Review of Superman II (1980) by Ben Y — 12 Mar 2012

A marvelous toy. It's funny, it's full of tricks and it manages to be royally entertaining, which is really all it aims for. It boasts a more consistent tone, better special effects (such as villains throwing buses around like paper planes), and even an affecting love story. It brings the fantastic into our everyday lives; it delights in showing us the reaction of the man on the street to Superman's latest stunt. With his perfect pacing, elegant narrative design, and depth of characterization, Richard Lester has made as good a matinee movie as could be imagined: it's a big, generous, beautifully crafted piece of entertainment, with the distinctive Lester touch in the busy backgrounds and the throwaway dialogue. Poking fun at its American mythos, but never descending into camp comedy, this sequel makes for a wonderful time. Superman II emerges as a solid, classy, cannily constructed piece of entertainment which gets down to action almost immediately. Superman II delivers on the promise hinted at in "Superman." Which is the better film? That's a hard choice to make, since both succeed in different ways.

VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent. (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars).