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Idea: Superman Returns - Spoilers... for a fan edit

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Damit I was jsut thinking about this one part too but now I can't think of it. But overal it doesn't really need to be recut.
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I actually had this in mind as I was watching it in theaters. I hated the first 20 minutes or so. Just plain dull. But after the plane sequence, the film had me and I loved the rest of it. So maybe I'd just lop off most of those opening scenes.

- If the DVD doesn't come with an extended version, I would edit some of the deleted material back into the film, especially Superman's visit to Krypton and the Smallville scenes. Apparently, these were really needed to reinforce the film's theme of isolation and the world moving on w/o Superman.
- I'd edit most of the opening. The first scene with Lex is unnecessary. I'd try to cut down on his trip to the Fortress of Solitude, etc.
- I'd cut the young Clark flashback unless deleted scenes make it more important (the scene originally had young Clark finding the crystal for the first time, I think).
- Then I'd just trim a few of the film's excesses here and there.
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^^ya some of the deleted scene with Clark and crystals would be cool to put back in. I remeber, cut out the part were Lex "lift" the crystal holder up. It looked so fake.
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Could we digitally alter Superman Jr's hair so he didn't look so fucking goofy?

So many of the cuts to "here's what Lex is doing" were so jarring. I'd also definitely love to cut out some of the more "nudging you in the ribs saying. 'Remember that from the first movie??!?'" lines.

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I just got back from seeing it and while I thought it was good, I was very confused by the beginning of the film. It wasn't quite clear to me what exactly was happening, as I had never been a huge fan of the Superman series. Maybe there could be a way to give more of a backstory?

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There are far too many sequences (such as Lex testing the crystal or Richard and Lois fishing out Superman) that go on far too long. They definitely need to be trimmed. I too hope there's plenty of stuff from the cutting room floor that Singer puts back on the DVD, but the film runs pretty long as it is. Personally I think this film needs a DRASTIC overhaul.
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I would remove the entire subplot of Superman's son, as I hated it. I didn't like the movie very much anyway, but i definitely think the little kid was the worst of it. Maybe change the film so Superman/Clark's first appearance is when he saves the airplane? That could be cool.
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Gonna try.
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Some more thoughts on editing the film.

- Delete the opening scene of Lex swindling the old lady. It's probably only in the film to give the actress who used to play Lois on the tv series a cameo. It's unnecessary and as Lois deduces, he probably tricked an old lady out of her money.
- Try to get to Superman's first appearance as quickly as possible. While overall I really liked the film, I sat in the theater LOATHING the film for the first half hour. Just nothing to care about.
- This may be contradictory, but adding some of the deleted Kent farm scenes may help us care a little more about Clark.
- Cut some the of "humor" between Lex and Kitty.
- Superman stalking made quite a few people uncomfortable, though personally, I didn't mind it.
- Cut the scene after Superman falls back to Earth where he's rushed to the hospital. It ruins a bit of the magic behind Superman. It's aso a bit more dramatic to cut directly to the shot of the newspaper title reading "Superman Dead".

Overall, lighten the film up a bit. It's a terribly somber and depressing film, not at all like the Reeve films. Maybe someone can even go and regrade the colors to make them pop a little more.
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Originally posted by: ShiftyEyes
Some more thoughts on editing the film.

- Delete the opening scene of Lex swindling the old lady. It's probably only in the film to give the actress who used to play Lois on the tv series a cameo. It's unnecessary and as Lois deduces, he probably tricked an old lady out of her money.

I think this was a way to introduce Lex Luthor and immediately show how evil he is. It is shown that he only cares about himself, not even about an old lovely, dying lady. He will do anything to get his way. That was imo the point of that scene.

But I agree. It's a bit vague what is really happening there as sudden opening. Removing it but probably be better.

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Putting the early clark scenes at the farm back in would help. It's a shame you can't edit the script somehow. Overall it was a very bleak and dull film.
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Some ideas worth experimenting with there, ShiftyEyes.

