Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut Redux

Highly Recommended

i had this movie a long time ago, but my HDD crashed, but for a while i actually thought this was the original cut of the movie, i enjoyed it tremendously

Review by WearneO — October 25, 2010 @ 12:48 pm

REVIEW of SUPERMAN II: The Richard Donner Cut Redux
An Edit By BOOSHMAN

Reviewing this film was not an easy task. Having previously completed my own fan edit of Superman II and with a re-edit nearing completion I've reached the point where I know this film (both versions) inside out. With such a wealth of footage and different takes to choose from naturally I've built prejudices as to what belongs.

Because of this I decided to leave all that behind and go in fresh and watch this film akin to the first time I watched the Donner cut.

Ultimately I loved it!! Booshman's approach is both uncompromising and well executed. With new effects, visuals and rescored scenes you come away having watched something a lot more than a hybrid cut. It's a true sequel to Superman the movie and more of a Richard Donner film than the official version.

Cuts and narrative: I've got a few hang-ups here and there but this is only because I'm that close to the material. Probably my two main issues would be that I'd prefer to see the Daily Planet jump included instead of the Niagara falls rescue. Irregardless of which scene is better I think in staying true to a Richard Donner film the Daily Planet jump should have been left in. However having said that the Niagara falls scene works better with the seamless branching option for the reveal scene so Booshman doesn't loose many marks here. My other hang-up is that I'd prefer that the viewer stay with Clark following the dinner scene as is in the theatrical cut.
9/10

Video: Anyone who has worked on a fan edit of this film will know how difficult it is to match the footage. Even Donner scenes which appeared in the theatrical cut appear completely different in the Donner cut. Top marks here Booshman the theatrical footage has never looked better. Restoration of the deleted scenes whilst a huge improvement over the raw footage is still not quite DVD quality. However this is hardly Booshman’s fault as the deleted scenes included in the Donner Cut package were from a particularly bad print.
9.5/10

Audio: For mine audio editing in any fan edit is the most important aspect so it warrants being super critical. In the case of this fan edit the average viewer will more then likely find it faultless. IMO there were a few transitions that could be improved both in dialogue and music. Just like in the case of the video there is a significant difference between the audio of both official versions, with the Donner cut being more compressed with little difference between the highs and the lows than the theatrical cut. For this reason I've found it useful to lower the volume of the theatrical cut slightly.
9/10

Effects: Worthy of its own mention this is where Booshman has gone above and beyond that of any other fan editor of this film. The effects work not only ties new edits together but it corrects issues which have plagued both official versions for some time. No levitating powers for the villains. Visible bullet hits on the villains in the Whitehouse. No fake Superman dummy flying away from a crumbling Metropolis. No new powers in the fortress of solitude making for a really exciting climax. Superman sweat patch removed. And my absolute favorite, moving fountains! On top of all that we have some extra special moments created like Superman letting go of the rocket in space and a new shirt revel and flying shot following the re-powering scene.
10/10

DVD package: Very professionally put together. Attractive animated menus and a few goodies in the special features section including a hilarious "I am General Zod" music video and seamless branching options for the reveal scene which works beautifully.
10/10

Overall: Definitely the best Superman II fan edit available. GREAT WORK BOOSHMAN!!
9.5/10

This is a very good eit. The quality was great, the editing was superb. The narrative, I think, could have been a little better because of some choices I disagree with (Lois jumping in the falls instead of building, having a different Kryptonian in the Fortress of Solitude, recap at the beginning, Mt. Zodmore and so on) But all in all it was very good, I highly recommend it.

Review by bionicbob — October 27, 2010 @ 5:35 am

The eternal dilemma of a Fan Boy….

DC or MARVEL?
DC!!!

SUPERMAN or BATMAN?
SUPERMAN!!!

ADM’s Superman II Hybrid Cut
or
Booshman’s Superman II Redux Edit????

