Synopsis:

One of the biggest complaints I heard about Superman Returns was that it stayed too close to the pace and structure of Superman The Movie. The biggest complaint I have with Superman Returns, is that it didn’t. In STM, the world we are introduced to is unveiled to us in a way that is focused and engaging (for the time) by introducing us to, and remaining with, the characters that matter to us. They matter to us because they set up who Superman will become and where he came from. By the time we have arrived in Metropolis we believe and are invested in Clark Kent and how this character is going to make his way in a world that is, for all intents and purposes, our own. In Superman Returns, that 40 minutes of investment conveyed to us in STM is instead written for us on a text card. The introduction to Kal-El’s origins is a voiceover and the opening shot is of a Gothic mansion with manic characters. We are simultaneously being asked to believe in the film as a continuation of the world introduced to us in STM whilst in the first 6 minutes of the film we are told in no uncertain terms that this world is most definitely not that one, and we still have no character to attach to. When Superman does finally appear we have no idea where he has been and really, do we care? My Re-Edit seeks to address this.

Intentions:

If it is possible for a Director's overall vision to be obscured by focusing too much on the smaller parts and not the whole, then it may be possible to hone that focus back on to the original vision through effective editorial changes. My intention was to elevate Superman Returns to be the story closer to that which we were told we were going to get by removing superfluous threads, reducing the bloated runtime, and reorganising, and thus highlighting, some of the action scenes (of which there are more than people seem to realise).

Change List:

- Added Krypton introduction with reversed footage and colour correction with replaced score - Insert Jor-El and Lara farewell scene from STM - Revert to original krypton opening with replaced score and colour correction minus Jor-El voiceover - Unchanged credits - Reframed Space Newspapers edited together from doco, with Krypton Theme - Return to krypton scene with replaced score (Credit to Julian Francis Adderley’s cut for music choice. Kicked the arse of my original choice except for one little addition) - Cut to “farewell Martha” Lex at mansion removed completely - Jump cut removed when Martha hops out of truck - Straight to clark waking - Family photos deleted scene added - Young Clark removed completely - Finding Newspapers added slightly shortened with Ship and Shovel moved to the other side of this scene with slight score addition - cut to Clark watching tv with added dog and ball - Mr Hubbard deleted scene added straight after, transitioning to Daily Planet - Jimmy’s Cake removed completely as well as “Still looking for a place to Live” - “Have you seen Lois” transitions straight into Clark looking over Lois’s desk with slight score addition. Lois on TV removed completely. - Shot of newspaper removed - Cut to putting bags in closet straight after “She hates That question” - Clark overlooking everyone working stolen from earlier “place to live” scene that was shortened. - cut straight to Jason “Hello” with added score (moved from later on, now all Planet introductions happen at once) Scene continues all the way to “nice to finally meet you” with all references to Supeman and Plane removed. No further mentions of the Pulitzer from hereon - Cut to Lex’s boat with added score - Lex and Kitty deleted scene added - Prometheus speech slightly shortened - Jor_el appearance shortened - “Starting with Crystals” removed/ added score/ transitions to Lex’s Party entering mansion. - Most of Kitty’s lines deleted with the two dogs joke removed - scene ends on “all they need is water” with added score - cut straight to plane with hostess talking - Lois’s question removed - New score added over Stanford splitting crystal - Kitty dialogue removed, “I think I did something wrong” removed - train set destruction cut straight to the end “eruption” - Jimmy and clark bar scene cut - Insert of Clark looking at TV with news report voicover. Now Clark appears to be leaving the Daily Planet - Cut floating pen scene - Insert reversed crowd scene where original Jimmy in bar scene was - cut Lois Feinting - Shorten Lex seeing big crystal scene - Cut straight from Perry meeting scene to lex and Kitty outside - Cut straight from reading gem article to elevator - Cut goofy wave - Lois’s dialogue trimmed - Cut man on street - cut Superman flying over Metropolis at Sunset - Cut eavesdropping, now we just go straight to the conversation between Richard and Lois - Transition to City shot then to Superman flying up above the city - Lex stealing Gem removed, now we just stick with Kitty in car - Cut dropping Kitty at Hospital - Insert lex and Kitty. “I did” Move Kryptonite shard creation scene to later - Cut superman around the world on tv - Remove Lois’s “relationship?” comment - Further Dialogue shortened - Cut straight to evening - cut any talk of suspicion of Clark - superman and Lois dialogue trimmed for the sake of Lois’s character - cut dinner scene -cut lois and perry - Insert shortend Lex and Kryptonite shard creation scene just after Superman at fortress - Shortened Lois on Phone - Shortened Jason Pick up - 1st scene inside yacht removed - “Lex Luthor’ “Lois Lane” dialogue removed - Lex out of Jail explanation removed (we get it!) - “How bout that interview” removed - Rearrangement of crystals hit water and Lois,Jason and thug scene - Interweaving of Metropolis rescue and crystal smashing boat scenes - removal of ER scene And so many minor subtractions, rearrangements, colour corrections and score cut/extensions/replacements and removals to mention.

Additional Notes:

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Other Sources:

Superman (1978) Requiem For Krypton: Making Superman Returns (2006).

Special Thanks:

WearneO for reviewing the workprint 5 years ago (which I'm sure he forgot all about) Superman Cinema Message Board.