Superman: The Supercut

Updated
Superman: The Supercut
Faneditor Name:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1978
Original Running Time:
143
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
121
Time Cut:
23
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
This edit differs in the event after Lois Lane falls underground in the cracks during the earthquake. I took footage and scenes from the other movies to make Superman ultimately not care about saving the world.
Intention:
I have always liked the dark interpretation of Superman in part III, but felt that the storyline was hokey, so I wanted to come up with a way to use that footage and create a way darker tone for part II, using the events from part I to set things into motion. I also needed a break from editing Heavy Star Wars as they are very time consuming to get the cuts and edits right, so I wanted something different and this cut is more relaxed.
Other Sources:
Superman II
Superman Richard Donner Cut
Superman III
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
I used Adobe Premiere to edit, and the only real basic approach I took on this was to keep on editing, as it was a long movie. There were a lot of silly scenes which I removed to keep the tone serious as possible.
Cuts and Additions:
Scenes cut from the movie were long drawn out dialogue, still keeping the meat and potatoes of the story, and all the stuff that happened after Lois Lane "dies". Also, I added footage from Superman II to make it seem like Superman and Lois slept on the first date, and added the scenes of Zod et all arriving on Earth during Lex Luthor's plan to destroy California.
Cover art by mredthefed (DOWNLOAD HERE) image

User reviews

7 reviews
 
43%
 
43%
 
14%
3-5 stars
 
0%
1-3 stars
 
0%
Overall rating
 
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.4(7)
Audio Editing
 
8.7(7)
Visual Editing
 
9.0(7)
Narrative
 
8.3(7)
Enjoyment
 
8.3(7)
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Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
*BEWARE MAJOR SPOILERS*

It's a proper professional edit in my eyes as the cuts and audio work well and nothing really stood out for me that looked too ajar. All good.

Nothing really changes in the narrative apart from the third act. Of course, lots of padding are completely removed - you could have cut it more in my opinion, but you probably did well to keep the story intact than make the edit look like an fanboy butchering.

I originally thought Lois' death was going to be removed, so it was a massive surprise when she actually did die...I personally hate the Superman "time travelling" narrative so I'm glad the editor in some ways took the original path he did - and of course this is where Superman III comes in handy because Super-goodie turns Super-baddie (well...more super-angry teenager, but that's no fault of the editor) and whilst Superman is basically doing nothing for the rest of the film, we simultaneously follow the Superman II plot of the Phantom Zone villains taking over the world. And that's it.

I think the last couples of minutes and the credits themselves are truly haunting and that's what makes the edit special.....at the same time the viewer is probably still thinking, "and what happens to Superman next?" and having no conclusion is probably what will upset most people. But for me personally I thought it was original and creative and I liked it.

Overall the film is still slightly too long for that incredibly short, but amazing final act which changes everything completely.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
DVD
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Overall rating
 
6.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
6.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
4.0
Enjoyment
 
5.0
Keeping in mind I'm a tougher critic than most, I'm going start by stating that the FanEditor himself admits in his description to doing this in between other edits, and that's where he erred.

It shows in the final product that this was a project he didn't care too much about. Aside from a number of hard cuts and awkward music cues, the story simply doesn't work.

To fit the story he wanted to tell into a decent time-span, he cut out a lot of the wonderful moments from Donner's first Superman film and, oddly, included a lot of the goofy and comedic moments from replacement director Richard Lester's Superman II. If you're aiming for a "darker" Superman, the Three Stooges-like comedy of Lester's Phantom Zone villains should've -- just like in the Superman II Richard Donner Cut -- been left on the editing room floor.

It takes more than 90 minutes to get us to the point where the FanEditor's story kicks in, and by that time he's sliced and diced so much -- with skill in most cases, admittedly -- it's hard to care.

As a story, the movie ends up not having a 3rd act or even a climax. With that in mind, it would've been a FAR superior experiment in Superman's dark side if the editor had made it a 30-minute short: By putting this into a serialized form and simply recapping the information the audience would need to understand (i.e., some sort of re-cap of the first movie and intro of the villains -- all things we should theoretically be familiar with going into this Fan Edit), it would've sped up the pace and made this a more satisfying edit. And, with such an experimental format (my suggestion I mean, not the actual Fan Edit), it would've been easier to accept the sudden fade to credits at the end of the movie, since there really isn't any sort of ending (well, there is, but it ends on 2 moments of comedy that are trying to be played as drama).

Beyond the concept of "dark Superman" at the end, the only narrative change is an edit that takes Superman's and Lois' first meeting and rolls it into the date from the Superman II wherein they sleep together. Which means the entire premise only works if you can buy that Superman and Lois Lane slept together on the first date and fell in love.

Since these characters don't seem to be that promiscuous, it's hard to buy.

Overall: It's too similar to the source materials for the most part, the couple of changes to story just don't quite track. Editing is mostly top notch, but there are a number of poor cuts, a few bad music cues, and the sounds varies quite a bit.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
No
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 2 2
Overall rating
 
8.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
Well, that was certainly different.... LOL!

I give the editor big points for doing something bold and fresh with this material! Is this how I want my Superman? Not really. "I Spent The Night With Superman", takes on a whole new literal meaning in this version and I got to admit it made me howl with laughter when the newspaper headline appears. This Superman seems to be a bit of douche to me.... but I guess it was the 1970s.... lol.

And I gotta admit, the second half of this edit reeled me in and held my attention to the very end. Lots of clever ideas are introduced, some working better than others.

Technically, the picture quality was a bit off. There were times when there appears to be a red colouring to Zod's uniform. There was also an odd pitch to some of the background noises like the thunderstorm, the destruction of Krypton, the cable that hooks on to the helicopter....

The narrative is faster paced and works well for the first half. The second half, the story feels a bit disjointed at times, characters disappear, new characters introduced without real explanation, a few visual continuity errors....

I almost wish there was more changes and boldness taken with the first half of the edit to make it feel more balanced. As it is, it is a bit of mixed bag for me that while entertaining did not quite reach its full potential. I had fun but wish I had loved it more.

Thumbs Up.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (1) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
7.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Man-o-man-o-steel, this was entertaining. Superman under normal circumstances doesn't need much of a character arc, but in this edit, mredthefed gives him one, an arc of darkness. The way the cinematic bits are rearranged made me literally laugh out loud, especially the ______________ scene, though it was the ______________ which really took the cake.

Picture quality could have been better given the file size, but don't let this quibble dissuade you from watching Supes behave like a human.

Enjoyjoy: 10 pelvic aerothrusts

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
(Updated: July 16, 2015)
Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Alright :) i'm getting addicted to fanedits... yesterday night i was in mood watching superman (we are in need of heroes nowdays aren't we?), its been years ago when i watched the old superman movies, the new one i saw it last summer.

i like the cut! it has this great dark humor and some more seriousness about it, the plot fits.

Has some scenes that you wonder how some characters get to know some things and the half of the movie is very fast paced which i liked but if it was a little longer it would be more complete in my opinion, but as the author said its a more relaxed cut which has its advantages and disadvantages, i personally liked this more freely relaxed cut style, tight isnt always better!

i dont want to spoil much...

i recommend this cut! but i would like at least custom english subtitles so i can see it with friends and recommend to more people :)

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
T
2 reviews
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