Superman II (1980) – Review

This is the thrilling follow-up to the 1978 superhero epic, the one that brought the Man of Steel to the big screen, in a sequel that had as much drama onscreen as off. Directed by Richard Lester – Richard Donner having been fired by the Salkinds after shooting about 75% of the film – this movie continues the story of Superman as he faces his most formidable adversaries yet.

The movie opens with an overly long “Previously on Superman” recap, which I assume was to remind folks about the infamous Kryptonian villains General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O’Halloran) who were banished to the Phantom Zone at the beginning the previous film, but then the recap continues with what is pretty much a highlight reel of all the other major events of the previous film, from his arriving on Earth as a baby to becoming Superman and foiling Lex Luthor’s evil plan of dropping California into the sea, which I found to be rather pointless waste of screen time.

“Sir, if the box office numbers are correct, everyone has seen this movie.”

The actual plot to Superman II gets going when Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) learns that his co-worker Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) has been sent by Perry White (Jackie Cooper) to Paris to get a firsthand account of a gang of terrorists who have seized the Eiffel Tower and threatened to detonate a hydrogen bomb if their demands are not met. Due to the fact that Lois has a death wish, or at least a severe allergy to safety, she sneaks by the Parisian police to get a closer look at what the terrorists are doing, unfortunately, events quickly go out of control and the sixty-second timer to the bomb is triggered and doom and destruction is only moments away. Lucky for all involved, especially Lois, Superman arrives in the nick of time and takes the elevator and its destructive payload up into outer space where it can explode harmlessly. Cue the bomb’s shock-waves hitting the Phantom Zone and the Kryptonian villains are freed.

Science Note: The Phantom Zone is breached when it is hit by shock waves caused by an exploding hydrogen bomb, yet these types of shock waves only occur in an atmosphere and would not occur in space, also, if it’s this easily blown open how was it not breached when the planet Krypton exploded?

Now these criminals are granted the same superpowers as Superman, due radiation of our yellow Sun, and the three villains land on the Moon and effortlessly kill a team of astronauts, quickly realizing that humans are not a threat to them.  They then continue toward Earth with plans to conquer the planet, as villains are want to do. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) is easily able to escape prison via a hot air balloon piloted by Miss Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine), leaving poor Otis (Ned Beatty) behind as so much ballast. Luthor uses a device that tracks “Alpha Waves” to lead him to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.  After consulting a few of the Fortress’s crystals he learns of the possible threat the three Kryptonian criminals could pose if they ever reached Earth. The fact that they had escaped the Phantom Zone just as Lex learns of them is either super convenient or an example of lazy screenwriting. Why not skip the whole terrorist hydrogen bomb incident and, instead, have the brilliantly evil Lex Luthor figure out a way to free Zod, Ursa and Non?

Note: Superman’s Fortress of Solitude is anything but a fortress, it doesn’t even appear to have doors as Lex Luthor and Miss Teschmacher just waltz in with no problem. Worse is the fact that its computer isn’t even password protected, it simply spills its guts to Lex with no hesitation. How about a quick DNA scan before you reveal all of Krypton’s secrets?

To complicate matters even further, while on assignment at Niagara Falls, Lois begins to suspect that Clark and Superman are one and the same person – on going thing in the comics – and eventually Clark outs himself as the Man of Steel by tripping over a bear rug and sticking his hand in a lit fireplace, then pulling it out unscathed. The thing is, as Clark’s clumsiness is all an act, we and Lois both must assume that he subconsciously wanted her to know his secret. After a cozy meal at the Fortress of Solitude – thank god Luthor had left by now or that could have gotten awkward – Superman declares his love for Lois and that he wishes to spend his life with her. Unfortunately, he consults the A.I. hologram of his mother (Susannah York) and is told “If you intend to live your life with a mortal, you must live as a mortal. You must become one of them” which means he must step into a crystal chamber that harnesses the rays of the red sun of Krypton, where “Once exposed to these rays, all your great powers on Earth will be gone forever.” And by forever I mean his powers will be gone long enough for a bit of false suspense and then he’ll get them back in a jiffy.

“Wait till you meet my mom, you’re gonna love her.”

Note: Superman’s mom never really explains why he has to be mortal to have a relationship with Lois but those familiar with Larry Niven’s essay “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex” will understand this important issue. In this essay Niven nicely detailed the problems that Superman would face in having sexual intercourse with a human woman.

Cue bloody complications.

Of course, Lois and Clark don’t get much of a honeymoon as their idyllic romance is soon cut short when Clark learns the hard way what pain feels like – getting his ass handed to him by a bully at a local diner – but he doesn’t have time to wallow in self-pity for long because a well-timed news broadcast informs the “newlyweds” that Zod and his buddies have conquered the Earth while he and Lois were bumping uglies in the Fortress. Despite being told “All your great powers on Earth will be gone forever” he trudges back to the Fortress of Solitude to hopefully get his powers back. Lucky for him, Lois had absentmindedly set one of the Kryptonian crystals aside and it survived the self-destruction of the console that operates the Fortress’s special features.

“Hey look, I found another plot convenience.”

