Superman: Son of Jor-El

Review by baileym43 — March 4, 2011 @ 4:32 pm

So yeah, I watched this the other day and i loved it. That opening sequence was amazing. The missile thing was cool. just another thing he did to save the day. Sure you notice the image quality is a tad better, but who cares. All the annoying comedy is gone, except for Clark, but he’s supposed to be goofy. It makes sense Lois figured out the big mystery so soon because she’d had the most contact with them both. Lex, sure, was a bit abrupt and out of nowhere, he does have that small bit of throwaway dialog explaining himself, “I’m the best there is.”, but there could have been some small clips or glimpses at him earlier on. Not of him doing anything, but just to show us that he’s there and is watching Superman. Then we assume he’s doing his own background research. In fact, the way it is, Lex has almost been set up as a fanedit sequel villain.


Now as said earlier how it’s logical that Zod’s gang spent so much time on the moon tormenting the astronauts, I thought they were up there way to long. There was to much cutting back to them still on the moon. But that’s it. My only two gripes. You put two entire movies together and it turned out amazing, better than the two movies by themselves. The ending was great, entirely believable and poignant, and dramatic. They became people instead of just characters. The easter egg diner scene was cool too, though would have been better placed at the end of the credits.

Technically flawless as far as I noticed, (except for the missile thing earlier). The dvd extras were really fun too. I love the extra effort with those.

9 from 10 for me. It never once made me look at the clock.

Review by Wraith — January 27, 2011 @ 12:24 am

WELL WELL WELL….In the 1980s I pulled these two movies together on 2 VHS machines, and for 30 years refined the dream privately to 3.5hours… and then YOU GUYS came along and did the unthinkable….Goodbye Lex!!! Genius.

Video
The video was reasonable, clear and well reporoduced and rendered and certainly comparable to the better edits out ther so 8 out of 10

Audio
9 out of 10. Nothing really jarred appart from a couple of music segues which could be tweaked

Presentation
8 out of 10, crisp, professional and to the point

Entertainment
This will sound so silly, even “why bother commenting” but it is an area that is easy to ignore and some edits suffer from it….(but not this puppy)…AWESOME TITLE SEQUENCE…..of lord you kill me…The film was great and I can’t and wont add to the extensive positive comments above which I agree with 100%…BUt the TITLES WERE GREAT…AUTHENTIC< FLAWLESS AND PROFESSIONAL….It is one of the reasons I kept my clumsy version private…no credible opening…I have 20 or so edits that will never see the light of day for a varieth of reasons, but the one thing that will pull a viewr out of the experince is a poorly executed title sequence…GENIUS guys…(I rewatched them 3 time berfor the rest of the movie…how sad is that)….

so overall 9 out of 10

Review by Captain Khajiit — January 18, 2011 @ 8:37 pm

Bigger Superman fans that I have described the edit’s strengths and weaknesses. I very much like rather than love the original films, so perhaps I do not feel as strongly about what should and should not have gone in. The idea was interesting and the execution showed thought and care.

Video
The video was acceptable. The overall quality was above average. 8 out of 10

Audio
Very good! 9 out of 10

Presentation
Fantastic covers, a very nice static main menu, awful tiny scene selection preview boxes. 8 out of 10

Entertainment
I found this both interesting and entertaining. The faneditors had a consistent vision for the edit that they implemented successfully and showed good judgment in their selection of material. Like Brumous, I approve of the collaborative nature of the project. 9 out of 10

Overall 9 out of 10
Thank you for an immensely enjoyable edit! This is essential viewing for Superman fans and highly recommended to everyone else.

Review by Brumous — January 18, 2011 @ 2:58 am

This is an audacious but uneven fan edit that is reasonably entertaining. The basic idea is to merge the first half of Superman I to the second half of Superman II, The Donner Cut. Remarkably, this turns out to be a logically sound idea and it successfully refocuses the story arc on Kal-El and his self-identity and purpose. Other Superman II edits have wrestled with the ending: how Superman fixes his bad choices and redeems himself. This version has the most satisfying and convincing resolution of them all and is the new gold standard.

This edit weaves together different sources made by different directors. Technically the edit is fine and mostly seamless. But the seams do show in the way the acting, direction, and emotional tone shift gears in abrupt and confusing ways, even where the storyline makes logical sense. For instance, the Clark-Lois romance, where Lois starts off being starstruck, then familiar and jokey in the newsroom, then distracted and sarcastic in the newlywed suite. There are also noticeable and probably unavoidable shifts in picture quality from the different sources.

