I was 10 years old when Superman II was released in theaters back in 1981. I remember seeing the movie as if it were yesterday. Still one of the greatest movies of all time. Superman II was filmed along side the first Superman movie in 77-78. Richard Donner directed the first movie and also 80% of the second movie before he was fired after some arguments with the producers. He was replaced by Richard Lester who re-shot much of Superman II and changed the direction to a degree. During Lester’s filming they ran out of money and had to use around 25% of Donner’s material including all of the Gene Hackman’s scenes. Unfortunately Lester re-shot many of the relevant scenes in the movie that were responsible for the films cohesion. Now some 25 years after Superman II’s Theatrical release, we “FINALLY” have Richard Donner’s original version remastered in High Definition:




Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is a FANTASTIC REMASTER of an aging film. Before I get to the eye candy, I will cover some of the film (something I do not generally do as movies are reviewed all over the web). This version of the film is AMAZING. I was blown away on several occasions. Here are a few:

-Flashback footage from Superman: The Movie is included in the beginning of the movie.

-There is additional footage of the three villains in the Phantom Zone. How they escape the Phantom Zone is different from the original movie. Watch to find out.

-Lois does not jump into Niagara Falls as seen in Lester’s version. Earlier in the film, she jumps out of the window of the Daily Planet expecting Clark to change to Superman and save her. He does save her but I will save the “how” for when you view the movie.

-Clark does not trip and fall into the fireplace burning his hand. This scene is removed all together. Lois uses a gun to trick Clark into revealing himself. A very cool and funny scene. I suggest watching to experience the scene in full.

-The scene in which Superman gives up his super powers to be with Lois is also different. Again watch to find out how.

-How Superman get his powers back near the end of the film is different was well. These touches add to the overall story telling in the movie.

There are many other scenes that are different and or have been added to this movie. If you have watched this movie as many times as I have, you will have no trouble spotting the changes in the scenes and dialog.


Eye Candy Time. This is the BEST High Definition “Remaster” I have ever seen. Full Metal Jacket and Excalibur do not come close on any level. The movie is 1080p and supports 2.40:1 widescreen ratio. I am viewing the movie using the Toshiba HD-DVD Player at 1080i. With the movie being filmed with lots of color, the color in the remaster is astounding. Color is everywhere. Superman’s supersuit, Ms. Teschmacher’s all red outfit, the green and blue clothes worn by Daily Planet employees are all very Vivid. The level of color is very high and at times to bright but it is never annoying. Even the yellow shirt that Lex is wearing after escaping prison and locating Superman’s home is clean, sharp and downright radiant with very little to no noise. Every color in this movie is beaming and vibrant (and I mean every color).

In the opening scenes during the flashback where Superman is pushing the missile into outer space his supersuit is a vibrant red and crisp. You can see the fabrics in the suit and detail in his hair. The scene almost looks as if it was filmed recently. The Phantom Zone scenes that I mentioned earlier are also improved. You can clearly see the detail in the faces of the three villains as the Phantom Zone floats through space. Even the scene on the Moon is improved a great deal. The astronaut’s suits are bright white and the lunar lander looks more like a real space craft then a prop. The surface of the moon even looks more believable than in the original as it resembles fine white sand.

In the scene which the 3 villains come to the small town, the grass, trees and weeds have a natural green tone to them. The wind blowing through the vegetation looks authentic and the scene has minimal grain/fuzz (distortion) which in turn gives the illusion that the scene was shot recently. They really managed to eliminate most of the grain and fuzziness in addition to raising the brightness and especially the contrast levels. You can actually make out most of the background items such as clocks, vases, books, flowers, etc. In movies like Full Metal Jacket, only the immediate objects such as the characters have detail as everything else in the background suffers from noise and at most times is difficult to identify. Scenes that are all white such as Superman’s home at the North Pole show the least amount of improvement as the grain and noise is very visible but does not ruin the experience by any means.


The Audio in Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is vastly improved. Listening to the movie in remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 is a pure joy. From the explosions during the battle between the villains and the US Military to the showdown between the villains and Superman in Metropolis the sound is very sharp, distinctive and has good low level bass. Center channel volume is a bit weak resulting in me having to adjust the sound listening level at times (during dialog)


The movie includes some extras. Here is a quick run down:

-Delete Scenes from the movie are not bad but while viewing them you will realize how much the Richard Donner version is improved over the original as the original is downright ugly.

-Audio Commentary by Richard Donner and Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz is a nice touch if you like to listen to details and learn a few things about the movie.

-Introduction by Director Richard Donner


I will not spoil anymore of this movie for you BUT I strongly suggest you pickup the HD-DVD version of Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut and enjoy one of the best directors cuts in a long time (well, since Riddick). KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!

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"True adaptability involves changing ones self to meet ones environment, not changing ones environment to meet ones needs" - Species8472

Great review,

I am now itching to see this movie

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"Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."


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