The original Superman movie took quite a while to get going, but Superman II dives straight into the action. Also, where part one had a degree of seriousness, this sequel plants its tongue very much in its cheek. Many of the original cast members are back, which helps to bring a sense of continuity to the film, but most crucially Superman II brings back the three leather-clad villains from Krypton played by Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran (you may remember from the original film that they were exiled by Superman's father, Jor-El).
In Paris, a gang of terrorists seize the Eiffel Tower and threaten to detonate a nuclear bomb. Ace reporter Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) sneaks into the tower hoping for a major news scoop, but one of the terrorists accidentally and irreversibly sets the bomb's timer ticking. Just in the nick of time, Superman (Christopher Reeve) flies in to save the day. With seconds remaining he carries the nuclear bomb into space, where it explodes harmlessly outside the Earth's atmosphere. The explosion is not quite as harmless as Superman thinks, though . for at that very moment, a glass mirror drifts by, imprisoned in which are three super-villains from Superman's home planet of Krypton. Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran) have been floating around in space since Superman's father, Jor-El, banished them from Krypton years before! Meanwhile, back on earth Superman's old adversary Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) escapes from jail and sets off in search of information about the Man Of Steel so that he might find a way to defeat him. Luthor discovers Superman's Arctic ice palace, where all the teachings and background history about Superman are stored. Soon, Zod, Ursa and Non arrive on Earth and use their super-powers to wreak havoc and destruction on a grand scale. Luthor teams up with them, and offers to tell them what he knows about Superman and his ancestry. And Superman's problems don't end there for his girl-friend Lois begins to slowly figure out that his alter ego is the nerdy news reporter Clark Kent with whom she works!!!
Superman II is certainly a busy film, with plots and subplots galore, but thanks to skillful story-telling it never becomes cluttered or confusing. Reeve is excellent once again as Superman/Clark Kent. He is especially good during a sequence where he confesses everything to Lois Lane and relinquishes his super-powers in order to be with her. Hackman seems to be having great fun as Luthor in one hilarious scene, he bargains with the trio of Krypton villains, promising them they can rule the whole world as long as they give him Australia for his contribution towards Superman's downfall!! The special effects are well done for a 1980 film, with certain improvements made since the first Superman film (which was released two years earlier). During the big street battle between Superman and his three super-human opponents, the destruction of buildings, vehicles and roads is convincingly staged. And the flying sequences, while still not totally perfect, look a little more believable than they did in the earlier film. Superman II might well be 2-hours plus of juvenile, comic-strip shenanigans, but it's good fun!
In Paris, a gang of terrorists seize the Eiffel Tower and threaten to detonate a nuclear bomb. Ace reporter Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) sneaks into the tower hoping for a major news scoop, but one of the terrorists accidentally and irreversibly sets the bomb's timer ticking. Just in the nick of time, Superman (Christopher Reeve) flies in to save the day. With seconds remaining he carries the nuclear bomb into space, where it explodes harmlessly outside the Earth's atmosphere. The explosion is not quite as harmless as Superman thinks, though . for at that very moment, a glass mirror drifts by, imprisoned in which are three super-villains from Superman's home planet of Krypton. Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran) have been floating around in space since Superman's father, Jor-El, banished them from Krypton years before! Meanwhile, back on earth Superman's old adversary Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) escapes from jail and sets off in search of information about the Man Of Steel so that he might find a way to defeat him. Luthor discovers Superman's Arctic ice palace, where all the teachings and background history about Superman are stored. Soon, Zod, Ursa and Non arrive on Earth and use their super-powers to wreak havoc and destruction on a grand scale. Luthor teams up with them, and offers to tell them what he knows about Superman and his ancestry. And Superman's problems don't end there for his girl-friend Lois begins to slowly figure out that his alter ego is the nerdy news reporter Clark Kent with whom she works!!!
Superman II is certainly a busy film, with plots and subplots galore, but thanks to skillful story-telling it never becomes cluttered or confusing. Reeve is excellent once again as Superman/Clark Kent. He is especially good during a sequence where he confesses everything to Lois Lane and relinquishes his super-powers in order to be with her. Hackman seems to be having great fun as Luthor in one hilarious scene, he bargains with the trio of Krypton villains, promising them they can rule the whole world as long as they give him Australia for his contribution towards Superman's downfall!! The special effects are well done for a 1980 film, with certain improvements made since the first Superman film (which was released two years earlier). During the big street battle between Superman and his three super-human opponents, the destruction of buildings, vehicles and roads is convincingly staged. And the flying sequences, while still not totally perfect, look a little more believable than they did in the earlier film. Superman II might well be 2-hours plus of juvenile, comic-strip shenanigans, but it's good fun!