Best Film of the year! Superman as a Philosophical Icon!
930803
Man of Steel is most likely the greatest interpretation of Superman. It doesn't just apply incredibly realistic, awe-striking visual effects and scientific reason (like how Kal-El can jump far distances because of Earth's weaker gravity relative to Krypton), but also for the first time on the big screen gives Superman philosophy. Superman is THE Superhero in all of pop culture because he has weird alien qualities that make him learn about himself as a hero and his reason to exist with those odd qualities. His most story-arc fitting antagonist Zod tries to continue the kryptonian race by using destructive force on Earth to make it inhabitable by clones whom never question and behave like mindless and lifeless ants. Kal-El (Superman) as the protagonist fights this force by accepting his freakish nature and by being a person that doesn't downgrade himself to whatever society tells him to do. In addition to that, he also pushes his most predominant talents to the limits.

The moral of this film as expressed by Superman might be the greatest if not one of the greatest morals a human organism could conceive:

By being yourself and by pushing your most predominant qualities, you are not just a unique man, you are a Superman.

Zack Snyder: You have done Superman justice!

As someone with Aspergers syndrome, I always think to myself how much of a loner I am with my intellect and artistic creativity. I am grateful for those qualities and this Superman story gave me hope to push myself to achieve wonders.

Superman is one of my greatest icons!

Watch this film if you are human (aka not "perfect")!
1501633
PURE BRILLIANCE!!  And dare I say it??  BETTER than the book!
Oh geez, I can already sense the comic book purists ready to crucify me.  Relax dudes, stop hyperventilating, wipe the fog from your glasses.  This is just my opinion, and I can say with no hesitation--this film is top-notch, quite possibly even better than the graphic novel!  I think they are both remarkable achievements, of course, but the movie does surpass the book in one major area.  More on that later.

Okay, I'm aware of Mr. Moore taking his name off the credits.  That move really makes no sense to me.  Mainly because I am fairly certain he received a fat paycheck for the rights to this story.  If he felt so strongly against any deviation to his artistic vision, he should have stood adamant with his original writing.

Now, I am usually the first to diss Hollywood.  I still loathe the changes they made to the great comic book series WANTED.  But some alterations can be good, remember the novel adaptation of THE SHINING?  Some people will criticize something just because it strays from the version they were expecting.

And for those who say this movie doesn't capture the emotional capacity of the book--I say BULLOCKS!!!  This movie is packed with excellent depictions of fear, anger, confusion, regret, lust, sadness, apathy, humor, anxiety, sarcasm, pain....seriously, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more thorough psychological examination at the theater.  This is humanity exposed, inside and out.

I imagine the harshest criticism for this film is due to the ending.  Zack Snyder does stay EXTREMELY close to the book until the climax.  I am totally surprised to say that I loved it!  It was a small alteration, but made a big difference.  The change was just plain brilliant, plus it made perfect sense with this story.  Really, think about it--would the director make such a drastic change to the end of the most celebrated graphic novel of all time if he wasn't positive of the results?  I think not.

