Don Shanahan
This summer, carrying much hype and hope, James Gunn’s Superman, debuted as the new DC Studio’s first feature film on the big screen. Banking on a fresh start with fresh faces, Gunn’s new incarnation of the Man of Steel impressed both critics and audiences to the tune of an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes (including our initial review here at Film Obsessive) and over $615 million of earnings at the worldwide box office. After a digital debut on August 15th, Superman arrives on physical media on September 23rd with 4K-UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD disc editions. Film Obsessive received an advanced copy of the set for this physical media review as part of our “Off the Shelf” series.
THE MOVIE
As stated in the opening of the movie, this Superman, played by virtual newcomer David Corenswet (Pearl and The Greatest Hits), has been publicly active for three years in his chosen haven of Metropolis, where the people have come to enjoy and trust him as a defender of the innocent and a do-gooder hero. Lately, he inserted himself into an international border war overseas, drawing ire from government agencies and question marks from the press, including his main squeeze, Lois Lane (Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan). Meanwhile, the billionaire magnate and political animal, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult of The Menu), has grown hateful and envious of the attention garnered by Superman.
Behind the scenes, Luthor has been the puppeteer and orchestrator of the international conflict, negative online chatter, and city-centered criminal troubles for Superman. Twisting the public narrative, Lex unveils details that cause people to question Superman’s actions to protect humankind. Working amid this new cloud of doubt and flanked by his trusty super-powered, four-legged bestie Krypto and members of the Justice Gang (Nathan Fillion, Edi Gathegi, and Isabel Merced as Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl, respectively), Superman fights to take down Luthor and prove his good name.
In his signature style, honed by plenty of time turning Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy into household names, James Gunn’s take on the original comic book superhero (created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster) in the newly imagined DC Universe carries a masterful blend of epic action, humor, and heart. Vibrant special effects and stunt sequences are backed by an homage-esque score from composers John Murphy and David Fleming, which echoes and elevates the classic John Williams themes. Gunn’s resulting crowdpleaser delivered a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind. David Corenswet is rightfully turning heads after this big role, and a sequel has already been ordered up by the powers that be at Warner Bros. Pictures.
THE DISC
As per usual, the 129-minute film gets the proper 2160p resolution treatment with HDR and sound tunings for Dolby Atmos TrueHD and Dolby Digital settings. The disc set has a digital code for those utilizing the Movies Anywhere platform. When it comes to bonus content for their successful July tentpole, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment put some decent effort (other than their usual boring and unanimated menu design) into these Superman discs, as they brag about over 90 minutes of bonus features, albeit with one egregiously cardinal mistake.
This might be a Warner Bros. first, but the director’s commentary, deleted scenes, and gag reel—three typical physical media staples—are only found on the digital edition, not on any of the DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K-UHD discs. If you’re a Superman fan and you want that casual, rich, and inspiring two-hour verbal breakdown from the creative mind of James Gunn, you will have access it from an app away from the disc you paid good money to keep. Whether it is out of space-saving on the disc data or some curveball tactic to drum up digital traffic, that neglect is a curiously odd and idiotic choice from a home entertainment company trying to instill bang-for-your-buck consumer confidence in their products. If Warner Bros. keeps that practice of content-thinning up, they’re going to lose hardcore physical media fans.
Beyond that omissive blunder, here’s a rundown of what’s on these Superman editions arriving on store shelves, most of which are pretty polished studio-created pieces, all made with the same scripted talking heads plugging their importance while montages of behind-the-scenes moments play around them.
Adventures in Making Superman. This documentary fills the plate at the big 60-minute dive into the filmmaking behind Superman. The art and technical departments get their expository moments, as do the main cast and crew, to show off the beginning-to-end highlights of making the film. This is as good as advertised. Everything after this is mostly under 7 minutes in length.
Breaking News: The Daily Planet Returns. This featurette discusses James Gunn’s desire to incorporate more Clark Kent and Daily Planet elements into a proper Superman movie. Thanks to the fun ensemble energy of Skyler Gisondo, Mikaela Hoover, Beck Bennet, and Wendell Pierce, Superman founds news team and got to use a gorgeous, practical set in Macon, Georgia, for the Daily Planet that is filled with Easter egg tributes.
Lex Luthor: The Mind of a Master Villain. A quick five minutes are given to Nicholas Hoult’s process for fleshing out Lex Luthor’s motivations and power dynamics in Superman. Hoult’s charm and acumen carry this.
The Justice Gang. While the troupe of actors secured for The Daily Planet team added ensemble depth to Superman, so did the extra hero peers of Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, and Metamorpho, ripped from the comic pages. While the Kaiju fight scene shows the shorthand between Gunn and his long-time muse of Nathan Fillian, it’s the extra pinch of time given to the meaningful opportunity for Anthony Harrigan playing Metamorpho that makes the video.
Paws to Pixels: Krypto is Born. Like Krypto’s inclusion in the main film, dog lovers will flock to and adore this featurette. Heavily inspired by James Gunn’s own adopted dog, Ozu (who gets camera time on this feature), the animators at Framestore were tasked with making a completely digital character. For the actors’ reference, the heroes of this process became mo-cap digital stunt double actor, Murphy Week, and a real dog named Joleene.
The Ultimate Villain. Doubling down on spotlighting the bad guys of the picture, this piece digs into the brains-plus-brawn team-up of Lex Luthor and his Ultraman clone of our hero. This video clip shows off the film’s sizable amount of necessary fight training.
Icons Forever: Superman’s Enduring Legacy. This featurette applauds the cast speaking, at the time, on-set while attempting to play icons. With Superman’s true blue nature, they discuss the importance of the character’s core message of hope and finding the right chemistry with their co-stars. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan dominate this chat.
A New Era: DC Takes Off – Mega producer Peter Safran gets time talking about Superman’s goal of putting the best foot forward for the new sub-studio and comic book film universe. He and James Gunn emphasize justice for the material, rightfully so.
Kryptunes: The Music of Superman. For those who wondered how composers John Murphy and David Fleming borrowed from the old classic 1978 themes and still found a new sound, you will enjoy this short session. Scenes show the score recording sessions, where the eclectic guitar start grows more noble and orchestral with the addition of voices and more instruments. Seeing and hearing them emphasize the goodness and optimism to carry the weight of the character’s legacy through their craft is very positive.
Krypto Saves the Day!: School Bus Scuffle. The last special feature on the Superman disc sets is a new, original animated short written and directed by Ryan Kramer. Like the unruly dog in the movie, a drawn version of Superman’s best friend tries to manage his scratching and becomes determined to go after a pigeon, where hijinks ensue.
