Customer Reviews

Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut

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Having just watched the Richard Donner version of "Superman II" twice (once with his commentary with 'Creative Consultant' Tom Mankiewicz), I can say that I prefer the Donner version, over Richard Lester's...but with reservations.

Other reviewers point out redundancies, over-long scenes, and character development problems in the Donner version, but these aren't really fair arguments; what you see are the basic scenes, originally shot; Donner, himself, admitted that had he continued on the film, he would have had to do reshoots of several key scenes, and, of course, would have been involved in the editing process (which couldn't be accomplished to the same degree, in the 'restored' edition). The 'turning the world back' resolution was intended for "Superman II"; when the Salkinds chose not to end the first film with a cliffhanger ending, Donner shot the Lois 'death' scene, and Supes turns back time to save her...so repeating the same resolution in "Superman II" was simply a case of using the original film conclusion, which Donner would have changed, had he continued with the film.

There are plotholes, and leaps of logic; as the film stands, Luthor is apparently in the Fortress of Solitude when Superman destroys it(!); Clark's 'revenge' against the diner bully makes no sense, since, after winding back time, the original confrontation never took place; indeed, the Jor-El 'farewell' scene would have been unnecessary, as well, insomuch as Supes rewound time back to before he lost and regained his powers. And what ever became of Miss Teschmacher?

All this having been said, there are moments where I think Richard Lester's lack of understanding of Superman and his Universe makes me stand in Donner's corner; he introduced abilities Supes never had (Saran-wrap symbols...what exactly were they supposed to do?...the 'Kiss of Forgetfulness'...turning Metropolis citizens into comic buffoons, during the climactic brawl...the whole British-accented town sequence, when Zod 'introduces' himself to the world). Other critics have panned Brando's 'Jor-El' in the Donner sequel, praising the Salkinds for dropping him, and increasing Susannah York's involvement, but she seems totally out-of-place as the 'final authority' figure in the Lester version. Maybe he was overpriced, but I think Brando was essential, and the film certainly would have been big enough to offset his paycheck.

I think the Donner version has more 'heart', and reverence to Superman, than Lester's broader, more comic 'take'. Even with the abrupt transitions, logic lapses, rough edges, and redundant resolution, a vision of what "might have been" emerges, and it was a pretty terrific film!

Don't believe the naysayers. 95% of people like myself who saw the first Superman II, loved it, but had problems with some of the stupid humor, will love this version. Obviously, you can't go back and fix everything. For those who complain about the screen test footage, it's been over 25 years people!!! I for one am absolutely stunned by what was saved and the quality of it. And where there is an opportunity to have an alternate take of the same scene, it's in here. I had heard over 50% of the film would be new. Well, with the alternative takes, it seems like more like 80% of the film is new! And I have gone back and looked at Lester's Superman II again, and there is no comparison. Practically every single dumb humor moment that was in Lester's Superman II has been cut and has been replaced with Brando footage as the film was originally intended. It's like cutting out the Jerry Lewis humor and replacing it with Lawrence Olivier. If you liked the opening ten minute credit sequence of Lester's Superman III, then I guess you might like Lester's version better. But I think for 95% of Superman fans it's not even a debatable subject.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT:
I will not mention what new Richard Donner footage there is, (you should enjoy that for the first time yourself) but for those of you who want to know exactly what "dumb humor" or illogical stuff that has been cut from Lester's version that IS NOT in Richard Donner's version, read on below...

Lois' chain-smoking orange juice squeezing scene. - Gone!
Zod raising farmer with silver beam from his finger. - Gone!
Ursa beating farmer at arm wrestling. - Gone!
Almost all jokes relating to Non's dumbness including his inability to use heat vision like the others. - Gone!
Lame wise-cracking bell hop at Niagara Falls "have a happy.... whatever" - Gone!
Superman steps into molecule chamber with Superman suit on, and exits wearing street clothes? - Gone! (Now he enters and exits with street clothes. Some scenes appear to have been reshot with a body double for Reeve.)
During super fight, long extended scene with earthquake going on while Superman and Non fight underground and humans on surface bounce around like bowling pins had been drastically reduced.
During super fight, all jokes relating to villains blowing at humans are gone, (ice cream cone in face, toupee falling off, laughing man falling over in phone booth and continues to talk - all gone. The rollerskating backward guy is seen only briefly if you look for him, but he's not at all obvious like before.
Ursa hits Non accidentally with flag pole and kid on street says, "Wow, home run....." - Gone!
Three villains each using their silver beams against Superman at the Fortress of Solitude. - Gone!
Superman throwing a red "S" at Non at the Fortress of Solitude.. - Gone!
Superman playing stupid Krypton "hide and seek" superpower game at Fortress of Solitude with villains. - Gone!

