DVD : Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut [HD DVD]

Buy Now!

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: HD DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 0012569810129
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Release Date: November 28, 2006
Running Time: 116 minutes
Sales Rank: 21266
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: November 28, 2006

Editorial Review:

Amazon.com essential video:
The Richard Donner cut of Superman II is an infamous legend come to life. Director Donner shot most of the sequel at the same time as his first blockbuster film, but somewhere along the line, the producers and studio lost confidence and brought in Richard Lester (The Three Musketeers) to rework the film, and receive sole credit. For years fans speculated on how different the final film was from Donner's original until an underground copy appeared showing a fully formed feature. In an unprecedented move, Warner Brothers officially embraces this alternate version. For those who have not been part of the rumor mill, know that Donner shot all the footage with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). You can find blow-by-blow descriptions of what is new/changed elsewhere, but most of the changes deal with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder as the comic-book couple. Donner's cut provides alternate scenes for how Lois tests her hunch that Clark is Superman, the moment he reveals his identity, and how Lois unlearns that truth. Thing is, Lester's reshots are stronger, adding weight to the romance between the two, lifting the picture's stature. Lester also added the dandy Eiffel Tower opening. Donner's chief additions are in the Fortress of Solitude, where Marlon Brando returns to teach (Susannah York, as Superman's mom, appears in the Lester cut). The producers cut Brando's footage so they wouldn't have to pay him millions. The Brando/Reeve scenes continue the father/son dynamic of the first film. There is a great lesson in editing--Lester's less is better than Donner's more--when you compare how Kent turns back into Superman after losing his powers. The Donner cut is completely formed but does use some rehearsal footage, new effects, and some pieces shot by Lester. The history of cinema has many of these stories of movies reshot, hijacked, and changed from the original version, but here the underdog wins and Donner gets his chance to change history, even adding a note in the end credits about the use of fur and smoking as regrettable choices of the time.

Director Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz have a jolly good time revisiting their past on the commentary track. You get a clearer picture of who shot what, but the two have nothing good to say about Lester's edition. Donner doesn't go much into why he was dropped, just a difference of opinion and the need not to pay Brando. He also explains why the déjà vu ending of this edition was used in the first movie and a new ending would have been thought up for part 2. A quick featurette looks at how Michael Thau and a small crew reconstructed the film and compares several scenes from both versions. Also added are additional scenes shot by Donner but not used, most with Hackman. --Doug Thomas

Product Description:
Warner Brothers Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut - HD-DVD
The Version You Have Never Seen!
Unwittingly released from "Phantom Zone" imprisonment, three super-powered Planet Krypton criminals (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran) plan to enslave Earth - just when "Superman" (Christopher Reeve) decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Gene Hackman (as Lex Luthor) also returns from the first film and with a top supporting cast, witty Richard Lester direction and visuals that astound and delight. "Superman II" saves the day any day you watch it.

Average Rating:

Rating: - The Sequel Audiences Should Have Recieved
Though it may never be known for sure what a completed version of a Richard Donner Superman II would have been like, this effort is acceptable enough to replace Lester's lack luster version. Richard Lester, like Joel Shumacher on the original Batman film series, was clearly not the person to go to when it came to continuing this franchise. Though I like Lester's Superman III to a certain extent, I think his cut of Superman II is vastly inferior to Donner's "Cut". Whatever scenes I did like about ... Read More

Rating: - Super Alternate
**Warning - May Contain Spoilers**
This is a great thing for anyone who considers themselves a student of film making. This is an alternate edit of the classic second movie in the Superman franchise.

Now don't get the wrong idea about this version. Just because it is labeled "The Richard Donner Cut" does not mean that this is the way the movie would have looked had Donner not been fired after shooting roughly 75% of this movie. There would clearly have been some changes made. For ... Read More

---

Rating: - the real Superman 2
Many years ago, Richard Donner was working on filming back to back Superman adventures, and filing was put on hold for the sequel in order to finish 'Superman the Movie'. When this was a huge hit, the Salkinds, who produced the film, decided to fire Donner in favor of a director they felt would be more cooperative . . . or at least that's one version of the story. Lester used a great deal of the original footage Donner shot, but added some new scenes and adapted the sequel to mesh with the new ending ... Read More

---

Rating: - Don't buy this unless you're REALLY interested in the Superman movies
I'm not alone in my thinking of the first Superman movie as the very best comic book adaptation of all as well as a GREAT accomplishment in film making. The (original, theatrical) Superman II was a great success as well, however, it lacked the grand qualities of the first installment.

So what happened? This DVD tells that story (as well as some quick searching on the internet will find as well)

Under no circumstances should you get this without seeing the original theatrical ... Read More

---

Rating: - Not what you think
If you want to purchase this movie because you like Superman II as it aired way back when, then don't buy this movie. The beginning is COMPLETELY different and I was too irritated to even continue watching past the first 10 minutes. I am now looking to purchase the complete set of all the movies just so I can have the real version of this one.