I first read about how Richard Donner got fired during the filming of Superman II in a Wizard magazine when I was a kid. Ever since then, I have been wondering what a Richard Donner Cut would have been like. I was totally psyched when I learned Donner was assembling his own cut, but I knew he would have to use some Lester footage in order to make a complete movie. Unfortunately, the bad blood between Donner, Ilya Salkind, and Richard Lester led to some pretty stupid editing decisions that almost ruin the film.
The Good (LOTS of spoilers ahead):
I must say I love the new beginning, even though the Superman I recap is a bit too long. It's good to see Marlon Brando in Zod's trial, as his absence was a little weird in the original Superman II. The new special effects are not good by today's standards, but when you consider the fact that this is a straight to DVD movie, what more can you expect? The best part however is the opening Daily Planet scene, where Lois begins to suspect Clark is Superman. This is the equivalent of the scene in Lester's cut where Lois jumps into Niagara Falls, but instead she jumps out of Perry White's window (Some have argued that jumping out of a building was too over the top, but diving into Niagara falls was just as crazy!). The scene features a clever use of Superman's powers, but make no mistake, it's the chemistry between Reeve and Kidder that makes this scene work.
The screen test is one of the more controversial aspects of the Donner Cut, but it doesn't bother me that much. It shows how clever Lois really is and it is a great compliment to the Daily Planet opening. I think it's hysterical. Reeve's reaction when he learns he was shot with a blank and not a real bullet is priceless. The only thing that bugs me is that it's quite a stretch to believe Lois Lane obtained a gun in Toronto in such a short period of time.
The first Marlon Brando scene with Gene Hackman is nothing special, but I prefer the Donner Cut's version of the scenes where Superman gives up and regains his powers. They really focus more on the fact that Superman was making a big mistake, which makes the scene with the bully in the diner even more powerful. In order to give back his powers, Jor-el has to drain all the energy from the green crystal, which means Kal-el won't be able to speak to his father anymore. I like how Superman has to pay a price for screwing up in this version. They really let him off the hook in Lester's cut.
The White House fight really seems more violent in this version, but I haven't been able to pinpoint what's different about it. Maybe it's the sound effects.
The Bad: The scene that has received the most criticism is the new (or old, depending on your point of view) ending where Superman reverses time to erase Lois' memory and all of Zod's damage. Not only is this a cop out, but it goes without saying that it's pretty stupid to use the same ending twice! This was the originally scripted ending for Superman II, but they decided to use it for Superman I to give it a bigger punch. Donner would not have used this ending if he wasn't fired. Unfortunately Donner's pride got in the way and he just couldn't bring himself to use Lester's ending, even though it would have worked better. This of course reverses the damage to the Fortress of Solitude, which makes the destruction scene pointless! Now Superman doesn't have to pay a price for his mistake. The only good thing that comes from this ending is a sweet scene with Reeve and Kidder, but it doesn't make up for it.
What really almost kills it for me is the middle. Since Donner wanted to keep the Lester footage to a minimum, Michael Thau really chopped up the Houston scenes. Since Zod's initial arrival at the Hick town has been removed, it looks like the military attacks him for no reason, since he really hasn't done anything bad. But worst of all, some of the romantic scenes in the Fortress of Solitude have been cut, even though there was really nothing wrong with them. The middle just feels rushed, and the love story isn't properly developed as a result.
There were a few other inexplicable dubbing decisions as well. Several lines that were fine in the Lester cut have been replaced with a voice actor that clearly isn't Reeve. Reeve's awesome "Would you care to step outside" line had been replaced with the weaker "General? Haven't you heard of freedom of the press?" The Metropolis fight contains some new footage that is nothing special, although some of Lester's humor has been removed.
There are even a few deleted scenes that should have been in the movie. You think they would have put them in considering the fact that Donner filmed them. As it stands now, it looks like Superman kills Lex Luthor when he destroys the Fortress of Solitude. There is a deleted scene where police arrest Lex Luthor and take him away from the Fortress, so we know Superman isn't a murderer. Even though the concept of the arctic patrol is absurd it's better than turning Superman into a murderer.