Looking over the Deleted Scenes, although I knew Singer had already said the "Return to Krypton" sequence would not be in the film, I was dissapointed the original "Return of Superman" with the change in the storage room wasn't on there either. I was also dissapointed that the plotpoint of Luthor fabricating the scientific reports of Krypton so Superman would leave were nowhere to be found. It really is amazing not only how much of this film was cut out, but how much of what was cut out was such a large part of the film's promotional material. I swear about half the trailers come from that alternate Clark/Martha scene.

Off the top of my head, the deleted scenes I would use would be:
-Clark waking up and going to bury the spaceship.
-The alternate Clark/Martha scene, with the baseball/Daily Planet transition to Metropolis.
-The alternate Lex/Kitty scene on the yacht. With the toupee and "Greatest Criminal Mind of Our Time" reference, it really ties in to the original films.
-Luthor's extended trek to the Fortress, where Kal Pen has lines!
-Lois naming New Krypton. This will probably be important in the sequel.

And I would absolutely cut the flashbacks of young Clark.
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Wrote most of this back in August at the Home Theater Forum

Since the DVD doesn't have the Krypton sequence, you can go straight from the credits to the following edit:

Chop Luthor's Vanderworth Extortion sequence. Totally unneccessary. We don't need to know how he got his money, just like we don't need to see how he scored Kitty or how he gathered the group of thugs he has. He's Luthor. We'll roll with it. He's currently, SUCCESSFULLY plotting to create a new continent in the middle of the ocean while breaching the Fortress of Solitude. We'll be fine just assuming he swindled someone for cash or flat out robbed it.

Plus, this edit is REALLY easy because the ringing note at the end of the opening credits is the SAME as the ringing note at the end of the Vanderworth sequence.

So this means we go straight to Ma Kent at home. maybe reinstate some of the scrabble footage between the establishing shot of the homestead, but before Ben Hubbard drives off. From there we stay the same.

Reinstate some of the original intro to Luthor and Kitty from the Deleted scenes, and then cut to the "Fire from the Gods" conversation as it is in the film. This way you establish the dynamic between the two, and it serves as a better intro AND gets the villain plot rolling a lot quicker.

When Clark wakes up and looks outside, cut the flashback sequence to young clark learning his powers. Useless and unneccessary. Also cut Superman throwing the ball too far for his dog to catch. That's just Superman being a dick. Yeah, it's knee-jerk funny, but why would superman do that to his dog? Instead, reinstate the deleted scenes that show him wistfully staring at the ship, and then walking into the barn and reading the papers.

Cut from there straight into he and Martha talking, and then cut in the deleted scenes of Ben interrupting with his flowers, and Martha telling him a) She's moving to Montana and b) he's put there for a reason--use the much better dissolve to Metropolis. This cut highlights all of Clark's reluctance to even BE SUPERMAN. it heightens the drama because Clark isn't simply just trying to get Lois back all movie--he's trying to prove to HIMSELF as well as everyone else that the world DOES NEED a Superman. Even if he's reluctant. The self doubt doesn't take away from the romance angle, it enhances it, as well as enhancing the rooftop interview, the initial re-introduction to the Daily Planet, and the emotional payoff of the Plane Sequence. Now it's not just that he's saved people and returned, it's that he's saved people, returned, and proved to himself he's needed--that THIS is what he should be. That his mom was right to kick his ass and make him go to Metropolis. This also changes his reaction to finding Lois' desk: instead he's not pissed about the article--he's freaked about the kid surprise. It's not the ARTICLE that makes him run to the bar--it's the KID and HUSBAND that throws him.

When in Metropolis--take the time to re-insert the shot of Clark looking at his superman suit while in the closet. You might have to snake this from the trailer, since it's not a deleted scene.

