America's least morally ambiguous superhero was brought to the screen in 1978 by director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon, The Omen) in a special-effects-heavy production that captures the spirit of the original comic. The plot, which explains how Superman (Christopher Reeve) came to earth and pits our hero against arch-villain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), takes an age to develop. However, the relationship between Clark Kent/ Superman and feisty Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) keeps events moving along at a decent pace, and the sterling cast - - including Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty and Glenn Ford - - is always worth watching.

DVD Extras:

Commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz, 10 added scenes, three documentaries (Taking Flight: The Development Of Superman, Making Superman: Filming The Legend, The Magic Behind The Cape), screentests, music cues, deleted scenes, TV advert, trailer, storyboard to screen (DVD-ROM only).If only more discs were assembled with this much care. Not only are extra scenes seamlessly worked in, but the documentaries and commentary give a clear picture of how Superman was put together. In particular, it's interesting to see just how difficult effects like this were in the pre-CGI days.