Complete Film Collection
Limited edition Gift set
Limited edition Gift set
Region Code: Region-Free (4K), A (Blu-ray)
Duration: 166 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)(4K), 1080P HD Widescreen (1.78:1) (Blu-ray)
Director:
Cast: Jerry O’Connell, Rainn Wilson, Jason O’Mara, Rosario Dawson, Shemar Moore, Nathan Fillion, Matt Lanter, Christopher Gorham, Nyambi Nyambi, Cress Williams, Cameron Monaghan, Patrick Fabian, Tony Todd, Charles Halford, Rocky Carroll, Toks Olagundoyet, Max Mittleman, Paul Eiding, Jennifer Hale, Trevor Devall, Bruno Mannheim, Erica Luttrell, Jonathan Adams, Rick Pasqualone, Amanda Troop
The Death and Return of Superman Complete Film Collection is a 166-min super-cut of the DC animated films The Death of Superman (2018) & Reign of the Supermen (2019), combining the pair of films and adding additional scenes not seen in either to create an epic telling of the classic Death of Superman story-line as first read in DC’s landmark 1992-93 comic phenomenon.
The title of the film really spoils a few key plot points here, namely the death and return of Superman, and unless you have lived under a rock you probably already know that in this tale Krypton's son Superman must face off against the alien Doomsday, an unstoppable killing machine sent to Earth by Darkseid (voiced by Tony Todd, Candyman). As implied in the title Superman dies during the battle, saving the Metropolis and the Earth. After his death a series of new super-men arrive on the scene to fill the void. We have the Luthor funded clone Superboy, an actual man-of-steel Steel, the merciless The Eradicator, and a half-man, half-cyborg version of Superman that claims he is the real Superman, but the question lingers, are any of these super-men the real Man of Steel?
Strangely Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor is not having as good a time as he would have thought in the Man of Steel's absence, and of course he has his fingers in the mix of new super-men with his own self-aggrandizing agenda. The heart of the story in my mind is two-fold, you have the deeply felt absence by the entire Earth when their hero dies, and then you have intrepid reporter Lois Lane dealing with the loss of her love Clark Kent/Superman, carrying on her career investigating these super-men, with the cyborg superman coming the closest to making her think he might actually be the real deal, with him having memories that only the real Superman should have.
This epic super-cut looks fantastic, I love the animation style, it's gorgeous, action-packed and bursting with eye-popping visuals that looks wonderful from start to finish. The character designs are excellent, this is probably my favorite animated version of Cyborg I've seen yet, and the iconic Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern are all done proper justice. Krypton-killer Doomsday looks terrific as well, I love the way he is slowly revealed through the battle as his space-suit he arrived in is slowly torn away in battle with Superman and the Justice League.
The voice cast here is phenomenal as well, we have Jerry O’Connell (Pirahna DD) as Superman, Rainn Wilson (The Meg) as Lex Luthor), Rebecca Romijn (X-Men) as Lois Lane), Nathan Fillion (Slither) as Green Lantern), Christopher Gortham as The Flash), and Rosario Dawson (Clerks II) as Wonder Woman.
Audio/Video: The Death and Return of Superman arrives on 4K & Blu-ray Combo in 2160p Ultra HD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen, with a new HDR color-grading. The image looks rock solid, comparing it to the accompanying Blu-ray I will note that I did not think it benefited from the 4K uptick the way vintage live-action films have, but the HDR certainly gives the primaries a nice boost with deeper blacks.
The audio on the disc is DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. It's a lively and bombastic presentation with lots of bass, this animated epic has loads of fights, lasers, explosions and action which I thought really gave the surrounds a good workout. I would have appreciated a Atmos remix but the DTS is excellent.
This sucker is packed with extras beginning with a 4K Ultra HD bonus disc of Superman: Doomsday, which is the animated films's debut on the premium format. The story is an abridged version of the Death and Return of Superman story, While I am not a fan of the animation style it's a solid story, if it pales in comparison to this new definitive super-cut. The Superman: Doomsday gets it's own 4K UHD disc, there are no extras.
On the Blu-ray disc is were all the extras are, with over 78-min of featurettes exploring the Death of Superman comic event, Superman in popular culture and an appreciation of super-villain Lex Luthor, it's all great stuff. We also get six episodes from the DC Vault, that's six 20 min episodes of The Legion of Superheroes, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited animated series. There are also over 40-min of previews of Wonder Woman: Blood Lines, Justice League vs. The Fatal Five, Reign of the Supermen, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part One, and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part Two.
This Limited Edition Gift Set is limited to 52,000 is numbered and arrives in an over-sized box, inside the box is the 4K UltraHD release with a slipcover featuring the same artwork, the set also includes an exclusive 4" Steel figurine. The discs come in a black keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork with the same artwork as the box and slipcover, inside there are two 4K UHD discs and a Blu-ray, plus a Movie Anywhere digital code for the main feature in the 4K along with the extras.
Special Features:
- Superman: Doomsday included 4K Ultra HD (Limited-Edition Gift Set)
- Long Live Superman (46 min)
- The Death of Superman: The Brawl That Topped Them All (16 min)
- Lex Luthor: The Greatest Nemesis (16 min)
- From the DC Vault: Legion of Superheroes, “Dark Victory: Part 1” (23 min)
- From the DC Vault: Legion of Superheroes, “Dark Victory: Part 2” (23 min)
- From the DC Vault: Superman: The Animated Series, “Heavy Metal” (21 min)
- From the DC Vault: Justice League Unlimited, “The Doomsday Sanction” (23 min)
- From the DC Vault: Justice League Unlimited, “Panic in the Sky” (23 min)
- From the DC Vault: Batman: The Brave and the Bold, “Darkseid Descending!” (23 min)
- A Sneak Peek at DC Universe’s Next Animated Movie, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (10 min)
- A Preview of Justice League vs. The Fatal Five (10 min)
- A Preview of Reign of the Supermen (10 min)
- A Preview of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part One (13 min)
- A Preview of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part Two (7 min)
Trailers: Joker (3 min), Teen Titans Go Vs. The Teen Titans (2 min)
The Death and return of Superman (2019) is my favorite of DC's animated Superman films, though I still more of Batman fan personally, its epic and action-packed, plus I really dig the animation style a bunch. The 4K presentation is fantastic, and of right now Limited Edition Gift set is the only way to also get the Superman: Doomsday on 4K Ultra HD, plus you get a cool Steel figurine as well, making this a desirable release for superhero animation fans. Alright DC, now lets gets working on a 4K Ultra HD super-cut of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part One & Two!
