Superman: Son of Jor-El

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Superman: Son of Jor-El
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1978 & 1980/2006
Original Running Time:
143/115 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
153 minutes
Time Cut:
105 minutes
Synopsis:
This edit combines Superman The Movie and Superman II into a single narrative that strips out the distractions of Lex Luther’s land-grab and instead focuses on the relationship between Kal-El and his father Jor-El, and the challenges that Superman faces in accepting his duty and destiny. With an entirely new ending that does not rely on time travel or memory-wiping kisses, we finally have a Superman with an ending of consequence, where the events we invested our time watching, have meaning.
Intention:
The first half of Superman The Movie is epic and beautiful while sadly the second half spirals into camp. Lex Luthor, though brilliantly performed by Gene Hackman, is reduced to a comedic schemer with bumbling henchmen. Even worse the time-travel fixes-everything ending is clumsy, poorly executed and is really a WTF moment in movie cinema. Jor-El warns of dire consequences, yet Superman seems to get everything he wants without penalty.

Superman II had fulfilled the arc set-up by the first movie, but was butchered by Richard Lester and again was saddled with the slapstick of Lex Luthor bickering with Miss Teschmacher. Even the vastly superior Richard Donner Cut, while eliminating many horrible moments created by Lester, relied upon the Deus ex machina time-travel ending which results in the unsatisfying conclusion to everything that happened.

This edit strips out the entire Lex Luthor plot-line from the Superman The Movie portion and melds the two movies into a single narrative arc which has always been at the heart of the two movies from their inception. Relying on the restored Donner footage, this new story heavily focuses on the relationship between Jor-El and Kal-El. Kal-El struggles to find his place on Earth, and reconcile his personal needs and emotions with the expectations given to him by his father. But most importantly, this movie ends with our characters fulfilling their journey. No turning-back the clock, no memory-wipes. Fina

Other Sources:
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman Returns
Special Thanks:
A very special thank you to DwightFrye78 who provided feedback on multiple versions of this edit. His feedback, support and enthusiasm for this project has been truly appreciated.
Release Information:
  • DVD
  • DVD
Special Features:
Alternate Ending with introductory title cards, Trailer and ‘Brief Superman Movie History’ and ‘About this FanEdit’ featurettes
Cuts and Additions:
This edit is based on a work-print created by Jelio. The key to making this combination of both movies into a single and compelling story (that clocks in well under 3 hours) is in how Jor-El’s enemies are freed from the phantom zone. Rather than constructing elaborate subplots of Lex Luthor wanting land, or terrorists in France, Jelio conceived simply to have Superman hurl a malfunctioning missile into space. The solution is simple elegantly eliminates everything that happens after Lois’ date with Superman

With the major hurdle resolved Jelio inter-cut the relevant portions of Superman II into the transitioning section between I and II. Starting with a scene-for-scene reproduction of his work-print, I worked closely with Jelio creating several versions of this edit. Throughout the editing process we bounced ideas off each other as to the best ways to minimize or eliminate camp, strengthen characters, and overall, create a movie that best-suited both of our sensibilities regarding Superman. It was a truly collaborative effort in determining the best way to fit this puzzle together.

This edit primarily uses footage from
- Superman The Movie, the extended Donner version
- Superman II The Richard Donner Cut

But also uses brief footage from:
- Superman IV: Quest for Peace (missile footage)
- Superman Returns (Planet Krypton)

A Warning Before you download!
Lex Luthor is not introduced until just before the third act. This is an unavoidable narrative necessity because with the film available, he cannot be introduced earlier without derailing the story that this edit is intended to tell.
While this does not create any technical plot holes, it can rankle those who feel that story-wise, all vital characters must always be introduced early, and then nurtured throughout a movie. If that is you, or If you are looking for a movie with Lex throughout, there are many other excellent Superman edits out there.

Cut list:

This list is in no way comprehensive as many elements were moved around to make the flow as smooth as possible, but this represents the bulk of what happened. Unless noted otherwise, all footage is from the Donner versions of 1 and 2.

