Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Now
or Get more Details!
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 9781419841545
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 1419841548
Item Dimensions: 24
Label: Warner Home Video
Languages: EnglishSubtitledSpanishSubtitledFrenchSubtitledEnglishOriginal LanguageDolby Digital 5.1
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
MPN: 012569868519
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: November 28, 2006
Running Time: 115 minutes
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: November 28, 2006
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Superman battles Lex Luthor and a trio of Kryptonian superpowered villains who escape from their Phantom Zone prison.
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
Average Rating: 
Rating: 
-
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is a movie that I have serious problems with. I did not like these things about this movie which are: (1)This movie has Nonsensical editing or Confusing editing when it suppose to be a continuation from Superman: The Movie: Expanded Edition. (2)The villains Zod, Ursa and Non dying when Superman eye blast the Fortress of Solitude with them in it would have work better in Richard Lester's Superman II. (3)Superman near the end flies around the Earth to turn back time ... Read More
Rating: 
-
I fell in love with the first two Superman movies in the late 70's early 80's when they first came out--I guess I was attracted to the gentle goodness of Superman and the father/son God/Christ analogy.
Those were the good old days when they weren't afraid to say, "truth, justice, and the American way" in a Superman movie.
I remember reading once that there was a completely different film version of Superman II out there, shot with Marlon Brando and including many other differences ... Read More
Rating: -
I just bought the great priced four movie set only to find out that their is an extended cut of Superman 1, not pleased with that. In a bad economy you don't like to buy 5 versions of the same film! I am 34 years old, when I was a kid the theatrical version of Superman 2 got four stars and blew me away! I though it was more fun campy and I love campy also action packed! It didn't drag and wasn't as boring as Superman 1. I thought so as a kid. Richard Donner is a wonderful director but I don't understand where ... Read More
Rating: 
-
There are several differences between the original movie shown in theaters and this Donner version. Most of my favorite scenes are missing, as well as a plausible ending. For Donner to chose this ending, which is completely and utterly unoriginal, made the final diner revenge scene between Clark and the bully impossible.
Here's a few of the endearing scenes that were left out of Donner's version.
The Paris bomb scene where Lois gets into trouble -- Missing.
Lois jumps into Niagara ... Read More
Rating: -
I DVR'd Superman II to watch with my son. I saw Superman II with my uncle in theaters when I was a 9-year-old. I had no idea of the controversy surrounding the Donner/Lester "transition." Having viewed the Donner cut without any expectations - I can say the original, in my view, is far superior.
Many interesting scenes which were pretty cool - the arm wrestling scene, the townspeople attacking (man being raised by finger beam), some of the dialogue - were removed. I feel the additions were pretty ... Read More
