Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut – DVD Review

Film, Reviews


Available at Amazon.com

Directed by
Richard Donner

Cast:
Christopher Reeve …. Superman/Clark Kent
Jackie Cooper …. Perry White
Sarah Douglas …. Ursa
Margot Kidder …. Lois Lane
Jack O’Halloran …. Non
Valerie Perrine …. Eve Teschmacher
Susannah York …. Lara
Clifton James …. Sheriff
E.G. Marshall …. The President
Marc McClure …. Jimmy Olsen
Terence Stamp …. General Zod
Marlon Brando …. Jor-El
Gene Hackman …. Lex Luthor
Ned Beatty …. Otis


The Movie:

Superman fans have a reason to rejoice. For years, a fabled lost cut of Superman II had always been rumored about. This cut had been directed by Richard Donner, who had crafted Superman: The Movie into the masterpiece it was, but who had been fired from the film’s sequel near the end of its production. The Superman II that reached theaters in 1981, contained some of the work of Donner, but was credited to Richard Lester, who had been hired to replaced the original director after Donner‘s letting go, and filmed enough additional material so he could get credit. Now through letters, emails, and other campaigns, Warner Brothers, with the help of Donner and Reconstruction Editor/Producer Michael Thau, this lost version of Superman II is now partly a reality.

Using the footage that Donner had shot along with some of the original material from the Theatrical version, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is an approximation of what the film would have turned out like if he had been able to finish, and there is a world of differences. First up, while Superman:The Movie and Superman II share much of the same tone already, Superman II goes into moments of supreme camp, as well as there being an excess of diverging from Superman’s established mythology by making up new powers for both The Man of Steel and the Kryptonians that are the villains of the sequel.

A conscious effort has been made to cut these elements out of the film. No longer is there a man in Metropolis that hangs on to a phone conversation , totally ignoring the fact that General Zod (Terrance Stamp) and his minions are destroying the city around him. Gone is the pink bearskin rug, and Lois Lane throwing herself over the railing at Niagra Falls. Gone are much of the mean spirited sequences involving the Kryptonian villains killing the country folk of the small town they land in. And thankfully gone are the made up powers in the film, such as the huge “S” that Superman throws in the film’s finale, or the telekinesis lasers that the villains used.

In place of these scenes are amazing sequences directed by Donner featuring a younger Margot Kidder as Lois and Reeve as his almighty Superman and bumbling Clark Kent. One breathtaking scene has Lois throwing herself out of a Daily Planet window, with Clark having to display split second ingenuity to save her and his secret identity both. Lois also seems much smarter in this version, constantly trying to trick Kent into giving away his secret. There’s a magic between Reeve and Kidder when Donner directed them that isn’t quite on the same level in the Lester version, and its evident even here in the scenes where Leste’s footage had to be used to make an entire picture.

Fans will also be giddy over the additional material involving the Kryptonians, who are released in this version by the nuclear missile that Superman threw into space at the end of Superman:The Movie, replacing the Paris sequence from the Theatrical cut. You’ll notice some CGI elements that have been included in this cut, especially in this opening, but not too much to be distracting. Other sequences involving the Kryptonians show a similar charm that was evident in Superman: The Movie that was missing from Superman II’s Theatrical version, such as Zod resting against a wall in the White House as Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O’Halloran) take apart the troops protecting the President, or the villain discovering the fun and deadliness of an M16. The film’s most popular sequence, the fight between Superman and the Kryptonians over Metropolis, has even been spruced up, as we get Big Blue getting thrown into the Statue of Liberty and another, better shot of Non going into the Empire State building.

We also get more of the two biggest stars that were included in Superman: The Movie; Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor and Marlon Brando as Jor-El, who was cut from the original Theatrical version of Superman II entirely for financial reasons. Hackman’s Lex Luthor is a scream, and the more footage of him inserted the better, such as an extended getaway from the Metropolis prison he was serving his “life plus 25″ sentence in. Every extra second of Hackman is an extra laugh or a smile that comes to your face.