Starting with Superman The Movie

- Delete opening credits
- Swap out establishing shot of red sun and Krypton with Superman Returns establishing shot
- Slightly re-cut Destruction of Krypton/Kal-El’s escape to remove Jor-El and Lara’s running around, improve pacing and move baby Kal-El’s escape as far back as possible to be closer to the destruction of Krypton
- New title sequence inter-cut with Kal-El’s journey to Earth (no Jor-El voice-over).
- Delete’Lois Lane’ reference inside the train (how old she supposed to be?)
- Restored theatrical version of Martha Kent in the morning setting breakfast.
- Delete all Otis/Lex/Teschmacher footage.
- Trim Clark going to elevator to remove rudeness of his co-workers
- Trim helicopter accident to improve pacing
- Trim cops and robbers chase through Metropolis, scene picks up with Superman seeing shoot-out on the pier.
- Delete Air Force One sequence
- Delete cat rescue sequence
- Insert heavily modified sequence of Superman hurling a malfunctioning missile test into space and freeing the Kryptonians from the phantom zone (uses footage from STM as well as both Donner and Lester footage of S2)
- Cut to Superman in FOS from extended STM version.
- Cut to Perry Demanding interview with Lois, scene runs normal.
- Cut to mission control from S2
- Trim out all Kryptonians talking to Astronauts in space, run to Zod throwing Soviet into space
- Cut to Lois waiting for Superman from STM
- Trim flying sequence; no Statue of Liberty, no falling, no spoken-word ‘Can you read my mind?’, conclude with Lois leaving for date with Clark.
- Cut to S2 footage exterior of Daily Planet (this picks up after Donner version has Kryptonians freed)
- Brief insert of STM newspaper headline “Night I Spent with Superman” while we hear Perry compliment Lois on her article (real article is about Lex Luthor and Missiles but we don’t see it) continue into scene of Lois figuring out who Clark’s real identity.
- Delete stale joke of Clark saying Lois stepped outside.
- Cut to Zod driving toward Lunar Lander, runs through to static in Mission control
- Delete hair drier joke
- cut back to Moon, and Kryptonians discussing their new powers
- cut to establishing shot of honeymoon hideaway with audio of Clark knocking on door, run Donner version of Clark’s secrete discovered scene.
- Delete reference to other events that don’t exist in this edit
- Inter-cut romance story and Superman giving up his powers with Kryptonians wreaking havoc and taking the White House
- Cut to Diner scene, plays out
- Cut to Lex at White House. Trim some dialogue that is over-the-top from Lex. This scene establishes how Lex knows about Superman, he introduces himself as genius criminal, and that he’s the best there is.
- Cut to trimmed version of Clark traveling to the FOS
- Remove scene of him lying on the floor after Jor-El gives him his powers back, we get the bright white and that’s it.
- Cut to Daily Planet
- Trim the meeting inside Perry’s office once Zod arrives, eliminate flat jokes, improve pacing
- Insert Lester version of Superman arriving “Care to step outside?”
- Trimmed and slightly rearranged battle over Metropolis using both Donner and Lester Cut to remove Statue of Liberty.
- During Zod and co. flight to FOS, insert Lex saying “NORTH! NORTH!”
- In FOS, reduce Lex’s dialogue that establishes specific history between the two. He’s a known criminal and that is all we know.
- Delete Superman destroying the FOS
- Use rooftop as final scene, Lois delivers final line “There he goes kid. Up up and away.”
- Fade to black, transition to shot of Superman over Earth, cue John Williams.
Trailer

