Superman 2

Superman II is a good movie, with either director. But honestly, I was a bit let down by this version. The good: Brando's presence in the film definitely improves it. However, that might be the only part of the Donner cut that's actually better than the Lester cut. For example, I thought the conflict between Supe and the Zod gang felt too short in the Donner version. The honeymoon scene was changed, but really wasn't any better. I think I liked the Lester version better. I mean, why would (spoiler alert) Superman be fooled by Lois firing a blank? That's just silly. The hand in the fire scene of the original was the better one. I was also disappointed (spoiler alert) by going back to the old "turn back time" routine to clean up the loose ends. And no scene replacing the white house flag? Bummer! The original cut was, all in all, a more satisfying story.

I remember seeing this film in the theatre back in 1980. My god was I disappointed. It seemed like all the underlying serious tone of the first film, very lightly sprinkled with a dash of logical humour, was gone. It was little better than a parody of the first film. Since then, I've avoided this film like the plague.Seeing this version now, I was very pleasantly surprised with its vast improvement. Gone are all the silly nonsense parts that were little better than a 3rd rate comedy. The underlying serious tone is back. Yet the humour, much more restrained and appropriate, has not been lost. In short, this film is a vast improvement on the ridiculous Lester version. I am so glad that Donner finally agreed to oversee the restoration of his original vision. It was the right thing to do.Having said that, I must add that this film is not quite the equal of the first. The first film will always be THE perfect Superman film, even with all the dated FX, which are forgivable the very moment Reeve steps onto screen. His portrayal of Kal-EL is so flawless that you immediately and wholeheartedly believe, right down to the bone, that this is truly Superman. He looks the part, flawlessly I must add. He sounds the part, again flawlessly. And he steals the show every time he appears. Even with the restoration of this second film, I still believe the two films should have been edited together into one, with both the Zod threat and the Luthor threat working together. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this were not the original intention of Donner. But studios despise films that run over 2 hours. Less money in their pockets. And such a combined film would doubtless have exceeded the three hour mark easily.Still, since we can't have that,, we must content ourselves with the divided film: Superman the Movie and Superman 2. But regardless, Superman 2 is now a film worth watching, as long as you keep in mind that it isn't quite as good as the first, and is certainly worth adding to one's film library.

The story in this cut did not flow well and there were obvious continuity errors. For example, the diner scene at the end referenced damage from an earlier incident; however. this is impossible given events were reversed. Also, there were supposed to be visual upgrade and CGI, but you can see the fishing lines behind the actors in scenes and you see CGI mistakes when you see people flying past buildings. And I could swear there was a scene with Lois’s double near the end. I know I’m probably babbling, but I wish I had bought the older unedited version.

This is a good movie one of the best Superman movies. After all these years I got to see footage and scenes I've never seen before. WOW. One or two scenes though I thought was better in the original but the extra footage was pretty cool. One scene that was better than the original was when Lois discovers he's Superman.In the original he slips and his hand goes into a fire and Lois looks at his hand to say ah ha you are Superman. But in this never before version it was done way better. Lois pulls out a gun and shoots Clark and Kent reveals he is Superman but Lois used blanks. 😮 That was way better and don't know why they didn't keep that.

Quite simply this is the worst director's cut of any film I've ever seen in my life and I can't recall ever being so disappointed and pissed off at the same time. I loved Superman and to some lesser extent I love the theatrical cut of Superman II. What I saw in the Richard Donner version of Superman 2 was a completely different film and there is simply not one positive remark I can make about this movie other than it ended. The narrative is choppy, the dialogue is horrendous. I can't believe that Gene Hackman just took the script, looked at it and said okay. He plays the buffoon in this film, the polar opposite of his snarky wise cracking but intelligent persona of lex luthor in Superman the movie. The special effects in some instances make Ed Wood Jr look like George Lucas. What original scenes remain in this version from the theatrical release have been butchered to omit the best parts of any given scene; for instance, the lead up to the Podunk town getting totaled by The big three. Or the confrontation with the two sheriffs leading into town. The continuity is an absolute joke, using some screen test footage in place of actual scenes they never got to shoot...I'm talking footage they shot of Chris Reeve and Margo kidder before he even got the part of Superman to begin with. wow. The mean stunt centerpiece of the this movie where Lois jumps in the river? Never happened. I'm sorry I ordered this movie. I was expecting something different and if nothing else, that's exactly what I got. One star, barely.

First the cons, just two. There is the worst transition between layers I've seen on a DVD for a long time. Have patience if this is common to all discs.There is a scene reconstructed using test footage, as acknowledged in the opening credits. The editing is good, but in the test footage, Chris Reeve wears a pair of glasses with a frame noticeably thicker and a different shape.Now the pros. The remastering is good, and the "new" material added seamlessly. The film flows much better, makes more sense, and the plotholes are largely absent. Lois is portrayed as a much more intelligent woman, picking up on the obvious physical resemblance between Clark and Superman.Several scenes are thankfully missing, like the Niagara Falls scene in which Lois jumps over the railing (a small boy is rescued by Supes instead).The extra, unnecessary fight in the Fortress of Solitude is gone, along with the non canon "powers" involving levitation beams from the Kryptonians' fingers, and the bizarre cellophane symbols which wrap around the villains for no apparent reason or purpose.In summary, this is the film Richard Donner wanted to make, and is far superior to the theatrical release completed by Richard Lester.Perhaps if the Salkinds had kept Donner on board, the franchise would have not gone downhill.

