Customer Reviews

Superman II (Widescreen)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

THIS HAS TO BE "THE" BEST INSTALMENT OF THE SUPERMAN SERIES.

ALTHOUGH THE FIRST FILM WAS GOOD, IT DOES NOT HAVE THE FUN CHARACTERS OF GENERAL ZOD, URSA AND NON AS THE KRYPTONIAN BADDIES.

I FEEL IT IS THESE CHARACTERS THAT MAKE THE MOVIE ALONG WITH THE PERFECTLY CAST MARGOT KIDDER AS LOIS LANE.

STARTING WITH LOIS BEING STUCK UP THE EIFFEL TOWER AND PLUMMETING DOWNWARDS ON A LIFT, ONLY TO BE SAVED BY THE MAN HIMSELF.........SUPERMAN IN HIS TIGHTS!!!

BUT POOR SUPERMAN AT THE SAME TIME RELEASES HIS ARCH ENEMY GENERAL ZOD FROM THE PHANTOM ZONE ONLY FOR ALL HELL TO BREAK LOOSE.

ONE OF THE SCENES THAT MAKES THE FILM IS WHEN OUR BADDIES ARE IN SPACE AND CONFRONT NASA SPACEMEN. THE FILMSET LOOKS FALSE AND CHEESY AND THEN THE OH SO POWERFUL ZOD APPEARS WITH HIS MOTLEY CREW ONLY TO CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS.

THEY RIP A SPACMEN TO SHREDS AND WATCH HIM CRUMPLE UP, SNAP THE AIR SUPPLY OF ANOTHER AS HE FLOATS INTO OUTERSPACE AND CRUSH THE SPACECRAFT OF THEIR FINAL VICTIM ALONG WITH THE SPACEMAN.

MUCH ACTION FOLLOWS, BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT, YOU'LL NEED TO BUY IT!!!

When I first saw Superman II as a kid back in the summer of '81, I thought it was great. Superman vs the three villains from Krypton. But as a young 10 year old, I was too young to understand what made a great movie so great or what was 'good acting'. I thought this sequel was better than the original.

Fast forward to 2001 and I'm all grown up now and how I realize I was so wrong. I still get a kick out of the comic book style fighting scenes and story, but compared to the original Superman II is not as good. Now that I found out about the whole Richard Donner/Salkinds controversey, I'm even more incensed over this film. Having said that, I know that Donner's II would have been a much better movie since it would be without director Richard Lester's emphasis on campy and cheesey stuff. (By Superman III, COMPLETELY directed by Lester, we can see that the bad scenes in 'II' were all Lesters and the good stuff was Donners).

Even after all that, the DVD version just lacks in comparsion to the SE of Superman the Movie. Maybe Warners never cared for the sequels or maybe because they just didn't want to re-open a can of worms.

I thought Superman I was a terrific movie. I hesitated to go to the sequel because rarely do sequels match up to the original. This is one where the sequel was better than the original.

From the terrific beginning where Superman rescues Lois Lane and the city of Paris from terrorists to the epic battle between Superman and the three villians in Metropolis which then continues to Supermans Fortress of Solitude, Superman II is nonstop action.

Superman giving up his powers to marry Lois Lane and the romantic scenes in the Fortress of Solitude were a nice touch. Lois Lane tempting Clark Kent to reveal his identity as Superman by jumping off Niagra Falls was hilarious as Kent acts so clumbsy, rescues Lane without revealing his identity (yet).

The prisoners whistling Mozart's tune as Superman returns his nemisis Lex Luther back to prison was equally funny. To appreciate this, you have to see the movie.

Superman I was a fantastic movie but Superman II was even better. If you are a suyperhero fan, then I highly recommend both.

for me,this movie was not as good as i remember it the first time.i
found it boring,to be honest.i also didn't like the story that much.it
just didn't seem to have much depth to it.on the plus side,though there
were some humorous bits.but this movie lacks the epic quality of the
first one.the villains are only mildly interesting,although they should
be more.also,as far as i can tell the filmmakers didn't completely
stick to the Superman lore,having the character do things he probably
would not actually do.anyway,this movie is a significant drop in
quality.it's not a horrible movie by any means,but it could have been
much more.for me Superman II(the movie itself) is a 3/5. if you include
the extras,it's a 3.5/5

Not nearly as good as the first movie, this suffers from production problems as a result of Donner's sacking by the Salkinds.
It's plainly obvious which scenes were shot by Donner and which weren't. And sadly, they left out a hefty chunk of what Donner had filmed, giving Lester the top billing as director.
Another sad omission is John Williams rousing score, which has been poorly duplicated. Not nearly as uplifting and powerful as John William's efforts in one.
Although the primary focus is on Lois and Superman's relationship, it doesn't save this picture from stinking. Even Gene Hackman's wonderful performance(which was all directed by Donner, with the exception of scenes where Lester used a body double and an impersonator for Hackman's voice) can't salvage this.
So why do I give this three stars? Because it does have it's moments, though scattered, and I live in the hope that a Richard Donner cut, using primarily all his footage, which would bring back all the scenes with Marlon Brando, will eventually pop up and finally put to bed the question of what could have been.

All you people complaining about what is and should have been (Donner not being able to complete the project) the end result is a movie that many people view as better! Leave my Superman II alone!

I was 10 years old, the first time I saw Superman The Movie, and believe it or not, the experience changed the way I look at movies to this day. The film made such an impact on me, that it set me on a (struggling) career path. There was a tme when I thought the sequel, Superman II, was as good as the first installment...And then, something happened...my opinion about the film changed. It went from being one of my favorite sequels, to being a major disappointment.

