If you haven't seen it yet, you need to watch the Richard Donner cut of Superman II. After running over-budget and behind schedule, Donner was fired from the first two Superman movies before they were both finished. This lead to a half-cocked attempt at Superman II, which was rewritten and reshot. 26 years later, Warner Brothers decided to release his version of the film and, in my opinion, it's one of, if not the best comic movie made. And to prove my point, I have made a list of the five moments that should prove my point.
5) Zod Loves Guns - In a scene that you may not think fits, Zod, while attacking the White House, takes a gun and begins to shoot armed forces. With a smile. Powers or not, Zod relishes in destruction and in using their own weapons against them, he becomes a giddy school kid and it scares me even more.
4) Continuity - "Hey guys. You know what we didn't put in Superman that we should put into Superman II? France. We should definitely put France in there.".... Why the hell would Lois Lane be in France?! I mean, I know why they told us she was there, but why the holy hell would Lois Lane be in France?! How about we connect things a little better. Instead of some kind of nuclear bomb in France releasing the Kryptonians, how about we make it so that the missiles that Superman disposed of from the first one do it? That sound a little better? That last one was rhetorical. Anything would be better than France.
3) Giant, Saran Wrap S's Aren't Scary - We just had a big fight between everyone in Metropolis, why bother with another one in the Fortress of Solitude? We go strait to Superman taking away the Kryptonians powers, to them all falling down big cracks. Plain and simple. No netting traps made of big S's, no crazy teleporting. Just Superman out-smarting them, which is why he "ran away" from the other fight to begin with. Save the innocents and take control of it. Without their powers, the bad guys lose. Easy as that.
2) Jor El Hates Pre-Marital Sex - In one small scene, Marlon Brando is able to become a great part of this movie and one of it's best scenes. After Clark comes to him in the Fortress, saying he wants to be human so that he can spend his life with Lois, Jor El reluctantly tells him the only way to do it, and that he thinks one woman isn't worth more than protecting the entire world. After Clark makes his choice and the red sun begins to take away his powers, the floating image head of Jor El glances over at Lois and gives one of the best death eyes you have ever seen given. The amount of distaste in just one, small shot is amazing. And all Lois can do is slink back out of view. A dead guy really just had that much power.
1) Lois is an Investigative Journalist - In what I think may be my favorite comic movie scene ever, Lois discovers Clark is Superman the right way. No longer is Superman an idiot who can't walk strait. No longer will a bear-skin rug be the villain to finally best the Man of Steel. In a moment of brilliant thinking, Lois decides to pull a gun on Clark, knowing what the outcome should be. "I made a mistake because I risked my life instead of yours". Once that Gun goes off, Reeve quickly shows why he's the best. In an instant, we get to see everything about Clark change into Superman: chest puffed out, voice an octave lower and posture that makes him a foot taller. "You realize, of course, if you'd been wrong, Clark Kent would have been killed", "... With a blank?". Bazinga. Just how it should be.
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