The Richard Donner cut of Superman I I is extraordinary and out of this world. The Richard Lester version originally released in the cinemas was good but on viewing both versions the Donner version just has that magic touch.The footage of new scenes including Marlon Brando adds more clarity to the relationship portrayed between Superman and his father Jor-El.Terence Stamp brilliantly steals the show as the evil, psychotic, megalomaniac General Zod excellently supported by Sarah Douglas as the sadistic Ursa and Jack O.'Halloran as deadly mute Non. The evil trio are eager to avenge Superman, the son of Jor-El who banished them from the planet Krypton into a life of exile in the Phantom Zone.Christopher Reeve and Marget Kidder make an awesome couple teaming up once again as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane their relationship deepening and developing further. Gene Hackman is superb as the scheming arch villain Lex Luther.Superman II is one of my favourite films from the Christopher Reeve Superman films and an unforgettable classic. Hail Richard Donner for his visionary masterpiece of Superman I I.

Disc 1 is the film that was released to cinemas and home entertainment. It has been remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 The disc also contains commentaries by producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler along with deleted scene and theatrical trailer.Disc 2 is packed with extras - the making of Superman 2 and Superman 50th anniversary; a featurette about the Fleischer Superman Series and eight episodes from the 1940s Superman cartoon series.The third disc is the Richard Donner cut. Richard Donner was the original director of Superman 2 but he was replaced by Richard Lester and it is this version that was released to cinemas and home entertainment - until now. Warner Brothers have assembled most, if not all the scenes filmed by Richard Donner and released his version of the film. However, he shot only about seventy percent of the film before he was replaced and so the film in parts is a bit clunky and with key bits missing but all credit to WB for going the extra mile and giving the fans a chance to see a film that would otherwise remain langushing in a vault somewhere, or worse still, being lost forever. The disc also contains an introduction and commentary by Richard Donner along with a featurette about restoring the film and deleted scenes. I think that this is a worthy addition for any Superman fan.

If you love Superman II you'll love this!The original version was directed by Richard Lester and a superb film it was too. BUT a little known fact; Is that the original director was replaced.Richard Donner who directed Superman also started work on the sequel. But was replaced for a number of reasons, by Lester.'Most' of the footage that Donner shot, was discarded by Lester and re-shot!NOW Richard Donner's version is here.All the footage that Donner shot was stored carefully as unedited film, is put together to present the film as originally concieved by Donner.To tell a complete tale though, Donner cleverly uses different 'takes' of footage he originally shot for scenes that Lester later used.This gives a feeling of familiarity, whilst re-telling a story of a slightly different Superman. At the same time, still delighting the afficionados of detailed movie making, who can tell the differences between the two versions.Included though is the original Superman II from Lester, so you can really see the differences.The Donner version is not for everyone though, It is a little rough in places, and some shots were lifted from the 1st Superman movie. But it is complete, coherant and a lot of fun to watch.If you are a Richard Donner fan, or a massive Superman fan you will enjoy it the most!NOW THE BEST PART...Christopher Reeve! Was, Is, and always WILL be the man of steel for us!There is footage here, lots of it, of Reeve as Superman, that you have never seen before. An absolute delight. It's like Christopher Reeve lived again to do this version. A dream many fans may share. Keeping the memory of Reeve alive even brighter than before.A real collectors item!

Okay here's how it works: Richard Donner and the producers of the Superman films fell out. As a result, Donner did not complete Superman 2 and in order for the producers to be able to claim that Donner was not the director, Richard Lester had to film a certain amount of scenes, which meant that some of Donner's footage was thrown out. Years later, people reassemble Donner's footage and based on his notes try to put together the film he would have made.Now, I am a huge fan of Superman 2, the story of Superman's conflict with the Kryptonian criminals and Lois Lane's discovery of Superman's dual identity. The first film you get is the one that you've watched on Bank Holidays. It is a lot of fun, very knockabout and irreverent, but it has a couple of plot holes and it has the Kryptonians displaying powers that seem a little off. I still love it though. Then you get the Donner version. This is not quite the film Donner would have made because it wasn't finished but it gives you a good idea of it. And it is still highly enjoyable. It removes the plot holes (such as how Superman gets his powers back), makes Lois more intelligent and has the wonderful scene between Clark and Jor-El. That's a great scene. It's much the same story, but staged differently.So which film is better? I dunno. I like them both. There are scenes in Lester's film, like the Eiffel Tower bit or the bit where Clark burns his hand, that I love. Similarly there are bits in Donner's film that I love too. However, there are also bits in both films that could be improved on. In fact, if there was a way to edit together your own version of the film, that would be perfect. Simply the fact that we get more of Chris Reeve playing the definitive Superman is enough for me.But you get so much more with this set. There are some TV specials, one of which is Superman's 50th anniversary - a tongue in cheek show set in Metropolis presented by Dana Carvey (Garth of Wayne's World). It's silly but fun. Much better is the inclusion of Fleischer Studios' Superman cartoons. They're very 40s in their styling but the animation is fantastic. Such care is taken. And the writing! Such adventures!You're getting a lot of stuff here, it's a fantastic collection.