By Mike Huntley
When director Richard Donner set out to make Superman The Movie for Warner Bros., there were already plans for a sequel even before the first film was released to theaters. So, WB had Donner jump right into production on Superman II while Superman The Movie was in post production. Superman (1978) had already set up for the sequel with Jor-El sending General Zod, Ursa, and Non to the Phantom Zone at the beginning of the film who of course would be the big threat in Superman II.
When director Richard Donner set out to make Superman The Movie for Warner Bros., there were already plans for a sequel even before the first film was released to theaters. So, WB had Donner jump right into production on Superman II while Superman The Movie was in post production. Superman (1978) had already set up for the sequel with Jor-El sending General Zod, Ursa, and Non to the Phantom Zone at the beginning of the film who of course would be the big threat in Superman II.
Superman II had a difficult
production. After shooting most of the film, Warner Bros. and the
Salkinds decided that they didn't like the direction that Dick Donner
was taking the sequel. Where the first film was pretty light hearted and
silly fun, the sequel was more dramatic and action packed. So they
fired Donner and hired Richard Lester to reshoot some scenes and gave
him the full directorial credit despite most of the movie being Donner's
work. Lester decided to throw out a lot of the more serious and
dramatic changes that Donner brought to Superman II in favor of more
silliness, thinking that families wouldn't want to see a serious
Superman movie. Superman II was released to theaters in June of 1980 to
pretty good results despite the behind the scenes mess. The film did
well at the box office and audiences still loved it. Though for decades
the hardcore Superman fans had been craving to see what Richard Donner's
original version of Superman II would be like. Fans all over wanted a
Donner cut of Superman II. Summer 2006 was a big year for the Man of
Steel with the release of Superman Returns, which was a disappointment
at the box office and had a mixed audience, but still generated a lot of
buzz around Superman. With all this buzz, Richard Donner decided that
it would be the perfect time to give the hardcore fans what they wanted,
his version of Superman II. Looking through the film archives, Donner
took to editing all of what he shot on Superman II, archive footage from
the first film, and even screen tests and morphed them into what his
intentions were. In fall 2006, Superman II (The Richard Donner Cut) was
released on DVD and fans to this day consider it the better version of
Superman II. In fact, Superman II is considered by many to be the best
film in the 1978-2006 Superman movie franchise and you know what? I'm
one of them!
When Superman stopped one of Lex Luthor's missiles by tossing it
up into outerspace, it caused a riff that broke open the Phantom Zone
and released Krypton's ruthless military leader General Zod and two of
his soldiers (Ursa and Non). Meanwhile back on Earth, Lois begins to
suspect that Clark is really Superman. She ends up tricking Clark by
shooting him with a gun filled with blanks to reveal the truth that he
is Superman. So Superman takes Lois to the Fortress of Solitude to show
her more about him that includes under the covers. Prior to this, Lex
Luthor is broken out of prison by Eve Teschmacher and discovers the
Fortress and learns more about his arch nemesis. While Superman and
Lois relax inside the Fortress, Zod and his two followers come to Earth
to rule the planet as they tried to do on Krypton. They use their heat
vision to leave Metropolis in ruins and even force the President of the
United States and the military to kneel before them and to give them the
USA. Superman realizes that he is in love with Lois and wants to have a
normal life with her so Jor-El makes him Human. After returning to the
States, Clark gets beat up by some trucker douchebag at a diner,
learning that being Human ain't as great as he thought it would be. But,
things get worse when he discovers that Zod has broken free and has
taken control of America with intentions to conquer the whole planet. So
Clark finds a way to get his powers back to stop Zod, but is it too
late?
I really enjoy Superman II. Like many Superman fans, I consider it the
best in the 1978-2006 movie franchise. While I like Superman The Movie,
this film was more exciting to watch because it had a more threatening
foe for Superman to fight. Luthor wasn't a big challenge, but Zod has
the same super powered abilities as does Ursa and Non so Superman had to
fight harder to save the planet. I also thought the chemistry between
Lois and Superman was stronger here. They obviously are attracted to one
another from the start, but their relationship has the chance to be
really fleshed out here. I mean Superman GAVE UP his powers to be with
her. That's huge! And I liked that actions actually had consequences. He
gave in to selfish pursuits and in return it almost destroyed the
planet because when he was supposed to be watching over Metroplis and
the people of Earth, he was in his Fortress getting "close" with Lois
Lane so Zod had the perfect opportunity to start ruling.
