10 Sequels That Completely Ignored The Previous Film

2. Superman Returns

Sequel to: Superman; Superman II But not: Superman III; Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Here's where it gets extra confusing: The upsurge in interest in the Superman franchise around the time of release of this alternative Superman 3 also pushed Warner Brothers into releasing an alternative version of Superman II entitled "The Richard Donner cut". Cobbled together from the unfinished footage initially shot by Donner before he was replaced on the sequel by Richard Lester, it is unclear whether Singer's film follows on from this cut or Lester's version. Produced by Superman producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, Supergirl was released in 1984, shortly after Superman III and officially counts as part of the film canon. However, the only shared cast member is Marc McClure's Jimmy Olsen, while Christopher Reeve declined the offer of the cameo that would bless the spin-off with a sense of an authentically shared narrative world. Superman IV would not feature Supergirl nor make any mention of Superman's Kryptonian cousin, nor would Superman Returns, which presumably wipes Supergirl out of its continuity. So which should I watch? Either take on a third Superman has its flaws, but can be worth a view. Brandon Routh makes a decent Christopher Reeve, but Reeve himself does it better. However, the overly earnest Returns is a generally preferable tone to the overly comedic Superman III. The Donner cut is an interesting curiosity, but too unfinished to work, leaving Superman, II, and Returns as the best trio. As long as you avoid The Quest for Peace, though, you should be fine.