Son of Jor-El, kneel before Richard Donner
Christopher Reeve = best Superman ever!!
Just wanted to get that out of the way. So, it seems as though everyone and their grandmother wanted to see Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut because even though it was at the top of my queue, it took me almost 3 weeks to get it from Netflix. Anyway, I finally got it and popped it in immediately.
HEAVY SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT: This is definitely a different version than the original. There's a lot of new footage as promised... the entire Niagara Falls hotel segment has been replaced with footage from a Margot Kidder screen test. It's not as bad as it sounds, and actually the scene plays out better than in the original movie. Clark doesn't just fall and "burn" his hand anymore. Lois freaking shoots him with a gun to prove what she already has figured out: that Clark Kent is Superman.
Let me jump back to the beginning and see if I can remember the major differences between the 2 versions. First off, the entire Paris/Eiffel Tower elevator thing is gone. Zod, Ursa, and Non are not released from their Phantom Zone prison by the hydrogen bomb attached to the elevator that Superman tosses into space. Instead, the are freed by the explosion of the nuclear missle set loose by Lex Luthor at the climax of the first Superman, that Superman intercepts and tosses into space. I like that fact that the 2 movies tie into each other. Seeing as though they were shot concurrently, this makes a lot of sense and it gives the audience a time frame of reference.
Maybe I haven't seen the original version of Superman II recently, but if you ask me, Luthor's escape from prison and his subsequent travels north play out better this time. There's more humor and it all seems less forced. Amazing what you can do with a good editor. Also, when Lex gets to the fortress of solitude, Marlon Brando's Jor-El gives him a lesson on who the greatest Kryptonian criminals are and what happened to them. Again, this may have been in the original but I don't remember it.
And was Marlon Brando even in the second film or did they replace him with someone else? I think they actually had Superman's mother as the guiding voice in the Fortress. Oh well. It's always nice to see Brando.
I already mentioned the Niagara Falls bit. Oh, I forgot one thing about that too. Lois doesn't throw herself into the water to have Superman save her. That's been cut out entirely.
Clark still gives up his powers for Lois, although the scene plays out differently as Clark argues with Jor-El over his decision. When he finally loses his powers, the crystal console explodes preventing him from ever undoing it... which is not entirely true because it obviously gets undone. But when that comes about, what we now see is a very heart-felt scene between Clark and his father.
The last major difference that I can remember is the way the end of the film plays out. The Fortress of Solitude is still the setting for the final showdown between Lex, Zod and his cohorts, and Superman. Gone are the ridiculous elements of the ensuing battle such as the teleporting Kryptonians and the giant cellophane "S" that Superman tosses at one of the villains. I can't tell you how glad I am that both of those things are all gone.
And finally, a few things that I didn't like: the film doesn't show you what happens to Lex Luthor at the end, although one can assume that he goes back to prison. I'm just saying that it'd be nice to see. Also, Lois doesn't forget who Superman is by the stupid "kiss of forgetfulness" or whatever it was from the original movie. Instead there's a break-up scene between her and Superman which is kinda touching but not really. It would've had more effect if it weren't for the fact that Superman then spins the world backwards/goes back in time so that nothing in the movie actually happens. At the end, Zod, Ursa, and Non are still in the Phantom Zone spinning mirror thingy floating away in space. SERIOUSLY?!?!? You're going to finish the superior version of Superman II with the same lame ending of the first? COME ON! That was the only thing that I didn't like about the first and I'm disappointed it was added back in here. If you ask me, Superman is less super if he can't accept responsibility for his actions. That may be over-simplifying, but I think it's a valid point nonetheless.
Overall, the Richard Donner cut is way better than the original. If you can get past the screen test footage (easy) and the lame ultimate ending (not so easy), you'll really enjoy this film. Go rent it, buy it... whatever it is you do.
Just wanted to get that out of the way. So, it seems as though everyone and their grandmother wanted to see Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut because even though it was at the top of my queue, it took me almost 3 weeks to get it from Netflix. Anyway, I finally got it and popped it in immediately.
HEAVY SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT: This is definitely a different version than the original. There's a lot of new footage as promised... the entire Niagara Falls hotel segment has been replaced with footage from a Margot Kidder screen test. It's not as bad as it sounds, and actually the scene plays out better than in the original movie. Clark doesn't just fall and "burn" his hand anymore. Lois freaking shoots him with a gun to prove what she already has figured out: that Clark Kent is Superman.
Let me jump back to the beginning and see if I can remember the major differences between the 2 versions. First off, the entire Paris/Eiffel Tower elevator thing is gone. Zod, Ursa, and Non are not released from their Phantom Zone prison by the hydrogen bomb attached to the elevator that Superman tosses into space. Instead, the are freed by the explosion of the nuclear missle set loose by Lex Luthor at the climax of the first Superman, that Superman intercepts and tosses into space. I like that fact that the 2 movies tie into each other. Seeing as though they were shot concurrently, this makes a lot of sense and it gives the audience a time frame of reference.
Maybe I haven't seen the original version of Superman II recently, but if you ask me, Luthor's escape from prison and his subsequent travels north play out better this time. There's more humor and it all seems less forced. Amazing what you can do with a good editor. Also, when Lex gets to the fortress of solitude, Marlon Brando's Jor-El gives him a lesson on who the greatest Kryptonian criminals are and what happened to them. Again, this may have been in the original but I don't remember it.
And was Marlon Brando even in the second film or did they replace him with someone else? I think they actually had Superman's mother as the guiding voice in the Fortress. Oh well. It's always nice to see Brando.
I already mentioned the Niagara Falls bit. Oh, I forgot one thing about that too. Lois doesn't throw herself into the water to have Superman save her. That's been cut out entirely.
Clark still gives up his powers for Lois, although the scene plays out differently as Clark argues with Jor-El over his decision. When he finally loses his powers, the crystal console explodes preventing him from ever undoing it... which is not entirely true because it obviously gets undone. But when that comes about, what we now see is a very heart-felt scene between Clark and his father.
The last major difference that I can remember is the way the end of the film plays out. The Fortress of Solitude is still the setting for the final showdown between Lex, Zod and his cohorts, and Superman. Gone are the ridiculous elements of the ensuing battle such as the teleporting Kryptonians and the giant cellophane "S" that Superman tosses at one of the villains. I can't tell you how glad I am that both of those things are all gone.
And finally, a few things that I didn't like: the film doesn't show you what happens to Lex Luthor at the end, although one can assume that he goes back to prison. I'm just saying that it'd be nice to see. Also, Lois doesn't forget who Superman is by the stupid "kiss of forgetfulness" or whatever it was from the original movie. Instead there's a break-up scene between her and Superman which is kinda touching but not really. It would've had more effect if it weren't for the fact that Superman then spins the world backwards/goes back in time so that nothing in the movie actually happens. At the end, Zod, Ursa, and Non are still in the Phantom Zone spinning mirror thingy floating away in space. SERIOUSLY?!?!? You're going to finish the superior version of Superman II with the same lame ending of the first? COME ON! That was the only thing that I didn't like about the first and I'm disappointed it was added back in here. If you ask me, Superman is less super if he can't accept responsibility for his actions. That may be over-simplifying, but I think it's a valid point nonetheless.
Overall, the Richard Donner cut is way better than the original. If you can get past the screen test footage (easy) and the lame ultimate ending (not so easy), you'll really enjoy this film. Go rent it, buy it... whatever it is you do.
posted by Hameed at 8:05 PM
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