DVD: The Superman motion picture anthology (12) Various directors

The Man of Steel may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he may struggle to jump over this staggeringly comprehensive DVD collection of Superman movies released by Warner.

The studio that brought Smallville's favourite son to the screen in the form of Christopher Reeve has put together an eight-disc Blu-ray set and the films look better than ever. In terms of quality, is hard to look far beyond the first film in 1978 directed by Richard Donner and featuring Gene Hackman as super-villain Lex Luthor. The story is well trodden, and those not already aware of an alien baby landing in small-town America, will not be buying this box set. The action is great, and the look and feel manages to capture that of the comic books. The sequel almost matches up as Superman faces enemies from his own planet as his alter ego Clark Kent falls ever harder for Daily Planet colleague Lois Lane. After that the films, well, go somewhat downhill. Richard Pryor cannot salvage the third instalment and the less said about the fourth the better. The collection also includes the 2006 Bryan Singer-directed Superman Returns. There are many great featurettes in this collection, and it goes without saying that it is a must for fans of the series. Others may need a superhero to save them from overkill but it's a cracking collection nontheless.