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Blu-ray Review: Supergirl: The Complete Third Season

Review of the Supergirl Season 3 Blu-ray set

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The Complete Third Season of Supergirl was recently released to Blu-ray and DVD, and KryptonSite has been provided with a copy of the set to review! What did we think? Read on!

The Episodes: When viewed individually, there are some aspects of Supergirl Season 3 that didn’t totally hit the mark, though the story narrative was likely intentional. A lot of the characters were put through the wringer, and it seemed like they weren’t getting their total happiness. Mon-El being sent off to who knows where and (spoiler alert) coming back married was no fun for Kara, and the dissolution of Alex’s relationship with Maggie seemed a sudden redirect caused by actor availability that left no one happy.

J’Onn got his father back, though there was a lot of drama and sadness involved there. We met a great new character in Samantha Arias (the delightful Odette Annable), but she, too, had a dark side that brought her down, with her alter ego of Reign. I know this is a drama, but can some people get some “wins” already?

I guess there was the “Lena and James” thing, but that’s almost as boring as “Kara and James” was, and Lena is still being held to double standards from being a Luthor. So, meh.

There is some cool stuff within, however. We get to see the Legion of Super-Heroes with its dark colors and brunette Saturn Girl (meh). Brainiac 5, despite a somewhat weird makeup job, is played so well by Jesse Rath, that I would consider his charming addition a good thing. Mon-El ultimately gets a costume reminiscent of the one from the comics, and I like that a lot.

Season 3 of Supergirl also features one of my favorite episodes of the whole series in “Midvale,” which is as close to a Smallville tribute as one can get, and I loved every second of it. (Was also happy to see Erica Durance appearing in Season 3 – between her, Betty Buckley, Sarah Douglas, Laurie Metcalf, Carl Lumbly, and other great guests, the season was filled with guest stars that I really liked). Unfortunately, the Smallville reminders made me not as fond as, say, the episode(s) with a cult, as it made me think of the Allison Mack situation. (Yuck.) Also unfortunate is that we barely see Cat Grant and this year, there’s no Superman.

I feel Season 3 of Supergirl was a “dark period” for the show that will hopefully get light again for Season 4. It was well done TV; just the downers weren’t as much fun as I’d want from a show like this. And for all that’s holy, bring back the real theme music (which is thankfully on the menus here).

The Extras: The other crossover episodes are present as is a featurette about Reign. The crossover extras seen on the other sets are also represented here. There are some deleted scenes, and early on at least, almost all of the deleted scenes seem to be “Sanvers” (Alex/Maggie scenes), which, again, they had a huge fan base and if they only had Floriana Lima for so many episodes, the fans should have gotten all of these scenes when the episodes actually aired.

There’s a blooper reel that is actually funny and has an opening edited to look like the Friends opening credits. Sadly, without the actual Friends theme… I wonder if it actually had it when it was shown at a wrap party.

Annoyingly, you have to go through multiple discs to see all of the extras, which usually are bunched on to the last disc. Not in this case. I also wish there was a “View All” feature for the deleted scenes.

Packaging & Design: The art used on the Blu-ray set is fantastic. No complaints there.

Graphics & Sound: Again, Supergirl looks fantastic on Blu-ray… even better than on TV, where it already looked good to begin with. The show has some great directors and design.

Is It Worth It? I’d still recommend Season 1 first to someone completely new to Supergirl, but a die-hard fan would like it if only for the upgraded picture, the extra features, and deleted scenes. And if you order it from Amazon.com through KryptonSite’s link, we get credit, so thank you!

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DVD Reviews

Superman & Lois Photos: “All is Lost”

Preview images with spoilers for the Superman & Lois TV episode “All is Lost” airing June 7 on The CW

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“All is Lost” is the title of the June 7 episode of Superman & Lois and The CW now has released some photos to promote it! Here’s the gallery in slideshow form; a description can also be found below. Enjoy!

SUPERMAN & LOIS

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Superman & Lois -- “All is Lost” -- Image Number: SML213a_0199r -- Pictured (L-R): Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent and Alexander Garfin as Jordan Kent -- Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW -- © 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

LOST — Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) disagree on the best way to figure out if Ally Allston (guest star Rya Kihlstedt) went to the Inverse World. Meanwhile, John Henry (Wole Parks) makes a surprising discovery and Lois sets out to track Lucy (guest star Jenna Dewan) down. Jordan Elsass, Alex Garfin, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Sofia Hasmik, Wole Parks and Dylan Walsh also star. The episode was directed by Elaine Mongeon and written by Kristi Korzec (#213). Original airdate 6/7/2022. Every episode of SUPERMAN & LOIS will be available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.