There are a few jokes that were cut that could have remained, but after looking at Lester's Superman's II again back-to-back with this new version, like I said, there's no comparison. Buy it now.

attended last week's world premiere screening of the much anticipated Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut. Like many Supe fans, I'd been looking forward to this for a LONG time. However, I'm here to tell you to lower your expectations on this one. It's simply not as good as the released version finished by Richard Lester.

After seeing the Donner version, I watched the Lester version again to make sure I could coherently compare the two versions. I concluded there are several very serious problems with the Donner version, and I'll lay these out, alerting you to spoilers.

First, a few comments about the original Superman 1, so you understand where I'm coming from. IMO, the first film had several major tone shifts. The Krypton section was very serious, bordering on pretentious. Brando played Jor-El not like a man, but as a demi-god, cold, aloof and superior. The Smallville section (my favorite portion) evoked Frank Capra-John Ford Americana, human and emotional. And the Metropolis section started as an enjoyable comic book, but then degenerated into goofy camp as Lex Luthor's ridiculous plan unfolded, and Gene Hackman mugged and played Superman's arch-enemy for laughs. For me, the Luthor characterization and earthquake plot ruined what I thought what could have been a fine film. And I totally didn't buy Superman turning back time, which I thought was a complete cop-out. All real Superman fans know that Supes can't do that (and even if he could, he wouldn't)! So that's the "baggage" I bring to this review.

On to Superman II. As most fans of the series know, Brando filmed scenes for the Fortress of Solitude sequences, but they were dropped when he demanded more money, and redone with Susannah York as Lara. Donner's version restores the Brando scenes. I found these restored scenes too long and not very good. The truth is, Brando did these films for the money, and basically walked through his role. I doubt that there is any survey of Brando's work that mentions Jor-El as one of his memorable performances. It seemed that Donner wanted to include every frame of Brando, so there's a lot of repetition. For example, Superman II now opens as Part 1 did, with Jor-El sentencing the 3 villains to the Phantom Zone, reciting the litany of their crimes. When Luthor plays back the recording crystals in the Fortress of Solitude, he gets the exact same explanation by Jor-El, about the villains. Hearing this information twice is boring and unnecessary. Later, Jor-El interacts with his son. But the tonal shifts of the first film come back to undermine the second one. Brando's pompous interpretation of Jor-El simply doesn't mesh well with Reeve's everyman version of Supes. These actors are in two different movies. Lester got around this by using Lara instead, in a performance that we can now see had more humanity than Brando's, but was light enough to maintain the comic book tone. Lara is sympathetic and basically supportive regarding her son's conflict about love vs duty, and this serves the story well, providing the emotion the story needs at this point.

SPOILER. In Donner's version, Jor-El is judgmental and dismissive to his son which, although is true to his characterization, does not make Superman's ultimate decision to give up his powers believable. But Donner's worst choice is in the placement of this scene. In Lester's version, Superman talks to his mom about his conflict, then gives up his powers BEFORE he sleeps with Lois. The implication is that Superman can't have sex with a human unless he surrenders his super powers (no doubt, his super orgasm, going faster than a speeding bullet, would be fatal!). But Donner has the sex scene first, and then has Superman talk to Jor-El and give up his powers.

This begs the question, if Superman can have sex with a human, why give up his powers? It makes no sense! Changing the order of these scenes completely undermines the human story and conflict at the core of the film. Later, when Clark returns to the Arctic in hopes of restoring his powers, there's yet another scene with Jor-El, who says "I knew this was going to happen," followed by some ridiculous mumbo jumbo in which Jor-El somehow transfers his spirit into his son to restore his powers. It's supposed to be moving and emotional, but it's not because there's no human relationship between Jor-El and Kal-El to begin with. Richard Lester simply showed us Clark finding the green power crystal and left the rest to our imagination, keeping the tone of the entire film light, like a comic book. Donner, however, adds in elements of pretension, and even said in the panel discussion afterward that he was trying to make a movie about the father-son relationship. But it doesn't work, and it doesn't belong because Superman II isn't a movie about father and son, it's about a man who has to decide between what he wants for himself and his responsibility to the world.

Almost every scene in Donner's version goes on too long. There's usually an extra unnecessary beat at the end of scenes. There's more Luthor and Otis, more Luthor and Miss Teschmacher, more Luthor with the villains, all which slow down the pace for the sake of marginal gags. If you like Hackman's Luthor, you may enjoy this. But I didn't.

