Rating: 
Summary: This sequel Soars!!!
Review: This is the film that proved that sequels can surpass the orignal. Both embellishing upon the magic of the original film and simultaneously moving the plot forward with a unique and brilliantly scripted story, "Superman II" deserves all of the acclaim that accompanied it. The plot: the three Kryptonian villains seen in the prolouge of the first film are released from their imprisonment in the Phantom Zone when Superman tosses a hydrogen bomb into outer space. They arrive on Earth,and their leader- General Zod (an outstanding Terrence Stamp, giving the performance that he is best remembered for today) makes it clear that he now rules the planet. Then Zod discovers that this fabled "Superman" he keeps hearing about is none other than the son of his hated nemesis Jor-El ( a bit of info given by Lex Luthor, once again played to perfection by Gene Hackman), and the battle to save humankind is underway. Along the way, we are treated to a magnificently handled subplot detailing the evolving romance between Superman and Lois Lane (In fact, I thought Margot Kidder was at her best here..usually she annoys me, but in this film she shows a sensitive side that makes it very easy to understand why the Man of Steel has fallen in love with her). Sporting top of the line visuals (the battle in Metropolis is breathtaking , even by today's standards ) , excellent writing and masterful direction by Richard Donner (yes, I know, Richard Lester is credited as director, but word is that Donner had pretty much finished most of the shooting on this picture before his dispute with Warner Bros. caused him to quit. Think I'm wrong? Compare this to "Superman III" , which was directed entirely by Lester), "Superman II" is the crown jewel in this franchise. The only other movie I've ever seen that comes close to adapting a superhero to the screen with such finesse (beyond the original "Superman", I mean) is the recent epic "Spider-Man". If you havent seen this, rent the dvd at once. If you have, then see it again. A masterwork!!!
Rating:
Summary: Superman vs Zod and Pat Benatar
Review: This is a great flick where Superman must fight three evil beings from his former home planet. The fight in New York and Superman's hideaway are entertaining and exciting for the whole family. Gene Hackman though as Lex Luthor steals the show. He's hilarious as he battles and makes alliances with both Superman and Zod. He's great. Of course the rest of the gang, Lois, Jimmy, and the Chief are back for this sequel that does not disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: The best of the superman movies
Review: In most ways I think this is the best of the Superman films. Gene Hackman was fine as Lex Luthor in the first film, but here he really gets to step out. His breaking out of prison and repartee with the villains and Superman are just great. (Think about his remark about using a door when the villains smash through the doors and walls of the Daily Planet.)The villains are all suitably cartoon evil with Terence Stamp as the Evil Leader General Zod, Sarah Douglass is the alluring Ursa, and Jack O'Halloran as the comic, strong, and silent Non. Christopher Reeve continues his embodiment of the Man of Steel - even when the plot twists because of his love for Lois Lane. The first scene at that diner is actually touching and the final scene there is a crowd pleaser. Margot Kidder does her best work here as someone moonstruck for Superman but also unstoppable as a reporter digging for facts even when it will not be in her interest after she finds them. And the delightful Valerie Perrine does a great comic turn as Eve Teschmacher. I always enjoy her work in movies, on TV, in drama or in comic roles (as here). She should get more work - she has a lot to offer as a mature actress. Good family fare and interesting to return to 20+ years later to remember who was in this movie and see the good performances that are actually here making this cartoon fare more than you expected.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing Sequel
Review: If there was any reason to like Superman II better than the original, it was the fact that II was more of a complete story. Unlike the first feature, which goes through several sections, II starts off with Superman in action immediately. From there, we are given three different sections crosscutting with each other. From Lois and Clark falling in love, to Luther preparing his plan in the Arctic, to the three Kryptonians landing on Earth. With this setup, II has every reason to be as entertaining as I. I have always had problems with this movie compared to the original though. The first problem, as everyone else has mentioned, is the music. John Williams's presence is sorely missed. The new music is poorly performed by Ken Thorne. It sounds like Thorne just pulled out the Superman soundtrack and picked titles to play throughout the movie. I can't find one piece of the score that is new. Second is the cheating aspects of the script. In the middle of the film, there is a scene where Superman's mother tells him he must relinquish his powers to be with Lois. She tells him that once it is done there is no return. This is a very emotional, suspenseful scene, as he tells her he loves her and must do it. Still, when he goes back to Fortress of Solitude, he regains his powers with no explanation. What difference does it make it if he did misplace that green crystal?. It left me feeling cheated, but not as much as the cop out at the end when he makes Lois forget everything. Luckily for Superman he happened to have an amnesia power in his pocket. It sounds more like an easy, quick way out for a writer. Also, Margot Kidder was so attractive in the first feature. Here, she looks too gaunt and pale. It was very easy to guess, just by looking at her, what scenes were filmed during the first film's shooting (like the diner scene) and what was filmed later. Most of these aspects are probably linked to the absence of Richard Donner. Reading all of the previous reviews, I have learned a lot about what happened back during the making of the two films. Thank you all for this information. Why didn't the Salkind's let him finish it? Clearly it would have been a much better film. After Superman III, which was the first film without any of Donner's influence, the producers must have surely realized their mistake. Richard Donner clearly was the talent that brought Superman to life. Along with everyone else, I would very much like to see all of his footage from this film.
