Also, the event was supposed to cause the destruction of the Fortress, as punishment for Supes trying to change the course of human history.
Hmm...so he gets to save his girlfriend and monkey with history and his only "punishment" is that a big, empty, unsightly structure made of "pick-up sticks" falls apart? Sounds like a pretty good trade to me. Compared to the museum/retreat/resort/refuge of the comics, the movie "Fortress" looks like a big ugly beaver dam.
Also, missle he just threw up into space was supposed to free the Phantom Zoners in the second movie.
I always thought it would have been better to have the time-warp stunt somehow release them. Maybe that mirror-thingie that represents the Zone could have been near Earth's orbit and when Superman whips the Earth around backward, the space-time continuum could be ripped up around it. That way when the baddies get out and make his life Hell, the ghost of Jor-El could say, "see, you idiot, I told you not to monkey around with time!"
This would also add to the romance sub-plot. When Superman realizes his saving Lois unleashed disaster on Earth, he could resolve by the end of movie 2 to put his hormones on the back burner and concentrate on his job.
Clark got his powers when Jor-El sacrificed himself for Kal-El. You don't see this because it was cut Donner footage. It was shot.
Well, I don't think it was cut because it was Donner's. It was cut because they got into money disputes with Brando (hence the participation of Lara instead of Jor-El).
Anyway, I don't miss it. The added DVD footage with Superman conversing with Jor-El is troubling to me, and this "sacrifice" scene would have made it much worse. Did Jor-El die on Krypton or didn't he? Are we seeing a pre-taped hologram? A ghost? Jor in the Phantom Zone? What the heck is going on here? Whatever the explanation, I can't warm to the notion that Superman needs his Daddy around to do his thinking and moralizing for him ("Keep your secret ID or your friends could become targets"). This is an addition to the mythos we don't need.
Clark set up everything when he went back to the Fortress to regain his powers. Luring the criminals to the Fortress was all part of the plan. He didn't kill anybody. Luthor, Miss Tecshmacher, and the criminals were arrested by the Arctic police.
That's one scene it would've helped to keep in (I hear it was filmed). Only problem is there are no Arctic Police, but if there were it'd probably be the most action they'd seen in their whole careers!
The kiss was something from the comics of the 60s.
Really? Do you remember what the explanation was in the comics for why it worked?
Superman's whole ideal is to Champion the weak and oppressed. The bully was definetly oppressing the others in the diner. Clark went back to show him a lesson, to show him what it's like to be bullied, and to pay for all the damage to the diner.
I think every bully knows what it's like to be bullied. They're usually part of a bigger cycle of violence and cruelty. But I might be willing to accept that Clark wanted to impress on the guy that the worm occasionally turns. That way, next time he might think "Hmmm, maybe I won't pick on this nerd. The last one turned out to be a tiger!"
And the damage Clark paid for was the damage
he did.