Superman and Superman II (RD Cut..) Questions!

[FendersRule]

Hello all. Let me first say Hi!

First of all, I must get this off of my chest- I really hate the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II. I can name countless reasons why many parts do not make any sense or flow well and how much of the original score is lost. But that's my opinion, so there is no need for a debate.

However, I am upset that there is no theatrical release of Superman II on Blu-Ray yet. My question is this: Are we ever going to see one? Because I would gladly give this version up to get it.

Secondly, I ordered Superman: The Movie on Blu-Ray not too long ago. Can anyone confirm if Donner screwed this one up too? I would be very disappointed if the original score was changed in any way shape or form, or if any crucial scenes were deleted.

Thanks!

[slickkeng]

The original Superman IS Donner's cut!!! He almost finished part II but there were conflicts with the Salkind's which resulted in Richard Lester's version of Superman II which you seem to like better (part of it was to exclude having to pay for Marlon Brando). So, for the fans, Donner's cut was released but they had to add some scenes from the Lester cut to complete the film. Hope this helps. Most consider the original Donner film to be one of the better comic book films out there.

[alphadec]

why are the supermann II dir cut bad. ?

I have not seen it, yet.

[FendersRule]

Originally Posted by slickkeng

The original Superman IS Donner's cut!!! He almost finished part II but there were conflicts with the Salkind's which resulted in Richard Lester's version of Superman II which you seem to like better (part of it was to exclude having to pay for Marlon Brando). So, for the fans, Donner's cut was released but they had to add some scenes from the Lester cut to complete the film. Hope this helps. Most consider the original Donner film to be one of the better comic book films out there.

Yea, thanks for the clarification on this. I was pretty sure Donner completed the first one (in which he did a good job) without Lester, but I'm hoping two things:

1) That Donner didn't alter the score, or delete any scenes from the Original Superman in my soon-to-come Blu-Ray Edition. He heavily altered the music score in the RD cut of pt 2, and this really concerns me.

2) And any hope that we will see Lester's Version on BluRay? I'd had to go out and buy a DVD, and not a BluRay...ughh.

[FendersRule]

Originally Posted by alphadec

why are the supermann II dir cut bad. ?

I have not seen it, yet.

Well, a lot of people like it. And a lot of people (like myself) hate it. I have no problem with it being released, but the problem lies that it is the only version so far that has been released, and that is why I am hoping for the release of the theatrical cut.

I am planning on doing a "Zero Punctuation" Mock up of what I think about the RD cut on youtube. I didn't want to to make this thread a debate thread, but I'm just trying to find any potential info of any more releases of the second version that we can expect.

[JimboTHX1138]

With Superman:The Movie nothing was deleted. It is the extended edition with scenes added back into the film by Donner. John Williams score sounds better than ever imo. It's not the original 2 channel mix fans have wanted but the remastered 5.1 track is nothing to shy away from. This is my all time favourite film.

I can understand what you mean regarding Superman II and I also hope we see the original theatrical release on Blu-ray at some time. I think we feel this way because the theatrical cut is what we grew up with even though Donners Superman is the best realised comic to film adaptation of all time IMO.

[stow123]

i bought the donner version of superman II and it was rubbish alot of my favourite scenes werent there especially the scene where he trips and his hand goes into the fire and she realises who he is i liked that.I think the new scenes are just like the extras you get on alot of special features that they cut out of a movie.Im waiting for the original on blu.I actually sold mine and re bought the dvd of the original.

[AintNoSin]

Originally Posted by FendersRule

He heavily altered the music score in the RD cut of pt 2, and this really concerns me.

Why would that concern you? The Donner cut was a completely different film so they had to alter the music from the Lester version.

Personally, I enjoyed the Lester cut when it came out but now it seems trivial and too slapstick. The Donner cut is a mixed bag because they had to mix and match pieces from the Lester cut and even screen tests but I think if the Donner cut had been finished as originally planned it would have been far superior to what finally came out in theaters.

[alphadec]

Originally Posted by FendersRule

Well, a lot of people like it. And a lot of people (like myself) hate it. I have no problem with it being released, but the problem lies that it is the only version so far that has been released, and that is why I am hoping for the release of the theatrical cut.

