Superman II (1981)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Best movie of this year hands down!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Three Villians, Two directors, One amazing Superman film. The action is amazing. The characters are beyond iconic, and movie was a blast to sit through. Definitely recommend watching it again.

(Flash Review)This was shot at the same time as Superman but had directorial turmoil. Thus as the first director left, Gene Hackman quit the film! Anyway, in this movie, three criminals escape and flee to Earth. At the same time Superman has fallen in love with Lois and is learning to be equal/human with her, he must give up his Superman powers. Will he sacrifice so much to be with Lois? How will the villains be stopped if he doesn't have his powers? How will Lex Luthor jockey the villain hierarchy? Those are the core tension plot points. The three villains are great. So many memorable scenes and they have such peculiar 80's styles. The story was a good way to showcase superpowers and fun battles. Very good effects for its time. Another classic movie.

Aside from its clashing tones and mismatched narrative elements, Richard Lester's "Superman II" is a solidly entertaining, nearly great superhero film. Its flaws may be writ large across the screen, but, thanks to an appealing leading man and some engaging notes of darkness, the action film manages to stand-out.A sequel to Richard Donner's "Superman," "Superman II" finds Christopher Reeve's man of steel squaring off against three criminals from his homeworld. This would be plot enough, but the narrative also includes the return of Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor and a subplot where Clark Kent rids himself of his immortality in order to be with Margot Kidder's Lois Lane.Less overstuffed than it is disjunct, the story rarely feels cohesive. Plot elements seem at odds with one another, never fitting into place with the next. More importantly, the tone ranges from goofy to dark with little effort made to make the different tones layer seamlessly. Fortunately, the story elements and tonal shades that do work overshadow those that do not.The sequel is a fitting complement to Donner's first film. It is a colorful, energetic work that boasts a now-iconic cast in Reeve and Terence Stamp. Action beats are strong when they do not turn to silliness, and, despite a certain cheapness that permeates some scenes, effects work is rousing. It is a grand, sometimes goofy superhero opera.A clear case of the final product being more impressive that its separate parts, "Superman II" makes for an impactful spectacle. At its best when it is its darkest, those more textured beats may be fleeting; but they are memorable, and those moments of thematic and cinematic urgency elevate the entire exiting action affair.

The previous movie began with the introduction of 3 villains on Krypton by the names of "General Zod" (Terence Stamp), "Ursa" (Sarah Douglas) and "Non" (Jack O'Halloran) who were tried and imprisoned in a device known as the "phantom zone" and exiled into outer space. On a similar note, the film ended with another sinister villain named "Lex Luthor" (Gene Hackman) being cast into prison by "Superman" (Christopher Reeve) for trying to detonate two nuclear bombs in the United States. However, at the start of this movie Lex Luthor manages to escape and the subsequent detonation of a hydrogen bomb in outer space also frees the 3 criminals from Krypton. This results in Superman having to fight against all 4 villains at the same time—and he is not only outnumbered but has also lost all of his super powers as well. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I thought this particular film was even better than the original. Of course, it should be noted that the first movie had the mundane task of setting up the characters and events which tended to slow the film down a bit. In any case, I enjoyed this film and have rated it accordingly. Above average.