While I was bothered by Hackman's version of Lex Luthor being
the big bad in Superman The Movie, I actually enjoyed him much more here
because he wasn't played as the villain of the film. General Zod was
the big bad with Luthor as just a weasel who wanted Zod to give him a
piece of the pie if he gave him info on the Boy Scout. Still not
convinced that he is Lex Luthor, but I could tolerate him a lot more in
Superman II than in Superman The Movie. Otis and Eve Teschmacher were
very small characters here than in the first film, which I appreciated
even though I was entertained by them. I still find it hilarious that
the Fortress of Solitude has a bathroom.
General Zod was a great and memorable villain in this film.
There's a great reason that Jor-El had imprisoned him, Ursa, and Non in
the Phantom Zone and we can see why. Terence Stamp is pretty
intimidating just with his eyes. You can see a soulless destroyer in this
character. Ursa may have been a vicious cold hearted bitch, but damn
she was sexy. I don't know whether to be intimidated or turned on with
her character. Non was basically just the big bearded guy who is all
muscle and mute. For some reason he reminded me of Jaws from the old
James Bond films.
The special
FX while a little dated these days are still pretty good. It was cool
to finally see the heat vision even it was done more by the villains as
well as the windy breath. It would have been nice to have seen Superman
use his heat vision more and we never saw him do the wind breath.
The music score by the great John Williams is still epic. Love
that they kept those awesome opening credits with the blue light speed
zoom.
I have one big gripe
about this movie though. I HATED the part where Superman reverts back
time to make it where Zod, Ursa, and Non never broke out and that Lois
never found out that Clark was Superman. It just felt like a cheap shot.
Like whenever things don't go Superman's way, just change the clock
back to where it never happened. While we all have to make decisions and
deal with the consequences of those decisions, Superman gets to screw
up and just erase it from happening. What the Hell? I know that he has
the ability to do it, but just because you can fix your mistakes by
turning back the clock doesn't mean you should! He was happy with Lois
AND could have still been Superman. He could have fixed all the things
that Zod destroyed. It's not like he doesn't have the speed or strength
to do it. I don't know, it just felt like a cheat. Now in Superman The
Movie, it worked better because Lois actually died. But here it just did
not work for me.
The
acting was pretty solid. Christopher Reeve was still awesome as both
Clark Kent and Superman. He's just so charming. Margot Kidder was good
as Lois Lane. Terence Stamp really stood out as the villainous General
Zod. So intimidating and creepy. Can't wait to see Michael Shannon in
the role soon! Jackie Cooper and Marc McClure were good as Perry White
and Jimmy Olsen. Sarah Douglas was very hot as Ursa. Femme Fatale
characters just turn me on. Jack O'Halloron was good as the strong yet
silent Non. Ned Beatty was funny in his small role as Otis, Lex Luthor's
stupid sidekick. Valerie Perrine was amusing in her small role as Eve
Teschmacher. And Gene Hackman was fun to watch as Lex Luthor. Still not a
big fan of making Lex a silly villain, but at least he is fun to watch,
even in that horrendous Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
The direction by Richard Donner was even better than the first
film. Donner was the first person to show a more dramatic Superman
before a dramatic Superman became popular. It's a shame he was screwed
over in favor of another director being hired to lighten up the film.
And while I'm not a big fan of Superman Returns, I will say that without
that film generating buzz in Superman which hadn't been in the
mainstream eye since 1987, this version of Superman II may never have
happened. Now I have never seen the theatrical version except for maybe a
view bits here and there when my Dad would watch it on TV, but this to
me is the only Superman II. I just act like the Lester version doesn't
exist. Donner's cut is the only version I've seen and it is the only
version I will continue to see.
Overall, Superman II is a very good movie and is a case
where a sequel is actually better than the first film. I have and will
continue to enjoy this movie. But, I do have a strong feeling that Man
of Steel will become my definitive Superman movie and that Superman II
will become my 2nd favorite movie starring the blue and red Boy Scout.
Too bad that the franchise would fall from here, which is why a reboot
was absolutely needed to update Superman for the 21st Century.
GRADE
B+
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