FULL breakdown of SUPERMAN II and the DONNER CUT

“ Scruffy, so morbid a sentimental replica of a planet long since vanished,no style at all?” General Zod on the fortress of solitude.

Truck driver and Zod had it coming! 😠

There's something you didn't notice about the endings of both Theatrical and the Donnor Cut in regard to the Truck Driver. Yes, the Mighty Superman is getting petty Revenge on this Bully, however one of these endings should not have happened at all and Superman looks even worse when you realize it. In the Donnor Cut, Superman altered history which undid ALL the damage Zod & Co. had done and Lois's memories, essentially the events of the film. Which means what happened the Diner never happened. Clark is bullying a guy who ultimately did nothing to him. Another thing to consider, with history being altered is the Jor-El A.i. still alive and the Fortress not destroyed?

This is why Time Travel solutions can be frustrating when proper thought isn't put into them.

Guilty pleasure: my father and I always loved the laughing guy in the phone booth.

I thoroughly enjoyed this segment!! Great job, guys! However, I disagree that Superman/Clark was being “petty” by humiliating Rocky (the diner bully) at the end of the movie.

Ultimately, Superman has feelings. And, when he no longer had “super powers,” he offered to fight Rocky face to face. Instead, Rocky chose the cowardly act by attacking Clark while his back was turned. That act alone, later justified Superman’s response.

Rocky showed Superman the type of lowlife he is. Superman must’ve thought to himself… ‘If this guy is willing to disrespect me MULTIPLE times in this short period, he’s DEFINITELY offended others in the same way or, worse!’

Besides, Rocky also shoved the old guy’s face (right in front of Superman) BEFORE breaking his own hand on Clark’s stomach when he punched it. For me… I think Rocky got off lightly.

47.08 had me laughing in tears

Nothing looks cooler then reeve on the cover of superman 2

Just found the channel with one of the cut down clips, searched for the full episode. Great video and channel just subbed and catching up

I liked the cellophane S when I was a child because I was just thinking he is so powerful, he can take his S off and entrap a flying Non. If I had seen the movie first as an adult, I would very likely think it is horrible.

A “Best Of All Possible Worlds” version of Superman II does exist, and I think it’s available in Europe. It aired as a complete television version of the movie on ABC in the early 80’s. I think “The Richard Donner Cut” maybe could have restored that entire television rendition of the movie, but Donner wanted to exclude as much Lester footage as possible.

Donner, because of Brando and the loss of the slapstick.

I always looked at the weird powers as he continues to discover powers as he evolves.

The original Donner ending was supposed to be the beginning of the Donner cut. The missiles free the villains and the movie ends with the three headed to earth.

If Superman killed them, then Lois is a murderer too. She “killed” Ursa.

One thing about Clark in the comics is that he isn’t so goofy. I hate the way that he was portrayed in the original films.

Why is the kid in the country town where Zod and company go wild, british? It's bizarre.

There’s a fan edit where they combine the best parts of both films and it came out fantastic.

Look, dawayne... they got a wide selection.

What if we just end the Donner cut with Lois still knowing and playing dumb at work to keep his secret, and move the eiffel tower scene to kick off 3 ditching that whole silly opening, and that incident makes him give her the magic kiss now in that movie, and ultimately he goes back to Smallville and that

The arrest of the Kryptonians is a deleted scene. As for the official Donner and Leister cuts, they’re dead…until time travel in Donner Cut

On the question of his powers. Superman can do anything because he's Superman. He could take his own arm off and play catch with it. Or fart a bunch of flowers out of his arse. And give them to Lois.

I haven't finished this video yet, but I wanted to drop this in:
The original plan was to release the first two movies at the same time.
The first movie was going to end with a cliffhanger where the missile broke the Kryptonians out of the Phantom Zone. It honestly makes more sense to see the first two films as two halves of the same story, especially since the imprisoned Kryptonians didn't get a payoff in the first movie.

Superman 2 (Theatrical Cut) is my favourite Superman film. I like the bittersweet ending.

So it started back in the 70's. Donner Cut, Snyder Cut, Ayer Cut. Next is the Gunn cut.

I think the "instructor guy" is supposed to be Jor-El. When you watch the theatrical cut, that's the same voice that banishes Zod and Co on Krypton

40 years later and I JUST realized Superman was standing on the flagpole outside the Daily Planet. I just thought he was floating. DOH!!!