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DVD Reviews

Blu-ray Review: Superman: The Complete Animated Series

Review of Superman: The Complete Animated Series Blu-ray set

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A little over 25 years after the series began, Superman: The Complete Animated Series is available today on remastered Blu-ray and Digital. The six-disc set contains all 54 episodes of the series as well as hours of extras. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has provided KryptonSite with a copy for review, so let’s get into it, shall we?

For starters… a confession. As big of a Superman fan I have been over the years, and Batman: The Animated Series is one of my favorite adaptations of DC media, I haven’t seen a lot of Superman: The Animated Series. It came at a time when I had a very busy schedule, but also, I was still at the height of my obsession with Lois & Clark, and so I’ll just use the excuse “Teri Hatcher on the brain.” I knew that they did some very cool things on the show, introducing certain characters to animation for the first time…. I just hadn’t seen it. So, it’s a lot of fun to see these episodes with mostly fresh eyes.

The extra features on this set help “sell” the show and illustrate the talents and passion behind this project. This is best shown in the all-new featurette “Superman: Timeless Icon” featuring interviews with many of the creative folks behind the show. I found it interesting that they took time to find the right angle, especially in light of the fact that Batman was such a success, so all eyes were on them for a success. From the episodes I’ve watched since receiving this set I can agree that that “angle” is largely found. One great aspect of it all is the incorporation of several characters and concepts from Jack Kirby’s “Fourth World” lore…. even Dan Turpin is drawn to look like “King” Kirby himself.

Tim Daly and Dana Delany are perfect for their voice roles, and to be honest, I would have loved to have seen the two of them play these roles in live action. (Where were they in Crisis on Infinite Earths?) I love that, like with Batman, the core elements of many characters are on display. Perry is gruff. Jimmy is dorky. Lex is calculating. Lois is the best reporter at the Planet. Those two are scratching the surface — some very huge award-winning celebrities lent voices to the show, which also introduced some new characters to the mix.

As I mentioned before, there are a lot of extras. Multiple featurettes. Audio commentaries. There’s plenty for a Superman fan to love and take in. And as a bonus… this is a great “gateway drug” for someone younger who might not have caught the Superman bug yet. I’m going to include the press release list of extras below.

The picture quality is fantastic; as mentioned, these episodes are recently remastered. If I had any criticism at all, it would be the box art. I loved the logo used for the Superman animated show – it was a variation on the traditional look but with a new and fun angle – and to use a simple font does not have the same effect.

So is it worth getting? Yes. Sure, you can watch remastered episodes on HBO Max, but you would not get all of these extras. You can order a copy from Amazon.com here and support KryptonSite; the list of extras can be found below.

Superman: Timeless Icon (New Featurette) – An all-new bonus feature, produced specifically for the remastered Blu-ray release of Superman: The Animated Series, reveals the complicated journey of the show and those who created the new mythology for The Man of Steel, as told by producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, director Dan Riba, writer Bob Goodman, casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano, and Tim Daly & Clancy Brown, the heralded voices of Superman and Lex Luthor, respectively.

A Little Piece of Trivia (Featurette) – So you think you know your Superman trivia? Wait until you hear about the series’ connection to Telly Savalas! A brain teaser to entertain every Superman: The Animated Series fan!

Superman: Learning to Fly (Featurette) – Get into the minds of the creative team behind Superman: The Animated Series as they detail the birth of this animated version of Superman and his incredible worlds. Featured speakers include producers Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, art director/producer Glen Murakami and directors Dan Riba and James Tucker.

Building the Mythology: Superman’s Supporting Cast (Featurette) – The characters around Superman get the spotlight in this in-depth look at everyone from Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White to Maggie Sawyer, Lana Lang, and Ma & Pa Kent. Producers Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, art director/producer Glen Murakami and directors Dan Riba and James Tucker give viewers the inside scoop.

Menaces of Metropolis: Behind the Villains of Superman (Featurette) – Your hero is only as good as the villains around him, and Superman: The Animated Series has a rogues’ gallery of top-grade baddies, including traditional opponents Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Bizarro, Metallo, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Toyman and Parasite, as well as new villains created for the series – like Live Wire and Luminus. Producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, directors James Tucker and Dan Riba and casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano give us a tour of the villains.

