Film: 'Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut' (2006)

I should begin with two things: One, I never particularly liked the theatrical version of 'Superman II' (the Lester version), and two, this alternate version is an unprecedented occurrence. Let's begin with the background. 'Superman: The Movie' was produced by the Salkinds (a father and son team?) and directed by Richard Donner, with a script extensively rewritten by his friend Tom Mankiewicz. The movie was made simultaneously with 'Superman II' (SII) until financial and studio pressure forced them to put the approximate seventy-per-cent of 'Superman II' completed into a drawer and finish off 'Superman: The Movie' (STM). The relationship between the Salkinds and Donner and Mankiewicz had deteriorated to such a condition during STM, however that the producers didn't bring back the super-hit-making duo to finish SII and put their own crony Richard Lester (who directed 'The Three Musketeers' and 'The Four Musketeers' for them) in the director's chair, remove the Marlon Brando sequences, and reshoot some pivotal scenes in addition to finishing the film, and proceeded to ruin the charm and spirit of that original first film. Many years later, after the discovery of the lost footage, and after popular demand to see the 'Donner version', an editor called Michael Thau made an alliance with Donner to recreate as closely as possible that version of SII. It was released in 2006, and is apparently the canonical direct prequel to that year's 'Superman Returns'. Oh, yes, point number three: I did like 'Superman Returns', and I really don't understand the hatred for it. Why do people hate things so?

'Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut' (RDC) is a much better film than the theatrical SII. It's dramatically stronger, funnier, more stylish, and feels more of a piece with STM than SII. However, it does repeat the time travel sequence that climaxed STM, as that was originally supposed to end SII and not STM, and it does have material from the Lester version as well a crucial scene built from screen test footage, in order to make the story whole. Does that jar? To be honest, I would love it if there was a matching version of STM to go with RDC, one with its own original planned ending of the super villains being released from the Phantom Zone, and Superman simply saving Lois instead of bringing her back to life with badly planned time travel. I would absolutely adore it, since the ending to STM doesn't make any sense whatsoever and the cliffhanger would be a far better way to go. RDC works as its own movie, and the 'world turning' time travel is incredibly beautiful and far more interesting than the cheap looking version in STM. The scene built from the screen test is a very good and powerful scene, so you buy it, and the movie benefits so much from the reinstatement of the Brando footage that it blows SII out of the water with sheer gravitas. The Lester/Donner disparity does jar, though, with the other disadvantages being that it does require a bit of explanation to anyone you might want to show the movie, and that it does weaken STM's end. The latter point is really more the fault of the first film than the Donner cut, to be brutal, which I say while still loving 'Superman: The Movie'.

The Donner cut of 'Superman II' is lively, entertaining, has some brilliant moments, and some scenes you would literally not believe would ever be cut out of a film. It's amazing the theatrical version was a hit when you consider what was lost! To be very clear, I rather like it.

O.