The original plan was to have Richard Donner direct Superman and Superman II at the same time. Indeed, he had completed about 80% of Superman II, then producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, decided to replace Donner with Richard Lester. Cast and were called back for reshoots. In a seperate dispute with the Salkind's, actor Marlon Brando as Jor-El, was excised from the story completely. Although Brando shot scenes for the sequel, with Donner calling the shots, a lawsuit prevented them from being used. Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, was called back for the last of his pick-up shots, he refused, out of respect for Donner and a stand in was used. When you wath the film, anytime Hackman on screen, that's footage that Donner shot. Lester's task was to complete, not only the the remaining 20%, but in order to recieve credit from the director's guild, he had to replace much of the non Hackman stuff as well---essentially only 25% of Donner's footage remains in the film, as it is currently relesed on DVD.

The story of Superman II is still quite good, even in spite of all the backstage turmoil, thae went on. Superman (Christopher Reeve) saves Paris and Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) from being blown to bits by a terrorist planted nutron bomb. There is a consequence to this heroic deed, the Man Of Steel, unwittingly releases the three Kryptonian criminals, imprisioned to the Phantom Zone by his father. Now, Zod, (Terrance Stamp) Ursa (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O'Halleran) also have the powers of Superman. When the trio teams up with Luthor, their plans are nothing short of conquering the planet Earth. All of this happens as our hero contemplates giving up his powers to be with the woman he loves.

I can not give the film a higher rating, knowing that Donner was replaced for no valid reason, other than the double dealing by the Salkinds. The first Superman film set the standard for all others in the genre to follow. I call on the studio to release Donner's version of the movie. It's long overdue...I hope they find a way to make it happen soon...The only extra on the current DVD is the theatrical trailer.

"Superman II" is more a continuation than a sequel of Richard Donner's 1978 "Superman the Movie." If you liked the first firlm, there's no real argument: you must see the second.

Unfortunately, no discussion of the film is possible without also reviewing its checkered production history. The project was originally conceived as one long story in two films, which Donner shot at the same time, much as Peter Jackson would do twenty-odd years later with the Lord of the Rings films.

After "Superman the Movie" was released and proved a critical and commercial success, and "Superman II" was well along toward completion, the producers inexplicably fired Donner and replaced him with Richard Lester, an English director best known for his quirky Beatles comedies. Stranger still, although the then-unheard of sum of $100 million had already been spent on the project, Lester reassembled most of the cast and reshot a large portion of the second film.

The end product is an oil-and-water mixture of two styles. Lester's direction is light and deft, but he approached the subject with a jaded irreverence that offends purists. It matters because purism was an important part of the success of the first film.

On the plus side, the film finishes the story begun in the first outing. Superman's and Lois Lane's romance runs to its inevitable, heart-wrenching conclusion ("I'm jealous of the whole world!") as the three Kryptonian super-villians are released from the Phantom Zone to wreak havoc on a defenseless Earth. Gene Hackman's fiendishly charismatic Lex Luthor returns, and in no time has the supposedly more powerful Kryptonians eating out of his hand. Terence Stamp and Sarah Douglas give gripping performances as the renegade Kryptonians Zod and Ursa, and Christopher Reeve again plays Superman and Clark Kent to perfection.

Some special effects show evidence of cost cutting, but the climactic final confrontations are stunning, when the villians bust up the Daily Planet and then square off against Superman using Manhattan's Forty-Second Street as their boxing ring. Superman's nick-of-time arrival ("General...would you care to step outside?") makes you want to stand up and cheer.

The film is a must-see for anyone with any interest in the subject, but I take one star off the review for the featureless DVD release. If there was ever a film that demanded the full range of extras, it's this one. How about showing us some of Donner's lost scenes? How about breaking the long silence on the production history?

For that matter, how about releasing Richard Donner's version of the film?

This is a great flick where Superman must fight three evil beings from his former home planet. The fight in New York and Superman's hideaway are entertaining and exciting for the whole family. Gene Hackman though as Lex Luthor steals the show. He's hilarious as he battles and makes alliances with both Superman and Zod. He's great. Of course the rest of the gang, Lois, Jimmy, and the Chief are back for this sequel that does not disappoint.

In most ways I think this is the best of the Superman films. Gene Hackman was fine as Lex Luthor in the first film, but here he really gets to step out. His breaking out of prison and repartee with the villains and Superman are just great. (Think about his remark about using a door when the villains smash through the doors and walls of the Daily Planet.)

The villains are all suitably cartoon evil with Terence Stamp as the Evil Leader General Zod, Sarah Douglass is the alluring Ursa, and Jack O'Halloran as the comic, strong, and silent Non.

Christopher Reeve continues his embodiment of the Man of Steel - even when the plot twists because of his love for Lois Lane. The first scene at that diner is actually touching and the final scene there is a crowd pleaser. Margot Kidder does her best work here as someone moonstruck for Superman but also unstoppable as a reporter digging for facts even when it will not be in her interest after she finds them.

And the delightful Valerie Perrine does a great comic turn as Eve Teschmacher. I always enjoy her work in movies, on TV, in drama or in comic roles (as here). She should get more work - she has a lot to offer as a mature actress.

Good family fare and interesting to return to 20+ years later to remember who was in this movie and see the good performances that are actually here making this cartoon fare more than you expected.