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Well, this just
seems to be the week of Superman! This is
just one of several titles I'm reviewing
in celebration of the new movie "Superman
Returns" set to hit theatres next week.
Warner Brothers has gone absolutely nuts
releasing everything from seasons of "Superman:
The Animated Series" to "Lois
& Clark" and "Superboy"
to the "Adventures of Superman,"
and I've watched almost all of them. My
super-eyes are super-tired.
Probably the most fascinating of Warner
Brothers releases this week is the Bryan
Singer produced, "Look, Up in the Sky!
The Amazing Story of Superman."
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The documentary, which aired earlier this month
on A&E, goes into enormous detail about the
Man of Steel's history and to some extent, his
future. Almost every aspect of the Superman legend
is touched upon, including his first appearance
in Action Comics, the radio and movie serials,
the various animated and live action series, and
the movies.
Most of the actors who donned the signature cape
and tights are featured, though some more than
others. Obviously the two it focuses on the most
are George Reeves and Christopher Reeve, who also
happen to be the two most tragic. While I was
already familiar with what happened to George
Reeves, a lot of younger fans probably have no
idea, and so its inclusion is welcomed. More familiar
is the heartbreaking accident that left Christopher
Reeves confined to a wheelchair and turned him
into a real life hero. (And in a side note I'd
like to mention that his wife Dana was a very
strong woman, who succumbed to cancer recently
made me wonder if there is any fairness in the
world.)
Now on the other side of the coin, I was interested
to note that while the feature paid homage to
Jerry Siegel & Joel Schuster, the creators
of Superman, it tiptoed around the shoddy way
the men were treated by DC Comics and Warner Brothers.
They were initially paid very little for their
creation, and fought hard for years to get some
kind of royalties. It wasn't until the 70's that
they made any kind of headway, but still never
earned anywhere near as much as they should have.
What I was most worried about was that the documentary
was going to be one long commercial for "Superman
Returns", but it was nothing of the sort.
It is touched upon towards the end, but it was
not a running thread throughout. "Look, Up
in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman"
is what it should be, a retrospective of the hero
turned icon. I also understand, but cannot say
with any certainty that the version of the documentary
on the DVD is longer than what aired on TV. Either
way, this disc is certainly well worth adding
to your Superman collection.
There seems to be two different versions of the
DVD as well. Most outlets are going to have a
single disc version that contains the documentary
only. But Warners is also going the Best Buy exclusive
route where you can buy a 2-disc set that includes
director Bryan Singer's video journals on the
making of "Superman Returns." There
are also 5 limited edition "Superman"
poster reproductions for the serious collector
in you.
This is the DVD set I have and I was going to
review the second disc but opted not to…
just yet. I'm planning on seeing an early screening
of the movie and I have been purposely avoiding
articles, pictures and internet news so I can
go into it cold, without any preconceived notions.
If I watch the video diaries, I'll learn way too
much and I don’t want to ruin the surprise.
So what I am going to do is run this review in
two parts. I'll repost it right before "Superman
Returns" opens and add my thoughts on the
video journals.
Extras: Bryan Singer's Video Journals
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 6/20/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website
We'll give Look, up in the Sky! The Amazing
Story of Superman an A.
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