Release Date:
04/07/2009
The Skinny: Before Bruce Timm's square-shouldered Man of Steel, Christopher Reeves's All-American Last Son of Krypton, or Bryan Singer's mopey, action-less Kal-El, there was cartoon genius Max Fleischer's surprisingly vivid Superman serials. They have finally been given the DVD package they deserve.
The Good: These Superman shorts, full of war-time poignancies and atomic robots, have been part of the public domain for a while, which is why there have been dubious-quality DVD releases before. This collection, however, comes from Warner Brothers, who have remastered the old serials and collected them for the first time "officially" (these shorts were previously split up in 2006 as bonus features on the various live-action Superman movie DVDs). See them now as they were meant to be seen.
The Bad: Again, these shorts have been floating around for a while, so odds are you've seen them and might not be that driven to sit through them again. But if you are an unabashed Superman fan, this is the version that should be on your shelf.
Best Extra: The featurettes are pretty basic: a history of Superman, and a history of the Fleischer serials. Interesting to some, but easily passable by the rest.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: A must own for fans, but worth a viewing for the rest. See how Superman can be done correctly.
The Good: These Superman shorts, full of war-time poignancies and atomic robots, have been part of the public domain for a while, which is why there have been dubious-quality DVD releases before. This collection, however, comes from Warner Brothers, who have remastered the old serials and collected them for the first time "officially" (these shorts were previously split up in 2006 as bonus features on the various live-action Superman movie DVDs). See them now as they were meant to be seen.
The Bad: Again, these shorts have been floating around for a while, so odds are you've seen them and might not be that driven to sit through them again. But if you are an unabashed Superman fan, this is the version that should be on your shelf.
Best Extra: The featurettes are pretty basic: a history of Superman, and a history of the Fleischer serials. Interesting to some, but easily passable by the rest.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: A must own for fans, but worth a viewing for the rest. See how Superman can be done correctly.