10 Movies With Amazing Alternate Cuts

10. Superman II

Warner BrothersWarner BrothersSuperman II stands out as one of the most famously difficult productions in film history. What happened was that director Richard Donner filmed about 75% of the film, but was replaced with Richard Lester when the studio proved unhappy with his work. The result was a Superman film that felt disjointed, campy, an tremendously different in tone from the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve that had come out two years earlier. Fans and the production team alike were largely dissatisfied with the theatrical version, and it wasn't until the Donner cut was released that we started to realize exactly how good the movie could have been. Gone is the painfully cheesy sequence at the Eiffel Tower, and Lois Lane in general gets a much better treatment in this version. Cobbling together his interpretation of the reveal scene (when Clark Kent admits his true identity to Lois) from bits of screen test footage and newly filmed shots, he manages to create a real spark between the two without sacrificing either of their strong characters.
Contributor
Contributor

Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.