Untitled3
Cover
Superman_SonOfJor_El_cosmiccover
Superman_SonOfJor_El_CosmicDiscart3
Superman_SonOfJor_El_CosmicDiscArt4
Superman_SonOfJor_El_Disc2
Superman_SonOfJor_El_Disc1
Superman_SonOfJor_El_herocover
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1978 & 1980/2006
Original Running Time:
143/115 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
153 minutes
Time Cut:
105 minutes
Synopsis:
This edit combines Superman The Movie and Superman II into a single narrative that strips out the distractions of Lex Luther’s land-grab and instead focuses on the relationship between Kal-El and his father Jor-El, and the challenges that Superman faces in accepting his duty and destiny. With an entirely new ending that does not rely on time travel or memory-wiping kisses, we finally have a Superman with an ending of consequence, where the events we invested our time watching, have meaning.
Intention:
The first half of Superman The Movie is epic and beautiful while sadly the second half spirals into camp. Lex Luthor, though brilliantly performed by Gene Hackman, is reduced to a comedic schemer with bumbling henchmen. Even worse the time-travel fixes-everything ending is clumsy, poorly executed and is really a WTF moment in movie cinema. Jor-El warns of dire consequences, yet Superman seems to get everything he wants without penalty.

Superman II had fulfilled the arc set-up by the first movie, but was butchered by Richard Lester and again was saddled with the slapstick of Lex Luthor bickering with Miss Teschmacher. Even the vastly superior Richard Donner Cut, while eliminating many horrible moments created by Lester, relied upon the Deus ex machina time-travel ending which results in the unsatisfying conclusion to everything that happened.

This edit strips out the entire Lex Luthor plot-line from the Superman The Movie portion and melds the two movies into a single narrative arc which has always been at the heart of the two movies from their inception. Relying on the restored Donner footage, this new story heavily focuses on the relationship between Jor-El and Kal-El. Kal-El struggles to find his place on Earth, and reconcile his personal needs and emotions with the expectations given to him by his father. But most importantly, this movie ends with our characters fulfilling their journey. No turning-back the clock, no memory-wipes. Fina

Other Sources:
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman Returns
Special Thanks:
A very special thank you to DwightFrye78 who provided feedback on multiple versions of this edit. His feedback, support and enthusiasm for this project has been truly appreciated.
Release Information:
  • DVD
  • DVD
Special Features:
Alternate Ending with introductory title cards, Trailer and ‘Brief Superman Movie History’ and ‘About this FanEdit’ featurettes
Cuts and Additions:
This edit is based on a work-print created by Jelio. The key to making this combination of both movies into a single and compelling story (that clocks in well under 3 hours) is in how Jor-El’s enemies are freed from the phantom zone. Rather than constructing elaborate subplots of Lex Luthor wanting land, or terrorists in France, Jelio conceived simply to have Superman hurl a malfunctioning missile into space. The solution is simple elegantly eliminates everything that happens after Lois’ date with Superman

With the major hurdle resolved Jelio inter-cut the relevant portions of Superman II into the transitioning section between I and II. Starting with a scene-for-scene reproduction of his work-print, I worked closely with Jelio creating several versions of this edit. Throughout the editing process we bounced ideas off each other as to the best ways to minimize or eliminate camp, strengthen characters, and overall, create a movie that best-suited both of our sensibilities regarding Superman. It was a truly collaborative effort in determining the best way to fit this puzzle together.

This edit primarily uses footage from
- Superman The Movie, the extended Donner version
- Superman II The Richard Donner Cut

But also uses brief footage from:
- Superman IV: Quest for Peace (missile footage)
- Superman Returns (Planet Krypton)

A Warning Before you download!
Lex Luthor is not introduced until just before the third act. This is an unavoidable narrative necessity because with the film available, he cannot be introduced earlier without derailing the story that this edit is intended to tell.
While this does not create any technical plot holes, it can rankle those who feel that story-wise, all vital characters must always be introduced early, and then nurtured throughout a movie. If that is you, or If you are looking for a movie with Lex throughout, there are many other excellent Superman edits out there.

Cut list:

This list is in no way comprehensive as many elements were moved around to make the flow as smooth as possible, but this represents the bulk of what happened. Unless noted otherwise, all footage is from the Donner versions of 1 and 2.