WATCHMEN is easily the best film so far this year.  Along with THE DARK KNIGHT and IRON MAN, it's amazing to see the genre rise above the label of popcorn entertainment.  This most likely won't appeal to the masses.  Kudos to the cast and crew for their stellar efforts.
513363
I absolutely loved this movie!  Saw it about four times.  Quvenhane Wallis was phenomenal.  The guy who played her father was just as phenomenal.  He definitely should have been nominated for an Oscar, as well.  They were both superb.  The story was beautifully conceptualized.  Realism, surrealism, symbolism, beauty.
4885309
This movie pulled me in first with belly laughs. As I watched, the story moved me from its comedic beginning to a point where I cared deeply about the troubled, delusional Les. Every character in this film seems to be perfectly cast. Though the film sometimes slips into underdeveloped ideas, it continues to carry the viewer with some very poignant scenes. The story ends with a superhero-worthy titanic struggle of good vs. evil - Rapaport's personification of Everyman's quest for meaning against Paul Blackthorne's evil. Les tries to live up to his vision, "a villain can launch a missile at a superhero, and the hero just keeps coming... A real superhero is like a force of nature." This film is like a force of nature.
4227467
Henry Caville makes a great new Superman.  And this is a great new vehicle for Superman, concentrating on his origins, more about Krypton and his family and culture.  Flash backs inform the audience of his younger life on Earth and the choices he must make to keep his alien origins a secret.  In this version, Superman exposes himself to the world when Zod comes to Earth to find him.  Through the help of Lois Lane (Amy Adams),  he is able to convince the government/military that he is on humanity's side.  Lois has found out his secret and knows his alter ego and human family.  Zod is very well played by Michael Shannon.  Russell Crowe plays Jor El.  The 3D special effects are superb.  The soundtrack is marvelous.  The special features include a look at Krypton and the culture that shaped Superman.  And a second, 2D viewing of the movie with side bars and cut ins from actors, director, crew, etc. showing how the movie was made and tidbits that the audience would want to know.  This was very interesting and worth the time to see it.  This movie was very well done and well worth watching.  I look forward to a sequel.
3435975
The most political film I have ever seen might be the funniest. Every single line spoken is hilarious. Great cast. Quite possibly my second favorite film of the year. Conclusion: DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO SEE THIS BRILLIANT MOVIE!
4094846
One of the year's best films so far. Al Pacino at his best and the awesome talent of Robin Williams combined with Christopher Nolan's precision direction will keep your finger away from the pause button. MUST SEE!
3150782
I went to see Captain America 2 The Winter Solider not expecting to be wowed, but it turned out to be the best Marvel film this year and one of their best ever.  The story is intricate and  well thought out.  "Cap now in present times is a "fish out of water. With S.H.E.I.L.D. and H.Y.D.R.A. intertwined together making for a truly inspired story. I liked the first film a lot, but this film puts Captain America on the A list, its far better than the Thor films and the second and third Iron Man films. It  also has some amazing special effects and the fantastic battle sequence in the finale rivals that of The Avengers!
4619120
Star Wars was good (thank god) War of the Worlds was overrated and Batman Begins did redeem itself after the last two crappy Batman films. What we did not have this year was a film that grab you and shock you to the core with its issues. A film that has superb acting and a great visual sense of self.  Well, we finally have one and it's called the Constant Gardner. Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz give the best performances of the year in a story that will disturb you and scare you at the same time with its issues about corruption, evil and the power of love.  Fiennes is great as a man searching for the reasons why his wife was murdered and discovers treachery at every corner and Weisz is amazing as his late spouse who in flash backs tries to fight for the people of a small village who are being victimize by a big pharmacy company who does not care about how it's treating the people as lab rats for it's experimental medicines. The story is a compelling look at one man's fight to find the truth and find his faith again in the person he loved the most in his world and find a way to redeem himself in her eyes. Fernando Meirelles directs this movie in such a flawless manor that it often feels real in some aspects and the characters by Weisz and Fiennes will leave a mark on your heart after the move ends with their grace and their humanity.

I was genuine moved by this film and I suspect that you will to.
326743
I'll keep this brief as I'm probably already "preaching to the choir" here.  However, just on the off-chance that there are a few of you out there who have never known the wonder of "The Adventures of Superman" television series, may I just say this: there has never been--and at this rate, it appears that there never will be--a greater, more heroic, more noble, and more enjoyable "Superman" in the history of the character, than the interpretation given to us by the late George Reeves.

And I'll give you my reason why I believe that with all my heart in a single word: balance.  George Reeves didn't play Kent/Superman as "bumbler moron"/"hero".  He played Kent/Superman as "Hero Type A"/"Hero Type B".

There is a marvelous bit of dialogue from the 1st (or was it the 2nd?) season--a bit I'll no-doubt mangle here--that really explains it all.  A small group of mobsters are discussing the difficulties of life in Metropolis.  Of course they mention Superman.  But then, one of them utters the magic lines that go something like this: "Forget Superman.  It's that Kent guy at THE DAILY PLANET I worry about.  There's times that Kent and his typewriter scare me more than Superman."