In this edit, Lex Luthor is a sneaky but endearing con man with no sense of menace. I agree with the other reviewers that his introduction too abrupt, but I can overlook it because Hackman is entertaining to watch. It's less easy to overlook the Kryptonian villains, who are cardboard cliches. Their approach to Earth and their takeover is dragged out too much, slowing down the pacing of this edit. The climactic fight plays out like a bombastic pro wrestling match and could use even more trimming. Various other sequences could also use trimming or deleting to improve the overall pacing.

The editors’ choice for the ending scene is right on the money, IMO. It suits very well the focus of the edit, which is Kal-El discovering how to be true to himself and deciding what’s important in his life. Lois is saying goodbye to her dreams of married bliss, so why wouldn’t she cry? And it’s not just self pity; you could see her tears as being for Clark also, for his sacrifice and for his heroism.

I liked the “extra” scene (Clark’s return to the diner) a lot too. It lightened up the heavy mood of the ending and made Clark more human and likable in a way. I like it so much in that position, I would have put it right after the ending as a real coda, instead of in the credits.

Anyhow, this edit succeeds at its main goal, and I was really drawn into the story of Kal-El's moral challenge. I also liked how this edit was made collaboratively, a great example of the fan edit forum opening new doors to creative possibilities.

Review by bionicbob — January 1, 2011 @ 11:33 pm

The following review is based upon my viewing of the Single Layer dvd release,
and be warned, if you have not seen the edit yet,
there will be SPOILERS in the review.

“Rocketed to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton, the baby Kal-el was found and raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kanas. Now an adult, Clark Kent fights for Truth, Justice and the American Way as SUPERMAN!!!”

We all know the legend.
But never before has a Fan Edit so perfectly captured and retold the core Superman story of his Kryptonian origins!

L8wrtr and Jelio have created a wonderfully entertaining tale in their merging of Superman One and Two.
I found the entire viewing experience to be highly enjoyable and engaging.

The newly created Opening Credits are fantastically done.
Kudos for putting Chris Reeve’s name up first, it is well deserved!

The transition from the Fortress of Solitude to the Metropolis cab ride (Otis who?) is perfect.

The making of the Missile Toss as just another part of Superman’s first day on the job is brilliant.
Having Superman fly into the Metropolis sunrise towards the daylight missile crisis is very clever.
Though one will have to assume Metropolis is somewhere on the West Coast since it is only dawn there
and clearly full morning at the missile launch. Which is no big deal since on the tv series Smallville,
Clark’s home town is clearly stated to be in Kanas, and Metropolis is only around an hour commute away,
and yet Metropolis is clearly built along an ocean coast line!
…. hhmmmm…. geography in the DC Universe is very different than that of our world!

The swapping out of the Daily Planet Newspaper headline of Superman defeating Luthor
with the “I Spent A Night With Superman” was a very smart edit.

The infamous Niagra Falls hotel scene….. I have gone on the record before that this scene bugs me.
It bugged me in the official Donner Cut and it bugged me in the Booshman edit.
I fully acknowledge the scene is better written and acted than the Lester version,
but continual switching of Clark’s hair, glasses and overall physique I find very distracting and
breaks the “reality” the scene for me.
That said, I will admit, of all the versions I have seen (both official and editted),
this the strongest and most effective use of the Donner Hotel scene.
And that is entirely because of how cleverly L8 and Jelio have reconstructed the narrative–
well done guys!

Regarding the Moon and First Date timeline, I can see why some viewers have brought up the issue.
It might have been nice if the Moon sequence had resumed after the date ended and before the Newspaper
headline scene, but I think the timeline works either way. Zod and his co-horts are so Evil, I can easily see them up there on the Moon teasing and torturing the poor astronauts for hours and days on end until they got bored.
It is a creative choice and as a viewer I had no real issue with it.

As to the whole Lex Luthor controversy.
I think both L8wrtr and Jelio have clearly stated their reasoning
for their creative choice in this matter, and I see no reason to debate it.
It is their edit and I respect choice.

The 28 Hours scene is a FANTASTIC and a BRILLIANT choice.
This scene alone truly clarifies and deepens Kal-el’s relationship with Jor-el
and makes Jor-el’s final embrace/sacrifice all that more powerful.
BRAVO!!!

In regards to the ending, I think (like Booshman) it was a smart move having Lois retain knowledge
of Kal-el’s duel identities, it adds both a sad and hopeful lyrical quality to the story. Nice music replacement during the Kiss too!!!

All in all, an excellent edit.
Technically, I did not notice any significant issues, though I did only watch it on my computer screen and not on a fullscreen tv with stereo sound.

I think the new narrative in regards to Kal-el’s relationships with both Lois and Jor-el is poignant
and by far the best rendition of it I have come across thus far.

If you are Superman Fan,
a definite must see.
Thumbs Up!

I would give it a final score of 8.5 out of 10!