Starting with Superman The Movie

- Delete opening credits
- Swap out establishing shot of red sun and Krypton with Superman Returns establishing shot
- Slightly re-cut Destruction of Krypton/Kal-El’s escape to remove Jor-El and Lara’s running around, improve pacing and move baby Kal-El’s escape as far back as possible to be closer to the destruction of Krypton
- New title sequence inter-cut with Kal-El’s journey to Earth (no Jor-El voice-over).
- Delete’Lois Lane’ reference inside the train (how old she supposed to be?)
- Restored theatrical version of Martha Kent in the morning setting breakfast.
- Delete all Otis/Lex/Teschmacher footage.
- Trim Clark going to elevator to remove rudeness of his co-workers
- Trim helicopter accident to improve pacing
- Trim cops and robbers chase through Metropolis, scene picks up with Superman seeing shoot-out on the pier.
- Delete Air Force One sequence
- Delete cat rescue sequence
- Insert heavily modified sequence of Superman hurling a malfunctioning missile test into space and freeing the Kryptonians from the phantom zone (uses footage from STM as well as both Donner and Lester footage of S2)
- Cut to Superman in FOS from extended STM version.
- Cut to Perry Demanding interview with Lois, scene runs normal.
- Cut to mission control from S2
- Trim out all Kryptonians talking to Astronauts in space, run to Zod throwing Soviet into space
- Cut to Lois waiting for Superman from STM
- Trim flying sequence; no Statue of Liberty, no falling, no spoken-word ‘Can you read my mind?’, conclude with Lois leaving for date with Clark.
- Cut to S2 footage exterior of Daily Planet (this picks up after Donner version has Kryptonians freed)
- Brief insert of STM newspaper headline “Night I Spent with Superman” while we hear Perry compliment Lois on her article (real article is about Lex Luthor and Missiles but we don’t see it) continue into scene of Lois figuring out who Clark’s real identity.
- Delete stale joke of Clark saying Lois stepped outside.
- Cut to Zod driving toward Lunar Lander, runs through to static in Mission control
- Delete hair drier joke
- cut back to Moon, and Kryptonians discussing their new powers
- cut to establishing shot of honeymoon hideaway with audio of Clark knocking on door, run Donner version of Clark’s secrete discovered scene.
- Delete reference to other events that don’t exist in this edit
- Inter-cut romance story and Superman giving up his powers with Kryptonians wreaking havoc and taking the White House
- Cut to Diner scene, plays out
- Cut to Lex at White House. Trim some dialogue that is over-the-top from Lex. This scene establishes how Lex knows about Superman, he introduces himself as genius criminal, and that he’s the best there is.
- Cut to trimmed version of Clark traveling to the FOS
- Remove scene of him lying on the floor after Jor-El gives him his powers back, we get the bright white and that’s it.
- Cut to Daily Planet
- Trim the meeting inside Perry’s office once Zod arrives, eliminate flat jokes, improve pacing
- Insert Lester version of Superman arriving “Care to step outside?”
- Trimmed and slightly rearranged battle over Metropolis using both Donner and Lester Cut to remove Statue of Liberty.
- During Zod and co. flight to FOS, insert Lex saying “NORTH! NORTH!”
- In FOS, reduce Lex’s dialogue that establishes specific history between the two. He’s a known criminal and that is all we know.
- Delete Superman destroying the FOS
- Use rooftop as final scene, Lois delivers final line “There he goes kid. Up up and away.”
- Fade to black, transition to shot of Superman over Earth, cue John Williams.
Cover art by Rogue-theX (DOWNLOAD HERE)
Hero Cover with Disc Art #1: image

Hero Cover with Disc Art #2: image

Cosmic Cover with Disc Art #3: image

Cosmic Cover with Disc Art #4: image

Cover art by Eldiablosuizo (DOWNLOAD HERE)
image

Trailer

Trusted Reviewer reviews

5 reviews
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.3(3)
Audio Editing
 
9.7(3)
Visual Editing
 
9.3(3)
Narrative
 
8.7(3)
Enjoyment
 
8.8(5)
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
My standpoint coming in was this:
Superman The Movie- I always loved the film, except I hated the goofy portrayal of Luthor (see the animated Superman series for a faithful comic book adaptation of him) and I never saw the appeal of Margot Kidder. Narratively, however, it works great except for the ending.
Superman II- I've watched multiple DVD cuts, and all of them have good and bad bits. Zod is of course a compelling villain, but a lot of the powers used by those 3 and by Superman look goofy and cheesy as hell. The ending is a mess as well.

So a fan-edit would have to fix the above elements for me. While this one fixes the end of Superman The Movie, the wrap-up from Superman II still doesn't work for me, and the inclusions of some power usage are still problematic. It's an improvement over any other cut of Superman II I've seen, but if I HAVE to choose between watching this edit or just watching Superman The Movie and skipping Superman II, I'll take the latter.

Technically, this is very high quality. Lots of care and expertise put in. The edits are smooth and most cuts are inspired. The narrative KIND OF works, but there are some leaps in logic by characters, some of which were also problematic in the original films. The inclusion of early test footage between Clark and Lois was jarring for me and my friends when we watched it. Cutting back and forth between that and the footage filmed later was very apparent for us. Reeve just looked quite thinner and different in the earlier footage. Besides that, most edits fit pretty well.

Overall, worth a watch, but I'm still looking for some way to incorporate the good bits of Superman II. I'm not even sure if it's possible, tbh. That film is just a mess. Great effort here, though.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
No
Format Watched
DVD
Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I really liked this fanedit. Definitely replaces Supes 1 and 2 for me.

Audio/Video Quality

It was good. Not crystal clear but considering the movies are movies from the late 70's and early 80's that's understandable.

Audio/Video Editing

Flawless in my opinion. Not one instance that a cut is noticable.

Narrative

Great except for one thing: How does Lex Luthor know Jor-El and The Fortress of Solitude? He hasn't been there yet. The newspaper? No, it never mentioned Jor-El. If we exclude that, the narrative amazingly works!

Enjoyment

Despite my Lex nitpick, I enjoyed this the whole time. It was so fun! No time-travel, no magic kiss, no stupid landgrabbing (even Superman Returns' landgrabbing made more sense!) and surprisingly the Superman Returns Krypton establishing shot worked perfectly!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this to the people who want a near perfect Superman movie!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
DVD
Owner's reply March 12, 2014

Thank you for this awesome Review and I'm really glad that you enjoyed it overall.

There is no getting around the Lex issue, and it's one of the rare instances where as a faneditor I relied on implication to tie narrative ends. Because Lex is the 'greatest criminal mind' and clearly his reputation as a really bad guy based on everyone's reaction, I had to let Lex's brief explanation stand.. "How do you know all this?" "Because I'm Lex Luthor, (and I'm smart as hell.)

I've been toying with doing a HD re-edit of this and if I ever really do, I've toyed with creating two versions. One which keeps the original edit which is what Jelio and I worked out, and then one that tries to interweave Lex earlier. I have a few ideas on how I might be able to accomplish that without bringing in Otis and Miss Tessmacher, or at least without their buffoonery.

Anyhow, I'm glad that you enjoyed this in spite of the Lex Conundrum!

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(Updated: September 12, 2012)
Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
N/A
Audio Editing
 
N/A
Visual Editing
 
N/A
Narrative
 
N/A
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Review by bionicbob — January 1, 2011 @ 11:33 pm

The following review is based upon my viewing of the Single Layer dvd release,
and be warned, if you have not seen the edit yet,
there will be SPOILERS in the review.

“Rocketed to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton, the baby Kal-el was found and raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kanas. Now an adult, Clark Kent fights for Truth, Justice and the American Way as SUPERMAN!!!”

We all know the legend.
But never before has a Fan Edit so perfectly captured and retold the core Superman story of his Kryptonian origins!

L8wrtr and Jelio have created a wonderfully entertaining tale in their merging of Superman One and Two.
I found the entire viewing experience to be highly enjoyable and engaging.