That simple speech seared itself into my little eight-year-old mind and heart for all time.  Imagine that!  The bad guys feared Kent almost as much as they feared Superman!  What a fantastic life-lesson to teach a boy: for all his amazing powers, the thugs were almost more scared of the "normal guy who wasn't afraid to stand up for what's right" than they were of "...the amazing being from the planet Krypton, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men."

And it was George Reeves and his courageous portrayal of Kent/Superman who made you believe that could be so.

Maybe that's why this cripple grew up to be a writer.  And every time I took on a bully--on the playground or in the corporate world--somewhere in the back of my mind I was thinking, "Do the right thing, buddy.  Mister Kent might be watching."

Yes, I recognize all the various narrative and production short-comings of "The Adventures of Superman".  But Reeves, in refusing to play Kent as a cartoon unich, gave the character of Kent/Superman a vitality that has yet to be equaled--CGI or no CGI.

And if that's not enough to convince you, the jaded and cynical, to invest in these DVDs, let me share with you one, last, marvelous memory: the first word my baby son ever uttered was, "GO!".  It was shouted with all the passion, glee, belief, and intensity a tiny heart could muster.  And it was shouted as my son watched a black & white George Reeves make his famous running spring-board leap over the observatory fence in the classic climax of the episode, "Panic in the Sky".  And, in that instant, I knew what my baby boy knew--what all of us lucky enough to discover the magic and wonder of "The Adventures of Superman" at a tender age knew: George Reeves WAS Superman.

And he always will be.
2911103
*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Watched Superman : The Move an amazing Performance by the Late Christopher Reeve(Gray Lay Down) as Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman. Margot Kidder(92 In The Shade) as Lois Lane , Marc McClure(Freaky Friday) as Jimmy Olsen,Jackie Cooper(Hawaii Five-O) as Perry White, Glenn Ford(3:10 To Yuma) as Jonathan Kent , Phyllis Thaxter(Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo)as Martha Kent ,Gene Hackman(Young Frankenstein) as Lex Luthor ,Oscar Winner Marlon Brando(The Godfather) as Jor-El . The Superhero Genre wouldn't have a been a big as it Today thanks to Superman:The Movie One of the best and The First also great Story and Plot also great visuals amazing also an amazing performance from Christopher Reeve as The Last Son Of Krypton also Such an Emotional Ending after seeing Lois Lane Die ,Superman Turns Back to Time to Save The Human He Loves Most Dearly Still one of the best Closing scenes in Film History .Great Costume Design By Yvonne Blake(The Three Muskeeters) , Score By John Williams(Star Wars) and Direction By Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon) A Great Classic and Forerunner of The Superhero Genre 10/10
2661335
I have already reviewed part 1 of "The Dark Knight Returns" so I'll skip to a brief review of the 2nd part. Put simply, I was engrossed from minute one. How could I not be? Brilliant actors, fantastic animation, and a story we know and love adapted by people who know the material well. The clincher on this one is The Joker. I was skeptical of Michael Emerson's approach to the character at first, and I didn't quite buy his voice for the character. Until he laughed. It captured all the mayhem and insanity we expect from someone playing Joker and did it with style. The same can be said for Mark Valley's version of Superman. Like Tim Daly, I found his voice perfectly suited for Superman, that calm (almost placating) soothe that tries to let Bruce Wayne know who is in control, and the slight underlying frustration when he realizes that Bruce isn't buying it. So, like Part 1, Part 2 delivers everything you could want.