For the last couple of years, A Ditigal Man’s Hybrid Cut has been my definitive go-to Superman II movie. In fact, I had no real interest in even looking at another Superman II edit ever again until I read Booshman’s Thread.

A couple of things caught my mind’s eye…
–a new opening
–a new ending
–new visual effects

Intrigued, I knew I had to check it out! So the following are my observations after viewing the SL NTSC version. Warning, there may be some SPOILERS in my reviews. Also, my observations/reviews are simply based on personal preference and taste, and are in no way meant to be an attack or rip on the Editor.

Let’s get some of the easy things out of the way first….

Technically, in terms of sound and video quality, both are first rate! The soundtrack sounded awesome to me, I love all the new/old cues. For the most part, the video quality is excellent. Though some of the reinserted deleted scenes ( the elevator bully scene comes to mind) are of inferior quality compared to the rest of the movie, but I did not find it too distracting and it is acceptable considering the quality source.
So I would give the audio/video 9 out of 10.

Editing….
The newly crafted opening is fantastic! Recapping the events of Krypton’s demise, Kal-el’s journey to Earth, the final act of the first Superman movie are all masterfully accomplished. I would say this new opening is far superior to the Donner Cut. I absolutely LOVED it!!

Lex at the Fortress and the new intro of the Kryptonian Villains as narrated by Jor-el…. honestly, I think the Donner cuts works better. The picture seems murky and too dark when viewing through the crystal. I think the Donner version was brighter and cleaner, and more in keeping with the Fortress surroundings. But that is just my personal taste.

I was surprised to see the Blank Bullet scene. Mostly because this edit so carefully attempts to correct continuity errors, that this scene stands out like a sore thumb. Yes I agree the scene plays better than the Pink Bear sequence (and understand this scene is part of the branching option in the DL version) but the hotel room is clearly different and Clark looks completely different, that is sort of breaks the moment for me as a viewer. It stood out in the Donner Cut and it stand out here too for me.

The restructuring of the Fortress of Solitude De-Powering scene, cutting from and combining the Lester and Donner scenes is masterfully done. It is pretty much flawless. I think this version works perfectly. Bravo! Well done!!

The New Ending….
I actually had to watch this part three times before I could decide if I liked it or not.
In the end, I believe I do like it.
It is a clever solution and it plays into current comic book continuity.
Though, I think it would play even stronger if the whole balcony goodbye scene
had been greatly trimmed or removed completely. That scene plays with so much sadness
and finality, that it feels like a sudden left turn when the new ending plays out.

All in all, I like the vast majority of the edits, the selection and combination of Lester/Donner scenes.
I would give the actual editing 9 out of 10.

The New Special Effects….
I must admit, I was very nervous about this going in.
This takes a lot of courage and skill to attempt. And it needs to be good!
Or it will break the suspension of disbelief
and detract from the overall viewing experience.

I will say this, all the new effects were created solely to assist the story and improve the narration.
This is good.

The new effects involving the Deputy and the shot gun, I liked.
It works. Mostly because it so brief, you can buy into Zod using super speed to disarm the deputy.

The battle at Fortress of Solitude and the insertion of Heat Vision, also work extremely well.

The new digital Superman flying scenes did not work for me. They just look wrong for the period of the movie.
They clearly stand out.

The transformation/repowering of Clark back into Superman I am afraid just did not work for me either.
The idea is awesome. I love the whole concept. But it just looks too digital.
I think you could have accomplished the same idea by simply panning the camera down in close up from Clark’s face to his chest and have him rip it open revealing the shield.
Again, this is just personal taste.

So I would give a 10 out of 10 for the concept work,
but only 7 out of 10 for the execution of the new effects.

Overall, the entertainment value was wonderful.
There is some masterful and brilliant moments in this edit.
It was a true joy to watch.

My overall score would be 8.5 out of 10.

Thank You Booshman for some awesome movie fun!