Review Detail

I saw Superman (1978) as a young man and I loved it. Superman II (1980) was a worthy sequel. It wasn't perfect but through a 3rd grader's eyes it hit all the bases. As I grew older I heard about a version that was never released, the Donner cut. I eventually was able to view this version and I questioned why the studio didn't use this version theatrically. A few days ago while browsing this site my eyes fell on Superman: The Epic Cut. I love fanedits, I really do, but you can't watch them all. You browse through the ratings, the editor's description, and the reviews (careful to avoid spoilers) to try to determine where I am going to spend my time. When I read the tagline "The nearest thing to the intended single movie epic per the shooting script." I was so intrigued, in all honestly, my decision had already made.

For a shade under 4 hours I couldn't look away. I was constantly making mental notes of what was removed, what scenes were from which movie, what scenes I didn't recall seeing before, and how much more sense some scenes made when being integrated in to a single sprawling epic. Before I ever pressed play I questioned how the editor was going to weave together Luthor's grand scheme and the arrival of the newly freed Kryptonian criminals. Mind you both original movies started with flashbacks to Krypton prior to its destruction and I was wondering how those scenes were going to be sequenced in to the edit. In a word, he did it perfectly.

I am amazed how he wove the two (2) movies in to one narrative, and how, in hind site, it is so obvious that this is how they were meant to be viewed. The editing is flawless both visually and auditorily. Not to quote Todd Howard but, "It just works." Considering the movies are 40 years old it is incredible the level of fidelity in the final product. As I said, I saw the original movies as a young man, but even if I didn't, I can undoubtedly say that I still would have absolutely loved this movie. It is a great Superman movie.

In the future this will be the only way I will watch the original Superman movies. If you like any of the Superman movies (70's, 80's, 00's, 10's or 20's) you need to see this movie. If you enjoy superhero movies (Marvel or DC) you need to watch this. Finally, if you appreciate what editors technically do and want to watch the resurrection of a movie as it should have been released in 1978, then you need to watch this movie. Thank you Wraith for the time and effort you took to create this version and thank you for sharing it with me.