Superman 2: The No Camp Cut
| THIS IS AN UNAPPROVED TRUE FANEDIT by Steve
This takes the best parts of both Superman 2 releases to create a less campy and truly enjoyable version. It uses bits and pieces of several former fan cuts of Superman 2 as well as new editing ideas. Removing Richard Lester’s overall “tone” to the film was first. Fixing the bad cuts from the Donner Cut was next. |
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INTENTION:
To make a fan edit of Superman 2 that I can enjoy.
EDITING DETAILS:
By using bits and pieces of all the fan cuts of Superman 2 that I’ve seen, and put them together, as well as edit things myself. Removing Richard lester’s overall “tone” to the film was first. Fixing the bad cuts from the Donner Cut was next.
CUTLIST:
1. Red Warner’s logo
2. Travel through space towards red sun (S1 footage)
3. DC: Trial recap
4. LC opening credits music with S1 Superman logo and credits (a few DC credits to keep names out that don’t belong). However, I’ve added Brando back in, and while I’ve kept most of the recap shots as the ones from the LC, I’ve changed the ending slightly because…
5. Selutron post time travel. I have HEAVILY edited this scene down from 6 minutes to 3. No Lois, no Jimmy. Just Superman stopping both missiles. I have ALSO used mostly shots from S1 except for the shots the Sel has altered, so almost the ENTIRE scene is DVD quality.
6. “Lex Luthor scheme bombs…”, also shows Sel’s “Superman returns to Metropolis” scene. Back to the DP. Added CAM’s shot of Supes with his arms crossed when Lois figures it out. I trimmed down some of the dialogue when Perry is talking to them, as well as added the close-up of Reeve and Kidder when she pokes him in the ribs. When Lois jumps, she says “Bye bye baby”, and Superman IMMEDIATELY runs downstairs. He opens the shower curtain first as well. Also added a few Lois screams from the Ravine jump, as I did not like the “stock” screams Thau used. Most importantly, I added the “Lois jumps in the ravine” music to this scene, which gives it much more depth IMO.
7. Lex in prison. Not much changed here, added back cop’s voice from LC, but scene is completely DC.
8. DC/LC Moon scene. Used DC for video, LC for audio. Added back in a few RIC lines to. “Well it looks like a normal, electrical, interference.” As well as “And you will have everything you want.” “Men…to KILL”.
9. DC Lex escape. Added back in Lex and Eve waving, as well as “How could you do that to Otis?” “What else is Balise for?”
10. LC Honeymoon scene. Heavily edited to remove BOTH the busboy AND the repeated dialogue from the earlier DP scene.
11. Lex at FOS. Added back in deleted scenes here. Added Sel’s “Lex and Jor-el” scene.
12. DC/LC Niagra rescue: DC for video, LC for audio. Edited this scene to not only remove a lot of unnecessary dialogue (“Once a girls’ seen Superman in action…”), and made Superman save the boy MUCH faster.
13. DC Villains arrive. Actually the first time we see them on Earth in my cut is when the villains are confronted with the cops outside of town. I added the villains theme to this scene to make it more sinister. No floating shotguns here. Zod using his heat vision, cutaway of mountains, sound of explosion.
14. Sel’s blank bullets scene. DC lovers fly north.
15. DC/LC Villains in Idaho. Scene starts with president watching on tv. Edited this scene down heavily (to use helicopter crash and flamethrower “blow out” later in Sel’s scenes), also added villains theme to give scene more depth. Scene ends with reporter saying “I haven’t seen the likes of this since Superman”. Cut to
16. Sel’s “Home movies” scene. Then LC Superman explains his past scene. I removed some of Supes’ “Uh’s” and “Um’s” so he doesn’t stammer as much. He also doesn’t apologize about not having any food. When Lois mentions dinner he immediately says “Tonight, sky’s the limit…”
17. DC Zod delivers speech. Trimmed down some of his lines. Then cut to MT. RUSHMORE scene.
18. LC Soufle’ and Dinner. No orange juice line.
19. Sel’s “Villains in D.C”. Removed “A very strange surface” line. Also added music to bridge this scene with Sel’s “Ursa blows a kiss” scene. I removed the bad shot of the soldiers standing there.
