I wasn’t sure what to expect from Richard Donner’s version of Superman II on DVD. I’d seen a lot of buzz about how great it was, but I’d also seen some reviews that were less than favorable. But I picked it up last night and watched it with my daughters today, and I felt like a kid again. And honestly, if a movie can make me feel like a kid anymore, I think it’s doing allright.
One criticism I’d read was that the scene where Jor El explained again about what the deal was with the Phantom Zone criminals was long and repetitive and boring, and I just didn’t get that. It might have been unnecessary, but it just didn’t seem like a big enough deal to warrant the criticism.
Another complaint some people had was about the use of the screen test footage. I noticed the difference in weight and hair that you could see with Christopher Reeve, but I’m not sure I would have noticed if I hadn’t read about it beforehand.
But the music was great, and the changes to the film to make it less comedic and more dramatic were good changes, I think. The fight scenes between Superman and the Phantom Zone criminals were much improved by the deletion of all those funky powers that we’d never seen Superman use before or since.
Was it better than the version I saw in the theaters? It’s hard to say, because I loved both Superman the Movie and Superman II so much at the theater. It’s one of those golden childhood memories for me. So I think I’ll say I’m undecided, but I am really glad I got to see this version.