About this Deluxe Edition which combines the two parts into one long movie: I'm so glad they didn't just package it as both parts on separate discs but in one box set. They took the time to combine the two into one seamless film, and seamless it is. Nevermind that this is animated, this felt like watching a full-length motion picture. It begs the question of how it might have done as a theatrical release (I'll bet it would have done modestly well). While the two parts were initially split at a logical point in the story, putting them together feels just as natural (almost as if you had the original 4 parts of the comic, but bought the collected graphic novel as well). The special features are all fantastic, offering some great commentary on the story, the movie, and the industry itself. As many other reviewers have noted, the Frank Miller documentary is a wonderful feature and covers a lot of information about the state of comics (particularly DC) in the 80s, Batman as a character, and the process of creating such an iconic piece of literature. I truly enjoyed watching it, even at its length (it is about an hour and a half long, which is a bit much for most dvd special features IMO).

If you already purchased the 2 parts of this film individually, you might want to try selling them and buying this one instead. I don't normally condone double-dipping (which it would be if you already own parts 1&2), but the presentation and the additional Miller documentary truly make this collection worth owning. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that they cram 3 discs into a 2-disc case. Shell out the extra money for a proper case, WB. It isn't like your Batman franchise doesn't make the money to support it. Other than that, I would recommend this to any Batman fan.
2590876
One of the best of the year! Ryan Gosling is perfect and he makes a great team with Russell.  Their dynamic was awesome! Super entertaining and very funny. Easily one of the best of the year. Ryan Gosling needs to do more movies like this instead of all the artsy stuff he does. I hope there is a sequel.
1761634
You owe it to yourself to see this movie and open your mind to greater possibilities and realities than you thought possible.  A very refreshing and enlightening movie, leagues ahead of the predictable entertainment that the movie industry spewes out at nauseum.  A very brave effort by the producers to take the risk and dare to go outside the proven Hollywood formulas.  Bravo!  Step outside the box and go see or better yet, buy this movie! It deserves several viewings to grasp and appreciate all of its concepts.  Guaranteed to expand your boundaries of possibilities.

YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!!!
I just had to come back and make an addition, after reading a few of the other reviews. I was chuckling at all the one star reviews.
Oh boy! This movie is like Aristotle meeting the Flatlanders.
Amazing how hateful and violent people get when a paradigm comes along that threatens their box of beliefs and opinions. I suppose it just adds more credence to the movie and the power of its message. If anyone has ever sincerely questioned the nature of reality and their participation in it, this movie is for you! But go with an open mind, and be ready to step outside the box of religious, social and even 'scientific' programming. And suspend judgement and opinion until after the movie and after you've made at least a sincere attempt at grasping the concepts being presented. Opinions and judgements without a sincere attempt at understanding is just an attempt by the brain to protect its set of programmed beliefs and opinions from change. Notice, how the brain has a whole plethora of knee-jerk reactions that refute anything that does not belong to it's current programmed paradigm.
Anything outside its boudaries is viewed with fear, suspicion and hostility. Human resitance towards its own evolution has always been an enigma, but history bears it out. Any attempt at expansion always seems to bring out the perverbial 'lynch mob' whose job, it seems, is to discourage change and evolution and to maintain the status quo. I just love it that this movie has been such a disturbance to that peace!
4363443
All Star Superman...so...good...
I don't know what else to say about it.
Grant Morrison managed to take all of the hokey high concepts of the Silver Age Superman and reinvent and improve them. The story was totally true to the source material but also relevant for a new era and turned in to an actual mythology. Everything that was good about the ideals of Superman were there and it presented a perfect counterpoint to the cynical heroes of the 80s, 90s, and 00s.
And Frank Quitely's art...one of the best artists in comics somehow managed to reinvent their art style completely just for one project. The detail was toned down but the storytelling was even better. Every panel detail was perfect. The Superman origin story in the first issue showed Superman as he should have been. The emotions of Zibarro (the Bizarro of Bizarro world) just blew me away. I about cried when Superman delivered his speech at the funeral. But best of all was the way that he drew Clark Kent in a way that no one thought he was Superman. Some of the most spectacular subtle comic book art ever done. Look at the way he draws Clark Kent and you can see a guy who can fool the world by wearing a pair of glasses and some different clothing (and he even fools the super genius Lex Luthor). Somehow one of the best artists in comics manages to make the stupidest cliche ever work.

