Superman 4K Review: An Almost Perfect Release (With One Infuriating Flaw)

James Gunn’s Superman instantly won over the hearts of DC fans everywhere when it flew into theaters this summer. Over the last few days, Superman came home in a big way, debuting on HBO Max this past Friday and getting its 4K and Blu-ray physical release on Tuesday. The die-hard fans have been extremely excited for this 4K UHD release, given how much care Gunn has always taken with the physical editions of his films, and the disc largely lives up to the hype.

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Superman debuted on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on Tuesday morning, with the 4K arriving in standard, SteelBook, and lenticular cover editions (though the SteelBook has basically been sold out since it was announced). The film is presented in 2160p Dolby Vision and HDR10, paired with a Dolby Atmos audio mix. All in all, as far as the film itself is concerned, this is as good a new-release 4K as you’ll find. Warner Bros. has done fantastic work with its new releases this year, and Superman stands right there with Sinners as an example of how discs should look and sound at home.

The most impressive thing with Superman is how the colors were handled for this 2160p picture. Gunn uses a ton of bright colors in this film, particularly when it comes to Superman’s suit or anything related to the Justice Gang. The colors pop against a more muted palette of natural color in the regular world surrounding these heroes. I expected one of those elements to overtake the other on this home release; with either the bright colors getting muted to match the natural aesthetic or the natural tones to get brightened up to look more at home next to the bolder shades.

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But neither of those things happened, resulting in a miraculous picture that feels every bit as detailed as the one seen in theaters. It’s a bit shocking just how many different colors are able to come off the screen at home. Trust me when I say we’re not used to seeing this kind of color spectrum in our living rooms.

A great disc is accompanied by a ton of great special features, including an hour-long documentary about the making of Superman and a deep dive into how they animated Krypto. There are several features here worth digging into, but its these special features that also represent the most frustrating part of this release.

There is no commentary on the Superman 4K disc, nor are there any deleted scenes. That wouldn’t usually be a big deal, given how little effort is usually put into the features of new releases. But it’s a bit infuriating with Superman because those features exist. There are deleted scenes. Gunn recorded a commentary for this release. For one reason or another, Warner Bros. simply didn’t put them on the disc.

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Warner Bros. has confirmed that the commentary, deleted scenes, and gag reel will be added to the digital copy version of Superman at some point (UPDATE: the features have been added to the digital version since the publishing of this review). Perhaps the studio rushed the disc out to match a streaming release. Or maybe those features took longer to finish producing and they didn’t want to wait on them for the physical debut. Regardless, the features that fans and physical media enthusiasts ask for most often are being held as an addition for the digital version. Doesn’t that feel counterproductive?

The silver lining here is that a digital copy is at least included alongside the 4K purchase, so everybody who buys the disc will get access to those features, one way or another. That said, many of us who buy physical media do so to avoid potential pitfalls with digital media (and the retailers that provide it).

Outside of that frustrating issue with the features, Superman‘s 4K release is as close to flawless as you can get. The lenticular cover (a Walmart exclusive) is a nice bonus, allowing the slip to change between Superman and Clark Kent.

If there’s a list of 2025 movies with must-have 4K releases, Superman has to be near the top.

A copy of Superman was provided for the purpose of this review.

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