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.

Directors:

Richard Donner, Richard Lester (uncredited)

Writers:

Joe Shuster (characters), Jerry Siegel (characters)

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Hackman	...	Lex Luthor
Christopher Reeve	...	Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman
Marlon Brando	...	Jor-El
Ned Beatty	...	Otis
Jackie Cooper	...	Perry White
Sarah Douglas	...	Ursa
Margot Kidder	...	Lois Lane
Jack O'Halloran	...	Non
Valerie Perrine	...	Eve Teschmacher
Clifton James	...	Sheriff
E.G. Marshall	...	The President
Marc McClure	...	Jimmy Olsen
Terence Stamp	...	General Zod
John Ratzenberger	...	Controller #1
Shane Rimmer	...	Controller #2

Storyline

Before Krypton exploded and Jor-El put his baby son, Kal-El, in a rocket ship to Earth, the benevolent ruler was forced to banish three irredeemable criminals to another dimension called The Phantom Zone. The trio's leader, General Zod, vowed revenge. Later, of course, Kal-El grew up to become Superman, Earth's mighty champion. A battle with the criminal mastermind, Lex Luthor, ends with Superman hurling a nuclear warhead into space where it explodes, but not harmlessly. Instead, it frees the Kryptonian threesome from their other-dimensional prison. They soon discover they have almost unlimited power (the same powers, in fact, as Superman), which they use to take over the Earth. Meanwhile, the intrepid reporter, Lois Lane, learns that her bumbling colleague, Clark Kent, is really Superman, a revelation that leads to him bringing her to his frozen Fortress of Solitude and renouncing his powers in order to make love to her. It is only when Superman and Lois return to civilization that ...

---

Plot Keywords:

supervillain | supervillainess | extraterrestrial alien | alien supervillainess | extraterrestrial | 

---

Taglines:

The Version You Have Never Seen

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sequences of action violence, some language and brief mild sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

One major sequence that had to be omitted from the film was the "villains conquer the world" sequence, which depicted Zod, Ursa, and Non destroying national monuments and landmarks across the globe. As the original sequence was never shot, Michael Thau had considered using computer effects to augment existing footage to simulate the scenes, until Richard Donner vetoed the idea, not wanting the new computer effects to clash with those of the original film.

---

Goofs

A goof pointed out in the diner is incorrect. Clark does slam the towel down, but he never let's go of it. So yes. He is still holding the towel when he stands back up.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Jor-El: I ask you now to pronounce judgment on those accused. On this... this mindless aberration, whose only means of expression are wanton violence and destruction; on the woman Ursa, whose perversions and unreasoning hatred of all mankind have threatened even the children of the planet Krypton; finally, General Zod. Chief architect of this intended revolution and author of this insidious plot to establish a new order amongst us... with himself as absolute ruler. You have heard the ...

---

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

Version of The Multipath Adventures of Superman (1999)

User Reviews

Filmed together with Superman 1 is the ticket!

Superman 1 and 2 were intended by the director to be a unit, and were filmed concurrently, as Jackson's Lord of the Rings films were. This approach works. Originally, after most of Sup 2 was in the can, the producers got rid of Donner and the Brando footage to save money and broke up the thematic flow of the two films. They made Sup 2 into a cheap money-maker follow-on to 1 and ruined it in the process.

What the studio has done here is, nothing short of grand. They've essentially remade this film as it was intended to be. It flows seamlessly from Superman The Movie now. Richard Donner's great pride in his work is evident from his enthusiastic intro on the DVD.

The storyline is cohesive, the emotionally soaring (!) tone of the first film is maintained and heightened. Scenes that reflect the fabulous chemistry between Reeve and Kidder have been restored.

The extensive Marlin Brando footage, shot and intended for the Fortress of Solitude scenes, has been restored.

This film is well worth a watch, particular in conjunction with a re-look at Superman I first. Hats off to Warner Brothers for bringing Richard Donner's vision for it back to life!

Details

Country:

UK USA Canada France

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

28 November 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$54,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1