The newly created Opening Credits are fantastically done.
Kudos for putting Chris Reeve’s name up first, it is well deserved!

The transition from the Fortress of Solitude to the Metropolis cab ride (Otis who?) is perfect.

The making of the Missile Toss as just another part of Superman’s first day on the job is brilliant.
Having Superman fly into the Metropolis sunrise towards the daylight missile crisis is very clever.
Though one will have to assume Metropolis is somewhere on the West Coast since it is only dawn there
and clearly full morning at the missile launch. Which is no big deal since on the tv series Smallville,
Clark’s home town is clearly stated to be in Kanas, and Metropolis is only around an hour commute away,
and yet Metropolis is clearly built along an ocean coast line!
…. hhmmmm…. geography in the DC Universe is very different than that of our world!

The swapping out of the Daily Planet Newspaper headline of Superman defeating Luthor
with the “I Spent A Night With Superman” was a very smart edit.

The infamous Niagra Falls hotel scene….. I have gone on the record before that this scene bugs me.
It bugged me in the official Donner Cut and it bugged me in the Booshman edit.
I fully acknowledge the scene is better written and acted than the Lester version,
but continual switching of Clark’s hair, glasses and overall physique I find very distracting and
breaks the “reality” the scene for me.
That said, I will admit, of all the versions I have seen (both official and editted),
this the strongest and most effective use of the Donner Hotel scene.
And that is entirely because of how cleverly L8 and Jelio have reconstructed the narrative–
well done guys!

Regarding the Moon and First Date timeline, I can see why some viewers have brought up the issue.
It might have been nice if the Moon sequence had resumed after the date ended and before the Newspaper
headline scene, but I think the timeline works either way. Zod and his co-horts are so Evil, I can easily see them up there on the Moon teasing and torturing the poor astronauts for hours and days on end until they got bored.
It is a creative choice and as a viewer I had no real issue with it.

As to the whole Lex Luthor controversy.
I think both L8wrtr and Jelio have clearly stated their reasoning
for their creative choice in this matter, and I see no reason to debate it.
It is their edit and I respect choice.

The 28 Hours scene is a FANTASTIC and a BRILLIANT choice.
This scene alone truly clarifies and deepens Kal-el’s relationship with Jor-el
and makes Jor-el’s final embrace/sacrifice all that more powerful.
BRAVO!!!

In regards to the ending, I think (like Booshman) it was a smart move having Lois retain knowledge
of Kal-el’s duel identities, it adds both a sad and hopeful lyrical quality to the story. Nice music replacement during the Kiss too!!!

All in all, an excellent edit.
Technically, I did not notice any significant issues, though I did only watch it on my computer screen and not on a fullscreen tv with stereo sound.

I think the new narrative in regards to Kal-el’s relationships with both Lois and Jor-el is poignant
and by far the best rendition of it I have come across thus far.

If you are Superman Fan,
a definite must see.
Thumbs Up!

I would give it a final score of 8.5 out of 10!
Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
(Updated: September 12, 2012)
Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
N/A
Audio Editing
 
N/A
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9.0
Review by TMBTM — December 29, 2010 @ 5:56 pm

Okay, I’ve seen Son of Jor El.
I must say that this edit is very good, the pace is wonderful,
the connection between the two movies is very smart and well done.
The opening credits are great, the editing work during all the movie was good,
minus a little sound problem (or at least it felt like this to me) when Jor El begins to tell the story of Krypton.
The “back the moon” scene worked well for me. Sure the passing of time is a bit odd, but it flows well in the movie.
The story between Lois and Clark worked wonderfuly to me also.

In fact I loved everything in this edit exept one thing, and it is… drum roll…
Lex Luthor, you got it. I’m not very original with this one!
Well, I love Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor, I’m glad he’s in this edit.
But in a great movie you don’t throw a character with such knowledge about the plot that’s going on without some explanations (even the biggest criminal brain in the world! ) specialy if he appears only in the third act of the movie.
but well, if there are no scene to work with to add those explanations, then I guess this edit do the best possible with what’s available.
So this is the only thing that prevent this great edit to be a great movie, to me.