Rating:
Summary: Good Sequel
Review: This is one of the best early 80's action/science-fiction film I have seen. I thought Christopher Reeve was perfect for the role of Superman. The Plot: 3 exiled kryptonian criminals from Krypton: General Zod(Terence Stamp), Non(Jack O'Halloran), & Ursa(Sarah Dougless) are accidently released from THE PHANTON ZONE. Meanwhile Criminal Genius Lex Luthor(Gene Hackman) & his never-do-well sidekick Otis(Ned Beatty) plans to escape from prison, only Lex was able to succed with the help of his girlfriend(Valerie Perrine). Later, the 3 criminals arrive to earth with plans to take over it. Meanwhile, Clark Kent(Christopher Reeve) agrees to abandon his super powers to be with Louis Lane(Margot Kidder), But learns that Zod has taken over the planet, & is forced to retrieve his powers to stop Zod.
The music is great, too! Buy this movie
Rating:
Summary: Directed by Richard the Lesser
Review: Dick Lester is a fine director...but this film belonged to Richard Donner, and it was vandalized and ruined. This film suffers greatly in comparison with its predecessor..it has a few moments of interest, which apparently were filmed before the Salkinds fired Richard Donner. The rest of it just doesn't match how Superman is defined in Superman: The Movie. First, the invasion of earth by the three criminals differs in dialog and tone from the first film. Note that "different" in this case means "worse". Second, the film just doesn't manage the suspension of disbelief of the first. We'll ignore the fact that Superman exists, can fly etc. For example, what are people doing walking and talking on the moon?
In the first film, Superman existed but the rest of the world generally followed physical laws. In the second, we're asked to believe that people can have conversations in a complete (or nearly complete) lunar vacuum. And why write in an outer space nuclear explosion when there was already one from the first film (the Hackensack nuke)? Clearly someone (Salkind and Spengler?) had it in for Dick Donner's material. Unfortunately, the scenes filmed by Donner (most of the Fortress of Solitude scenes, anything with Gene Hackman) are just different stylistically from Richard Lester's material. The odd snappy dialog in Metropolis (a la Mankiewicz) is completely gone...the formal Kryptonian delivery is also missing. It just feels different in comparison to Superman I, and it's not welcome. I hope that one day this film can be reedited under Richard Donner's supervision - there's a great fantasy film in here somewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Great film, rubbish DVD
Review: This is one of the best of the Superman films. In fact, I'd put it on a par with the original. Superman faces the twin conflicts of his love interest with Lois, and a trio of super-crooks who have escaped Krypton and are released from their prison by Earthly weapons. It is therefore unfortunate that this DVD has been put out without care or interest. Not only is the picture untidy, but I now have two versions of this DVD, and neither work properly. In both cases, the screen kept freezing and jumping several minutes. I then get an error message saying the DVD player can't read the DVD. Do yourself a favour a buy this on cassette.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the original, but exciting to watch
Review: Superman must fight 3 ex-convicts that escaped from the Phantom Zone..the prison of the planet Krypton. However, Superman reliquishes his powers to marry Lois Lane. Can he go back to being Superman and save the Earth? Watch & find out.
Rating:
Summary: Reeve made me belive agian
Review: Superman is a national icon everyone looks up to him to do the right thing even Lex admits that. In the last one Lex Luthor threatened the world and Superman stop him now he is in prison. But he was right no bars can keep Lex Luthor the greatest criminal mind ever, locked in. he escapes and finds Superman's home in the north and learns that Krypton's most feared villains did not die with the planet and that they roam in a prison in the negative zone in space, and can be brought out by a big enough explosion. Superman while saving Lois Lane and Paris throws a hydrogen bomb up in space and it explodes, the explosion reaches the native zone and brakes free three bad Kryptoneons! Will they travel to earth and cause harm? Will Superman lose all of his powers? Will Lois find out Clark's secret? What side is Lex on? Will all earth bow down to General Zod? Find out in this awesome movie!
Rating:
Summary: Without Richard Donner, the magic of Superman is gone....
Review: It was the hard work of Richard Donner and the film crew that made Superman as good as it was. When he got fired, the film crew who worked with him, also quit in protest and so Superman II (which was started by them) had to be done by a new director (Lester) and a new film crew, and man the differences between which is original footage and the reshoot is very noticeable. As a result this movie is edited in a very sloopy way, and ultimately becomes a bad looking, badly scripted, comic book movie that is not releated to the 1978 movie in any way.
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