Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
The version you have never seen.
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Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Superman II. This is the 2006 director’s cut from 1980. It contains a lot of footage that Richard Donner shot in 1977 before he was removed from the project. Richard Lester took over the film’s theatrical release. Also, he rewrote and reshot significant portions of Donner footage to earn a director’s credit. 2001 was the year of DVD restoration. The Movie Superman Michael Thau, an editor, became interested in Donner’s version. Superman II. Bryan Singer used Donner’s Marlon Brando footage in his 2006 film, Superman Returns. Finally, Donner’s cut can be restored.
The Richard Donner Cut, an essentially new film that serves as an alternative version to the theatrical film, attempts to closely follow its original script. It includes Brando’s original opening and ending, alternate camera angles and camera angles, and deleted scenes. Thau edited the cut under Donner’s supervision and Tom Mankiewicz, creative consultant. Susannah York replaced Brando’s Lara in theatrical release.
Donner never finished Superman II as it was originally intended. Therefore, some scenes filmed by Lester and new visual effects shots by Thau were added to the film to complete Donner’s vision while still telling the whole story. Donner never actually filmed this scene, so Donner added an early screen test to the film.
Superman II – The Richard Donner Cut was released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2006. This release coincided with the Superman returns.
Plot
General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O’Halloran) are criminals on the planet Krypton and sentenced to an indefinite banishment within the Phantom Zone by Jor-El (Marlon Brando) for murder and insurrection, among other crimes. Thirty years later, Superman (Christopher Reeve) diverts a missile into outer space, unknowingly releasing them from the Phantom Zone.
Lois Lane (Margot kidder) suspects Clark Kent to be Superman at the Daily Planet. Clark saves her by jumping from a window. With the assistance of Eve Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine), Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) escapes prison and abandons Otis (Ned Beatty). Zod’sLex decides to find Zod and starts tracking him down. Non, Zod, Ursa and Non discover on the Moon that they have superpowers thanks to Earth’s yellow sun. They find out the Fortress of Solitude and invade it, where they learn of General Zod’s impending doom. They then brutally kill a group of astronauts.
Perry White (Jackie Cooper) has Clark and Lois pretend to be newlyweds to investigate the honeymoon suite scam at Niagara Falls. Superman appears and rescues a small boy at Niagara Falls. Lois is re-examined by Clark, who tricks Clark with a loaded gun with blanks to admit that he is Superman. Lois Lane is taken by him to the Fortress of Solitude, where they spend the night together. Non, Zod and Ursa arrive on Earth to conquer a small Idaho town. The Kryptonians learn that the U.S. military accepts orders from the United States President and flies fly to Washington D.C. to invade the White House.
Superman is unaware that Zod was released from the Phantom Zone. He then goes on a rampage. Superman decides to become a human to remove his superpowers. Clark and Lois stop in a diner on their return to Metropolis. Clark is beaten by an annoying trucker and learns about Zod’s conquer of the world. Clark realizes that humanity cannot be saved and returns to the Fortress to reverse the process. Jor-El’s artificial Intelligence, anticipating this decision, reveals that it was programmed to handle this situation by giving up the Kryptonian energy needed to function. Clark must be reunited with it to restore his superpowers. This fulfils the Kryptonian prophecy about “the father becoming the child” and renders the Fortress of Solitude unusable.
Lex arrives at White House. He informs Zod, in exchange for Australia, that Superman is the child of Jor-El and that he can find him. To take Lois, he takes three Kryptonians with him to Metropolis. Superman appears, and fights break out in and around Metropolis. Superman saves a bus of civilians and decides that he can’t win. He flies to the Fortress with Zod, Ursa and Non, Lois and Lex. Luthor shows Superman the chamber where he was stripped of his powers to Zod at the Fortress. Zod forces Superman to undergo the transformation again. Superman, who is pretending defeat, exposes that he altered the process to make everyone outside of the chamber visible and removes the Kryptonian criminals’ powers while protecting himself. Non, Zod and Ursa are quickly eliminated. Superman destroys the Fortress of Solitude using his heat vision. Lois returns to her apartment and wishes him a sad farewell. Superman reverses time and places Non, Zod and Ursa back in the Phantom Zone. Clark is back at work the next day when Perry and Lois experience a mild case of deja vu. Clark teaches the trucker a lesson about humility by returning to the diner.