The insertion of Marlon Brando scenes into this cut also brings an emotional weight that the previous version of Superman II did not have. Here, we see him giving fatherly advice and trying desperately to stop his son from giving up his powers for Lois Lane. Finally, to get to see Jor-El’s last sacrifice to give Kal-El his powers back and restore to the people of Earth their protector is an amazing moment that some of us have been waiting decades to see, and now it is finally here on this DVD.

Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to this version. Not all of the material used in the cut are the final scenes that were shot for Superman II. A few scenes are the screen tests used for Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve, and they have some continuity issues, including hair styles that differ and other things. Other sequences seem to have a stand-in for the voice of Christopher Reeve, some of which seem to be nearly identical to scenes that were just fine in Superman II‘s Theatrical cut. These moments are a little jarring and take you out of the moment. Also, simply waiting for some of the beats of the original Superman II and having them not come is a little distracting, just from having a single version of the movie to watch for the last 25 years.

These things notwithstanding, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is an amazing accomplishment and should be welcomed with open arms by fans of the series. The film is closer in tone to Superman: The Movie and is a testament to the directo’s vision and talent. Having both versions on DVD is a wonderful thing, as we now get to see how two directors could have very different styles, even when filming virtually the same material. At any rate, Superman fans that have wrote letters and signed petitions can now rest easy, their day has come.


The DVD:

The Video
Well the problem with using footage from several eras in one movie makes a film’s look on screen a bit inconsistent. Fortunately Michael Thau smartly tried to balance these elements as much as possible while still making this look presentable by todays standards and he does an admirable job. The film is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1

The Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track has the same problems, as some of the elements used are just not in as good a condition. This does become distracting at times, as actors’ voices will just change intonation all of a sudden during the movie. This is unfortunate, but there’s little that could really be done. On the other the audio effects used in the picture sound awesome, making the noises of the film pop like never before.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Introduction, Deleted Scenes, Featurette, Commentary

Introduction by Director Richard Donner – In this introduction Donner explains the film we are about to see as well as talks about the fact that not all of the footage in the film on the DVD is his. He does take time to thank the many fans that made this possible.

Deleted Scenes – Looking for more footage of Gene Hackman’s awesome Lex Luthor? Then look no further, as these deleted scenes are packed with more Lex as we get an alternate version of his escape from prison as well as other scenes inside the Fortress of Solitude. There’s also additional Christopher Reeve material as well.

Superman II: Restoring the Vision – This is a terrific little Featurette on the process of making the dream of a Superman II version directed by Richard Donner a reality. There was apparently six tons of film that had to be sorted out and pieced back together and I salute all involved on a job well done.

Commentary by Director Richard Donner and Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz – This is a great commentary by these two, even though it’s a little mean spirited toward the Producers that fired Donner. It’s also a little disheartening to hear Donne’s plans for the franchise would have been if he had been kept on as director, as he already had plans for a the next two sequels. He also has a great love for Christopher Reeve, which comes out in every moment of this track and is very touching.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

8.5
THE VIDEO

7.5
THE AUDIO

7
THE EXTRAS

7
REPLAY VALUE

10
OVERALL
8.5
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

The Inside Pulse
This is an awesome time to be a Superman fan. By either getting this DVD on its own or in the awesome Superman: Ultimate Collector’s Edition, you can now own what is basically the Holy Grail for Man of Steel lovers. The DVD itself also has some nice features, so this is worth the price on any level.

Robert Sutton feels the most at home when he's watching some movie scumbag getting blown up, punched in the face, or kung fu'd to death, especially in that order. He's a founding writer for the movies section of Insidepulse.com, featured in his weekly column R0BTRAIN's Badass Cinema as well as a frequent reviewer of DVDs and Blu-rays. Also, he's a proud Sony fanboy, loves everything Star Wars and Superman related and hopes to someday be taken seriously by his friends and family.