There is a nice alternate version of the scene in which Lois throws herself into the river in an attempt to prove Clark is Superman. Donner's version takes place at the Daily Planet, where Lois jumps out the window - same gimmick, different execution. And the screen tests on the Superman 1 DVD are turned into the revelation scene at Niagara Falls, which works pretty well.

SPOILER. Finally, we have a major cop-out with the ending. After the villains have been vanquished and we're back at the Daily Planet, Lois tells Clark that his secret is safe with her. But rather than giving Lois the "magic kiss of forgetfulness" to erase her memory, Superman once again turns back time, using the same footage from Part 1. He turns back time so far that the villains end up back in the Phantom Zone, meaning that the entire movie never happened! This is followed by the final denouement from the released version, in which Clark Kent returns to the diner and takes down the bully who beat him up. However, because time has been turned back, Clark had never been here before, so this makes no sense either! There's also another serious lapse of logic regarding the time reversal which requires too much explanation, but it will be obvious to most viewers.

Most of the music is recycled from the first film. This didn't bother me, but someone else who was there said that the cues kept reminding him of the scenes from Part 1 in which they originally occurred.

All in all, the Donner Version is an interesting curiosity, with some good moments among a lot of misfires. But personally, I'm glad we have the Richard Lester version, which is more coherent tonally, makes more sense, and is more entertaining. Superman completists will no doubt want this DVD for the collection. For everyone else, I suggest you rent it before you buy it.

It is pretty sad that some people don't realize how good director Dick Donner is. First Superman film is classic, unfortunally he couldn't keep on the gig. What is important to realize from this version is that, even when is FAR from been finished, Donner treats viewers with respect and not like morons instead of Lester; I mean, c'mon!: Magic Kiss, celophan S, Pink bears on the floor?. Don't get me wrong, I did loved Superman II when I was a little boy, but now that I see the Donner version, I can tell you right here and now that it is WAAAY superior.

Brando was completely necessary on the story given that, even in comics, it is Jor-El whom is more attached to Superman than Lara. I saw in other review that Brando's acting on this part was flat and lack of humanity... well, guess what: Jor-El is not human!!. Not even half of it like his son. He is more a Demi-god with advance understanding of things and problems, and that's why he had to be a little dry, however the story is so well written that I couldn't avoid to feel a little sad when he say good bye to his son.

Ladies and gentlement, THIS is how a Superman movie must be made. Not the original Superman II nor even the long boring Superman Returns is as good as Donner incompleted non-budget version.

This is a must have!!!.

************** Spoilers **************

After just seeing the movie, I'm glad to say I really enjoyed it. As it opens and we get the view of Krypton from the opposite side, I was annoyed that we only hear half of the Planet Krypton theme, and I thought it was some sort of bad omen that there would be lots of similar things that would annoy me, but actually there wasn't much that I didn't like.

The Jor El scenes were really well done, even though the scenes with Lara in Lester's cut are fine, Brando's Jor El really elevates them and to me comes across as more emotionally charged, because the relationship with Kal El and his holographic father was established in the first movie, unlike the relationship with his mother, also there's no pay off to that relationship, where as with Jor El's sacrifice there is in this version.

The screen test footage scene really surprised me, it worked far better than I'd imagined, the editing of those 2 separate screen tests is so well done, that without the changing of Reeve's hair style you wouldn't notice any other real discrepancies.

The Metropolis battle works so much better without the gags too, and the one bit that was left in, the man on the roller skates works alright and isn't too much because it's not accompanied by a host of other campy gags. The little Donner additions like Supermansmashing through the torch of statue of liberty and the extra few flying shots, look so cool, far better than any over the over top cgi flying scenes in Superman Returns, that zoom across the screen so fast you can barely notice them.

I don't miss the exclusion of the Paris sequence at all, except for the alley change, but this I accept as necessary for this version. The scene with Non smashing his way through the Daily Planet is also so much more effective in this version, the sound effects really make him sound like an unstoppable behemoth.

A few things I didn't like, there were plenty of lines towards the 2nd half that I noticed were dubbed even though these lines appear with the original actors voices in the Lester cut. though on the whole I liked the new sound effects, there were bits I found more effective in Lester's version, such as the Superman deflecting Zod's heat vision with the side view mirror. Also I do see now why people have complained about cutting from small scenes with Lois and Clark/Superman with large scenes of Luthor, the problem comes from using as little Lester footage as possible. Those romantic scenes at the fortress of Solitude should have been longer, adding Lester's soufflé scene would have been fine as it's in the original script and would have padded out those scenes abit, also Superman's fetching of the flower really is a scene I feel should have been left in.

