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 1980 PG / Superhero Action Directed by: Starring: |
- The Man of Steel meets his match!
Summary Capsule
- Three bad dudes from Krypton show up to put the hurt on Middle America, but Superman's off getting nookie.
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Justin's Rating: Slower than a gin and tonic, able to leap small hangovers in a single bound
Justin's Review: I feel sorta bad that kids growing up these days will never have their imagination tested much by movies. Prior to the whole computer graphics revolution — which has since enabled any half-awake director to slap some miraculous special effects into their movie with the aid of an iMac — special effects required vastly more talent and skill, and were only halfway successful at looking convincing. This required the viewer to enter into a bloodpact with the movie, an unspoken agreement in which we would forgive the little flaws and cracks that the FX would display in order to have fun, and the movie would assume that our imagination would be more than enough to leap the gap.
Yet, as a kid, this sort of stuff was practically holy ground. As a kid, I wasn't burdened with the knowledge of how a movie is made, or the cynical mind that nitpicks until I've had my fill — I merely experienced and enjoyed. I'm not saying that I thought Supes 2 was anything groundbreaking back then, but I saw it often enough to create a small broom closet in my mind stacked with a handful of nostalgic memories.
So really, I can't report on this movie from today's standards of slick CGI and mass marketing hype. Instead, a voice keeps reminding me that we once thought this fairly nifty stuff, and the three evil Kryptonians a true force to be reckoned with instead of lightly mocked for their Saran Wrap outfits.
If you skipped Superman and came right into number two — probably the best of the old quadrilogy, if pop culture has taught us anything — then you're not in trouble. The opening credits uses a combination of John William's incredible theme and clips from the first film to bring us up to speed. Considering that Superman was about five hours long, a seven-minute refresher course is almost preferable.
It turns out that Superman's home planet of Krypton was destroyed in part by the evil machinations of General Zod, his badge-collecting girlfriend, and his old college roommate. While lil' Ka-El escaped as a baby in a spaceship, these nefarious three were sentenced to an eternity in "The Phantom Zone", which is pretty much a big flat business card in space that can only be destroyed by a nuclear explosion (which, by the way, my mind kept piping up that stars contain many of these).
Oh, here comes Superman, with a nuke. Thanks Supes!
Escaped and happy to receive the same assortment of made-up powers as Superman, the three proceed to kill some astronauts, talk in the void of space, then hop over to Earth to conquer a Midwestern town where the combined armed forces consist of two sheriffs and a bartender with a shotgun. Tough crowd. Outmatched three-to-one, Superman promptly falls even more in love with Lois Lane, breaks his identity, then sacrifices his powers to become a mortal so that he can be with her.
In other words, Superman needed the sex, so he got a lot less super.
Bouncing from ridiculous premise to ridiculous premise (so you can WALK to the North Pole now? Superman has magical kisses and the bad guys have finger levitation?), Superman II attempts to staunch the flow of criticism by making this a load more fun then the first time around. It's a blast to see the Kryptonians barge into the White House and claim ownership to the planet, and we're all just itching for the final showdown across Metropolis from that moment on.
Plus, and this is important: "COME SON OF JOR-EL! KNEEL BEFORE GENERAL ZOD!" You need to know that for the test later.
So Superman's kind of a dork in this one, but he also partially destroys the Eiffel Tower, so it's pretty much a draw. Worth it to see the baddies and also Lois Lane calling Clark out of the closet. "What's your hurry… Superman?"
 "Oh baby, this is TOTALLY worth giving up invincibility, heat blasts, flight, super-strength, x-ray vision and the safety of mankind for!"
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- Talking in space? How?
- Director Richard Donner walking out of frame during point-of-view windshield shot as Lois and Clark pull up to diner in car.
- Magic kisses can do ANYthing, baby!
- The North Pole is just a hop, skip and a truck ride away
- At the end of the film, as Superman flies over the White House to replace the flag, the water in the foreground fountain remains motionless.
- Due to the different filming times, Lois's face and hair are noticeably altered between different scenes.
- There is no way to steer a balloon, so Lex Luthor would be unable to go "Due north".
- The moon appears to have normal gravity in many shots
Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?
Just for the music.
So Who Directed Superman II?
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It's a long and weird story, but here's the short version. At the time of shooting Superman I, director Richard Donner was filming the sequel, intending both movies to be two halves of a whole story. After arguing with the producers over their desire to see the movies become more campy and upset that the films had gone over budget, Donner was fired. At this point he had filmed about 75% of Superman II. Director Richard Lester, who had never previously heard of Superman (!), was brought in to finish the film. Many of his scenes include the more campy "humor" that infiltrated Superman III (which he solely directed). His abrupt changes to the format and look of the film caused a lot of friction, particularly with Margot Kidder. As a result of the large span of time (2-3 years) between Donner's filming and Lester's, many of the actors have different looks.
Bringing this back around full circle, due to fan support and other factors, Warner Bros. allowed Donner to re-edit his cut material back into the film for a 2006 released called Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.
Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]
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The original script had the nuclear missile from Superman releasing Zod and companions from the Phantom Zone.
Actor Gene Hackman did not return for the second film and all his scenes were originally filmed by director Richard Donner. Existing scenes that required Hackman used a look-alike and a voice impersonator to add any lines needed.
In an early version of the script, there were four Kryptonian exile villains instead of three. The fourth member, Jak-El, was supposed to be an evil prankster and source of comic relief.
Groovy Quotes
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General Zod: So this is planet Houston.
President: Oh God...
General Zod: That's Zod.
President: [on T.V] This is your President. On behalf of my country and in the name of the other leaders of the world with whom I have today consulted, I hereby abdicate all authority and control over this planet to General Zod. Only by following all his directives will the lives of millions be spared... Superman! Can you hear me? Superman! Where are you...
General Zod: Who is this Superman?
President: You'll find out and when you do-
General Zod: Come to me, Superman! I defy you! Come and kneel before Zod!
General Zod: I win. I always win. Is there no one on this planet to even challenge me?
Lex Luthor: Superman! Thank God! [sees Zod glaring at him] I mean, get him!
Superman: General, would you care to step outside?
General Zod: Come to me, son of Jor-El, kneel before Zod!
General Zod: This Superman is nothing of the kind. You see, I've discovered his weakness. He cares. He actually cares for these Earth people.
Ursa: Like pets?
General Zod: I suppose so.
Clark Kent: But jeepers, Mr. White, that-that's terrible!
Perry White: That's why they call them terrorists, Kent.
Lois Lane: What's your hurry... Superman?
Soundtrack Review
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John William's classic score is reused... and always welcome in my home. Goosebumps!
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This review page was last updated on 9.5.06
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