Superman II Review Revisited "KNEEL before Zod!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right, as I have been revisiting the Christopher Reeve Superman films, I thought I would continue and revisit my review of Superman II although it was also a revisit of the original review, so its has been expanded pretty well but I thought I might still add in a few bits here and there. 

So, with that said, lets take another look at the sequel to the original and see how it fairs...

And the usual is coming up...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So, the story begins withSuperman (Christopher Reeve) flying off to Paris to save the city from terrorists who are threatening to detonate a hydrogen bomb in the Eiffel tower, and Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) is already been sent to investigate the story.  However as Lois clambers underneath the underside of the lift, the terrorists detonate the bomb, with Lois being violently hurdled toward the ground, when Superman flies up and stops the lift, letting Lois out, he then flies the lift deep into space where it explodes safely.  

However as a result of the explosion, the three villains from the first film, the ruthless General Zod (Terence Stamp), his aid Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and the mindless thug Non (Jack O'Halloran) (who appear during the opening trial scene) are released from the phantom zone, and to make matters worse, because they are Kryptonians too, they have the same powers as Superman.  And its not long before they arrive on Earth and wreak absolute havoc, destroying anyone and anything in their way, with their super powers.

However while this is going on, Clark Kent/Superman is oblivious as he is on an assignment with Lois Lane and they are sent by the Daily Planet to Niagra Falls to investigate honeymoon hotel scams.  During their trip, Lois grows suspicious of Clark's behaviour as he conveniently disappears when a young boy falls into the Niagra Falls, only to have Superman fly out seconds later to save him.  Initially Clark manages to bluff Lois, but later on in their suite, Clark trips and his hands fall into a log fire, checking Clark's hands, Lois is amazed to find he isn't burned.  Clark finally gives in and takes off his glasses and reveals himself to Lois and they fly off to the Fortress of Solitude, where Superman explains his real background to Lois.  

Clearly Superman and Lois are in love with each other, and Superman talks with the image of his mother (a holographic image the same as in the first film played by Susannah York) and declares his love for Lois, but his mother warns him if he chooses Lois he must become human.  Superman agrees and steps into a molecule chamber, which removes his powers, on leaving the chamber, Clark and Lois go off to begin their new relationship.

While this is all going on by now, Zod, Ursa and Non have invaded the Whitehouse and forced the President to surrender his power over to them.  Meanwhile Clark and Lois go off to a diner (driving by car this time!) and Clark soon finds out when he stands up to a thuggish customer, that he is indeed vulnerable, as the customer beats him up.  At this point, Clark sees Zod on the TV with the President who declares he has given his power over to Zod.  Clark then realises, having made a terrible mistake in giving up his powers, that he must go back, but the process of losing his powers is apparently irreversible.  Nevertheless, Clark goes back to the fortress, and appeals to his father, but receives no response but as he is about to leave, he spots the green crystal that created the fortress embedded in the ground, which begins to glow brightly. 

Meanwhile Lex Luthor, having escaped prison, makes an uneasy alliance with Zod, who flies to the Daily Planet to take Lois hostage to force Superman out in the open.  And pretty soon the caped wonder flies back on the scene and challenges Zod and his two underlings to "step outside" as the four of them battle it out.....

THOUGHTS 

Superman II clearly is something of a split film, as you can see the change in tone between the scenes that were clearly directed by Richards Donner and Lester.  Donner provides the scenes with more weight, and down to earth humour, while Lester provides the more slapstick approach.  Regardless of the outcome of the conflicting styles, Superman II really works well as a film and a sequel to the first film.

And the characters continue to be developed and we start to see Clark Kent become a little bit less awkward, although he is still quite bumbling.  But its Lois we get to see develop more than anyone else, as she professes her love for Superman.  The three villains in the film also adds a nice dynamic to the story and its good to see Superman challenged by someone with the same powers that he has and it easily makes for being perhaps the most fun of all the Reeve Superman films for that alone. 

PERFORMANCE AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section is BIG and will contain spoilers!)  

As for the performances well they are pretty much all excellent starting with Christopher Reeve who is once again terrific in his dual role as Superman and Clark Kent and he nicely balances Superman's heroism and Clark's bumbling and comical nature.  

