Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Dir: Richard Donner
2006
****
26 years after Superman II was released in cinemas and a million 'what if' arguments later, nerds of the world finally caught a glimpse of what Richard Donner's version of one of the most talked about sequels would have looked like. I don't think anyone was disappointed. However, I'm not sure anyone really disliked the version that was released in the first place. It had its problems, much like the original did, but most will argue that it is exactly what the fans wanted. It is hard to say if Donner's version would have been better when I, and many others, hold the original with such high regard. It's also fair to say that the bulk of the original is Donner's anyway. Seeing the extras and ideas I'd never heard before was an absolute thrill but seeing certain scenes omitted just felt strange. I'm really glad this was finally released though, to have just seen a script when so much footage was available was never going to be enough. It has probably raised more discussion (and started many an online argument) since it's release and I'm not sure we'll ever know which version would have been greater in the long run but it is a real treat for Superman obsessives like myself. My favorite new scene was one during the final fight scene whereby Superman replies to General Zod's insults with the line 'I'm not a coward Zod!'. It looks really naff and tickled me immensely, I can see why it was left out but I'm so grateful it has now seen the light of day. Now if only we could see the other various failed versions of Superman our nerdy little lives would be complete.