Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

This movie never would have made it in theaters!

Although the extra scenes(the most notable of which was a screen test) were interesting, I missed 1)the villainous brute testing his laser-eyes on a snake, 2)Superman dramatically flying-off from the Fortress of Solitude after he's regained his powers, and 3)Lois Lane falling into the river at Niagra Falls. This new version had little continuity, and lacked character development. After spending money on this turkey, I'm forced to do so again on the standard version, which I sorely missed. This version would have been a very nice dvd extra to the standard version...alas, it's a complete waste of money on its own. December 23, 2008

Truly disappointing

Just a couple of comments since there are already 200-plus reviews. Spoilers ahead, in case it matters at this point.

1. This isn't really a "director's cut" since it includes a great deal of footage that was shot by Richard Lester. It's more of a sort of rough template of what Donner's film might have sort of looked like if he'd completed it. That is, to put it mildly, sort of disappointing as a viewing experience. Is Richard Donner such a stellar director that I should spend money to look at his sketch books?

2. Donner spends too much time in his commentary taking digs at Richard Lester, who did nothing but accept the job of directing Superman II after Donner was canned.

3. One of the key points that Donner returns to often is the removal of Marlon Brando from Lester's film. This is odd, because I think by comparison this is one of the things that makes Lester's film far superior. The relationship between Kal El and Jor El is made more poignant and emotionally touching by the *absence* of the father, his attachment to Lois more meaningful by the conversation with his mother. while the reasons for removing Brando have always been attributed to crass commercialism, the fact is that it results in a more artistically satisfying experience.

4. Moreover, removing Brando removes one of the more plodding stretches of Donner's film, in which he feels compelled to explain exactly how Superman regains his powers - just as in the introduction where he felt compelled to explain exactly how the villains were released from the Phantom Zone (which he keeps referring to as the "zone of silence" in the commentary, getting Superman confused with Get Smart? well, it's been 30 years...) Anyway. Lester understands how a light touch can propel a narrative, how every "gap" is not a "hole," how an audience can be trusted to use its imagination to connect the dots. Donner doesn't trust his audience, but thinks he needs to show them every last thing.

In all, a big disappointment, as I purchased this DVD expecting to see a revelatory version of the film. Donner's been complaining about how bad Superman II turned out in Lester's version I had high hopes, but it turns out he was pretty much shooting blanks. December 17, 2008

A SUPERior SUPERMAN II

Superman I and II were originally a single film. It's amazing the films are as good as they are, given that the studio fired the director halfway through, split the work into two films, and refused to reward the actors for the second movie. Instead they cut Brando's work along with the entire point of the movie. This is why Superman II was really little more than Superman dispatching three bad guys introduced in Superman I.
In that regard, Superman II had always been a letdown for me. This new cut restores the heart and soul of the original vision, yielding a profoundly enjoyable film. It's truly the best that can be done with the material available. You've got to see this movie. December 7, 2008

A glimpse of what might have been

Yes, it does have the appearence of being cobbled together at times -- using a screen test to fill in a scene -- but all in all it works and better than the final product from Richard Lester -- which is, really, 80% of what Richard Donner shot in the first damn place. Because some things need to be filled out, some of the Lester footage is used but even so, you get a look at the vision Richard Donner intended. Alternate shots on Krypton for the three super villains, footage with Marlon Brando that was removed when the Salkinds were sued by him for monies due. One of the a-bombs from the first film thrown by Supes into space release them from the Phantom Zone (in very interesting fashion) as oppposed to the Eiffel Tower sequence in the Lester version. All in all, though a real rough cut, a satisfying way to view what really are two films that should have dove-tailed together all those years ago. As with the first film, Chris Reeve (the best actor who ever played the part) makes it work. Some slightly different prison footage with Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty and the destruction of the Fortress of Solitude. All in all, highly recommended. Whenever I watch SUPERMAN II anymore it is this version, not the one that landed on the movie screens back in 1981. November 17, 2008

Donner's Superman II

I'll keep this short because this movie has been out for over 2 years now on DVD. I was really excited to hear that the Warner's decided to finally release this urban legend that we all heard about. Being a huge Superman fan, I was excited to finally see the footage with Brando. Although that footage was interesting, the movie for me, just didn't work. Chris Reeve, and Margot Kidder did a fine job in their respective roles, but the movie was campy at best and I thought the whole point of making a superhero movie back in the day was to show "what if Superman was real" in a real life situation. Turning back time twice was downright retarded and then at the very end of Donner's version on Supes II where he goes back to the diner, made no sense whatsoever. Turning it back once was bad, but twice?!? I still admit when I was 6 years old and my Dad took me and my sister to see the first film in the theater, when Superman let out that scream, it scared the Bejesus out of me. Even to this day I have a hard time watching that because Superman is such a good "person", who would make him that angry to let that kind of a cry out? Obviously Luthor.

Iyla Salkind was quoted saying that Lester's version was better. He was right. Donner is a great director and he tried to keep it light, and more geared towards the 1980's family. In that respect, he did a good job. I would have to agree that after seeing both versions, I like Lester's version better. Nonetheless, its good that we're able to see both versions now when Superman is needed now more than ever.

Just my two cents. October 24, 2008

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