Reeve has plenty of highlights and good scenes in the film that include his opening scene where Clark speaks to his editor and boss Perry White (Jackie Cooper) at the Daily planet.  And in the scene White informs Clark of the terrorist incident in Paris where White says to Clark "Get your head out of the clouds, Kent, where have you been the last twelve hours?!" and Clark says "Home".  And White then says "Don't you watch television" and Clark replies "Frankly, Mr. White, I really don't enjoy television. Too much violence. I was just reading Dickens".  And after this Clark disappears from White's office and runs out into a back alley and rips open his shirt reveal his Superman outfit and he flies off to Paris.

Then there is the scene where Lois is suspicious of Clark being Superman and challenges him while they are at Niagra falls and to prove the point she jumps into the water below and get's carried off by the rapids.  

So, in the scene, Lois and Clark take a walk on a walkway nearby the falls and Lois says to Clark "As a good reporter, I'm not supposed to let something slip by me and I think I am finally starting to get the picture" and Clark looking around says "As usual, Lois, I have no idea what you're talking about! Tell you, what, I'm going to go back to the hotel". However as he is about to go, Lois says "What's your hurry, Superman?!" and this stops Clark dead in his tracks and he turns around. And Lois says to Clark "I gotta admit your disguise is nearly perfect, you had me fooled and I am nobody's fool believe me!". Clark however tries to disregard her claim and says "No, of course not, Lois. You just have an active imagination. Believe me, it can happen to anyone".

Lois, however gives Clark her ultimatum to him "Look, I am so sure you are Superman, that I'm willing to bet my life on it!" and Clark looks stunned and asks "What?" and Lois says "No, if I'm right, you'll turn into Superman but If I'm wrong, you've got yourself one hell of a story!". Clark then laughs incredulously and says "You really think I'M Superman? Boy, you certainly have some imagination, Lois! For a minute, you almost had me convinced! For a minute". Lois however then decides to put her theory to the test and says "Bye bye, baby!" and she jumps off the bridge into the rapids below and Clark looks on aghast and says "Oh, my God!" and runs after her. And in an effort to save Lois, he discreetly uses his X-ray vision to break off a tree branch, which Lois eventually manages to grab hold off and she manages to drag herself ashore with Clark's help, who falls into the water too but they clamber to the shore. Lois then deeply embarrassed looks at Clark and says "And you're what I thought was Superman?!" and Clark sheepishly says "Sorry!" and Lois says "This is really embarrassing!".   

Another good scene is of course when Clark finally reveals his identity as Superman to Lois at the hotel where Clark trips and his hand falls into the log fire and Lois finds it isn't burnt and Lois in amazement says "You ARE Superman!" and Clark says "Oh Lois don't be....." and he gives up, turns around and takes off his glasses.  And Clark says to Lois "I don't know why I did that" and Lois says "Maybe you wanted to" and Clark says "I don't think I did" and Lois says "Well maybe you didn't mean to, but you wanted to with your heart".  And Clark says "We better talk" and Lois says "I'm in love with you" and Clark smiles and says "We really better talk!". 

Clark then says "We can't talk here. Perry is gonna phone at six to see what is happening" and Lois says "What's happening?! That's the understatement of the year!". Clark then suggests something to Lois and says "Lois, now that you know, you should know it all. Let's go to my place" and Lois says "Maybe I should change into something first. And maybe you should change too!" and Clark looks at himself and smiles.   

Then later there is the scene where Clark and Lois after he has lost his super powers, go to a diner where Clark is beaten up by a rough customer.  And in the scene Clark challenges the customer saying "Excuse sir, would you care to step outside?  I said would you care to step outside?!" and the customer get's up and says "After you" and as Clark begins to walk out the customer punches Clark in the back and he crashes into a window.  And Clark looks and sees that he is bleeding and in shock says "Blood!  Real blood" and he weakly says "Looks like from now on you'll have to have a bodyguard with you".  And Lois says "I don't want a bodyguard I want the man I fell in love with" and Clark says "I know, Lois, I wish he were here".

And when Clark sees General Zod on the TV, ranting and raving and challenging Superman to meet him and bow down before him, he decides he must go back to the fortress to try and get his powers back. 

So, after the diner owner shuts the TV off as Zod yells to Superman to kneel before him, Clark asks the owner "Here? When?" and the owner "Where have you been, Mac? On a desert island?!" and Clark simply nods. Clark then says to Lois "I have to go back" and Lois "But you can't go back now" but Clark insists "I HAVE to! I have to try something damn it! I have to try anything!". Lois however tries to appease him "This isn't your fault! You didn't know this was going to happen!" and Clark says "They knew, I heard them. I just didn't listen".   