That said it did not prevent me to really enjoyed it and I can easily recommend it to every Superman’s fans.
You will sure be pleased

(side note: cutting the credits to insert the last bar scene, then cut back to the credits did not work very well to me.)
Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
(Updated: September 05, 2012)
Overall rating
 
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
I loved this edit. There are many hybrid superman 1&2 cuts, but this is the only one that that I feel has been able to combine the narratives in a way that did not feel like two films stuck together, but rather a singular narrative. Son of Jorel is a brilliant superman film, and really trims both lengthy movies down to the core themes and relationships. There is so much to love about this edit, it's hard to know what to mention.

Of special note is the ending. In both Superman 1 and 2, the ending was a letdown. The time travel was certainly dramatic, but was so full of plot holes that it was overall just too problematic. And the superman kiss is, well, silly. The ending of Son of Jorel is really quite something - It's poignant, emotional and powerful. And it ties all the themes together beautifully.

Also of note was the way in which Lois was treated. I loved that by combining the two films, we arrive at that fantastic scene where Lois accuses Clark of being Superman sooner. And from then on, she won't let go. This is much more believable for a character as smart as Lois. It's such a shame that the blank bullet scene was never filmed properly - It's a wonderful moment in the story, and so so much better than the pink bear scene. But of course it will forever be distracting for the poor quality of the scene and clark's changing hair style... Ah well, nothing we can do about that.

I understand L8wrtr may consider an HD upgrade of this wonderful edit in the future. If that is the case, I do have some suggestions. They're not criticisms, so much as personal preferences if this movie is to undergoe minro surgery on its way to HD land.

(Spoilers)
- While I love that you removed 'can you read my mind', I missed Lois falling and Superman catching her again. I always found that moment endearing, showing how caught up in the moment they both are that they forget the logistics of flying... but no big deal
- I would add the "I was thinking we could get a hamburger" line back in. I always find it funny, especially after clark says he wants to show lois the time of her life. It's Clark nice.
- I loved that you deleted most of the dialogue of the 3 villains in space - there's no air up there, so they shouldn't be able to talk! But then, at the very last, you had the scene of them deciding to go to earth, talking merrily on the moon. I really feel you can lose this scene without any problem. If we see them flying towards earth, we'll assume the rest. And then you can preserve the 'no talking in space' illusion. (as opposed to a trick. which is something a whore does for money).
- I felt there was room for some added sound effects to add drama to the 'clark losing his power scene', to add to the tension before the explosions start.
- I had no problem with Luthor arriving late in the piece... it's a shame that he knows where the fortress of solitude is though... I guess we can assume, being the greatest criminal mind in the universe, that he devised a way to figure it out. So at the end of the day, this is no problem.
- The line "Then die as you deserve to" sounds odd without the lines preceding it. It would make more sense to cut the "then", and just have the dialogue be "you are a coward, like your father before you. Die as you deserve to".
- I would cut Non being trapped by the very weak looking spire. There is no way in the world that would trap him.
- Lastly, there is a spelling mistake (The word 'ahead') in the alternative ending special feature, and a 20 second black hole in between the text and the actual footage. btw, I am very glad you chose the ending that you did! It is quite brilliant.

Well done Jelio and L8wrtr, this is really a gift to all of us Superman fans, and finally delivers a worthy combined edit of Superman 1 and 2. 10/10


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1-3 stars
 
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Overall rating
 
9.1
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.4(11)
Audio Editing
 
9.4(7)
Visual Editing
 
9.0(8)
Narrative
 
8.4(7)
Enjoyment
 
8.9(20)
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Overall rating
 
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Very good edit. Includes the essential elements of Donner's two Superman movies and mostly feels cohesive.

