Cheapest Superman Returns

Superman Returns has had a controversial run this far on video. The standard definition that Warner Brother's released first, was a jaw-dropping disaster (even as regular dvd goes). The compression problems, the color reproduction, the banding and aliasing...ugh. I had been bummed out by this having seen it in IMAX 3D where it looked positivelt luminous. It was a flagship release for HD DVD, and the problems continued there and with it's first Bluray release in 2006. The picture and sound were enormously problematic. WB wisely kept track of the complaints much like Sony did on the first release of The Fifth Element. This release looks and sounds terrific. It's not perfect, but it's not perfect in a way most people will notice. There still is evidence of digital noise reduction (DNR), which is a fancy way of saying the picture has been smoothed out to remove compression noise and film grain. I'm fine with the absence of compression noise, which is a technical flaw, but I love film grain because it is what lets me know it has been sourced from the original print, and it renders detail second to none. This print still looks gorgeous for the most part. Color and black levels are generally excellent, albeit muted, which is more to do with Bryan Singer's vision of the film. X-Men has a similar look. The horrible technical flaws which were so disappointing in the standard definition DVD version are gone, and this is an exciting, often beautiful print. Some of the murkier scenes really are more to do with Singer's muted pallette. The sound has been upgraded as well with Dolby TrueHD and LPCM. It is an exhilarating and pulverizing soundtrack. The jetliner rescue is just awesome. Ambient surrounds, music and dialogue are all supber. I loved the iconic flight between Supe and Lois. The special effects look luminous and the music reproduction is superb. I know there are some gripes, but this is the version to have and it is a "must upgrade" if you have the SD version.Get more detail about Superman Returns.