The problems with the edited music tracks were somewhat jarring in some scenes too, besides the opening like i've already mentioned, the way its edited during the opening credits too is so obvious, but in a lot of scenes we have Williams music replacing Thorne's exact rendition of those cues and I liked that.

So overall there were a few things I missed in this cut, but I'll always be able to view them in the original theatrical cut, on the whole it worked better than I thought it could and it's a real delight to view all these alternate scenes, so I really enjoyed the Donner Cut.

I have been a big fan of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies for the longest time. Every moment in them, even in the two later sequels that lacked always had a special place with me and my childhood. Everyone knows the story of what happend with Richard Donner and why he was removed from the directors seat. But no one expected this version to actually see the light of day. Was it worth the wait? That's a matter of opinion but I thought it was really great.


The reviews are pretty mixed and for good reason. Those in love with the regular version of Superman II may not like some of the changes in this film as it does lack the comedy and sight gags that the original version had but if you look at this film without referencing the regular version, its pretty good.

Moments like Lois jumping out of a window at the Daily Planet and the gun shot moment in the hotel at Niagra Falls were nice additions. As well as some of the opening moments and the conclusion of the movie which differed greatly from what we saw previously. All nice changes and work well.

I for one was glad to see things such as the Cellophane S and the KFC worker telling the guy she had his change, removed from the movie. While fun situations they just didn't seem to fit into the whole nature of the film in it's original intention. Which wasn't to be a comedy flick but a good continuation to the first film. Marlon Brando was a nice addition actually. Im not a big fan of his generally but his moments really added something that the other didn't. Clark yelling at his father for help and shouting that he loves Lois really made this all more believable. There was a lot of nice touches that really belonged in the series and now we finally get to see the original vision for the first time.

Some omitions I was a bit sad to see go. I did love the moment where Lois jumps into the river to prove that Clark was Superman. The whole rescue scene was fun. And I was sad to see a lot of the Idaho scenes were cut out like the little boy being abused by Zod. Some moments seemed to be resolved too quickly like the confrontation with the county police and their car. It was a nice touch in Lesters version with the siren being ripped off. Here it just seemed to be over passed to fast.

A real problem is the movie can seem to drag on at points. Lex learning about the villans is cool to see and all but unneccesary as we really know enough about them that its not really needed for the audience. Some of his playing with the crystals too seemed to drag on for a bit. So be prepared for some long periods of talking and story building but the movie is still under 2 hours so nothing that really over the top.

For the most part I would say this was pretty good and definitely a version I would have loved had it been what we originaly saw. You have to go in with a grain of salt here as first of all not all of the footage was recovered and more importantly we are all so familiar with the version of the movie we did get originally that its hard to just forget it and the moments we loved in it. If this had been the version we saw first we would have loved this just as much. In a way I do wish that there could be a way to mix and match the two versions. There were some things I loved that were left out of this one but so much that I thought was great in this one.

Overall I say definitely get this one. If you are a fan of the Superman films this is a must have. Your expectations shouldn't be so high that this won't meet them, but do go in with the thought that this is using lost footage from 1980 that has to be put upon us after such a long time of seeing the other. If you see this as a fresh and new follow up to the first, you will truly see why this was so much fun.

Its up to you though when all is said and done. If you are expecting the comedy and slapstick moments of the orginal as well as everything you remember just with some additions, then you may not like this. If you want to see the original vision and a brand new alternative vision of what the follow up to the first could have or should have been (depending on your opinon of it) then I say its more then worth it. You can never have too much Superman in your DVD collections. And you can also buy the Superman II Deluxe edition if you want the regular as you remember it. But I do think people are missing out if they don't check this out too. Its pretty good and I don't think people will regret checking it out.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is the epic Superman sequel that should have been brought to the world's audience.

Richard Donner's edition of Superman II has some very distinct differences from Richard Lester, and I can assure you that they make the film so much better.

For instance, if you admire Marlon Brando in the role as Superman's father, then you will really enjoy this special edition from Richard Donner. Brando's fatherly advice is something that we can all benefit from, and I really enjoyed the scene when he gives Superman his Kryptonian abilities back. It was simply the best scene in the movie!!!

Lex Luthor and Otis share their uneven conversations to much delight, and Otis even has a bit more screen time in this edition with Luthor.