The original theatrical release by Lester was just stuffed with stupid comedy. And the scenes in Paris and Niagara Falls to me just seemed tonally wrong and unnecessary.

I guess the whole Arc of the story is between the father and the son Jorel and Kal-El /Superman

Yes because the end of Superman 2 the Richard Donner cut the super villains could have been out there in space like that loaded gun and they could have come back for the sequel in Superman 3

You gentlemen mention the difference between Clark / Superman persona I remember reading a Man of steel the revamp of Superman in the 80s Clark refers to Superman being nothing more then a fancy pair of long johns that allows him to operate in public without losing his private life when he's visiting his parents Ma and Pa Kent

I do like in the Donner cut how he flies to the chamber in plain clothes after having the night with Lois

Gentlemen now emphasis on I heard this that's somewhere in the script for Superman 2 they were going to have it that love making would render him powerless for a few days or how many days once again emphasis on that something I heard did you gentlemen hear anything about that proposed idea in the script when they were kicking around for Superman 2

Because after the three super villains get what they want from lex luthor they could kill him at any moment and why do they need him after that

And in or with those exchanges between general zod and lex luthor collects be kissing general zod's ass because to a point lex luthor is kissing general zod's ass

Also speaking of Superman the movie you gentlemen may know this I didn't know until I watch the audio commentary with Richard Donner and the creative consultant that the guy on the tower communicating with Air Force One Christopher Reve do I have a voice at the airport control tower

I always saw the end of Superman 2 the Richard Lester cut the memory erasing kiss 💋 has waking up Lois Lane out of a fairy tale the way Prince charming kiss sleeping beauty 😍

Even as a kid I never understood why they went to a town called East Houston. At this point they thought the entire planet was Houston so what was so important about a place called East Houston and how did they know to get there?

It really only makes sense to assume it was by coincidence, but that seems like a strange coincidence to needlessly write into the show.

I prefer the Donner cut.

I think they end up in East Houston, because they were following road signs for Houston.

That could explain why they kept that scene where they are walking in the middle of the road.

Agreed, Terence Stamp was phenomenal! However i do think his performance in the Donner footage is way superior because Zod comes off more cold and menacing. Im not sure if this was because of direction, but Stamp played Zod with a lot of camp in the Lester footage. The more I revisit both versions of the movie the more glaringly obvious this becomes.

I thought Superman Returns was a real lost opportunity to bring back the Phantom Zone villains or at least let us know what happened to them.

I believe the whole conversation in the fortress was one of the Lester pick ups. Lester had to shoot enough material to claim a Director's credit, and most of the fortress scenes were his, which is why they feel inconsistent (multiple Supermen, anyone?)

I can't see Mank and Dick writing dialogue that directly addresses the secret identity thing. And if they did, I'm sure it would have been handled a lot better.

So the script has the original ending with the villains all, including Lex, stuck in the Phantom Zone. As for the idea of Lois dying in II, I heard in a commentary, Dick started to talk about it, but got distracted, and we didn’t get more information. So if that was to happen, I think it was maybe Ursa killing her during the Fortress battle. And He then turned back time. And it was the only planned occasion. The end of STM didn’t originally have the need to do that cause the crevasse didn’t appear in the original story.

One thing they should have left alone from Lester's movie: the opening scene with terrorists rigging a bomb at the Eiffel Tower was bigger, more exciting, and far more cinematic than the small, almost tv-ish episode that plays out at the Daily Planet to open the Donner Cut.

The idea of turning back time, was to erase all of Zod, Ursa and Non’s destruction from the World and put them back into the phantom zone, that was the main thing, sure also erasing Lois’s memory of knowing Clark is Superman was probably another thing he thought about.

I grew up watching the Superman movies and Superman 2 is my favorite/ I’m sorry but the Donner cut Sucks!

Margot Kidder IS Lois Lane. No one else has ever come close. I like the Donner cut better. It fits better with the first.

Donner cut was more action/drama, Lester was Comedy. Donner is the far superior filmmaker ( The Omen , Lethal Weapon , Goonies) the Salskinds were Insane

Which is your preferred version and why:
* SUPERMAN II or
* SUPERMAN II: The Donner Cut?