Superman II Blu-ray offers decent video and solid audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Superman flagship director Richard Donner presents this special cut of the 1980 sequel starring Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel, who's locked in a battle to save Earth from three evil outcasts of planet Krypton. Donner shot footage for Superman II concurrently with the first blockbuster, but director Richard Lester ultimately completed the project. This re-edited version features Donner's original vision, including restored deleted scenes.
For more about Superman II and the Superman II Blu-ray release, see Superman II Blu-ray Review published by Greg Maltz on May 6, 2008 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.0 out of 5.
Superman II was one of the most highly anticipated sequels of its time, along with
Star
Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The
release of Superman: The
Movie in 1978 made Christopher Reeve a household name and catapulted him to
stardom. But director Richard Donner's commitment and vision to make that film true to its
comic
book roots contributed to the movie's budget spiraling out of control. That landed Donner in
trouble with the
film's producers, Alexander and Ilya Salkind. The rift eventually grew so deep that it affected the
cast and resulted in the firing of Donner on March 15, 1979. After much of the film was shot,
Donner was replaced by
Richard Lester, who lacked his predecessor's passion and intensity to bring the comic book story
to
life in a serious way.
Lester's approach was more campy and lighthearted. Where
Donner added humor in
Gene Hackman's portrayal of Lex Luthor and in some elements of the Clark Kent/Louis Lane
(Margot Kidder) dynamic, Lester used comedy shtick as an underlying framework that affected
the entire movie. For example, many cheesy stunts take place during the most
dramatic moments of the film, like a man's toupé flying off his head. Donner would not
have authorized such farce. Other issues like actor allegiances created logistic problems for Lester,
not the least of which was Gene
Hackman's refusal to return to the set after Donner was fired. All sequences with Lex Luthor are
therefore shot by Donner earlier in production.
Superman watches over his adoptive planet.
Although the sequel directed by Lester was a box-office success, fans took note of the different
directorship. For the next
25 years, comments rained down upon Warner. In 2006, George Feltenstein, Senior Vice
President
of Warner Home Video's Catalog Marketing division, stated, "We have been getting for years and
years and years letters begging us to release the Donner cut of Superman II. And this
year we bit
the bullet and we've created what is ostensibly a new film, although the footage is all footage
that
was shot years and years and years ago. But it was sitting in a lab and never assembled. And for
those of us who were very saddened and touched by the loss of Christopher Reeve, to see footage
you've never seen of him before, and a whole different take on the Superman II story, is
really
thrilling."
The idea is a good one, but the result is uneven. Donner's brief tenure on the project meant that
he did not have the opportunity to shoot the ending and much of the action sequences. In fact,
the Donner cut includes many screen test shots where Reeve has a different hair style and
appears slimmed down compared to the rest of the footage. With no opportunity to shoot a true
ending or alternatives to Lester's footage and his own test shots, Donner is left with a disjointed
mish-mash of styles and performances.
Even if he had been allowed to finish the film,
some question remains as to cohesion of the narratives. The film tries hard to reconcile two
distinct plot lines. Krypton villains General Zod (Terence Stamp), Non (Jack O'Halloran) and Ursa
(Sarah Douglas), who were sentenced to an eternity in prison and banished into space at the
beginning of Superman: The
Movie, are freed from their 2-D prison and reek havoc on
earth. Meanwhile, the feelings Superman develops for Louis Lane eventually
lead him to alter his molecular makeup and become human.
The video quality is uneven because scenes come from different sources. Much of the footage
looks vibrant and defined, but the test screen sequences Donner used do not clean up so nicely.
Grain and noise are heavier, but the sequences are clear enough to see that Clark Kent's hair
looks different. Other inconcistencies in the footage are visible. Overall, though, the picture is
similar to that of Superman: The
Movie. During some sequences, the 1080p resolution reveals extraordinary detail and
good depth. During others, the definition is somewhat lacking.
