then buy it. I really can't say anymore about this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very super, man.
Review: The movie starts out amazingly and spectacularly with the origins of Superman from his natvie planet of Krypton. The script holds pretty close to the original storyline, and the first quarter of the movie depicting how he came to earth and the debut of his powers are great...then the movie takes on a horrible turn for the worst. The dramatic and epic scope of the movie degrades into a ridiculous spoof by the entrance of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. As serious and astonishingly believable as the beginning of the movie is, the entrance of Lex Luthor and his dim witted cohorts drag the movie into the pits of bad movie making. It is a shame that Mario Puzo choose this route for the movie to go. It is as though two individuals wrote the script. The movie goes in two different directions. The fist part leads you into a wonderful world of the beginnings of the birth of a superhero while the next part of the movie totally degrades into a ridiculous spoof ala the old Batman television shows. I was very disappointed with this movie. It could have been a contendah...
Rating:
Summary: Superclassic
Review: This is still the best motion-picture adaptation of a comic-book ever made. True, the 70's era special-effects aren't very convincing any more. And, yes, technically, the movie is incomplete; the plot isn't finished until we get through Superman II (Superman and Superman II are really two-halves of the same movie). Still, this movie continues to outshine every other comic-book movie made since (including Spiderman) and for a very simple reason. In making the film, director Richard Donner always insisted upon what he called "verisimilitude", that is to say, a movie that was "true to life." Unlike so many other comic-books that get turned into movies this one takes its main subject seriously. It never gives in to the temptation to parody itself. That's why it works. Chris Reeve looks like he stepped right out of a Curt Swan-drawn Superman illustration and John William's music is nothing less than a cultural landmark: heroic, soaring, emotional, glorious. William's main theme for Superman is simply the greatest musical cue ever written for a character. Once it is heard, it is indelibly imprinted in the listener's mind. Having heard it, it is impossible to associate the character with any other musical signature. This is the greatest score ever written by a great composer. If you are one of the few people who haven't seen Superman, do yourself a favor and buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Everything you loved plus more is here.
Review: For those of you who saw SUPERMAN in the theater, or have seen it since and loved it, this DVD is a must for you. The only thing we lose here is the big-screen. But we get so much more; screen-takes, documentaries, etc. This DVD was produced very nicely, the picture and sound quality are quite good, the dialogue is crisp and the menus were easy to navigate. Throw in John Williams' awesome score and what is there to complain about!? The film retains just enough humor (witness interaction between Hackman and Beatty) to remind us that it is after all based on a COMIC BOOK (emphasis added for you detractors...) How can you not enjoy Lex yelling "MS. TESSMACHER!!!!" or Williams amusing musical cues for Beatty's character? Chris Reeves now embodies the persevering spirit of a character he played decades ago. More power to you Chris. Enjoyable, life-affirming, and classic. Essential.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite as Super as it used to be
Review: Fond memories of being enthralled by this 1978 blockbuster on its original release prompted me to buy this DVD. Alas, not only has the movie's lustre dimmed--does anything you like at age 18 hold up a quarter-century later?--but the DVD package doesn't even manage to make it seem more momentous than it is. First, my view of the movie nearly a quarter-century after first seeing it: Although my nostalgic fondness for it holds up, it doesn't seem as filling a box of popcorn now. Nothing wrong with the basic arc of the story (the origins of Superman, and his first adventures as a caped crimefighter), and this probably is still the best movie built around a comic-book character. But the campy tone in the Metropolis and Lex Luthor sequences undercuts the sense of wonder the movie was aiming for. Christopher Reeve's performance as the Man of Steel seems just right--earnest, but with a sense of humor and a disarming modesty. However, the movie's Lex Luthor--Gene Hackman, who can be spine-tingling as a villain (see "Unforgiven")--seems to be in a different movie. The labored "comic" byplay between Lex Luthor and his dim-witted henchman Otis (the normally fine Ned Beatty) seems to have been acted in slow motion. The movie's production values haven't aged too well, so in many shots Superman's "flying" ability seems less convincing than that of the winged monkeys in "The Wizard of Oz," made almost 65 years ago. As for the DVD: They've generally done a pretty spiffy job of remastering the sound (for one thing, John Williams' score--not his finest, yet appropriately heraldic--no longer sounds as though it was recorded in an echo chamber), but the picture quality seems more grainy than it did in the theatrical release (even though they did color-correct a few blue-screen shots where Superman's costume looked GREEN in the movie's original release). The extras aren't all that enthralling, either, although they have their moments. But my main complaint is the "Special Edition" format. For those who'd like to watch the movie as it was originally released, too bad. Either you have to put up with 20 or so minutes of added scenes (which by themselves aren't of much consequence--and what is worse, they're clumsily inserted, breaking up the flow of a movie that already suffers from uneven pacing), or you stick with the VHS version. There's no option of choosing between the original, released cut and the longer "Special Edition," as you get with the "T2" DVD set (or the new "E.T." release). Director Richard Donner has gone on record as saying that his "director's cut" was the 142-minute theatrical version, not this (which doesn't even incorporate all of the "missing" footage that network-TV broadcasts reinstated years ago).
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