Review of Superman II (1980) by Brandon W — 29 Mar 2016

Superman II is the sequel to Richard Donner's Superman, directed by Richard Lester, and it stars Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kiddler, and Terence Stamp in a superhero film about General Zod and his crew that got freed.

They come to Earth, took over it, and Superman is the only person to stop them. With the first Superman movie being a huge hit, of course there's going to be a sequel, although there were creative differences between Richard Donner and the producers, which was at the point that he got replaced by a different director named Richard Lester.

Even with a replacement of a director, Superman II is a great film, even if it's not quite at the same heights as the first one. The story by Mario Puzo is great which is more or less about the characters, not the fight scenes.

The acting is great, and Terence Stamp is a really good Zod who is a lot of fun to watch. The chemistry progression between Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman is still there and is a little better than the first one.

Most of the special effects are good, but then there are some that look really dated. The sequel still has some laughs, and the score is surprisingly really good since John Williams is replaced by a completely different composer.

The fight scenes are good at that time, and it does get dumb at some times. Nonetheless, Superman II is a great sequel that is better than what I expected out of a sequel to a really great film.