Superman: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Superman: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 8, 2023

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Superman I-IV 5-Film Collection 4K.

Both the small screen and big screen adaptations of Superman have had some notable tragedies, two of them rather weirdly involving men with rather similar last names, as has been discussed ad infinitum by some more devoted conspiracy theorists. George Reeves, beloved star of television's Adventures of Superman, met a rather ignominious and some would argue mysterious end which decades later became fodder for its own film, Hollywoodland. Christopher Reeve of course was victim of a horrifying riding accident which left him paralyzed, a situation that probably inarguably led to his own early demise. Part of George Reeves' problem may have been that he was so closely identified with the character of Superman that he felt he couldn't escape (few even remember his film career, which included a memorable bit in the very first scene of Gone with the Wind ). Christopher Reeve was able to evade if not totally elude the formidable shadow cast by the venerable superhero, which perhaps only added to the feeling of melancholy after his accident and later death. But even if Reeve was able to contribute rather memorable performances in any number of non-Superman outings ranging from Deathtrap to Somewhere in Time, in his own way he'll probably be as firmly tethered to the character of Superman as George Reeve is/was, and this new collection of 4K UHD presentations of four or five Christopher Reeve Superman films (depending on how you want to count things) should provide fans with some memories of happier times when things like Kryptonite seemed to be the only threats to safety and well being. Those happy memories may nonetheless be intermittently interrupted by some kind of odd choices Warner has made with this release, which will be discussed in the various individual reviews.

All of the films in this collection have had previous 1080 releases (and in some cases several previous 1080 releases). Anyone interested can find some older individual reviews for some of these in the database, which may (or may not) suffice in terms of providing plot summaries, in case anyone actually needs those by this point. However, they stem from the nascent days of the site and I'd frankly personally recommend those interested in prior reviews and especially technical analyses of the older 1080 releases stick with Ken Brown's The Superman Motion Picture Anthology Blu-ray review, which also has a detailed list of supplements on the 1080 discs. Ken's review is one of our "old style" reviews which combines all the discs from a bundle into one review, and in this particular case, that means citing just one review rather than several, and that may hopefully suffice for many, and maybe most. You may note that my scores for various 1080 presentations and overall films may vary slightly from Ken's, in just the latest example of my mantra "different reviewers means different opinions".

In this particular case, as fans will no doubt know, Warner released this film in 4K UHD several years ago as a standalone, and those interested are also encouraged to visit Michael Reuben's Superman: The Movie 4K Blu-ray review of that release.

Superman: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc included in this package.

Superman: The Movie is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. My old saw "different reviewers means different opinions" has a perfect example in comparing Ken and Michael's scores for the 1080 presentation(s), as well as in comparing my score for the 4K UHD presentation with Michael's, though I'm largely going to echo Michael's comments about the 4K presentation in terms of the vividness of the palette and some of the highlights that HDR and/or Dolby Vision have added. That said, the overall grading here is noticeably different from the 1080 version. I am one of those people Michael refers to in his review who doesn't always react positively to the look of heavy grain at the increased resolution that the 4K UHD format provides, and there are some passing moments here that can look positively chunky and jaundiced. Almost all of this roughhewn appearance can be attributed to opticals, which are omnipresent in this film due to both special effects and old school dissolves and the like. As Michael mentions, the 4K presentation can't help but point out some of the veritable "seams" in things like mattes, and the increased palpability of textures may only help to point out how patently fake some of the studio backgrounds can look. My score is 3.25.

Superman: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While this release repeats the engaging Atmos track that Warner's first 4K UHD outing offered, Warner has decided for some reason to tweak the other English language offering on the disc, which of course is going to invite umbrage from some fans (something that's already happened on our Forum, to probably no one's surprise). The original 4K UHD disc had a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 rendering of the film's 6 track sound design which accompanied 70mm exhibitions (see Michael's review for a bit more information). This disc has replaced that with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, which is a rendering of the stereo track that Michael mentions in his review. "Glass half full" types may want to focus on the fact that there's lossless audio this time around, while "glass half empty" aficionados will probably concentrate on what they feel is the "original" soundtrack of the film not being offered, even if it's with a lossy codec. I can only score what is here as opposed to what isn't, and both the Atmos track and DTS- HD Master Audio 2.0 track offer no real issues per se. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

Superman: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary is the same one from days of yore, as mentioned below.

1080 Disc

See Ken Brown's The Superman Motion Picture Anthology Blu-ray review for a complete list, including information on the commentary.

Superman: The Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Superman: The Movie continues to affect and maybe even impress (at least on some level) decades after its release. Yes, a lot of the "special effects" can seem positively quaint by today's standards, and the film's kind of goofily artificial production design is even more apparent in a 4K UHD presentation, but the story has undeniable heart, and there's some undeniable chemistry between the performers, on both the hero and villain side of things. Some are already upset about the audio choices Warner has made with this re-release, and so some may want to keep their older discs, and there will no doubt be those who may wish for a more consistent upgrade in the visuals. Still, taken as a whole, Superman: The Movie comes Recommended.