"Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" Movie Review

    Since the inception of DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-rays, and 4K Blu-rays, the general public has gotten pretty used to the idea of film's being released with director's cuts.  Most of the time these editions include a few minutes of added blood, gore, or nudity the director had to cut to secure a lower rating.  Basically, in 90% of the cases, the director's cut doesn't add much to the film.  In fact, there have been director's cuts which have trimmed film off the running time.  Oliver Stone's flop "Alexander" comes to mind as a director's cut shorter than the theatrical release.  "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" is basically a different beast all together and in my opinion, serves as a completely different film and as an alternative sequel.  Most of the basic story elements remain the same between both the Donner and Richard Lester cuts of the film.  What is interesting is to see how their approaches would have differed.

    "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" opens slightly differently than the theatrical cut of "Superman II".  Instead, it opens with what the original ending of "Superman: The Movie" was supposed to be, a cliffhanger featuring the Kryptonian criminals of General Zod, Ursa, and Non escaping from the Phantom Zone above Earth due to the explosion of a missile Lex Luthor launched in the first movie.  Superman is unaware that his heroic act unleashed the criminals and they head towards Earth as the film begins.  From there until the end, the film plays out basically the same as "Superman II" but with a few changes.  Lois Lane still discovers that Clark Kent is actually Superman but does so in a more confident and clever way.  This version makes Lois Lane seem more intelligent and more of an equal to Superman.  Once Clark Kent admits to Lois Lane that he is Superman, they decide to spend a romantic night together.  Clark Kent decides to show his love for Lois Lane by becoming a mortal human, a condition he is warned can not be undone, but he decides to go ahead and do so in order to marry and have children with Lois one day.  This part is very different than the Lester version as it features Marlon Brando as Jor-El as opposed to the Lester version which featured Superman's Kryptonian mother Lara.  Brando had sued the production at the time so his footage couldn't be used.  Clark wasn't aware that General Zod and his lieutenants were on Earth when he agreed to become mortal and realizes Superman is the only person who could protect the world.  Despite Jor-El's warning that condition was irreversible, Clark sets off to see if he can somehow regain his powers.  This part also fills in a large plot hole from the theatrical release.  In the Lester version, how Clark regains his powers is ambiguous.  In the Richard Donner cut, he learn that Jor-El knew his son might need to regain his powers one day so he created a way to obtain his powers again.  This gift comes with a price, in order to regain his powers, he must absorb the remaining "life force" of his father, meaning he will forever lose the little part of his father and his homeworld he had left.  This sacrifice adds a lot to the story and the character of Superman.  Becoming Superman once more, Clark manages to fight and defeat General Zod.  Seeing all the damage caused from these events causes Superman to turn back time by spinning the world backwards.  This ending ended up being used for "Superman: The Movie" but was intended for this film.

    For every pro I have in regards to this cut over the Lester version, I also have a con.  While I love the scenes between Superman and Jor-El and feel like they add a lot to the movie, I also very much miss some of the humor the Lester version brought.  I also prefer the theatrical endings of both movies over the Donner endings.  I am so conflicted about which version of the film I prefer.  Both versions are fun and allow Superman to showcase his powers over an equal.  Ultimately I feel like the bulk of both films remain Richard Donner films as a whole anyway.

    The cast was great, just like the theatrical release.  Many of the scenes featuring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder are the same from alternate takes and angles.  I would argue that the chemistry between Reeve and Kidder is stronger in this version of the film.  Gene Hackman's scenes are exactly the same since he didn't return for reshots but he is still a great slimy jerk in both versions as a result.  Terence Stamp shines as the villainous General Zod.  Lastly, it is a treat to see Marlon Brando once again as Jor-El.  His interaction with Superman is defiantly the highlight of this cut.

    "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" gives us a rare glimpse into a lost film which actually managed to get completed in part thanks to fan support and Bryan Singer.  Most film projects like this leave more questions than answers, it's refreshing to see a complete vision for a change.

Grade: B