The Movies: Superman (1978), Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980) Richard Donner's name isn't one of the most recognised in Hollywood history, and yet the man has directed some inarguable all-time classics over the course of his long career, the most important and famous of which is probably Superman (though you could argue a case for Lethal Weapon, 'cause Lethal Weapon is freakin' awesome). One of the greatest superhero movies of all-time, Superman starred Christopher Reeve as the titular hero, and blew everyone away with its special effects and brilliant score (courtesy of John Williams) back in '78. Donner has often been labelled as a relatively uninteresting director, given that his movies are fairly explanatory on a technical level - but you have to give credit to the guy pulling the strings on something like Superman, given its potential to go horribly wrong. Interestingly, Donner directed around 75% of Superman II before he was replaced by Richard Lester, which pretty much cements him as the "true" director of the film: indeed, you can buy a legitimate "Richard Donner Cut" of Superman II and check out his original vision for yourself. It's really good.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
