Superman: the original movies

Superman the movie is one of the greatest hero movies ever IMO. The second is good as well but 3 and 4 kind of sucked. Just saw superman returns and I realy liked it and welcome the new series with open arms Is the new film the continuation of the originals or is it a batman begins re-start?

 

As far as the essence of the story is concerned (ignoring the fact that SR does not take place in the 70's), we are supposed to pretend that III and IV never existed. Singer, for all pratical purposes, made a sequel to Superman's I and II because these are the one's that Richard Donner was affiliated with. Donner was fired before completing II so the theatrical version only had some of his footage in it. Most of the II that most people know was done by Richard Lester. There is a Donner cut that just came out which you will notice a lot of people discussing in this thread which has 80 to 85 percent Donner footage in it.

SR is more like a III that should have been; not necessarily the specific story that Donner might have done, but it's just a much better movie than the III with Pryor in it.

Aside from WB, the makers of Batman Begins want you to pretend that the Burton/Schumaker films never existed.

 

That's my biggest problem with Begins. Where Singer recognized his predecessor and paid homage to the originals, Batman Begins wanted to re-write history. That's allright where Schoemaker is concerned, but the Burton films were well done and huge hits despite what Nolan would like you to believe. If you're involved in making a sequel, it stands to reason that someone, somewhere liked the original films or you wouldn't have gotten the money to make another one.

 

I didn't mean to imply that I didn't like the Burton films. I loved them both, and I like Batman Begins, but I am so familiar with the Burton films that I have had trouble talking myself into getting a copy of Begins on DVD. All they really needed to do was match the beginning so that it is obvious that Jack Napier killed his parents instead of some other miscellaneous thug. I could even buy the fact that, at some point, between Bruce's childhood and returning to the states, Napier ended up in the mental institution and escaped as the result of the events in the movie leaving him that Joker card. After all, Eckhart does say that Grisom knows that he is an A-1 nutboy. The difference would simply be that we would never actually get the Joker in future sequels to Begins since they would take place between Begins and the first Burton film.

I would have much rather had a prequel tie-in to the Burton films with some different villains in the Begins sequels (i.e. - bring back Scarecrow with someone like Mad Hatter, Clayface, etc)

They could even do like Superman Returns and pretend that III and IV never happened and use the Riddler, Poison Ivy, or Mr. Freeze. Although, they couldn't have done Two-Face if they had maintained continuity with the Burton films. That is, the ones he directed and didn't produce.

But it doesn't matter now because Ledger as the Joker has been decided.

Back to Superman.

 

I think batman begins is probably the best hero movie ever but the only thing that I did not like was the lack of a swashbuckling score that goes with the movie The Danny Elfman score for the Burton movies were amazing and fit the dark knight perfectly. All hero/adventure or art/hit movies in general that enters pop-culture big time has an amazing score like: Star wars, Indiana jones, Burtons bat-flicks, superman, jurassic park, jaws, terminator and the list goes on.

Because Batman begins lacked a worthy score there was this big piece missing. Am I the only one that feels this way about batman begins? The score was good but not for a movie like that.

 

i wasn't that big on the BB score either. hopefully we'll get something in TDK. back to Superman has anyone sent in their Superman I and III discs to get the replacement ones from the Ultimate Set?

 

I'll most likely will replace III soon, but not I. I don't care if I have the original sound mix. I'm not that intent on things. And I agree that the Begins score isn't anywhere near what was done by Elfman or even Shirley Walker for the animated continuity.

 

Well, I finally got around to SR on the Ultamite DVD set. Man, that tiny disc has come incredible sound. The scene where Supes is floating above the Earth listing to the commotion down below was fnatastic.

 

I just watched the Christopher Reeve tribute on the Kryptin DVD set, and I am on the edge of tears...

Such a moving tribute

 

I hear people talking about problems with Superman I in the Ultimate set.

Are there any problems with the discs in the 4-disc version of the first movie or was this just a problem related to the Ultimate set?

 

Well, there's the original sound mix issue. But another one that has popped up online is that in the Director's Cut, the new transfer looks inferior. I can't really see it, since I don't have an HD-TV. However, it was debunked. You can read about it here.

 

For those who haven't seen it yet, the Phantom Zone villians as re-imagined by Adam Kubert as part of the Donner/Johns/Kubert run on Action Comics.

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Note Zod's chest insignia being like the Smallville version.

 

I am not too familiar w/the continuity of the "Superman" comics, so is Donner's story arc in "Action Comics" a stand-alone story or would I have to be familiar w/what came before it?

 

It's largely stand alone. All that's important to know is that Lex Luthor is no longer in charge of Lexcorp. He's been brought down by Clark Kent's exposes, which in turn lead to his being removed as CEO of Lexcorp. He's now living underground. Superman has used the Sunstone to create the current Fortress, which is based on the films and Smallville. Bizzaro has been held captive by Lex for a year, who has turned him into a raving beast. Parasite is also with Lex.

If you can find Action Comics #844 and 845, you'll be fine. The events of the other books won't intrude and you don't have to read the more recent books.

 

I agree..Donner's run on Action Comics is the perfect jumping on point for those unfamiliar with recent Supes comics. There are plenty of nods to the movies (Donner & Singer)..and as for the the last panel in #845

 

You can read "Up, Up & Away" and then go right into the "Last Son" arc in Action Comics.

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Has anyone "actually" gotten their correct UCE discs back? S3?

 

I cannot say for certain on here, but from all the various DC and Superman boards I've visited, everyone has.

 

Even Canadian recipients?

 

i haven't even bothered to get the correct disc

 

I think I threw my reciept away. Maybe a massive price drop will sway me to buy.

 

Pretty much everyone. If you haven't gotten your replacement discs, you should contact WB about it. If you haven't sent them in, you should.

 

I sent them S3...I didn't send Superman:the Movie, instead sent them prestamped envelope: letter, and S3?

 

I never did bother to send in for the correct discs either. The audio issue on disc 1 is a non-issue for me and I can live without the bonus features for Superman III.

 

I forgot all about sending in the defective discs.