Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut 2006

It's been somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty years since the last time I saw the theatrical version of Superman II, but after doing a bit of reading I think I have a pretty strong grasp of the differences between the two films. In some ways, the Donner cut is a big improvement, particularly in how it intertwines the sequel's story with that of the original. Marlon Brando was completely sliced out of the initial release, and while his performance is an egregious display of glum theatrical sleepwalking, his role actually adds several essential wrinkles to the story. General Zod and his envoy are also treated with more awe and respect, granting their eventual stare-down with big blue a more stern, serious slant. At the core of its being, though, this remains a thoroughly campy, semi-serious film with a ridiculously nonsensical plot and a pathetic recycled ending that might actually be worse than the reviled "amnesia kiss" of the original cut. Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve efficiently play their parts, but aren't put in the position to recapture the magic of their date in the original Superman, while Gene Hackman underachieves badly once again as Lex Luthor, this time relegated to a second-fiddle bad guy. A marginal improvement over the horribly-aged initial release, it's packed full of grand logic holes and stiff, contrived moments of peril.

The big issue with this “Donner cut” is that it’s not the epic redemption a lot of people were hoping for. In fact, it kind of shows that as talented as Richard Donner is, he’s also partly responsible for some of the flaws in “Superman II.” Sure, there are some obvious improvements: it’s a relief to no longer see those ridiculous cellophane Superman logos (what the fuck was that, anyway?), and bringing back the scenes with Marlon Brando adds an emotional weight that was missing from the original version. The chemistry between Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder also shines a bit more in some of the restored moments, reminding us why they were the emotional heart of the first film.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. The inclusion of screen tests, patched into the movie, makes it feel a bit amateurish. There’s an inconsistency in the pacing that makes it feel like we’re watching pieces of a puzzle that don’t quite fit together. And worst of all? The ending! It’s almost a déjà vu of the first “Superman” with that cheap “turn back time” trick. Honestly, it feels like a slap in the face for anyone expecting a more creative or, at the very least, different conclusion from what we’d already seen.

Another weak point is the comedic tone that’s still present. Even though this is the “Donner cut,” the movie still stumbles with the comedic moments, especially in the scenes with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) and his sidekick Eve Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine). Hackman is a brilliant actor, but the over-the-top, almost slapstick portrayal of Luthor feels way out of place compared to the rest of the movie. It leaves you with the sense that they couldn’t quite decide if they wanted to make a serious superhero drama or an action-comedy.

In the end, this version of “Superman II” isn’t the grand redemption that fans had been waiting for. It’s more like a curiosity, something to watch and think, “Oh, so this is what Donner was trying to do... sort of.” But the truth is, even with the good intentions of restoring the original vision, the movie still feels a bit disjointed and lacks the cohesion that made the first “Superman” work so well.

If you’re a longtime Superman fan and curious to see what could’ve been, it’s worth checking out. But if you’re expecting a fully polished and cohesive film, you might be better off sticking with the original Richard Lester version, which, despite its flaws, at least delivers a more consistent and complete movie. In short, the “Donner cut” is interesting as a piece of Hollywood history, but it’s far from the masterpiece some might have hoped for.

I've been wanting to watch this for years and finally had the opportunity. Superman II was one of the key films of my childhood and so much of it is burned into my memories. I never knew of the turmoil behind the scenes as original director Richard Donner was replaced after completing around 75% of the movie.

This reassembled cut of the film has wonderful intentions behind it, and while the end result is FASCINATING, it's definitely not a whole piece. Only so much can be done with the fragments of an unfinished film, so I have to applaud the work that went into this.

The new version of the film follows largely the same story beats but consists of mostly new footage, and the tone feels significantly different. It's more raw, there's more emotion and a lot of the lighter comedy moments are gone. Some sequences are very different to what I was used to - for example, the entire opening in Paris no longer exists here.

What I was most struck by was Christopher Reeve's performance as Superman (and Clark Kent). Reeve was always and likely always will be the most perfect Superman actor. In this new cut, he gets to display much more powerful, emotional scenes than the original gave us. Notably, his scenes with Marlon Brando are captivating. I find myself always getting emotional whenever I watch Reeve in this role for obvious reasons, but this drives home the tragedy in a new way. It's quite wonderful.

Also, he plays Clark Kent so wonderfully on top of that. It's a shame that later films never allowed actors to have much fun as this alter ego.

Still, overall I do prefer the theatrical cut of Superman II. It flows better and doesn't feel as rough around the edges. The ending is better there, too. Plus the music cues are lined up in a much more satisfying way which is unfortunately lost here.