All in all, it's still worth watching. It's a good example of how a director can influence a film. Since this will always be an incomplete movie, I won't give it a star rating. Some of its flaws can be fixed easily, but since everyone has their own opinion on what Superman II should be, we will be seeing a lot of fan cuts in the future!
The Good (LOTS of spoilers ahead):
I must say I love the new beginning, even though the Superman I recap is a bit too long. It's good to see Marlon Brando in Zod's trial, as his absence was a little weird in the original Superman II. The new special effects are not good by today's standards, but when you consider the fact that this is a straight to DVD movie, what more can you expect? The best part however is the opening Daily Planet scene, where Lois begins to suspect Clark is Superman. This is the equivalent of the scene in Lester's cut where Lois jumps into Niagara Falls, but instead she jumps out of Perry White's window (Some have argued that jumping out of a building was too over the top, but diving into Niagara falls was just as crazy!). The scene features a clever use of Superman's powers, but make no mistake, it's the chemistry between Reeve and Kidder that makes this scene work.
The screen test is one of the more controversial aspects of the Donner Cut, but it doesn't bother me that much. It shows how clever Lois really is and it is a great compliment to the Daily Planet opening. I think it's hysterical. Reeve's reaction when he learns he was shot with a blank and not a real bullet is priceless. The only thing that bugs me is that it's quite a stretch to believe Lois Lane obtained a gun in Toronto in such a short period of time.
The first Marlon Brando scene with Gene Hackman is nothing special, but I prefer the Donner Cut's version of the scenes where Superman gives up and regains his powers. They really focus more on the fact that Superman was making a big mistake, which makes the scene with the bully in the diner even more powerful. In order to give back his powers, Jor-el has to drain all the energy from the green crystal, which means Kal-el won't be able to speak to his father anymore. I like how Superman has to pay a price for screwing up in this version. They really let him off the hook in Lester's cut.
The White House fight really seems more violent in this version, but I haven't been able to pinpoint what's different about it. Maybe it's the sound effects.
The Bad: The scene that has received the most criticism is the new (or old, depending on your point of view) ending where Superman reverses time to erase Lois' memory and all of Zod's damage. Not only is this a cop out, but it goes without saying that it's pretty stupid to use the same ending twice! This was the originally scripted ending for Superman II, but they decided to use it for Superman I to give it a bigger punch. Donner would not have used this ending if he wasn't fired. Unfortunately Donner's pride got in the way and he just couldn't bring himself to use Lester's ending, even though it would have worked better. This of course reverses the damage to the Fortress of Solitude, which makes the destruction scene pointless! Now Superman doesn't have to pay a price for his mistake. The only good thing that comes from this ending is a sweet scene with Reeve and Kidder, but it doesn't make up for it.
What really almost kills it for me is the middle. Since Donner wanted to keep the Lester footage to a minimum, Michael Thau really chopped up the Houston scenes. Since Zod's initial arrival at the Hick town has been removed, it looks like the military attacks him for no reason, since he really hasn't done anything bad. But worst of all, some of the romantic scenes in the Fortress of Solitude have been cut, even though there was really nothing wrong with them. The middle just feels rushed, and the love story isn't properly developed as a result.
There were a few other inexplicable dubbing decisions as well. Several lines that were fine in the Lester cut have been replaced with a voice actor that clearly isn't Reeve. Reeve's awesome "Would you care to step outside" line had been replaced with the weaker "General? Haven't you heard of freedom of the press?" The Metropolis fight contains some new footage that is nothing special, although some of Lester's humor has been removed.
There are even a few deleted scenes that should have been in the movie. You think they would have put them in considering the fact that Donner filmed them. As it stands now, it looks like Superman kills Lex Luthor when he destroys the Fortress of Solitude. There is a deleted scene where police arrest Lex Luthor and take him away from the Fortress, so we know Superman isn't a murderer. Even though the concept of the arctic patrol is absurd it's better than turning Superman into a murderer.
All in all, it's still worth watching. It's a good example of how a director can influence a film. Since this will always be an incomplete movie, I won't give it a star rating. Some of its flaws can be fixed easily, but since everyone has their own opinion on what Superman II should be, we will be seeing a lot of fan cuts in the future!