Movie Review: Superman 2 (1980)

Interestingly, there are two different versions of the movie available. Richard Donner shot two movies simultaneously with the intention of releasing them one after another. But, once the first movie was released, there was a reported fallout between Donner and the producers. Donner was replaced with Richard Lester, who completed this movie and the inferior sequel, Superman III.

This is a review of the theatrical (Richard Lester) version. The Richard Donner version has also been restored and is available on DVD.

The movie opens with footage we saw briefly in Superman: The Movie. General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his associates, Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran) are banished to the Phantom Zone by Jor-El (Marlon Brando). Zod vows to take revenge on his jailor and his future heirs.

Back to the present in Earth, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) is off to Paris on one of her journalistic missions. As fans of DC comics are well aware, Lois and life threatening danger are never far apart, especially when she is away from the Daily Planet in Metropolis.

Some masked men have taken over the Eiffel Tower and are threatening to blow up Paris with a hydrogen bomb, unless they are paid a ransom. Lois, as is her wont, tries to reach these men atop the Tower, presumably to negotiate with them. In comes our saviour of the day, Supes (Christopher Reeve) and it is a good ending for Lois and not so much for the bad guys.

However, there is an unintended side-effect of this rescue. When Supes disposes off the bomb by throwing it off into space, the resulting explosion releases Zod and his fellow criminals from their prison.

The 3 Kryptonians head to Moon and start their evil shenanigans right away. After learning about Houston from the human astronauts, Zod starts his mission to take over "Planet Houston".

Clark and Lois, meanwhile are sent together to investigate the recent incidents involving honeymooning couples at Niagara Falls. Lois starts getting suspicious about Clark being Superman and tries her best to force Clark to reveal his identity. Clark proves to be too smart for such antics.

He does slip up later and is forced to disclose his true identity. Supes takes Lois to the Fortress of Solitude and consummates their relationship. Supes also undergoes an operation to lose his superpowers and subsequently becomes a mortal to spend his life with Lois.

This proves to be bad timing, as the 3 Kryptonians land on Earth and quickly proceed to take over the White House. Superman is forced to reconsider his earlier decision and returns to the Fortress of Solitude to recover his powers.

Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) has escaped from prison and has already trekked to the Fortress of Solitude, along with Eve Tessmacher (Valerie Perrine). He tries to bargain with Zod to acquire Australia by providing about the elusive Man of Steel. Enraged that his jailor's son is still alive, Zod is led by Lex to the Daily Planet. Lex plans to use Lois as a bait to catch Superman.

Supes does not disappoint and a battle royale that takes places in the streets and on air across Metropolis. This is a great fight scene between Supes and 3 equally powerful Kryptonian enemies. Outnumbered, Supes has to use his wits to defeat his opponents.

This movie is as much fun as Superman: The Movie. Having explained Supes' background and powers in the preceding one, this movie focusses on Superman-Lois Lane romance. It also presents a real physical threat to the Man of Steel in the form of Zod and his cohorts.

The actors have comfortably settled in their roles and the newcomers acquit themselves nicely. 

Chris Reeve continues his superlative performance as Supes and his alter ego, Clark Kent. His chemistry with Margot Kidder is palpable. Gene Hackman provides most of the comic relief in the movie and he is an absolute hoot. The script (again) by Mario Puzo gets some nice laughs through the way people on earth react to the Kryptonians' arrival and their costumes.

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Terence Stamp gives a campy but enjoyable turn as General Zod. His "Kneel before Zod" utterance has become part of the pop culture. Sarah Douglas is good as the vamp and Jack O'Halloran is adequate as the brawny but dumb Non.

It will be interesting to see Michael Shannon's take on General Zod. The trailers have indicated that Michael's version will be a more serious one.

 General Zod and Ursa (Superman 2, 1980) vs General Zod and Faora-Ul (Man of Steel, 2013)

Supes and Bats are referred to as "World's Finest" and true to that designation, Superman: The Movie and Superman 2 along with the The Dark Knight Trilogy are at the top of the food chain in the superhero movie genre.

