How the mighty have fallen. The original 'Superman II' (an unfortunate title, such as "Coke Classic," we're forced to distinguish between the theatrical version and Donner's, uh, "vision") was such a downgrade to the 1978 classic. If it weren't for the wonderful performances of Stamp and Douglas, the movie would've been made a mess. I didn't mention in my review of part I, you really have to suspend your disbelief and have a total lack of reality or physics in both movies. Here, any laws are out the window. In fact, they simply give new, never before seen/heard of, powers to both Superman and his three villains. And what took Clark a lifetime to achieve, these three criminals learn in a heartbeat. Sure there's some comedic moments and it's neat (from a kid's POV) to see three bad guys with the same powers as Superman fight the Man of Steel. But the story simply sucks and it shows even more of a human side of the Last Son of Krypton to the point of absolute selfishness. I'm guessing the story picks up immediately after part I's finale, where Superman rescues Lois & all of Paris from a bomb, inadvertently releasing 3 baddies from "The Phantom Zone" and they quickly get bored with the "easy" conquer of Planet Houston (I love their (ha-alien) British accent: Hoooston) until the meet with Luthor who had easily broke out of prison and found Superman's fortress. All the while, Lois finally wakes up, realizing who Superman really is, and he decides to give up his flying duties for her. We all know she fell in love with the idea of Superman, and not the man. Too many holes, like where did the super-car came from & why so easy to return to the suit.
Review of Superman II