The Despot Darkseid: A Villain Worthy of Superman (Featurette) – Darkseid takes center stage in this examination of one of The Man of Steel’s most vicious adversaries, plus other Fourth World characters that appear in Superman: The Animated Series. The featurette includes producers Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, art director/producer Glen Murakami, writers Rich Fogel and Stan Berkowitz, director James Tucker and Charles Hatfield (Department of English, Cal State Northridge).

Audio Commentaries
Stolen Memories – producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett, director Curt Geda and art director/producer Glen Murakami.
The Last Son of Krypton – Part 1 – producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett, director Dan Riba and art director/producer Glen Murakami.
The Main Man – Part 2 – producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, director Dan Riba and art director/producer Glen Murakami.

Video Commentary
Mxyzpixilated – producer Bruce Timm, producer/writer Paul Dini, director Dan Riba and moderator Jason Hillhouse.

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DVD Reviews

Blu-ray Review: Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season

Review of Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season available on Blu-ray October 19

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The Complete First Season of Superman & Lois is available on Blu-ray today, and thanks to Warner Home Video, we were able to get a hold of a copy of the set to review! How is this set, and is it worth buying if you can watch the episodes on HBO Max? The short answers: It’s absolutely worth buying, even with that fact. Why? Read KryptonSite’s Craig Byrne’s review of the set below…

The Episodes: “Superman and Lois Lane as parents… how is that going to work out?” one might wonder. While Superman stories of the past may have focused on his origins, and one particular show focused on the time before he became Superman, this series is the first to really show Superman and Lois Lane as parents of two teenagers. Genetically, will the kid be more like Superman or like Lois? How does it work when the world’s greatest superhero and the world’s greatest reporter are so busy, and dealing with super family problems on top of it? That’s the core element of this show — the family — and the rest goes from there.

Excellent writing and direction with a unique score set the mood for the series give the show and its “return to Smallville” vibe a definitive feel. I was impressed watching these episodes on The CW but I’m even more impressed watching this show on TV. I feel like I’m watching a movie a lot of the time, especially in the higher definition that Blu-ray offers.

Another great thing about this 15-episode first season is that it’s like a roller coaster, with certain milestone points to throw things into new directions. This is best represented by two of my favorite episodes in the first season – Episode 7 “Man of Steel” where we learn more about who “The Stranger” might be, and Episode 11 “A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events” which will leave longtime Superman fans with a permanent smile as we see the history of Lois and Clark through this show’s lens. The puzzle pieces move around in satisfying ways.

Credit should also be given to this show’s excellent cast, especially the four actors who make up the Kent family. Perhaps it is because this show was filmed in COVID times and they were forced to spend time with each other regardless, but these four act like a natural family on screen. There is so much visible admiration in the performances between Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark and Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois, and Jordan Elsass and Alex Garfin perform a brotherly bond that you know that even when the characters disagree, there’s a level of care that only siblings could have. The rest of the cast get their own moments to shine in these first 15 episodes, and they all deserve to be lauded for a job well done. You’ll see what I mean when you watch it.

Yes, there are the expected superhero battles you’d expect from a show that features Superman. But, there are also family stories, showing how ordinary people would deal with extraordinary situations, as well as how extraordinary people deal with the ordinary ones. It’s a mix, and so far, it seems to be a good one.

The Extras: This set features extended versions of many episodes as they were on The CW’s website after airing. These are usually a few extra moments in every episode, but almost all of these scenes that were “cut” add to the tapestry of the show. Honestly, I wish that The CW could just cut out a few in-house promos when they air the show just to have these scenes incorporated every week, but I guess that’s not how broadcast TV works.

Unfortunately, that means there are no extra “Deleted Scenes” as they are all just incorporated back in. It also might have been interesting and fun to have a blooper reel and/or some commentaries, but that doesn’t mean this set is without extras.

What might be the best original extra feature is called “Superman: Alien Spirit” because it seems to include some interviews I haven’t seen before, with the actors as well as some of the talented producers and writers that we haven’t really seen doing press, like Kristi Korzec and Katie Aldrin. The “Superman & Lois: Legacy of Hope” special that originally aired on The CW is included on this set, as is the original DC FanDome panel for the show. “Never Alone: Heroes and Allies” covers the Arrowverse — I mean, CW-verse in general and focuses on the support teams the different heroes have.

The Packaging: I like the cover art, so no complaints here!

Is It Worth It? YES. 100% yes. The show was already quite enjoyable, but seeing the visuals better than we’ve ever seen them before — or at least, better than I’ve ever seen it before — it’s like wow. And if you haven’t seen the show or want to recommend it for someone new, it would make a great gift.

Order your copy of Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray from Amazon.com and support KryptonSite (we get a commission)!

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