The review is only qualified because the binding quality on the Absolute edition is a bit questionable. The pages on so many comic hardcovers, especially the larger ones, are not attached particularly well. This has nothing to do with the quality of the book.
2926899
Thank you, Amazon, for the quick delivery! I got my order for this dvd yesterday.
I'm a comic book fan, I actually own the "Death and return of Superman" in its original comic crossover form. This event in comic history was very significant (while it lasted) in the early 1990's because of the repercussions throughout the DC universe. Now, more than 10 years later, we see this event in animated form. Is it as significant? Honestly, for me, not really.

LEXCORP has organized a dig to find a new source of energy from the Earth's core. Accidentally, they unearth the buried ship of a monster called Doomsday. A killing machine created from the genetic labs of Krypton from the past. A being so powerful, he rampages through the U.S. until he reaches Metropolis. Superman gives his all to stop the monster at a terrible price. .
All of Metropolis mourns its hero, even Lex Luthor, who mourns the passing of the last son of Krypton in his own twisted and sinister way.

At first glance, I thought this animated movie was going to be reminiscent of the Superman animated series in the 90's. But no, this is a stand-alone movie unrelated to either the fantastic "Justice League" and the Superman animated series. In this movie, Superman is the only super-hero on Earth; Lois didn't know beforehand that Clark was Superman before they had an intimate relationship. You might say that Superman was the real person and Clark was only a disguise. This fact was changed before by John Byrne who marvelously developed the Clark Kent persona.

The movie is not perfect, but at least it felt more geared towards the Teen-Adult demography than kids below 12. The brawl with Doomsday was very intense, there is some blood and it shows (almost) as much PG-13 brutality as it can spare. The atmosphere and the story are quite darker than we are usually used to when dealing with "DC animated" features. Imagine a being with Superman's powers that was raised by Luthor. The film also has some mildly "sexy" moments between Kal-El and Lois, and a titillation moment between Lois and Lex. You might say that these moments proved that animated features as well as comics are changing with the times. Children are no longer the main demographic to animated super-hero movies.

 To its credit, the film will be able to hold the audience's attention for the most part, there are some plot holes but who cares, right? It's a cartoon even though it runs for almost 2 hours. No one can make a very detailed feature with superman's death and return in those few minutes.

The animation/art was very good, although I can't get over the cheekbones in Supes' face and the big line from Lex's head to his cheeks. Nice rendering with the Lois Lane, though. Martha Kent makes an appearance, I'm sorry to say no Jonathan Kent was present.

PRESENTATION: Very cool lenticular collectible cover.
VIDEO/AUDIO: 1.78 anamorphic widescreen. Nice transfer, sharp and radiant with solid blacks throughout the animation. 5.1 Dolby digital sound is very crisp.
EXTRAS: Making of features, trailers, "Justice League: New Frontier" featurette and more.
Final thoughts:
As a comic book fan/collector, I find this animated feature decent enough to do Superman justice and add to his legendary annals in pop culture. It is a fresh look at the "Death and return of Superman"! It brought back memories...
Recommended! (4 stars)
1794375
I don't know why it is, but Rhino packages and reissues soundtracks better than anyone else.  Being the owner of the Rhino soundtracks to "Ben-Hur," "Night of Dark Shadows,"  "Poltergeist," and "North by Northwest," respectively,  I could not wait to purchase the full score to John Williams' superb  "Superman - the Movie."  I am not disappointed.  All the  wonderfully exciting and poignant melodies are here, including the vocals  of "Lois" herself, Margot Kidder.  With the addition of cuts not  featured in the original release - which I also own - this disc is a true  film buff's delight.  The release is a feast for the ears as well as the  eyes.  A plethora of "tidbits" and photos adorn the accompanying  booklet which adds to one's appreciation of the labor devoted to this  mammoth undertaking.  The London Symphony has never sounded better! Twenty  years ago I could not decide which was the better of the two, Williams'  score to this film or "Star Wars."  Now that a full rendition is  available to "Superman," my mind is made up.  "Superman" SOARS higher!