And then after this there is the scene when Clark returns to the fortress of solitude and he makes a desparate attempt to reach out to his father Jor-El.  And Clark says "I really wish you could hear me.  You see, I've failed" and Clark get's no response so he cries out in dispair "FATHER!!!!!!!!" but there is nothing and he just kicks some of the burnt crystals but then suddenly spots the green crystal glowing in the icy ground of the fortress and he picks it up.

Then later is the scene where Superman returns with his powers fully restored he flies up to the Daily planet office window just outside White's office where Zod his seized control and Superman challenges Zod.  And in the scene Superman says "General Zod, would you care to step outside?!" and Zod yells "Come to me son of Jor-El!!  KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!" and they fly out the window after him and begin their epic battle in Metropolis.

Then there is the scene where Zod, Ursa, Non, Lex and Lois fly to Superman's fortress and they look around and Zod insults the place by saying "Scruffy. Morbid. A sentimental replica of a planet long since vanished. No style at all!" and Superman off camera says "I expect better manners from my guests, Zod!". And in the scene as Superman plays mind games with them using holograms to confuse Zod and the others, Superman says to Lois "I used to play this game at school. I never was very good at it!" and Lois tries to hug Superman but goes right through him. Zod then standing next to the real Superman is grabbed by him and Superman tells him "Wrong again, Zod!" but Ursa and Non then grab Lois's arms and Ursa warns him "Release the general, or we'll tear her apart!" and Superman finally relents and shouts "Alright!!" and let's Zod go. 

Then there is the scene at the Fortress of Solitude where Superman has his final battle with Zod, Ursa and Non and they are joined by Lois and Lex Luthor.  And in the scene after they fight, Superman is forced to surrender to Zod but then he talks discreetly with Luthor and says " Try and get them all into this molecule chamber. It takes away their powers, see... and turns them into ordinary human beings. Now if you could..." but Zod approaches and Superman shushes Luthor.  But Luthor betrays Superman by telling Zod about the chamber and Superman angrily says "Luthor, you poisonous snake!".  

And Superman is forced to go into the chamber where it activates and apparently makes him human although he still has his cape and instead Superman has in fact turned the tables on Zod and the others to make them human, which he proves by kneeling before Zod and then crushes his hand! Superman then picks up Zod and throws him away and he hits the wall and falls into a deep chasm with Non following suit as he tries to fly and Ursa is knocked into the chasm by Lois's right hook.

So, after this, Lois hugs Superman who asks her if she is alright and she nods and Superman turns to Lex and says "I knew you'd double cross me, Luthor! A lying weasel like you couldn't resist the chance!". Lex however tries to bluff his way out of it and says "You kidding?! That was beautiful! Did you see they way they fell into our trap?!" and he laughs loudly but Superman sees through it and shouts "TOO LATE, LUTHOR! Too late!" and he flies off with Lois and abandons Lex at the fortress.  

And last of all is the amusing scene near the end of the film where Clark returns to the diner to get revenge over the bully that beat him up earlier on. So, in the scene, the bully sits in the diner munching on his meal and he shouts "Get me another plate of your garbage!" which the female worker takes offense to as its her special. So, Clark suddenly appears at the door and says "Gee, that's funny! Never seen garbage eat garbage before!" and the bully looks over and sees Clark, who moves slowly toward him and says "Excuse me, sir, I think you're sitting in my favourite seat!" and the bully says "Come and get it, four eyes!".

So, Clark calmly and slowly walks towards the bully, whom the diner owner warns him that he just got the place fixed up after his last fight with Clark. So, as Clark stands in front of the bully, the bully takes a swing and punches Clark in the gut only for it to have no effect and he grasps his hand in great pain. So, as the bully sits down, Clark spins his seat around really fast, which makes the bully dizzy and Clark lifts him onto the counter and says to the owner "This order is to go!" and shoves him across the counter and he crashes into a pinball machine at the end of the room. Clark then offers some money to the owner and says "I'm terribly sorry about the damage, sir" and he before he goes, he says "Oh, I've been..." and he mimes lifting weights "...working out!" and he walks out.

Margot Kidder is excellent again as Lois Lane and she plays the part to near perfection as she gives her character the right amount of feistiness and her character is nicely developed as she falls further in love with Superman.

