VHS : Superman II

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Rating:

- "Super" Sequel
"With all this accumulative knowledge when are these dummies going to learn to use the doorknob?"
"Hi! You should see The White House. They'll be cleaning that for months." - Lex Luthor does damage control in "Superman II"

The adventures of The Man of Steel continue in a rare sequel that is equal to its original (the same can't be said for "Superman's III & IV").

While on an undercover assignment for The Daily Planet, Lois Lane & Clark Kent try to uncover a honeymoon scam at Niagra Falls. But, when Lois witnesses Superman save a boy from going over the Falls and certain death, Lois realizes that when ever Supes is around, Clark Kent isn't and vice versa. Lois begins to question whether Clark & Superman are one in the same. Whats worse is when Clark has, what normally would have been, a life altering accident right in front of Lois, revealing his true identity & Lois proclaiming her true love to the Stud of Steel.

Just when things couldn't get any worse, three Kryptonian criminals, that were jailed by Superman's dad in the original film, break free from there eternal prison (The Phantom Zone) and wreak havoc on Earth, destroying anything in their path & eventually ruling the planet. Its up to Superman to take'em down and save the day.

"Superman II" was filmed together with "Superman: The Movie" with more than 80% of "II" directed by Richard Donner. Gene Hackman didn't return for the last 20% that was directed by Lester and a stand in was used for additional shots with a voice imitator looping any new dialogue used. The cast is in fine form (this is basically how you can tell these two films were shot together. The cast looks geriatric in "III" & especially in "IV"). There are a lot of effects shots that look old, but, still work to a certain degree. There are tons of product placement in this film (keep a look out during the battle in Metropolis. You will see everything from "KFC", "Coca-Cola", & "JVC", to "Cutty Sark", "Marlboro" & "Evita"). I also spotted a film flub during the battle in Metropolis. Take special attention right after the bus crash sequence where Superman trys to stop the bus from hitting the Marlboro truck, but, gets hit along with it. There's a quick shot of the crowds stunned reaction. Using your DVD remote freeze the image and look in the background. It looks like the main entrance way to a big studio (maybe Elstree Studios?) making, what should be, an outside set look like its inside.

As for the DVD it falls short. Audio is 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround with a trailer for a special feature (what the f**k?!). No animated menus, either.

"Superman II" is a great film that shouldn't be missed and after twenty-three years since its release it still flies high. I just wish the DVD did too.

Rating:

- A Richard Donner Cut is what I'm after
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.

Rating:

- We need a 21st Century Superman movie!
Very bad film.
They released Spiderman into the 21st century, why not Superman?
I've always found him to be the most appealing comic book character. He is sure for an amazing performance.
RELEASE HIM INTO OUR CENTURY!

Rating:

- BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL!!!
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!

Rating:

- A Good Film, But, Oh, What Could Have Been....
"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?

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