After Clark hits metropolis the only real big cut that I think people would dig is the "Stalkerman" sequence where he's listening in. Honestly, you don't really need it. Tricky sound editors can use existing score to segue from him flying down the street of Metropolis, past the Daily Planet, and then cut up into the sky to his trip to the listening post. You can even pull some of the Brando voiceover out and replace with different music to change the point of the scene from him feeling shitty about Lois rejecting him, to him feeling steely and determined about returning to his job as Superman. Moving the bank rescue closer to the plane rescue also gives you more of an idea that Superman is BACK back.

I'm sure there's other little trims here and there, I can't think of any of em off the top of my head. The next big string of edits is this:

You cut the hospital sequence, instead going from Superman's body, prone in the crater, fade to black, and then hard cut to "Superman is Dead" and the scene plays out as normal until Richard approaches Lois, and Jason gives Lois the drawing. CHOP OUT ANY TV FOOTAGE. Keep the audio, keep Lois looking up at what we know is the TV offscreen, but do not show the TV footage. Cut to Richard saying "You don't have to be here" and then cut immediately to Lois looking at Jason's drawing, as it pans down the chain of cartoon people. Once it gets to Jason's self portrait, cut IMMEDIATELY to the 3 of them in the car driving to the hospital. The scene plays out as it normally does from that point on, ends up increasing the emotional content of the sequence because going straight from Superman's Body to "Superman is Dead" is a pretty fierce little cut there, and then revealing the size of the crowd as Lois walks into it and the camera cranes back to really show us the expanse is a much more powerful reveal of that crowd then by seeing it on a flatscreen at the Daily Planet first.

Cut out Lex and Kitty on the island. No one cares anymore by that point, and the closure is garbage, beacuse it's essentially a 2 minute dog-eating joke and that's it. It's enough that he got away. We know he's also gonna get away from the island, too, so the end point ends up being exactly the same as if the scene never existed.

So as Jason and Lois leave the room and the door shuts, immediately cut to the nurse walking through the halls to Superman's room, and let the end of the movie play out as it does in the film from that point on.

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Obviously well thought-out there, Bizzle.

My favorite 2 edits, which both ShiftyEyes and The Bizzle have suggested, are cutting Noel Neil's cameo and cutting straight from Superman's crash to the "Superman Dead" headline. I never liked the whole "Superman goes through the ER" bit. Oh, and cutting Lex on the island is an absolute must. What were they thinking? It'll be interesting to see how they rectify that in the sequel.
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I think I heard they were shooting for "Man of Steel" for the sequel.

Oh, wait a sec. I forgot about the Superman having a son thing for a sec.
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I think the best thing to improve Superman Returns would be to remove the... oh heck, what is it called? I'm drawing a blank, I'm sorry. What's that part that starts with the very first frame and ends when the last of the closing credits disappears? I can't remember what that's called, but I think if they took that out it would be a great improvement.

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Originally posted by: ron2112
I think the best thing to improve Superman Returns would be to remove the... oh heck, what is it called? I'm drawing a blank, I'm sorry. What's that part that starts with the very first frame and ends when the last of the closing credits disappears? I can't remember what that's called, but I think if they took that out it would be a great improvement.

Ron Moses


Thanks for the input, really helpful

Bizzle your ideas are perfect, the only other thing I would try to attempt cutting is some of the crystal/power loss parts as they were pretty bland

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Watching SR the other day I was thinking how dramatic it would be to try to squeeze in Superman's return to earth by his falling to earth from the ending / hospital sequence. The main problem would be Supes finding out about his son... which may be something that may just click with him later... and how to end the movie without the falling / hospital stuff. *shrugs*

Just thought I would pass on the idea. On the surface it sounds like an unrealistic idea, but no more than Superman finding / making a spaceship from a desolated planet to get back home.

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I think it was implied that Superman used the crystals to grow the spaceship, took it to Krypton, found nothing, and kinda crashed upon landing. I don't really see the point of having him fall back to Earth, which kinda implies he flew to Krypton without air.