Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

2006
PG
1h 55m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

20K

YOUR RATING

Terence Stamp, Christopher Reeve, Sarah Douglas, and Jack O'Halloran in Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.

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Superhero Urban Adventure Action Adventure Romance Sci-Fi

Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

20K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 5 wins & 1 nomination total

Lex Luthor
(archive footage)

Christopher Reeve

Clark Kent
(archive footage)
…

Marlon Brando

Jor-El
(archive footage)

Ned Beatty

Otis
(archive footage)

Jackie Cooper

Perry White
(archive footage)

Sarah Douglas

Ursa
(archive footage)

Margot Kidder

Lois Lane
(archive footage)

Jack O'Halloran

Non
(archive footage)

Valerie Perrine

Eve Teschmacher
(archive footage)

Clifton James

Sheriff
(archive footage)

E.G. Marshall

The President
(archive footage)

Marc McClure

Jimmy Olsen
(archive footage)

Terence Stamp

General Zod
(archive footage)

John Ratzenberger

Controller #1
(archive footage)

Shane Rimmer

Controller #2
(archive footage)

John Morton

Nate
(archive footage)

Jim Dowdall

Boris
(archive footage)
(as Jim Dowdell)

Angus MacInnes

Prison Warder
(archive footage)
(as Angus McInnes)

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Storyline

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Did you know

Edit

Trivia
(at around 16 mins) The actor playing Clark Kent yelling out to Lois Lane after she jumps out of the Daily Planet is not Christopher Reeve. An uncredited actor was brought in to film the shot for the DVD release.

Goofs
Superman turns back time so that General Zod, Ursa and Non never leave the Phantom Zone, but we aren't shown how Superman deals with the missiles launched at the end of the first Superman movie - meaning, after turning back time, they should escape again, if Superman dealt with the nuclear missiles in the same manner. (This is a problem that actually stems from the first movie, where we aren't shown Superman dealing with the crisis in a different fashion after Lois dies - he shows up at Lois' car, and the aftershocks that caused her death just never happen.)

The next scene we see is meant to be the beginning of the movie again, with the Daily Planet - so after the nuclear explosions, and before the arrival of the villains - but Clark goes back to straighten out the trucker who hit him afterwards - though because Superman turned back time, basically, this event never happened - so Clark was hitting an innocent man for no reason. (The diner owner says that he just had the place fixed up - meaning the scuffle did occur, and Clark claims he's been working out, meaning from the last time they saw him, when he was beaten - however, again, this never happened because Superman turned back time again.)

Moreover, towards the end of the film, Superman destroys the Fortress of Solitude with his heat-sight - the Fortress of Solitude should be reconstructed (and with Jor-El available to guide Kal-El again) due to Superman turning back time again. The time travel device, beyond complicating the film's time-line, nullifies Jor-El's sacrifice and Superman's lesson, as after turning back time, things should be "back to normal" again.

Furthermore, if Superman's end-game was to turn back time all along, he didn't have to fight the super-villains in Metropolis or in the Fortress of Solitude at all - he could have turned back time immediately after regaining his powers, or following the Metropolis fight.

Quotes
Lois Lane: You ARE Superman, aren't you?
Clark Kent: Lois, now we've been through these haullcinations of yours before. Can't you see what you almost did? Throwing yourself off a building 30 stories high? Can't you see what a tragic mistake you almost made?
Lois Lane: I made a mistake. I made a mistake because
[Lois pulls out a gun]
Lois Lane: I risked my life instead of yours.
Clark Kent: Lois... don't be insane!
Lois Lane: And don't fall down 'cause you're just going to have to get up again!
Clark Kent: Lois, don't be crazy now... LOIS!
[Lois fires at Clark, who just stands there with a stern look on his face]
Lois Lane: [Lois looks at amazement] It IS you...
[Clark takes off his glasses to reveal that he is indeed Superman]
Lois Lane: I guess I've known this for the longest time.
Clark Kent: You realize, of course, if you had been wrong, Clark Kent would've been killed.
Lois Lane: [Lois holds up the gun] With a blank?
[Clark closes his eyes in embarassment]
Lois Lane: Gotcha!
Clark Kent: [Clark sits down ready to talk]

Crazy credits
After the Warner Bros./DC Comics logos, there is an on-screen dedication "in loving memory" of Christopher Reeve, "Without whom we would have never believed a man could fly".

Connections
Edited from Superman II (1980)

User reviews162

Review

Featured review

10/10

The power of DVD - Supe is back!

I, like many others have been waiting for this cut to come along. I got the DVD yesterday and expected a film with missing holes, missing scene title cards and un-easy editing due to the footage used.

What people forget is that Richard Lester's version was pretty hot in 1980 minus a bloke getting blown around while on the phone in the heat of a battle.

Well ... I was shocked, and I clapped at the end. Superman II now feels like a different film. The new scenes are very good (and just show what Chris Reeve could do - what a wonderful actor he really was), Marlon Brando scenes are superb to watch, new music cues - from Superman one, lots of new funny scenes, and new special effects that don't look out of date in what is supposed to be a 1980 film. Gene Hackman's part seems more fleshed out here than before - witness the Fortress of Solitude crystal scenes. lovely and funny.

This shows the power of DVD and show special it is. This cut simply could not have been made. You will find that some of the new edits jump from scene to scene in a flash - that because we already know the film from Richard Lester's version. Watch this like is was new and you would love it more. You, if you are a Superman fan, will fall in love with the new opening scene with a new look at the Phantom zone capture (new camera angles you see) and get this - new credit sequence up to the standard of the original supe adventure.

So it really like a fantastic new look at a old film. You could point out the faults in lines dubbed or the odd bit of tinkering even the ending but this really is a new Chris Reeve film you though could never have been made. Bonus.

Masterful piece of reimaging - Superman is back

Lee