I just watched Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut and Superman Returns back to back. First I want to discuss Richard Donner’s Superman II. I have to say, it is better than the original It has much more heart than the original, and while it is still cheesy, it is much more intelligent. And I think some of the cheese is just the era and the technology available to the film makers.
I would have to agree with the the Wikipedia article: this is a different movie. While the basic story line is the same, there are many new scenes. The movie actually reminds me of many newer comic book movies right from the start. Many of the plot elements make more sense in this cut. Some of the effects are a little sub-par even for the time, but this is because Donner and Co. had to take some scenes from screen tests because Donner was fired (apparently for no good reason) before he could finish the film, and was replaced with another director. In the end it is a better movie. Its too bad Donner was unable to continue with the series. The Superman franchise really went down hill after II.
Well, until Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. Singer intended for Superman Returns to pick up right where Superman II left off. Of course, he might have better explained this at the beginning of Superman Returns. If you watch the “old” Superman II, and then Superman Returns, things do make better sense. But with the new version, there is a some small inconsistency. Film makers, in general, don’t get concepts of time travel and I will leave it at that.
I read about this plot continuity before I attended Superman Returns in the theatre so I “got it”, but going in I was really hoping Singer would put in some sort of explanation al la the beginning of Spiderman 2. How cool would it have been to have some sort of morph from Christopher Reeve to Brandon Routh?
