Superman 2 was originally directed by Richard Donner, the director of Superman: The Movie. However, Richard Donner was fired for spending too much money and was replaced by Richard Lester. Richard Lester directed the version of Superman 2 that was released to theaters. For decades, Richard Donner's version of the film wasn't available to the public. However, in 2006, his version of the film was released to DVD.
I will go over some of the biggest differences between the theatrical cut and the director's cut:
In the theatrical cut, Superman saves Lois Lane in Paris and gets rid of a bomb. The bomb goes into space and unleashes General Zod, Ursa and Non. The director's cut doesn't have the Paris scene. Instead, a missile that Superman got rid of in the first film is what frees the villains from the Phantom Zone.
In the theatrical cut, Lois Lane attempts to reveal that Clark Kent is Superman by jumping into a river. However, Clark manages to save her without his superpowers. In the director's cut, Lois attempts to reveal Clark's secret by purposefully falling out of a Daily Planet window. Clark manages to save her life without her catching him using one of his powers.
In the theatrical cut, Clark accidentally reveals his identity to Lois when his hands touch fire and he has no burns. In the director's cut, Lois gets Clark to reveal his identity by shooting him with a gun. Clark reveals that he is Superman, but if Lois had been wrong, he would have died. Lois then reveals that the gun was filled with blanks.
In the theatrical cut, Superman's Kryptonian mother, Lara, is the one that tries to convince Superman to keep being a superhero. In the director's cut, Jor-El is the one that does that. The reason that Marlon Brando's scenes weren't used in the theatrical cut is due to Marlon Brando wanting more money. While I think Marlon Brando might have been asking for too much money, I consider him to be one of the greatest actors of all time. As a kid, I thought that his performance as Jor-El was the greatest acting performance than I had ever seen in anything. Because of that, it's wonderful that the director's cut was able to restore his scenes.
In the theatrical cut, Clark erases Lois's memories about his secret identity with a magic kiss. In the director's cut, Superman spins the world around to do that.
The theatrical cut has a more comedic than the director's cut. Comedic scenes, such as the villains messing around in a small town and adding their likenesses to Mount Rushmore, aren't in the director's cut.
Regardless of which version of Superman 2 that you watch, it's a great film and a wonderful sequel to the first film. If you're a big Superman fan and haven't seen both cuts of the film, I recommend giving them a watch.
I will go over some of the biggest differences between the theatrical cut and the director's cut:
In the theatrical cut, Superman saves Lois Lane in Paris and gets rid of a bomb. The bomb goes into space and unleashes General Zod, Ursa and Non. The director's cut doesn't have the Paris scene. Instead, a missile that Superman got rid of in the first film is what frees the villains from the Phantom Zone.
In the theatrical cut, Lois Lane attempts to reveal that Clark Kent is Superman by jumping into a river. However, Clark manages to save her without his superpowers. In the director's cut, Lois attempts to reveal Clark's secret by purposefully falling out of a Daily Planet window. Clark manages to save her life without her catching him using one of his powers.
In the theatrical cut, Clark accidentally reveals his identity to Lois when his hands touch fire and he has no burns. In the director's cut, Lois gets Clark to reveal his identity by shooting him with a gun. Clark reveals that he is Superman, but if Lois had been wrong, he would have died. Lois then reveals that the gun was filled with blanks.
In the theatrical cut, Superman's Kryptonian mother, Lara, is the one that tries to convince Superman to keep being a superhero. In the director's cut, Jor-El is the one that does that. The reason that Marlon Brando's scenes weren't used in the theatrical cut is due to Marlon Brando wanting more money. While I think Marlon Brando might have been asking for too much money, I consider him to be one of the greatest actors of all time. As a kid, I thought that his performance as Jor-El was the greatest acting performance than I had ever seen in anything. Because of that, it's wonderful that the director's cut was able to restore his scenes.
In the theatrical cut, Clark erases Lois's memories about his secret identity with a magic kiss. In the director's cut, Superman spins the world around to do that.
The theatrical cut has a more comedic than the director's cut. Comedic scenes, such as the villains messing around in a small town and adding their likenesses to Mount Rushmore, aren't in the director's cut.
Regardless of which version of Superman 2 that you watch, it's a great film and a wonderful sequel to the first film. If you're a big Superman fan and haven't seen both cuts of the film, I recommend giving them a watch.