Chris Gould of DVDActive posted this yesterday:
Those of you who have pre-ordered copies of Warner Home Video's forthcoming Superman: Ultimate Collector's Edition [of which I am one] might want to think twice. Due to a massive technical blunder, the Superman III: Deluxe Edition discs contain the original 2001 release of the film, rather than the advertised disc with commentary, additional scenes and a vintage featurette.
Reports indicate that The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection and the individual release of Superman III: Deluxe Edition are unaffected. At this time there has been no word on whether or not Warner intend to issue replacement discs. Even if replacement discs are made available, non-US residents who purchased the set will most likely be left out in the cold. When you combine this with the fact that the advertised original 1978 Dolby Stereo soundtrack for Superman: The Movie is also missing, what could have been the year's best release becomes a less than attractive proposition...
How screwed up is this! Not only did pre-order the Superman: Ultimate Collector's Edition 14 disc set back in September but I used a 10 month old gift certificate to help pay for the sucker! I have yet to receive my set but apparently some folks already have--and that's how the problems were discovered. There is no excuse for this kind of stuff to happen anymore...On a major release no less!! I guess everyone in the Quality Control Department at WB Home Video called out sick the day that the mega-set started to ship! Unbelievable! I hope that Warner issues an apology and will grant replacement discs of Superman III...The problem I have right now is--if I cancel my order I may not get my gift certificate portion back (I used a general/multipurpose gift cert to get this-not one that's specific to a site or store) and with only three days left until the set hits shelves. I might just take my chances, let the set arrive, and see what happens. Companies are usually very slow to respond in circumstances like these. What Say You WB?...This really Super sucks!!
Update: At 4:56 PM today, I opened an email from Deep Discount DVD, that read in part:
DETAILS FOR SHIPPED ITEMS...
Estimated Arrival date: 11/27/06 - 11/30/06
DVD : SUPERMAN-ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDIT
Ir was your average shipping notice. Those issues with the Supes The Movie Theatrical Cut or Supes III discs were not mentioned in the email at all. It looks like "taking my chances" with the set was the right call to make... For now anyway...
End Update...
Now about those Supes II: Donner Cut Reviews:
Reaction to this alternate version of Richard Lester's theatrical cut of Superman II , from 1980, is decidedly mixed...While I have not read them all--some of these reviews do CONTAIN SPOILERS--some do not. If you go beyond this post...and you don't like spoilers...you do so at your own risk...The portions of the reviews that are highlighted here contain NO SPOILERS
Justin of Blue Tights.net:
I don't want to ruin the whole movie for you, but expect to be treated to an all new Superman movie experience. With the restoration of magnificent performances by Reeve and Kidder, the restoration of almost 15 minutes of Jor-El footage, the addition of some great Lex Luthor humor, Superman II: The Donner Cut is everything fans have waited for and more. While I must admit that I felt a little bit cheated by the ending...The Donner Cut is a fantastic piece of film, and will be a decidedly worthwhile addition to any Superman fan's DVD collection. In fact, I can't really ever see myself having any reason to watch the Lester version again. No offense to Richard Lester intended, but Donner just gets it. Mr. Donner, thank you for revisiting your film and bringing fans a new classic... More...
Chris "Excelsior" Mason of SuperheroHype:
In the end, it was a rare treat to sit and watch a bit of motion picture history in the making, but the film is by no means perfect. The new effects added seem a bit low end, but thinking in 1970's - 80's technology, do nicely, and some new footage of stand-ins for Kidder and Reeve are obvious if looked at closely. The film runs a bit choppy, due to the fact that there is the need to use some footage shot by Richard Lester to fill in the gaps, as Donner at the time in 1977 was never given the chance to fully shoot 100 percent of Superman II. To quote Donner, "…all of us will now have the opportunity to see 'Superman II' the way it was originally written and directed, with the exception of some scenes shot by the other director that we could not go back and reshoot."... More..
On his website--Andy Dursin said:
What does one say when you've waited a good portion of your life to see a legendary unreleased film -- only to be disappointed with the result?....More...
Bill Hunt of The Digital Bits:
When it came time to create this new "original" cut of the film, Warner's DVD team and reconstruction producer Michael Thau struggled to find all of the footage that Donner had originally shot. Much of it was found in various places in Europe - six TONS in all. Thankfully, most of it had survived destruction and age-related deterioration. With this footage and the original script in hand, Thau began piecing together a new cut of the film that was as close as possible to the version Donner originally intended. As you can imagine, there were significant problems. First, many of the special effects were unfinished. Second, there was the problem of the fact that Donner hadn't shot his big "revelation" scene with Lois and Clark. And there was no original ending. Thankfully, Donner himself was gradually drawn into the process to give his blessing, and he eventually became actively involved, making notes, suggestions and decisions... and having final approval...More...
Peter M. Bracke of High Deff Digest:
That said ... I am disappointed to report that 'Superman II' is not the lost masterpiece I and many others were hoping for. Definitely, Donner's footage is superior to Lester's -- I've always far preferred Donner's humorous but still respectful treatment of the Superman mythology, whereas Lester's take just seems cheesy and condescending. However, neither director was able to erase what I found to be a flawed, core conception of the material. More...
Todd Gilchrist of IGN
...Indeed, Superman II as directed by Donner, is a funnier, scarier, and more compelling picture. Much of Marlon Brando's scenes were jettisoned when A Hard Day's Night filmmaker Richard Lester took over, and here they are gloriously restored: after Jor-El sentences General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his minions to an eternity in the Phantom Zone, they are released when they accidentally collide with a rocket Superman sends into space while saving the world from Lex Luthor's latest evil scheme. Back on Earth, meanwhile, Lois makes a curious discovery when she doodles a pair of glasses and a fedora over a picture of Superman, and proceeds to accuse co-worker Clark of being the big blue boy scout. More..
John J. Puccio and Erik Martinez of DVDTown:
,,,The single most-important bonus on the disc is an audio commentary with director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewiez. Both men still seem sore that the studio didn't allow Donner to finish the movie back in 1980, even though the studio gave them the unprecedented opportunity to restore much of it the way Donner wanted it. The thing is, though, that whenever Donner sees something that Richard Lester directed, he pans it, sometimes subtly, sometimes directly, explaining how he would have done a scene. At one point he goes so far as to say that the studio and Lester "destroyed" the theatrical version, especially in their decision not to include Brando, as the Director's Cut does. Frankly, after listening to a good portion of the commentary, I came away feeling sorry for Lester. I would liked to have heard a rebuttal. More...
Barry M. Freiman of Superman Homepage:
It's a tough call whether the Donner cut will supplant the Lester version in pop culture history or supplement it. "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" is a decidedly darker version of "Superman II" and much more adult in tone. Even with some of the campier aspects of "Superman II" out - no pink bear-skin rug for instance - Donner's version includes more Otis and more Miss Teschmacher, arguably two of the sillier inclusions in the first "Superman" and still silly here. Some may find the Jor-El scenes a tad over-dramatic and actually like the idea from the theatrical release that Superman's Mom would talk to him about love. Ultimately it doesn't matter which version is better - to this fan, it's the concurrent existence of both versions that makes the Lester version and the Donner cut both more important than either film would be if it existed without the other. More...
More reviews of the "Donner Cut" can be found in the Wikipedia entry for the film. Of course, I will post my own thoughts on the DC of Supes II, when it arrives in that now imperfect-ed super box set. Sigh...
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