I am planning on doing a "Zero Punctuation" Mock up of what I think about the RD cut on youtube. I didn't want to to make this thread a debate thread, but I'm just trying to find any potential info of any more releases of the second version that we can expect.

Sounds something like "payback" where it is a completly diffrent film then they did release on dvd. I have just orderd supermann II (BD) dir cut... hmmm after this I wish I did wait...

[micks_address]

i wonder is there any chance of them being re issued with Dolby True HD tracks?

[Prog5000]

Donner's cut of II is the Superior cut, less silly Lester stuff.

[FendersRule]

Originally Posted by Prog5000

Donner's cut of II is the Superior cut, less silly Lester stuff.

Silly is an extremely subjective term.

[X400]

Originally Posted by Prog5000

Donner's cut of II is the Superior cut, less silly Lester stuff.

donners idea of making 1&2 1 film and merging ideas so to speak was cool


but i prefer lesters superman 2 waaay more as well

[ReggaetonSalsero]

Originally Posted by stow123

i bought the donner version of superman II and it was rubbish alot of my favourite scenes werent there especially the scene where he trips and his hand goes into the fire and she realises who he is i liked that.I think the new scenes are just like the extras you get on alot of special features that they cut out of a movie.Im waiting for the original on blu.I actually sold mine and re bought the dvd of the original.

I did the SAME thing. I bought a brand new DC blu ray superman 2 and was disappointed with it that i got rid of the SAME day. My girl at the time was like, What was that crap. It looked so fake and so bootleg and the scenes jumped out at u a bit too much like a fake early version of Godzilla lol.

Got the dvd which doesn't matter much since the ps3 upconverts it anyway

[DigitalfreakNYC]

The Donner Cut that was released was never meant to be a complete film that's accepted as canon. It was more an impressive experiment. I think that the hurt feelings on Donner's part really haven't gone away after all these years and that affected a lot of the creative decisions with the new cut.

Personally, if they would have combined both Donner and Lester's visions, you'd have a damn near perfect film.

I've heard rumors that they are going to do just that. After all, if Alexander could get multiple cuts, why not Superman?

[LORDs_angellos]

Originally Posted by AintNoSin

Personally, I enjoyed the Lester cut when it came out but now it seems trivial and too slapstick. The Donner cut is a mixed bag because they had to mix and match pieces from the Lester cut and even screen tests but I think if the Donner cut had been finished as originally planned it would have been far superior to what finally came out in theaters.

+1. Donner had an artistic vision to stay true to the comic books Lester simply couldn't/didn't match. One can only dream what Superman II would have been like if Donner hadn't gotten fired. We'll never know though.

[Lucy Diamond]

I liked the Blu-ray of Superman the movie. There are extra scenes, but they flow well and are a nice surprise if you haven't seen the movie in a while.

[blukrank]

I would like to have The Richard Lester cut of II also? Dont understand why Warner has not released it on Blu-Ray yet? As For The Richard Donner cut I thought it was a mixed bag. There was scenes that I realy enjoyed and others that I did'nt. I also thought it was strange that Superman and Lois made love before he stepped into The Crystal Chamber and became human? Whatever. Still I understand The Richard Donner cut is a work in progress that never got completed. I'm sure if Donner was not fired and was alowed to continure on Superman II it would of been just as amazing as the first film.

[fettastic]

Yeah the Donner cut is complete crap. A lot of the villain stuff is cut out and just all kinds of weirdness throughout.

It should be pointed out that the extended Superman: The Movie, HAS been altered, at least the sound mix has. New recordings were made and layered over the old sound. This is probably most obvious when Krypton is falling apart. There are now a bunch of ice crackings sounds that were not there before. There are other things too like new explosion sounds, etc. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just that it's different.

There are bootlegs around of extended cuts of both Superman (3 hours) and Superman II (I think it's around 2 1/2 hours). I own both of them and they are both cool. In my opinion they should both be released on Blu-ray and have all other scenes filmed in a deleted scenes section so we have everything. All versions of the films should be available via seamless branching as well.

[SpaceDog]

I enjoyed seeing the Donner cut as what coulda/shoulda been, but I prefer the polish of the Lester cut. I also hope that if Donner had stayed on, he would have come up with a better solution than turning back time twice.