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
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Overall rating
 
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
This is old, but I recently watched this and wanted to drop my thoughts. For years, I've felt like Superman (1978) was so close to being the perfect comic book movie. The first half and Reeve's performance are incredibly mythic. The camp really brings it down though. I always thought combining the beautiful Smallville sections with the more dramatic Superman II would be interesting. This edit does that and it's close to becoming my definitive Superman movie. By stripping most of the camp and focusing on the core character of Clark Kent, the editor really is able to create this character driven piece. The recurrent theme of Clark's humanity and destiny (presented to us in the form of Jor-El), coupled with the strong focus on the Lois relationship, makes this feel like one coherent movie. Importantly, it's never disrespectful to the source material. It's fun, but it's also mythic and powerful. That new ending scene is fantastic. I also liked the looming threat of Zod that was present throughout the movie. It's a really creative device that ties both movies together and adds momentum.

As some have mentioned, the big problem that really signals that this is actually made up of 2 longer movies is the sudden appearance of Lex. It does feel out of place. The structure is also a bit weird. As I said, adding these recurring scenes of Zod and Co. was a good way to break up the plain structure of the first two-thirds. Some scenes feel like they should be closer together though. I think the part on the moon feels pretty awkward as is. We see Zod on the moon. We go back to the A-plot for 30 minutes or so. We come back and they're still on the moon. That feeling of momentum is lost. I would also personally add in some extra scenes in those first 2 hours. Since the camp and all subplots have been stripped out of the Superman I and Superman II Niagara scenes, the movie gains a lot of dignity. Unfortunately, it also loses a bit of the "super." We have this core plot about Lois and Clark with nothing else until Zod arrives on Earth. It's nice, but the singular focus is a bit monotonous and it feels a little like we're watching a compilation of Clark/Lois scenes instead of a fully fledged movie. I think adding in some fat (the cut scenes from Superman I) would round it out a bit. This will also give the impression that some time has passed. Currently, it feels like the whole movie takes place in a week.

Aside from those points, this is a fantastic edit. I'll definitely rewatch it L8wrtr ever revisit it.

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
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Overall rating
 
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
I loved this fanedit. Definitely is the real Superman.

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
DVD
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Overall rating
 
8.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
7.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
An interesting cut, which I enjoyed despite some of the problems which have been pointed out by others. The late arrival of Luthor didn't bother me as much as I thought. What did bother me is that throughout the film everyone seemed to know so much about things that they shouldn't have. The characters had a history with each other that is not supported by the timeline.

All of the scene transitions seemed fine and I didn't discern any real problems with the audio. I thought there might have been a bit of leftover audio at about 39:30 where Jor-el was saying something that was cut but you could stil hear bits of it. It also seemed as if the video quality skipped around between higher and lower quality resolution throughout. Some of the scenes seemed fuzzy while others were sharp and clear.

The editors used the superior Donner cut for the reveal of Superman's identity, which is distracting because of the problem with his glasses switching types, but this is a limitation of the source material. I still enjoyed seeing these films in a different light and would recommend it.

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Yes
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Overall rating
 
7.7
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
5.0
Enjoyment
 
6.0
While on paper this may seem like a great idea the final version creates so many plot-holes it takes away the overall enjoyment I had for the edit.

Within a week superman aka Clark Kent joins the daily planet and befriends Louis lane, a few days later miss lane falls from a helicopter to which Clark Kent becomes superman for the first time. the next night Louis interviews superman, then the very next day Louis suspects Clark Kent to be superman and then that very evening her suspension are confirmed. Our hero then decides to fly Louis to his secret hide out were he then gives up his powers because he's in love and no-longer wants to protect the earth. All this occurs within a week?

As others have said the lack of lex luthor creates many problems, how doe's he know so much about superman than anyone else and how doe's he know about superman’s hideout. Not only doe's his character need fleshing out but he also needed a conclusion. As it is it would appear superman has just left him to freeze to death the attic conditions

the edit doesn't suffer from too many hard cuts or audio glitches overall though it doe's suffer for a narrative perspective which took away overall enjoyment I had for the edit.

my superman 1 & 2 score 8/8
my fanedit superman score 6/10
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