My brother-in-law lent me the Richard Donner Cut version of Superman II (he borrowed it from a friend). It was interesting. There were a number of things that were outright different about the movie. If you are a fan of the Superman movies with Christopher Reeves it is definitely worth renting. Here are the major plot differences:
- The opening is longer, and replays the bomb Superman sent off in to space from the first movie being the bomb that sets free General Zod & Company.
- Lois is far smarter in this version than she was in any of the four original Superman movies. In fact, I actually liked the character, whereas I never did before.
- The way Lois figures out, and then proves Clark is Superman is done far better than in the theatrical release. This is the main reason I like the Lois character, and the reason you should rent this version if you have never seen it.
- Superman never talks to his mother in this version. When he asks about being with an earth woman he has a lengthy discussion with his father, Marlon Brando.
- When “Clark” has to return to the Fortress of Solitude to get his powers back we find out exactly what happens. Rent it to find out, it’s worth it.
- In the Fortress of Solitude Superman never plays the multiple-image game with the bad guys. I actually missed this.
- After Superman defeats the bad guys he destroys the Fortress of Solitude. This would make the recent Superman Returns movie plot impossible.
- He takes Lois back to her apartment and then proceeds to turn back time by spinning the Earth around backwards. However, he turns back time so far that General Zod & Company are returned to the Phantom Zone.
All in all I really liked this version. I would have liked to see the multiple-image game played with Superman and Zod in the Fortress of Solitude, but that is not a big deal. I did not like the turning back time to fix everything. It was better in the original version. They just needed a better way to get Lois to forget Clark was Superman.
Rent it, you’ll like it.
