http://anchorbayentertainment.com/ Supergirl was made in the wake of Christopher Reeves' decision not to do anymore Superman movies and pursue other acting interests. The public craved more of the action hero and so Alexander Salkind, the producer of the Superman films put together this film to satisfy the public's appetite. He gathered together some top stars (Faye Duniway, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow, Simon Ward and Brenda Vaccaro to support newcomer Helen Slater and threw in Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen from the Superman films) to tie it together, along with Jerry Goldsmith who penned the score for both films. This disc is the first "Super" disc to make it to DVD, although Warner is planning to do the Superman series soon. Anchor Bay will be releasing two versions of this film, one Collector's set, which will contain two discs and this one disc set which includes the International version with nearly 10 minutes of additional footage not seen in the US version. Anchor Bay has done a great job in producing this disc, and although it is only one disc, it contains quite a few extras.

Kara, Superman's cousin, lives in the Innerspace city of Argo, which survived the Krypton explosion through the efforts of Zaltar( Peter O'Toole). She is very curious about Earth and longs to see the beauty of nature described to her by Zaltar. While conversing with him, she accidentally releases the power supply of Argo (the Omegahedron), and she flees across space to retrieve it and save her city. On Earth, the power source is captured by the evil Selena (Faye Duniway), who is bent on world domination. Kara disguises herself as Linda Lee on Earth and sets out to find the power source. She soon discovers new friends in Lois Lane's sister and Jimmy Olsen and confronts Selena for the power source. While the story has some gaps (her clothes magically transform from her outfit on Argo to her Supergirl uniform with no explanation), this is good fun for the family. The extra ten minutes in this "International" version are devoted almost entirely to the development of the characters, as this was criticized in the US version. The dialog for the movie has a few unintentional laughs as well but very clean. I only heard one "shit", one "God Damn", and one "Bitch" in the entire movie. The parts are played for laughs well by Duniway and Vaccaro, accompanied by the late, great Peter Cook. Slater is perfect as the doe eyed, innocent Supergirl, who learns quickly with the help of her new friends and support from Zaltar. She was perfect in her role, playing the teenage superhero as vulnerable and sensitive yet knowing how to use her powers for the purpose intended. Farrow and Ward have very small cameo roles at the beginning as Kara's parents. Hart Bochner plays a hunk which interests both Slater and Duniway, but his part was easy-he spent most of his scenes knocked out. Look for a small part played by Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) as a lecherous truck driver who gets a little to familiar with Supergirl and pays the price for being a scum. What is noted in the liner notes is worth mentioning here as well-back in 1984 there were no Super heroes for girls. Supergirl was the first and in that sense, this film breaks new ground. Supergirl was a terrific role model for girls, pure and innocent but strong as well. My little girl, just four, watched this film and afterwards, "flew" up the stairs and went to bed dreaming of being Supergirl.

Picture-Excellent THX transfer by Anchor Bay of this International version. I noticed no dust or scratches, which is superb for a film that is 16 years old. It is presented in Widescreen format (2.35:1). The picture at times is a bit foggy, but I believe that was the cinematographer's technic instead of a flaw. Many scenes in the original Superman films also used this technic. The effects are up to par with any of the Superman flicks, and her flying is fun to watch, as speeds over the landscape towards Chicago or Midvale. Her short hops could of used some work though, as you could almost imagine the cables holding her up. Of course, there is no CGI, as the special effects are from 1984, which includes a lot of cellophane and plastic. One monster is obviously a slow moving animatronic but the editing is good enough to make up for this. Sound-The disc offers a THX mastered 5.1 Dolby soundtrack, along with a 2.0 soundtrack. Separation of channels was not spectacular but was rich and full. Most of the information came through the front channels, but some effects (swooshes from flying, etc.) and soundtrack music used the rear channels extensively.

The disc contains a lot of extras including a making of Supergirl featurette, US and foreign trailers, U.S. television spots, original storyboards, still and poster galleries, talent bios, and commentary from director Jeannot Szwarc and Special Projects Consultant Scott Michael Bosco. Although it is not mentioned on the cover,the disc also includes a THX set up program that will enhance your television sound and picture with the use of audio test signals and test patterns. It's sort of a mini-Video Essentials, built right into the disc. It covers audio separation and imaging between channels, color adjustment test patterns, and brightness and contrast . I really thought this was a fantastic extra that could be included on many discs.

Supergirl is a fast, fun paced romp, as it should be. The stars had fun-Supergirl was done right by Slater, and the effects, while not state of the art by today's standards, are totally acceptable. The villains are bad but not totally evil. The same production values that went into the Superman movies were also used in this film. My one complaint would be that this single disc version is not the longest version available, as the original 138 minute version has been cut to 124 minutes. Anchor Bay will have these two versions available starting August 8th. If you don't want to fork out the extra cash for the double disc set, this one DVD still has a lot to offer by itself. The THX testing feature alone, for those without Video Essentials or Avid is a great bonus. THX will even send you a blue testing filmstrip if you visit their web site. Don't be looking for serious science fiction here folks! Leave your brain at the door for certain plot gaps and enjoy this movie.