Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Being born in the 1980s, I was completely unaware that there was any controversy surrounding Superman II until I heard about this DVD release. The first Superman movie is viewed favorably by causal fans and fans alike (The only problem I have with it is the spinning-the-Earth-backwards thing at the end). Superman II doesn't have the mass recognition of its predecessor, but no where near the laughing stock that III and IV are, neither which I have seen due to their reputation.
Wikipedia has a good article dealing with the background of this release, and I'll merely summarize by saying that in the middle of production, Warner Bros. fired Donner and hired a replacement director, and following that, the script was semi-retooled, and some scenes were reshot. So what we have here is a completely different version of Superman II, with about half comprising new material. Some of the scenes from the theatrical release remain, mostly those directed by Donner before his departure, but also some by Lester, the replacement director, which were necessary to make up for the halt in production.
The DVD of The Richard Donner Cut was released in November, and I had the chance to watch it recently, and to my surprise, I think this is a far superior version of the film. Gone is the light humor that punctuated the theatrical release, and this leaves General Zod and his cohorts seeming much more sinister. Hackman's Lex Luthor is unchanged, largely because all of Hackman's scenes were filmed before Donner departed production. This version begins exactly where the first film left off, making more Superman, Part II then a true sequel, preempting Pirates of the Carribbean by several decades. The Donner Cut also restores the how Superman got his powers back, a scene excised from production due to Marlon Brando's large pay demands, filing a -wimilede plot hole in the original cut.
The only downside is that the intended original ending to Superman II is restored, and I won't spoil it, but t involves my least favorite aspect of the first film, though it was always intended to be the end of II, and the first would have ended differently.
What amazes me is how well this version of the movie fits in with Superman Returns. It now makes a cohesive trilogy, especially with some of Jor-El's dialogue now common to both II and Returns. While the Donner/Reeve Singer/Routh Superman films are not as true to the comic history as I would like, they are now at least coherent within themselves.
Wikipedia has a good article dealing with the background of this release, and I'll merely summarize by saying that in the middle of production, Warner Bros. fired Donner and hired a replacement director, and following that, the script was semi-retooled, and some scenes were reshot. So what we have here is a completely different version of Superman II, with about half comprising new material. Some of the scenes from the theatrical release remain, mostly those directed by Donner before his departure, but also some by Lester, the replacement director, which were necessary to make up for the halt in production.
The DVD of The Richard Donner Cut was released in November, and I had the chance to watch it recently, and to my surprise, I think this is a far superior version of the film. Gone is the light humor that punctuated the theatrical release, and this leaves General Zod and his cohorts seeming much more sinister. Hackman's Lex Luthor is unchanged, largely because all of Hackman's scenes were filmed before Donner departed production. This version begins exactly where the first film left off, making more Superman, Part II then a true sequel, preempting Pirates of the Carribbean by several decades. The Donner Cut also restores the how Superman got his powers back, a scene excised from production due to Marlon Brando's large pay demands, filing a -wimilede plot hole in the original cut.
The only downside is that the intended original ending to Superman II is restored, and I won't spoil it, but t involves my least favorite aspect of the first film, though it was always intended to be the end of II, and the first would have ended differently.
What amazes me is how well this version of the movie fits in with Superman Returns. It now makes a cohesive trilogy, especially with some of Jor-El's dialogue now common to both II and Returns. While the Donner/Reeve Singer/Routh Superman films are not as true to the comic history as I would like, they are now at least coherent within themselves.
Labels: Comic Books, Movies
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