The good scenes are best exemplified by lifelike contrast and rich color tones. Watch the early
scenes in the offices of the Daily Planet. While there are some signs of digital noise reduction, skin
tones and other colors are vibrant and definition is very good. Compare this to other scenes like
some of the screen tests Donner used to flesh out the story and the video becomes noticeably
more problematic. First, more noise is visible, but that isn't a problem per se. The relative lack of
detail is apparent. The scenes in Superman's fortress in the North Pole lack the problems with the
screen test sequences, but are not as fully resolved as the Daily Planet scenes, appearing a touch
washed-out by comparison. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is therefore a hodge-
podge of
scenes of varying picture quality, from quite good to quite poor. Overall, unfortunately, it does not
stand up to comparison with most Blu-ray releases.
The audio is more consistently impressive than the video. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track was digital
processed from the original film's audio and extensively reengineered. The result is a modest 384
kbps. Dialogue, effects and
music each sound vibrant and relatively detailed for DD, though not rising near the reference quality
of the higher bit rate codecs; treble lacks the extension and bass lacks the full dynamic punch
associated with the best BDs. But imaging is done right. The surrounds and LFE are engaged at all
the right times.
Listen to the gunfire and sound effects as the trio of criminals from Krypton first demonstrate their
power in small-town America. Explosions and small arms fire sound convincing, if not deep in the
soundstage. The surround field accurately places most sounds in the three front speakers and
thankfully avoids the "ping-pong" stereophonic effect. The orchestral score also also has good
impact, considering its lossy, DD encode. Massed strings sort of congeal into a pleasant, euphonic
midrange experience that cannot be described as high resolution, but it is not as thin as most DD
orchestral scores.
The introduction and audio commentary will be more than sufficient for most viewers that are
not hardcore fans of Superman II, but the extra material goes far beyond these. But first
thing's first. Donner and Tom Mankiewicz, who Donner brought on board to rewrite the
screenplay, deliver some first rate insight with their audio commentary. Both delve into details of
the plot, the shoot and other challenges faced by the project. One gets the impression that
Donner is still not totally "over" the experience of being let go by the Salkinds, watching the film
he mostly shot and directed put in someone else's hands and then become a blockbuster success.
But there is nothing I would describe as real bitterness in any of this. It is a very professional
discussion of the conception and execution of the film, and Donner's vision.
The key featurette included on the Blu-ray is Restoring the Vision, a 13-minute
exploration that briefly covers the rift and bickering that fractured the project and goes into more
detail on the technical effort to restore the Donner cut. The behind the scenes footage offers a
glimpse into the restoration, which will be of major interest to Donner and indeed all
Superman II fans.
The supplements also include deleted scenes including several with Gene Hackman and Valerie
Perrine, perhaps the most entertaining pairing in the film. Unfortunately, all six were
throwaways, and it's easy to see why they didn't make the Donner cut. Although the aspect ratio
of these scenes is 2.40:1, the video quality is also poor. They did not age well. It shows how
much work must have been done to restore the scenes used in the cut.
Superman II, despite major box office success, was never the cohesive film that audiences
applauded in Superman: The
Movie. When news of Donner's experience in making both movies became common
knowledge, it left a lingering question. How much better could the sequel have been if the original
filmmaker had completed it? Fans wanted an answer and hoped to get it in the Donner cut. Both
Donner and Warner delivered, and I am grateful for that, but we end up with a mix of good, great
and forgettable sequences that overall do not rise above the clutter and problems of the theatrical
release. Donner is clearly more gifted than his successor in the Superman franchise, and more
committed to accurately recreating the comic book hero. But unfortunately for all parties concerned,
he was not given the budget, time and artistic license to complete the film using his own vision. No
amount of splicing, restoration or editing 25 years after the original shoot will fix that.
Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut: Other Editions
4K SteelBook
1-disc
4K
2-disc set
Blu-ray
-
Blu-ray
1-disc
Wal-Mart
Blu-ray Bundles/Box Sets with Superman II (4 bundles)
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