Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by RGA (A) on December 15, 2006 at 04:31:49

In Reply to: Superman 2 - Donner version posted by Claude Abraham on December 13, 2006 at 16:06:20:

Sorry I am not buying the repackaged slop to sell an old film to Christmas shoppers on the notion that the Donner is more faithful to the truth of Superman's story.

Firstly Superman is one of if not the absolute weakest written superhero's ever constructed - and IMO it's better to keep tongue in cheek the way the British Lester does than the suck the fun out of it all Donner does.

That said I like a lot of the extended scenes in the Fortress of solitude explaining Superman's heritage - that should have been simply kept in the Lester version as well as the extra bits with the three villains in their glass like prison.

The end of Donner's version is absolutely unforgivably BAD - and no amount of excuses fixes it. The ending of part one was also horrible. People did not like the Lester version regarding Superman's super kiss to wipe Lois' memory of who Clark really is...but the (SPOILER ALERT) fly around the world and turn back time thing is just so bad I was thinking then why the hell did I just watch the whole damn movie if none of it really happens. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE ending - especially since if time was changed then the bit in the diner is faulty plot logic since it never whould have happened to begin with. Oops.

I also prefer the Niagara Falls "I think you are Superman" and jump into the river bit to the replacement...I also think the France terrorist bit is better than not having it.

Lester's version has problems sure - I prefered the editing in the Donner cut to the big fight scenes which seemed faster in the Donner version with less yapping and irrelevant cutaway scenes but on the whole to me the Lester version was funnier wittier and more charming - the Donner version was colder and more serious and probably closer to the comic book - but that is hardly a good thing:

Lester ****/*****
Donner **1/2/*****

This is the same reason Empire Srikes back works for me and Lord of the Rings does not. Both are completely preposterous and have paper thin plots and messages and caricatures. The difference is that Empire and Star Wars knew enough to keep tongue firmly rooted in cheek and even providing us an Abbott and Costello routine in droids. The souless preachathon LOTR series has no such fun and becomes a tedious exercise.