In Superman II....
Mar 3, 2021 19:28:50 GMT
twothousandonemark, Dramatic Look Gopher, and 1 more like this
Post by MCDemuth on Mar 3, 2021 19:28:50 GMT
I prefer the "super kiss" in the Lester cut, however silly that may be, over reversing the world to turn back time again in the Donner cut.
(FOR ALL POSTERS HERE...)
Well you've got to understand how the production was originally planned...
Donner was shooting S1 and II at the same time, and S1 was supposed to have been a cliffhanger, ending with the villains being freed by the missile...
As originally planned, Lois was NOT going to die in the Earthquake, and Superman was NOT going to go back into time to save her...
The DONNER CUT of Superman II, is mostly how the film was supposed to have been originally released as it was being filmed by Donner...
Superman would have ONLY gone back into time, in the SECOND film... NOT AGAIN.
When the relationship between DONNER and the Salkinds soured, and the budget for both films kept Skyrocketing... The decision was made, to stop shooting II, and they scrapped the cliffhanger ending to S1. This decision also required there to be an ENDING to S1, and so, they decided to Kill Lois, and have Superman go back into time to save her.
It was believed, that if II would ever be finished, that they would do something different for the ending.
When S1 did well at the box office...
Donner was fired, and Lester was brought in... Director's credit requires shooting at least 51% of film, and with about 75% of II already filmed, Reshoots were a must. While they were at it, some changes needed to be made as well.
The film now needed an opening... And the ending needed to be something different from the first film.
(I agree with the "Super Kiss" since using Time Travel again, makes Superman too powerful... Just go back in time, and undo the whole movie, each time? NOPE. That's stupid)
When anyone watches the Donner Cut of Superman II, you must understand, that is NOT a sequel to the Theatrical Release of S1... Because changes were made to S1, AFTER the Donner Cut of Superman II was abandoned...
It just a 'WHAT IF' for the Die Hard fans... It's not Cannon.
Interestingly, I know there have been some good attempts by Fans over the years to merge parts from both versions of II... and one guy even made a more involved TIME TRAVEL sequence as a recap for S1 for II to better explain how Superman saved Lois while she still remembered the Earthquake.
Time Travel Revisited, Opening Credits, Lois goes to Paris, the elevator bomb frees the villains, Lois and Clark at the Daily Planet, Lois jumps out the window, The Niagara Falls Story, Lois Jumps in the River (a second attempt to make Clark reveal himself)... The middle part of the film varies... The Donner Cut order of the "Lex at the Whitehouse" & "Clark walks back to the Fortress" scenes are a MUST for better timing... Jor'El restores Clark's powers... The Lester Cut with the Super Kiss finishes the film.
By the way, the stuff with the Bully at the Diner, does not work in the Donner Cut...
Superman goes back into time, and therefor the Bully does not beat up Clark... So Clark getting his revenge, now makes Clark become the bully, because the Bully doesn't know who Clark is.
I Cringe, when I think about how Donner didn't understand this continuity error as he was filming both films as planned.
Interestingly, these Bully at the Diner scenes were all shot by Donner... Lester had nothing to do with them. Donner even makes a quick Cameo as Lois and Clark drive up... Lester's "Super Kiss" ending, actually fixes the continuity problem, so that it works.
Yeah, we all want the Bully to know, who Clark is, when he comes back at the end.