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Image Sources: Warner Bros Pictures, Box Office Mojo, DC Comics, Star Warped, Superhero Shows, SupermanTV.Net, Wikia

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Movie Review: Superman (1978)

The movie opens on Krypton, Superman's home planet. Jor-El (Marlon Brando) sends General Zod (Terence Stamp) and couple of his cronies Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran) to exile in the Phantom Zone. We never know the reasons behind this punishment but Kyrpton is not safe yet. Jor El believes the planet faces imminent destruction and sends his infant son Kal-El away on a spaceship. Destination: Planet Earth.

In Smallville, Jonathan and Martha Kent witness Kal-El's arrival on Earth. Martha persuades Jonathan to keep the youngster and the rest as they say is comic book history. The boy named Clark by his Earth bound parents grows up to be the foremost champion and defender of Earth: Superman.

We see few more scenes set in Smallville, as Pa Kent instills a strong sense of humility and morality in his adopted son. Soon, Clark learns everything about his background in the newly constructed Fortress of Solitude in the North Pole. Clark finishes his education from the crystals and is off to Metropolis to start his career as a mild mannered reporter at the Daily Planet.

The scenes at the Daily Planet are arguably the best in the movie as Chris Reeve does some superb acting as the bumbling Clark. His interactions with Perry, Lois and Jimmy are spot on and establish Reeve as the definitive Clark Kent.

No superhero movie can be successful without the hero's archenemy. In this instance, it is Lex Luthor, the self-described greatest criminal mastermind of his time, played with a wink and smile by the talented Gene Hackman. This version of Lex is not as serious as his comic book counterpart and he even has couple of hilarious sidekicks to boot - Otis (Ned Beatty) and Eve Tessmacher (Valerie Perrine).

Lex has hatched a plan to sink California and make money through the resulting real estate scam. Lex decides to kill Supes and summons him through a message sent on a specific frequency audible only to Supes and animals.

Supes overcomes Lex's devious plans (with some help from Eve) and saves the day.

Chris Reeve's soulful and studied performance captures the essence of the Man of Steel.

Rest of the cast gives good performances too. Margot Kidder may not be the beautiful Lois as drawn in the comics, but she is every bit the feisty reporter as her character is intended to be. Jackie Cooper and Mark McClure are good as Perry White and Jimmy Olsen respectively. Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter deserve special mention as Jonathan and Martha Kent.

Gene Hackman makes an entertaining Lex. His Lex is the perfect comic counterpart to the more serious one played by Michael Rosenbaum in the TV series, Smallville.

The only exception is Marlon Brando, who was paid an extravagant sum for a very limited screen time. It is reported that his contract did not even require him to memorize the lines. Astute viewers will notice a considerable amount of apathy in Brando's performance.

This is the movie that inspired Chris Nolan. He has stated that Superman had an excellent casting even for its minor supporting roles and he used the same model for The Dark Knight Trilogy. 

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Mario Puzo's excellent script has clever nods to the Man of Steel's arsenal of powers and his "Big Blue Boy Scout" status. The movie has an epic scope, covering Krypton and Supes' early childhood. I also like the explanation of the "S" symbol as being unique to Jor-El family.

John Williams' score is as celebrated as any he went on to compose in his illustrious career. The main theme is one of the most recognized ones and is synonymous with Superman.

Credit is also due to Richard Donner for his amazing job as the director. The movie provides the right mix of humor, action and romance, making it one of the best superhero movies.

 
Like Supes himself, this is the first superhero based movie to attain massive success, both critically and commercially.

In a nutshell: An epic movie with an iconic soundtrack and a classic performance befitting the greatest superhero ever, Superman. 

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Image Sources: Warner Bros Pictures, DC Comics, Wikipedia, Wikia

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