Lois Lane also has a much better role in Donner's edition. From square one, we see her as a very sharp (and gorgeous) young lady (in beautiful restoration footage) who has already figured out that Clark Kent is Superman! For example, she plays a very intelligent trick on Clark Kent to find out if he is Superman or not. And yes, that cheesy jump into Niagra Falls has been removed from the movie! In its place is a much more clever, intimate (and potentially dangerous) attempt to find out who Clark Kent really is.

The Three Supervillains!!!! Soooooooo much more depth to them in this edition! We hear Brando's voice from the past describe their heinous attempts to overthrow Krypton's elected officials (plug for democracy over tyranny), and we even hear a bit about how Brando is a humanitarian who believed in reforming these criminals into productive citizens. When this rather kind act failed, he had no choice but to imprison and banish them into oblivion.

Lastly, a trivia note worth mentioning is that off-camera loyalty runs deep in the Superman movies. Did you know that when the Salkinds fired Donner, Mr. Hackman REFUSED to come back to the studio!!!! BRAVO, Mr. Hackman!!! Your loyalty is something we can all learn from!

So, to sum this up:

More Jor-El advice and compassion, more Lex and Otis humor, more Lois Lane wit and more Superman smiles in remastered digital picture!!!

Absolutely Superb!!!!!!!!!!

The Donner Cut is probably one of the most significant Superman films to ever be released.

The good stuff: All of Marlon Brando's footage and the cleverly edited screen test scene with the blanks.

The bad: The sound in some places is unnatural and obviously dubbed, the visual effects have that "direct-to-video" look to them, but otherwise aren't that bad.

All in all, Michael Thau has managed to deliver a good version of Superman II that we've been looking forward to for 25 years and Richard Donner has finally gotten his due for the Superman II that should have been. This film is worth watching, even if you aren't a fan of Superman.

I have read several reviews of this DVD and I have to say that I think some folks are just being WAY too picky. The thing that I told myself the first time I saw this was that what I was about to see was an 'approximation' of what Superman II would have been like had Richard Donner been allowed to finish the film 25 yeas ago. I was pleasantly surprised. While this cut is a bit rough around the edges, I found that I was emotionally invested in these characters after the first 20 minutes or so. By the time the film got to the re-powering sequence, I was totally into the film. I actually cried during that scene. Reeve and Brando really put some serious emotion into that scene. It blew me away.

I have to agree with some of the reviewers here, there are a couple of scenes that (even though they were Richard Lester footage) should have been extended in this version. Some scenes just felt cut off too soon. Like the scene after Superman rescues the little boy from Niagara Falls. There was nothing wrong with Lois stating that Clark wasn't around as usual.

There are some scenes that by necessity had to be cut short, because there was no corresponding filmed footage and the Richard Lester stuff just wouldn't have worked. For example, the use of the screen test. Because it was decided to use the screen tests for Reeve and Kidder, the Lester scene where Clark is revealed to be Superman couldn't be used. Or any part of it. Thus, the quick cut after that was unavoidable. Also, there were a few scenes between Lois and Clark after they arrived at the Fortress of Solitude (Lester footage) that could have been trimmed a little better to fit better with the Donner footage.

Over all I personally prefer this version of Superman II to the theatrical version. I wish people would get off criticizing the 'turn the world back' end of this film. What I guess folks forget is that this was the original scripted ending for Superman II, but it was moved to Superman: The Movie. An alternate end to Superman II by Donner was never filmed. According to Donner, it wasn't even discussed how they would end Superman II. That was going to wait until they got back to filming in 79. Well, as we all know, that never happened. So, what else could they have done to end this cut? It was totally impossible to bring the cast back after 25 years to film new scenes to finish the film. Nor do I think it was appropriate to use the Lester magic forgetful kiss.

I'm just glad that after 25 years we are finally seeing what Superman II could have been. I watched both versions of Superman II this past weekend and I stand by my opinion. Even if it is a little rough around the edges and the ending is the same as Superman: The Movie, this is by far a superior version of Superman II.

I've looked forward to this release of Superman II for a while. Although I think Richard Donner's cut tells a more compelling story of the Man of Steel, I can see why the changes that were made for Lester's theatrical version. Also, one particular scene where they decided to take footage from the screen test (since the scene was never originally shot), looks out of place and breaks the flow of the movie. I understand Richard's intent, and it was a valiant attempt to show the scene as he envisioned it, but I'm not sure it was necessary. Anyway, the DVD is worth adding to your collection, especially if you're a fan of the first two Superman movies.