Zadzooks: Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology (Blu-ray)

The definitive set highlighting the cinematic exploits of DC Comics’ Man of Steel arrives in an eight-disc Blu-ray collection, Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology (1978-2006) (Warner Home Video, not rated, $129.95), that will blow away the fan in the family.

The film lineup includes “Superman: The Movie,” “Superman: The Movie (Expanded Edition),” “Superman II,” “Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut,” “Superman III,” “Superman IV: Quest for Peace” and “Superman Returns.”

I’ll spare you running down the plot breakdowns and cast list for each and just present which films new fans should focus on, in order, and some of the reasons:

“Superman: The Movie” (1978) — I was 15 years old when my parents dragged me to a very cold theater on the north side of Chicago to see the film. Already caught up in the “Star Wars” pandemonium, I was not very excited to see a film about an antiquated hero. That is, until John Williams’ booming theme was unleashed and Christopher Reeve took to the skies. I was hooked. Not only did it quickly become one of my favorite movies, but I also immediately had a crush on actress Margot Kidder as Lois Lane. By the way, if you watch the extended edition, watch it for the remastering of the visuals (high-def pop) not because it’s all that extended.

“Superman II” (1980) — One of the best sequels ever made stars a trio of criminals from the Phantom Zone seeking revenge on Superman. It will cause quite the conundrum for serious movie fans. I loved director Richard Lester’s 1980 build of the movie until I found out years later how director Richard Donner was summarily dismissed after shooting most of the film. I suggest watching the often rough-cut Donner version first (old footage and even screen tests had to be found and restored) and then going back to the Lester version to witness the heresy.

“Superman Returns” (2006) — Sorry, director Bryan Singer, I’m not buying into this one. Although the effects are spectacular in high definition and Brandon Routh does an admirable job as the hero, Christopher Reeve is my Superman.

Kevin Spacey also tries his evil best as Lex Luthor. Despite having to compete against the performances of Gene Hackman and Michael (“Smallville”) Rosenbaum, he’s a very nasty villain.

What really annoys me about the film, however, is the introduction of a plot point so earthshaking to the Superman canon (you’ll have to watch the movie) that hard-core fans’ heads would explode at its very mention.

Ask my 11-year-old about “Superman Returns,” however, and he’s definitely on board with Mr. Routh and the whole mess. Traitor.

As for the other movies, I would only watch “Superman III” and “IV” if they were required viewing in a Superman film history class. They are that toxic to my palate.

Best extra: What really makes this a definitive collection is the hours upon hours of bonus content culled from the “Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition” DVD set from 2007.

Once again, I’m not going to detail it all, but there are optional commentary tracks for every film (though neither Reeve nor Mr. Routh ever utters a word). Here is a list of my top five extras, in no particular order:

* The “Look Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman” documentary offers a well-rounded history of the Man of Steel through his appearances in all mediums.

From Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s creative sparks back in 1939 that led to the creation of the definitive comic-book and comic-strip hero; to his appearance in cartoons, movie serials, movies and television shows; to his likeness being tied to toys and games, Superman and the men who brought him to life are presented as pop-culture deities.

Mr. Spacey narrates the almost-two-hour event (now in high-def) with a cavalcade of star interviews featuring actor Mark Hamill, Stan Lee, Richard Donner, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, DC artist Art Thiebert, Dean Cain of “Lois and Clark,” Forrest J. Ackerman of “Famous Monsters of Filmland,” Bill Mumy of “Lost in Space,” Adam “Batman” West and Gene Simmons of Kiss.

* Viewing the nine included Max Fleischer-authentic “Superman” cartoons and a 10-minute documentary about Fleischer Studios is a must. The best-looking animated version of our hero comes from these 1940s gems and features the rotoscoping process (tracing animation cells from live-action footage). Also, the cartoons introduce flight to Superman’s repertoire. (In comics up until then, our hero had spent his time leaping.)

* The complete “Superman and the Mole Men” movie is the first full-length theatrical release starring the Man of Steel. George Reeves takes on the role of the hero in this black-and-white 1951 cult classic. Superman protects some misunderstood pint-sized aliens (ancestors of the Oompa Loompa, I believe) and Reeves goes on to become synonymous with the DC Comics’ icon in the 1950s thanks to a popular television show (“Adventures of Superman”).

* Listen to the optional commentary track on “Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut” from Mr. Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz. It’s great to hear Mr. Donner’s perspective 30 years later on what happened to his second film. Both creators offer a minimum of sour grapes, but they pull no punches about what’s wrong with Mr. Lester’s version of “Superman II.”

* “The Adventures of Superpup” is strictly for the Superman completist. This unaired pilot from 1958 stars height-challenged people dressed up in large dog masks and acting within the Superman universe. Mild-mannered reporter Bark Bent, who becomes the Canine of Steel, stars in this train wreck. The vacuum created by the death of George Reeves helped fuel this idiotic idea that, thankfully, never made it to television. It certainly is the oddest bonus in the set and worth a nervous chuckle.

Read all about it: Once again, with the thousands of Superman comic books available from DC Comics, I’ll home in on three collections and a stand-alone issue that act as a great cross-section for the new Superman fan.

First, Superman Archives: Volume 1 ($19.99) offers in a hardcover format the first four issues of the comic-book series created by Siegel and Shuster back in 1939.

Next, Superman: The Last Son ($19.99) finds director Donner dabbling in comics (with help from Geoff Johns and Adam Kubert) that gives us the movie storyboards to the film Bryan Singer should have made.

Then, writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely orchestrate the death of our hero through the 12-issue compilation “Absolute All Star Superman” ($99 for a fantastic hardcover edition).

Finally, Superman: Peace on Earth ($9.95) finds our hero fighting world hunger. It is an oversized stand-alone masterpiece sparsely written by Paul Dini and starring the painted artwork of Alex Ross.

* Visit Zadzooks at the The Washington Times’ Communities (https://communities.washingtontimes.com/) or on Twitter .