Donner's Cut

I finally had the opportunity to see Richard Donner's version of Superman II (it was just released last November). If you even remotely liked the old Christopher Reeve Superman movies. You'll want to see this cut. Read on, let me explain why:

The background
Superman The Movie and Superman II were mostly filmed as one movie. Richard Donner directed them. When they were 70% done with filming part two, they ran out of budget and they focused on releasing part I instead. After Superman the Movie faired so well, Richard Donner was fired (another story in and of itself). They hired Richard Lester in his place. Lester went on to change huge parts of the script and reshot MOST of donners scenes. The version of Superman II that we all know was Lester's version.

And What's Changed???
Warner Brothers has finally catered to what Superman fans have been screaming for for years. They took all of Donner's old footage (remember he originally filmed 70% of the film) and even shot a couple of new scenes, added some great special effects and worked the pacing of the film.

The End Result
A pheonominal movie! I was excited to see this cut but I had no idea it would be this good. I can whole-heartedly say that this version of Superman II is worlds better than the original. The pacing of the film is what struck me the most. Donner took the Zod story line and spliced it in with the Clark/Lois story line to make it look like it all happened at the same time. It made the movie move much faster and somehow it was more exciting than I was used to with the original. There was also a lot less camp. Lester tried to make funny and silly stuff happen throughout the movie. Donner's version removes all of that. The end result was a much more serious movie, a somewhat darker Lex Luthor and an overall more enjoyable movie.

Anything Surprising?
I was shocked at how much NEW footage there was! Donner really did film a LOT of this movie before the carpet was pulled out from under him. Many of the scenes are the ones that we're used to, but they're different angles, different takes, even different sets. But then there's completely differnet story lines as well. For example, in Donner's version Lois figures out Clark's secret in the first couple of minutes of the film. And there's a GREAT new scene with Lois trying to prove that she knows it's true!

Cons
There are a few plot holes, but they are minor things so I won't go into them. The only other con was that there were a few scenes that were added that were taken from screen tests and auditions. It's plainly obvious. There's even a scene in which Clark's glasses suddenly change size and shape.

The Last Word
Though it's overall the same stroy, it felt like watching an entirely new movie. It was great. You really should get this movie and watch it. In my mind, the Donner Cut is now the official Superman II. I doubt if I'll ever watch Lester's version again.

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