20. DC/LC De-powering. Used mostly DC with LC Lois reactions. I added some blue tint to the Lois shots so there’s continuity with the DC color. I have HEAVILY edited the exchanges between Supes and Jor-el here. I think the reason the LC de-powering still works is because there’s less dialogue, and it gets to the point much clearer and faster. So basically what I did was use the DC scene and make it fit the LC “tone” much more closely. Supes in the chamber still uses DC video with LC audio, as well as the music.
21. Sel’s “Zod speaks to general” scene.
22. LC: Lovers in bed.
23. DC: Washington Monument destroyed with ADDED eye beams and close-up of monument hitting the ground. Then DC Villains arrive at White House. Added the music when the villains arrive at the Daily Planet. I don’t know why Thau didn’t add music for a lot of these pivotal scenes.
24. DC: Don’s Diner. Only audio change was I kept Kidder’s lines from the DC, but used Reeve’s lines from the LC (except for “they knew”, of course)
25. DC: Lex and villains at White House.
26. DC/LC: Clark returns to the fortress/repowering. I used the audio from the LC for “Father!!!”, “I failed”, and “I uh…” in their appropriate DC scenes. I removed “I traded my birthright…” lines. Scene is dark green throughout. I removed Jor’el talking about dying once before. Now the scene goes: “Look at me Kal-el….LOOK AT ME KAL-EL!!!”. Scene ends with the “No junkyard reveal” clip that’s on youtube. Fades to S4 flying through the mountains towards the FOS shot, to the S3 flying over farmland shot, to the S2 flying towards Paris shot, then finishes with a close up shot of Supes face (looking VERY ANGRY). It’s actually the scene from S3 when he is carrying the giant sheet of ice to save the factory. I simply flipped the shot and zoomed in so you don’t see the ice sheet in his hands.
27. DC: Villains invade the DP. Added the appropriate music that was used in the LC. I used Veris’ audio clips for Zod’s voice so it’s deeper in tone.
28. DC/LC Superman returns. Mostly Lester, but now Supes stands there while Zod yells for him to kneel, like in the DC.
29. LC: Metro battle. I used DC shots where I could for better picture quality, but Thau made it impossible for most scenes by trimming and/or speeding up a lot of shots. ALSO, when the bus is thrown, Superman STILL says “Don’t do it!! The people!!” However, we don’t SEE him say it. His smirk threw me off even when I was a kid.
30. DC/LC Metro battle aftermath/ Flight to FOS. Mostly DC, but added LC scene for Ursa saying to kidnap Lois as well. Used RIC line of Zod saying “I trust, you are not wasting my time., Lex Luthor”.
31. DC/LC Showdown at FOS: Added a few LC takes here (and gave these shots a blue tint for DC picture continuity) and I removed the Reeve double in the chamber. Also switched Hackman double when he says “He switched it…” lines. Added DC Hackman shots here, but used soundtrack to keep the triumphant music.
32.DC Artic Police, minus “Smallville strongboy”.
33. DC Fortress destruction and balcony goodbyes.
34. LC next morning: After Lois says “I didn’t close my eyes all night” and walks over to get coffee, I CUT to Lois looking at him while he puts a hand on her shoulder. Then he says “Lois I don’t know what to say”. When they kiss, I play the “Love theme”, and show Perry “Looking” at them curiously (is actually the scene after Supes turns back time at the end of the DC). A few sunset, traffic, and moonlight shots. Fade out.
35. Fade in to next morning. DC scene of Clark and Lois talking at work. I HEAVILY edited this scene to make it seem like they are 2 people with a secret, and are making a joke about it. When Clark walks away to get the pizza and she says “You know you’re really super?”, Clark looks at her suspiciously, and she gives him a thumbs up. He breathes a sigh of relief, and keeps walking. Lois begins to type her story, and when the typewriter DINGS, we CUT to
36. Clark hitting the elevator button. Bully gets in his face. Clark thinks for a minute, Cut to Diner revenge scene.
37. LC Superman returns the flag. After he says “I won’t let you down again” fade out with the sound of the city winds, cut to…
38.LC: DP Paris scene opening. HEAVILY edited this scene down so it happens much quicker. Added in end credits music from S3 as Clark runs down the alley. A few flying shots from S1 (shots are flipped and shortened), S2, and S3. Superman flies off to his next adventure. Fade out. A Richard Donner film, fade to Lester credits.
