At long last, after more than two decades of holding their collective breath, Superfans can rejoice: SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT(subtitled: "The Version You Have Never Seen") has finally been released! And the subtitle doesn’t lie; the difference between original director Richard Donner’s cut and the(now and forevermore) inferior atrocity committed to film by Richard Lester is night and day.
History: Back in the late ‘70’s, when filming began on the original Superman: The Movie, director Richard Donner and his producer Tom Mankiewicz(initially hired to oversee the script written by Mario Puzo) had a vision as to how to continue the story of Superman, past the initial origin film. They had enough of a budget that allowed them, with careful and intricate planning, to begin filming parts of Superman II at the same time as Superman I. Creative differences arose between the Salkinds and Donner however, when it became clear the producers wanted to go in a campier, less-serious direction a la the 1960’s Batman TV series. Once Superman: The Movie was completed, they ungraciously cut Donner loose and hired Richard Lester, who didn’t have a clue as to how to treat the characters or the universe they inhabited. The Superman movie that Lester shot has been passable at best, as it is all we as fans have had to make do with. But now the true movie is here, restored in (almost) all its glory, thanks to a grass-roots campaign started by fans, which finally convinced Warner Brothers to hunt down and restore foot-age in order to bestow upon us Richard Donner’s vision.
You see how I always tell you that fans hold the true power in Holly-wood? Can you please gather your forces together now, so that we never have to endure another Jeepers Creepers?
I will try my best to review the director’s cut of Superman II here with-out giving away any major spoilers...this movie is best appreciated if sur-prises are discovered on their own…but I make no promises. Keep in mind that while no original footage was actually lost, some used in the reconstruction process comes from effects test shots and screen tests for the actors Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve, primarily because Donner was let go before he had a chance to film the scenes for real.
This Superman II—the real steel deal—opens with a brief recap of the sentencing of the Kryptonian villains General Zod(Terence Stamp), Non(Jack O’Halloran) and Ursa (Sarah Douglas) by Jor-El(Marlon Brando) to the Phantom Zone. As the opening continues, we revisit quick glimpses of Superman growing up, saving the day and confronting Lex Luthor(Gene Hackman), all while the Phantom Zone villains drift toward Earth in their prison. Now, the variances begin: as Superman tosses one of the two Titan missiles into space, the missile explodes and releases the Kryptonians from their confinement. “FREE!” Zod screams trium-phantly, and the movie begins in earnest, with opening credits exactly like those of the original Superman movie(feel free to go “yay!” at any moment—trust me, I applauded while alone in a room watching this).
Once the titles end, we are in Metropolis, and a brand new opening commences in which Pulitzer-seeking reporter Lois Lane(Margot Kidder) finally and on her own, realizes Clark Kent(Christopher Reeve…we miss you, buddy!) must be Superman! This is one of the many plot points in the film which continues to show how much Richard Donner respected the characters and original source material on which his film is based. Of course a world-renowned reporter like Lois Lane should be able to look past a pair of glasses to realize the truth underneath, even if everyone else around her remain dunces! One of the cool things about this scene —one of the underlying subtexts—is that Lois realizes why Superman needs a secret identity; they are in Perry White’s(Jackie Cooper) office where she makes some strong hints in front of the editor-in-chief, but not once does she threaten to reveal Clark’s secret to him! It’s a subtle char-acter play, and only a director of Donner’s integrity and ability could pull it off. I won’t tell you how Lois decides to go about attempting to prove her belief, but the entire scene is pulled off brilliantly, and there is noth-ing at all about terrorists in Paris, no trips to the Eiffel Tower…as a matter of fact, all of Richard Lester’s nonsense is excised by Donner from this film.
The movie continues along two simultaneous plot points: Clark and Lois becoming closer once she does indeed discover his secret identity, and the gradual emergence of the Phantom Zone villains on Earth, their presence unknown to Superman as he and Lois explore the new rela-tionship between them. Donner’s film is leaner, trimmed of Lester’s excess fat and unnecessary scenes(what the hell was a little English kid doing in the heart of the Midwest, anyway?!). Like a prizefighter under-going a brutal training regimen, in Donner’s hands Superman II gets back to its ultimate fighting weight.
There are so many revelations in this film: the attack upon the White House takes on brutal undertones when Zod gets his hands on a machine gun and experiments like a kid with a new toy on Christmas day. Lex Luthor’s seeking out of the villains takes on a much less random feel. And the return of Marlon Brando’s missing scenes as Jor-El com-prise some of the most heartfelt and best scenes within the movie. To be honest though, there are some sore points: Donner can’t be faulted for having to briefly use some effects test footage with the Phantom Zone villains during the(new) fight scene in Metropolis—however, given the way the shots are composed, the effects could have been tightened, in spite of his traditionalist roots and known disdain for CGI. And the ending of the film, where Superman spins the world around once more, feels like a cop-out. Yes, this was the ending originally intended for Superman II but inserted into Superman: The Movie. Yes, Christopher Reeve has passed away and so there was no way to shoot a new ending or expand the relationship between Clark and Lois, leaving her knowing he is Superman. It’s not really Donner’s fault, since he never got to shoot his intended alternate ending…but it still leaves the viewer a little flat. This is a niggling point, however: Superman II – The Richard Donner Cut is everything a fan could wish for. It is a tight, well-paced, and in some aspects darker film than Lester’s. If this film had come out in theaters way back when, there’s no doubt the producers would’ve begged Don-ner to do a third film—especially since he and Mankiewicz did have ideas on how to continue the tale.
And of course, it’s just nice to see Christopher Reeve—the one true Superman, to whom Brandon Routh doesn’t hold a candle—in a “new” Superman movie once again.
On the subject of Reeve…Donner opens his DVD commentary with an eloquent, heartfelt note of appreciation to the late actor. He states openly that without Christopher Reeve, there would have been no Superman movie—or at the least, it would not have been as believable. He actually says that God sent Reeve to him, and goes on to say how much he loved Reeve and that he was “the nicest kid to ever walk the Earth”. It’s a truly touching moment, and one can almost sense Donner getting teary-eyed during the dedication. I met Christopher Reeve once, years before his tragic accident, and I can attest that he was indeed a genuinely kind soul, and had true love and appreciation for his fans. That is an exceedingly rare thing these days.
Thank you, Christopher, for agreeing to do Superman.
Other points of interest on the DVD are true eye-openers. Gene Hackman never filmed any scenes with Richard Lester, so even in his version of Superman II, every shot you see of him was caught on film by Donner. Donner is also genuinely appreciative of all the fans who lobb-ied to get this labor-of-love done, and you can tell while watching the behind the scenes restoration footage, the man is obviously very pleased and relieved to finally have his version publicly submitted for presentation. It’s been a long time coming, but Richard Donner’s vision has finally received the respect it deserved. Go out now, get your copy…this is the version you may not have ever realized you wanted to see, but you will as soon as you begin watching. From the very opening scenes up to the last closing credit has rolled, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is the second-best Superman movie ever committed to film. It’s simply amazing that one director was able to give us both of them.
The REAL Superman Returns!
The wait is finally over: the real steel deal has arrived.
The one true Superman returns.
Watching the DVD is like discovering a lost treasure of abandoned artifacts.
Director Donner's opening commentary is a touching tribute to the late actor.
Once again, Chris Reeve makes us believe that a man can fly.
Official Archives of LanceReviews...
