Nostalgic Review: Superman II

Despite a lot of controversy with the firing of the director from the first film Richard Donner during production. I have yet to see the Richard Donner cut of the film. But I hear the added scenes give some interesting development.

This much anticipated sequel eventually got made and it ended up being many including myself best Superman film of all-time, now under the film of Richard Lester. Also, it was one of the few sequels at that time and only the second time a production has made two films back-to-back.

What I think could be a first and possibly only time. The opening credits is basically a catch-up from the first installment and shows the main events that took place. I honestly can't think of any other film that has done that.

With the first film mainly dealing with the origins of all of our characters, we are now straight into the action with this sequel. There are also some new villains, and they mean business.

The action scenes have improved from the last one and really entertaining to watch. There is one particular action sequence that I always like watching. It really shows the destructive power these villains have and it really gives you concern for Superman. Also, the final action scene which is about 35 minutes long is really well done, I never get tired watching them and is the action we have been wanting to see.

Christopher Reeve manages to surpass himself with his performance as both Superman and Clark Kent. It does help with the film going more in-depth with Superman. We get to see a different side to his character. His on-screen relationship with Margot Kidder really works. Kidder gives probably her best performance of all her appearance within this film series. She is definitely more involved and we really believe her in this film.

Even with Reeve, this real stars of the film are the villains. It is lead by Terrence Stamp, who is terrific as General Zod. You can feel the evil in his face and voice. He even manages to give comedic moments with his subtle roll of the eyes. It is definitely one of the best performances of a villain I have ever seen. Sarah Douglas as Ursa was both sexy and a bad-ass. She played the evil role well, was the most interesting to watch and I think stole the show.

Gene Hackman returns and continues to be great as Lex Luthor. That great mix of being a villain and having comedic relief manages to work with Hackman. A lot of great quotes coming from him throughout.

It is a shame that John Williams did not return to make the score. But Ken Thorne manages to do a good job mixing in Williams previous score and his own pieces.
Also from a technical standpoint, the visual effects are pretty good for its time. But the model shots are terrific. It is films like this that show how underrated using models are for action sequences.

This is a hugely entertaining film. Despite a lot it looking dated, the content is still great to watch and the writing keeps the story interesting that will appeal to anyone of any era.
For an era where CGI was still in early development and a good story was essential, this is a great film and definitely one of the best superhero films of all-time. The performances are all memorable, especially from the villains. Also, the strange use of humor still seems to work in a weird way.

I hope to see the Donner cut soon to see what was taken out and if I believe they enhanced the film or not.

Rating: 8/10