This does lead to the highlight of the film, a super-smack down between Superman and the Kryptonian villains, a fairly colossal fight that is only slightly marred by director Richard Lester injecting his brand of slapstick comedy into the mix where it doesn’t remotely belong. But unlike a certain Zack Snyder film, this Superman is very concerned about collateral damage and he flees the fight so that the villains will follow him to the Fortress of Solitude so as to keep dead innocent bystanders to a minimum, which does not only give him home turf advantage but allows us to see some really ridiculous new superpowers. Who knew Kryptonians could teleport? And what is it with that big saran-wrap “S” Superman throws at Non?  Then with the unwitting help of Lex Luthor, Superman is able to trick his enemies into utilizing the crystal chamber, that he’d reconfigured prior to their arrival so that those outside the chamber would be exposed to red sunlight while Superman was protected from it. The now de-powered Kryptonians are easily dispatched and dropped into the abysmal trenches of the Fortress, but Superman still has to deal with a very sad Lois Lane as their relationship is no longer feasible, so he kisses her and this somehow wipes her mind free of all her memories of the past few days.

Note: Pre-Crisis Superman was quite capable of delivering a super-kiss that could knock Lois off her feet and leave her dazed and disorientated as was evident in the 1963 issue #306 of Action Comics.

Stray Observations:

• When Clark arrives at the Daily Planet he is completely unaware that terrorists have seized the Eiffel Tower because he was visiting Smallville at the time because, apparently, he doesn’t watch television. This highlights what a terrible protector of the world he is.
• Clark Kent jaywalks and is hit by a taxicab, caving in the front of the vehicle due to his invulnerability. But Clark’s clumsiness is simply an act so he must have purposely destroyed that man’s cab. Superman, what a dick.
• Lex Luthor may be a super genius but Eve Teschmacher is pretty amazing as well, she somehow is able to steer and navigate a hot air balloon when that is something you definitely can’t do with a hot air balloon.
• With no explanation, Eve Teschmacher disappears from the movie after she and Lex leave the Fortress of Solitude, sadly, this was due to the change in directors and not a script oversight.
• I’d really love to know how Lois Lane and a de-powered Superman made it back from the Fortress of Solitude to civilization, did Santa Claus offer them a ride?
• A surprising amount of people don’t seem to notice a full-scale battle between Superman and the three Kryptonian supervillains in the streets of Metropolis, one couple steps out of a KFC and right into the path of the fight.

How do you not notice Zod blowing up everything in sight?

The change in look from the first film to this sequel stems from director Richard Lester not being sympathetic to the epic look that Richard Donner had given to the original movie, saying that he didn’t want to do “The David Lean thing” and decided to scrap most of Oscar-winning cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth’s footage and then hired director Michael Winner’s cinematographer, Robert Paynter, to create a style that would evoke Superman’s roots in comic books. To further emphasize comic book composition, the action was photographed from only one angle, to give the film the desired flatness. Donnor being fired by the Salkinds is easily one of cinema’s greatest crimes but at least enough of his work remained to allow this film to end up as great as it is.

“Kneel before Zod!”

What sets Superman II apart from many other superhero entries – an aspect introduced in the first film –  is its exploration of the human side of Superman as the script delves into the internal struggle of Clark Kent, who is willing to relinquish his powers to be with Lois Lane even while knowing that doing so might put the world in grave danger. This emotional dilemma makes Superman a relatable character, despite his god-like abilities.  Is it selfish to want to have love and a normal life?

This is all made possible by Christopher Reeve’s portrayal of the titular character. Reeve captures both the charm and vulnerability of Clark Kent and the unmatched power and nobility of Superman. His flawless acting brings depth to the character, making him one of the most memorable and beloved cinematic superheroes of all time, but Reeve isn’t the only one giving a great performance and Margot Kidder continues to nail the role of the hard-nosed reporter, though in this outing we do get to see more of her softer side. Too bad their romance isn’t given much time to flourish.

A trio of Kryptonian cock-blockers.

The villains in this entry are quite fun and Terence Stamp’s performance as General Zod stands out as a truly menacing and charismatic antagonist, providing some of the most memorable lines and moments in the film. The action sequences in Superman II are groundbreaking for its time, offering spectacular special effects that still hold up today. The climactic battle between Superman and the villains, particularly in the streets of Metropolis, showcases the hero’s powers while emphasizing the high stakes of the conflict. These moments are adrenaline-pumping and demonstrate the film’s dedication to delivering superhero action on an epic scale. However, the film does suffer from a noticeable shift in tone due to the change of directors during production and Richard Lester’s love of comedy resulted in a slightly uneven blend of comedy and drama. Some viewers might find the humour distracting from the overall seriousness of the story.

Note: Both versions of Superman II include Clark Kent returning to the diner to get revenge against the man who beat him up, which to me seems like a rather petty thing to do and out of character for Superman.

In conclusion, Superman II remains a significant entry in the superhero genre and a worthy continuation of the iconic hero’s journey. Christopher Reeve’s remarkable performance, coupled with impressive action sequences and emotional depth, solidifies this film’s place in cinematic history and though a few tonal inconsistencies may exist, the movie successfully captures the essence of Superman’s struggle to balance his responsibilities and desires. Whether you’re a fan of superhero films or a newcomer to the franchise this sequel is a must-watch, it’s one that continues to soar even decades after its release.