Review of Superman II (1980) by Garrett R — 22 Jun 2010

SUPERMAN II is as exciting, fun, action-packed, and very well-performed as SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE. The music enlivens the film throughout its duration, and Jackie Cooper and Christopher Reeve's chemistry keep us emotionally connected to this worthy sequel to SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE.

From the opening catch-up credit sequence, SUPERMAN II's strength lies in its characters and story. The story drives the characters forward, with incredible ease and engagement. SUPERMAN II's story is not as lengthy as the original (as its a continuation rather than an origin story), but it is just as entertaining. Clark Kent/Superman continues his fight for Earth's safety and Lois is still looking to win the Pulitzer Prize. Lex Luthor escapes the maximum security prison he was imprisoned in by Superman, and the three villains from Krypton escape the "Phantom Zone" imprisonment by a very fantastic way, and find that their powers on Earth are very strong...

Director Richard Lester is able to bring Mario Puzo's story to the screen with his simple characterizations and dialogue, as well as the classic superhero staple themes of the choice of revealing one's secret identity for the sake of love or keeping it safe for the sake of saving people and standing up for what is right. Jackie Cooper as Lois and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman easily convey their character's hidden feelings for one another in relation to the identity theme. Superman standing up to Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman, still in fine, slightly comical villianous form) and the three Krypton villians (led by Terence Stamp's Zod) is the main conflict in the film, while the hidden conflict would be Superman showing his real feelings to Lois.

As for the film's special effects, they do appear dated but the feeling the flying sequences and music together convey is a wonderful one. SUPERMAN II's action sequences look very cool and comic book-ish, and the fashion in which they are choreographed and edited gives off plenty of thrills.

The one problem I have with SUPERMAN II is the pace. The story takes about thirty minutes for the story's exposition and set-up to be set (which is fine) but the pace of the first thirty minutes is less than engaging. Much of the exposition of the situations and characters is needed, but the pace of the original film was consistent throughout. SUPERMAN II needed better pacing in the first half-hour, other than that the film breezes by.

"Kneel before Zod!", the thrilling action, Jackie Cooper's and Christopher Reeve's likeable chemistry, the rousing music, and Mario Puzo's simple but effective story are the elements that make SUPERMAN II great, if not as wonderous as the original. The first half-hour is slow, but the film breezes by afterwards with all of its exposition coming into play and suprising its audience along the way. Be ready for more Critiques and Opinions on Every and Movie I Can Get My Hands On!