Hardware and software information : Womble MPEG Video Wizard DVD
Time needed for the edition: Approx. 1 month, but this is the 3rd version. Ideas and early drafts were in the making for about a year and a half.
persons involved: Myself, a few S2 fan editors, and 2 people on youtube who either let me use their footage, or gave me ideas for this cut.
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There were a lot of wonderful things about this FanEdit.
I should really re-watch my Donner Cut DVD to compare some of the stuff in the beginning and middle that I don’t recall quite as clearly as may be needed for a good comparison, but, with that said, I REALLY enjoyed this.
I think the visual f/x and the overall style and pacing and editing were really incredible. This is a VERY strong version of Superman II, and I’m terribly excited about seeing a final version of it with sound issues and hard cuts fixed.
I’m first going to list what didn’t work and then what did. Please don’t be discouraged by the many criticisms, this was very, very well done….
The first thing which stood out as a problem was the arrival of the 3 villains in “Houston” — actually the small town out in TX somewhere unbeknownst to them. The confrontation between the villains and the local sheriff cuts off at an odd moment. I understand you added the sound of an explosion, to imply Zod had used his heat vision to blow them up, but it’s not working. Consider bringing up the explosion sound and perhaps adding a small visual effect of an explosion in your aerial shot. Alternatively, I’d recommend using the scene from The Booshman Cut and adding a blur (the lack of which was the only issue I had w/HIS version of this scene) to show Zod moving quickly to grab the shotgun. (I make the blur and explosion suggestions since you’re clearly very good with the visual f/x.)
The rest of your version of this scene is also problematic — it’s all very random. They walk into a diner, then someone is tossed through the door, with no context. I get the idea of showing that they’re causing havoc, but it still needs to all have context and flow like a real story. And these scenes do not flow. Also, keep in mind, in a movie, even a fast-paced movie, shots rarely last less than 3 seconds. And you have some bizarre quick-cuts that are amidst an otherwise slow scene. (A series of quick-cuts is different.)
Also, when the villains are fighting in the small town, we HEAR the news man before we SEE him. I’d recommend reversing that. We need to know who that is FIRST.
We spend an awful lot of time w/Miss T and Lex heading north. While I enjoyed most of it, it really slows the pacing of the movie down. I recommend cutting some of the stuff in the balloon, on the ice, as well as outside and inside the Fortress. There’s a reason Donner cut it. As a screenwriter myself, I can tell you when writing, the next thing you do is edit the script down. And, for each scene, you have to ask yourself “What am I trying to impart here?” and then boil that scene down JUST to that information. At the Fortress, the important aspects are: Lex finds the Fortress, Lex learns about the Phantom Zone villains. I’m not saying you can’t have some of the other things, but those 2 aspects should be your focus in all that.
Now, this one’s gonna hurt a bit: most of what you did in Niagara Falls works. But placing the screen test scene into the actual final scene didn’t, and let me explain why:
1. it’s an important scene, the first plot point actually, and the visual f/x aren’t quite smooth enough to NOT distract the viewer from what’s happening. I understand, yes, Clark’s hair and glasses change, but that’s FAR LESS distracting than seeing Clark and Lois pasted into the honeymoon suite.
2. Clark never actually reacts to Lois. The Blank Bullets scene is the screen test that proved to Donner these two actors belong together. Why? Because they had INCREDIBLE chemistry. By using Lois from the test and Clark from the Lester movie, you have REMOVED the chemistry, b/c they are clearly not interacting.
BTW, I really enjoyed your establishing shot of the two of them in the suite from the outside but that lasts a bit too long.
You must, must, MUST remove the Mt. Rushmore scene. I despised it as a young boy, and it doesn’t work now. Again, I recommend the Booshman cut: he placed the destruction of the Washington Monument on the TV screen in that scene. It’s much stronger…and the line which follows (“Thousands of hours to create…”) still works.
There’s an odd shot of a brick building when the sirens are sounding around The White House. That tan-colored building stands out, since everything else is, well, white.
Something weird happens when Superman is about to hand Lex over to the authorities outside the Fortress, but the sound is having so many problems there — although for just about 2 seconds — I can’t imagine you’re not aware of it.
The cut from Superman on top of the White House to being back in Metropolis is abrupt…and confusing.
The final thing on this list: you have 4 denouements. The movie ends 4x. Once when Clark and Lois leave the fortress, then again when Clark Kisses Lois at the Planet, then again in the Planet w/Pizza, then AGAIN at the Planet with Paris. I recommend cutting out #2; it’s too confusing to go from DAILY PLANET – DAY to DAILY PLANET – DAY…again. So here’s my recommendation:
Go from the talk up north and the balcony scene to the pizza conversation…the fact they give each other a look about him being “super” is terrific. (You may even be able to remove the balcony scene altogether. If you choose not to, I’ve a recommendation about that scene below.) Then, instead of having Clark say “good morning” to everyone again, just have him walk into Perry’s office. His outfit it ALMOST identical to the previous scene and, since we last saw him leave for a pizza, the natural assumption will be that he’s looking for Lois to give her the pizza since he soon asks about her. (Go from “Get your head out of the clouds” to Jimmy’s line.)
Besides, the middle ending has a weird shot of Perry that seems awfully random. (Although you did a WONDERFUL job on the music in that middle one.) I also recommend, in Day 2 at the Planet, when Clark comes in the NEXT
Balcony recommendation: when Lois is dropped-off on the balcony, cut to him flying off after he puts his hand to her shoulder, b/c continuing to show how upset she is is meant to be a portent of things to come (i.e., a Super-kiss or him Turning Back the World), but since you’re giving them a HAPPY ending, the long goodbye is awkward.
Several sound issues at the start and the end (and a VERY hard cut between saving Jimmy/Lois and feed Miss Tessmacher to the babies you need to fix) I’m assuming you’re aware of and need to fix.
The good:
I’m 99% certain you re-edited the opening of the film different from the Donner Cut, and I loved it. Wonderful way to remind us that he’s ALREADY turned back the world, so there’s no reason to have him do it again.
I believe you also added a “Lois?!” from Clark looking out the Daily Planet window at Lois on a fruit stand. Also wonderful, and a major issue I had w/the Donner Cut. I’m guessing you took it from the Jump in The Water scene in Niagara Falls. I also like how you re-did the pacing on the scene of Lois jumping out of the Planet window.
I’m glad you didn’t use the Otis & Lex repairing the car escape. The hot air balloon is much stronger.
I enjoyed Lois and Supes in the Fortress. Good work there.
The villains attacking at the mall in Washington was brilliant.
I really liked seeing where Ursa got her ribbons (in the Oval Office). Again, I don’t remember that in The Donner Cut and, as a kid, not knowing really bugged me.
People are going to get on your case about using “Oh, Superman!” twice in the big fight in Act 3, but I didn’t mind it.
If there’s any way for you to work your magic on some of the extended fight scenes, to make the f/x better, please do. It’s still a nice piece of work.
Your actual FINAL scene is just wonderful. It leaves you wanting a Superman III. (Heh.) Seriously, great music edit there, great use of other unused shots. A really PERFECT end scene.
Overall, I really liked this. My strongest recommendations out of all of the above: Fix the villains in the western town and fix the denouements. This was really a, dare I say it, stupendous piece of work! I’m thoroughly impressed and looking forward to the final!
Congratulations on a great cut!
-PBot
p.s. if anyone can get a hold of ADIGITALMAN, I’m desperate for his extended cut of Blazing Saddles. Thx!
Review by Phlegmbot — November 7, 2010 @ 4:07 am
p.p.s . BTW, this unfinished sentence in the above: “Besides, the middle ending has a weird shot of Perry that seems awfully random. (Although you did a WONDERFUL job on the music in that middle one.) I also recommend, in Day 2 at the Planet, when Clark comes in the NEXT ” was just info I place elsewhere. Apologies for any confusion.
Review by Phlegmbot — November 7, 2010 @ 4:13 am
This was really strong, I dug it!
Honestly, other than the new effects, which are NOT flawless, but this is my definitive cut, awesome stuff!
9.5!
Review by Checker222 — December 9, 2010 @ 7:56 am