{"id":7254,"date":"2009-06-18T14:23:05","date_gmt":"2009-06-18T21:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7254"},"modified":"2023-09-09T16:23:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T23:23:06","slug":"superman-ii-1980","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7254","title":{"rendered":"Superman II (1980)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Think of it: three &#8212; count them &#8212; <em>three<\/em> supervillains, each one with the same powers he has, each one totally dedicated to corruption, violence, and evil.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Superman-II-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Superman-II-Poster-197x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-63421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Superman-II-Poster-197x300.png 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Superman-II-Poster-671x1024.png 671w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Superman-II-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Superman-II-Poster-177x270.png 177w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Superman-II-Poster.png 713w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nSuperman (Christopher Reeve) gives up his special powers to be in a relationship with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) &#8212; but when three super-criminals from Krypton (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, and Jack O&#8217;Halloran) descend onto Earth and terrorize its citizens, the world desperately needs Superman&#8217;s help.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Christopher Reeve Films<\/li>\n<li>Comics and Comic Strips<\/li>\n<li>E.G. Marshall Films<\/li>\n<li>Fantasy<\/li>\n<li>Gene Hackman Films<\/li>\n<li>Margot Kidder Films<\/li>\n<li>Ned Beatty Films<\/li>\n<li>Richard Lester Films<\/li>\n<li>Romance<\/li>\n<li>Superheroes<\/li>\n<li>Susannah York Films<\/li>\n<li>Terence Stamp Films<\/li>\n<li>Thieves and Criminals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, despite the fact that this sequel to <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7293\"><em>Superman<\/em><\/a> &#8220;got better reviews than the original&#8221;, it never quite &#8220;reaches that [film&#8217;s] high level&#8221; &#8212; however, it remains a fun, must-see flick in its own right. Directed by Richard Lester, it&#8217;s more humorous and less of an outright epic than the first <em>Superman<\/em>, instead exploring the ramifications of Superman&#8217;s decision to give up his superpowers to be with Lois Lane (though why one must be predicated upon the other is just one of several plot devices best left unquestioned&#8230;). Naturally, just at that moment, the world turns out to need Superman more than ever, given that three malevolent villains &#8212; &#8220;evil Terence Stamp, striking-looking Sarah Douglas, and brute Jack O&#8217;Halloran&#8221; &#8212; have, in a stunning special effects sequence, been accidentally released from their time warp prison &#8220;cell&#8221; and descended onto Earth. <\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;battles of muscles and wits between Superman and the three villains&#8221; &#8212; both in Metropolis and back at Superman&#8217;s fortress &#8212; are indeed &#8220;spectacular&#8221;, and constitute the highlights of the film. Stamp and Douglas in particular, with ice water running through their veins, are delightfully malicious; in their shiny black skintight outfits, they stand out as two of cinema&#8217;s most memorable baddies. Meanwhile, Gene Hackman has fun reprising his role as Lex Luthor, who &#8212; after escaping from prison near the beginning of the film (fortunately, Otis gets left behind) &#8212; shows off his skills as an intergalactic negotiator extraordinaire; amazingly enough, he never seems even slightly intimidated by the villains&#8217; ability to decimate him at will (now THAT&#8217;s an impressive ego!). Note that one of the film&#8217;s most satisfying moments comes near the end, when, having &#8220;regained his strength&#8221;, Superman &#8220;exacts satisfying revenge&#8221; at a &#8220;snowbound bar&#8221; &#8212; you&#8217;ll be rooting for him like you never did before!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Christopher Reeve as Superman\/Clark Kent<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-reeves.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-reeves.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7256\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Terence Stamp as General Zod<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-stamp2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-stamp2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7258\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sarah Douglas as Ursa<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-douglas3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-douglas3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7259\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-hackman.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-hackman.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7257\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Impressive special effects<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-space2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-space2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7260\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The exciting Metropolis battle<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-metropolis.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/supermanii-metropolis.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7261\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a successful and most enjoyable sequel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0081573\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1981\/06\/19\/movies\/superman-ii-is-full-of-tricks.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/superman-ii-1981\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.stomptokyo.com\/movies\/superman-ii.html\">Stomp Tokyo Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/sciencefiction\/superman-ii-1980.htm\">Moria Review (spoiler alert!)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/thismonth\/article\/?cid=90490&#038;rss=mrqe\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/superman-ii\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.supermanhomepage.com\/movies\/movies.php?topic=m-movie2\">Superman Movie Home Page Plot Overview<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Think of it: three &#8212; count them &#8212; three supervillains, each one with the same powers he has, each one totally dedicated to corruption, violence, and evil.&#8221; Synopsis: Superman (Christopher Reeve) gives up his special powers to be in a relationship with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) &#8212; but when three super-criminals from Krypton (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, and Jack O&#8217;Halloran) descend onto Earth and terrorize its citizens, the world desperately needs Superman&#8217;s help. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Christopher Reeve&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7254\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7254"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91381,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7254\/revisions\/91381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}