Kidder some good scenes aswell that include her scene at Niagra falls where she notices that Clark has disappeared while Superman suddenly appears to rescue a boy who falls over a rail into the falls below.  And Lois suspicious says to herself "Superman just happens to be in Niagra falls and Clark is not around as usual.....hmmm!" and after Clark reappears, Lois suspicisouly asks him "Where we you?" and Clark says "I was away getting hotdogs".  And Lois says "Well, it seems kind of strange to me that every time Superman's around, you disappear" and Clark feigns surprise "Wow Superman was here?!" and and Lois says "And you weren't . . . as usual. So what have you got to say about that?!".  And Clark makes an excuse "Damn, I forgot the orange juice" and starts to walk off but Lois stops him saying "Clark!" and Clark says awkwardly "No orange juice?".

And then there is the scene where Lois confronts Clark over his secret identity and she says to him "What's your hurry, Superman?!" and it stops Clark dead in his tracks and Lois says "I gotta admit, you know. Your disguise is nearly perfect. You had me fooled. And I am nobody's fool, believe me!".  And as Clark tries to bluff her again, Lois says "Listen, I'm so sure you're Superman, that I'm willing to bet my life on it" and she then says "Now, if I'm right, you'll turn into Superman.  And if I'm wrong, you've got yourself one hell of a story!".  And Clark again denies her accusations and starts to walk away leaving Lois say "Bye bye baby!" and she jumps over the rail and goes into the falls.  But after Clark manages to rescue Lois without turning into Superman, soaking wet she turns to an also wet Clark and says "And you were what I thought was Superman?!  This is really embarrassing!".

And later on at the fortress of solitude there is the scene where after Superman tricks Zod and the others into losing their super powers, Superman throws Zod into the chasm of nothingness below.  And after Non stupidly tries flying also falls to his doom below, which then leaves Lois to turn to Ursa and say "You know something?  You're a real pain in the neck!" and she punches her and she falls into the chasm as well.

And lastly there is the scene near the end where Lois, now knowing Clark's secret identity is torn about it and she sobs and says Clark doesn't need to worry about her and he says "I like worrying about you".  And Lois tearfully says "Would you stop? Don't you know that this is killing me? Do you know what it's like to have you come in here, every morning, and not be able to talk to you? Not be able to… show I have any feelings for you, not… be able to tell anyone I know who you are? I don't even know what to call you!".  And Clark says "Lois, I don't know what to say" and Lois says "I dunno....just say you love me" and Clark takes off his glasses and he kisses her which appears to erase her memory of his identity and cause her to faint. 

And after Lois goes back to normal and asks "What was I talking about before?" and Lueene says "If I know you it would have been about Superman!" and Clark sighs and says "Oh, him again!" and Lois says "Clark, Clark! You gotta stop feeling threatened every time the guy's name is mentioned! I mean appreciate you" and Clark smiles and asks "You do?" and Lois says "Sure I do! Especially if you get me a hamburger!" and Clark awkwardly asks "A hamburger? At 10am?" and Lois "Yeah, with everything on it and..." and Clark says "...orange juice, freshly squeezed!". So, Clark walks off to get Lois's burger orders and Lois then says to Lueene "Ain't he a nice guy?!" and she then asks Lueene "Lueene. What's happening in the world?" who just rolls her eyes and walks out.

Gene Hackman is also great as Lex Luthor once again and he evidently relishes in playing the character and has his share of fun moments.

And to start off there is the scene where Luthor in jail with Otis, laments over his failure to defeat Superman during the events of the first film. However, Lex has already hatched a plan to try and escape prison and locate a way to travel North to find Superman's fortress of solitude. 

So, in the scene, Otis tells Lex how every time they try and locate Superman, he flies off North and Lex asks "Why?" and Otis suggests "To ski?" and Lex says to him "Every man his vulnerable point. You, Otis, have more than one! I didn't see Superman's in time. But with time, patience and skill...my little black box is almost ready". Otis then says loudly "Oh! That little black box in our cell?!" and Lex loudly sushes him and Otis quietly asks "What does it do?" and Lex tells him "That little black box goes beyond any conventional radar. It tracks alpha waves" and Otis pretending to know what he means says "Ahhh! Alpha waves" and Lex turns away and shakes his head in disbelief. Lex then says "Those alpha waves will take me North to his secret and his secret will give me Superman!". 

Then there is the scene where Lex turns up at the White house after Zod, Ursa and Non have taken it over.  And Luthor turns up waving a handkerchief as a peaceful gesture and he addresses himself to them "Hi, Lex Luthor.  LEX LUTHOR! Possibly you've heard the name? the Greatest Criminal Mind on Earth!".  And as Zod and the others move menacingly toward him Luthor backs away saying "WAIT! I can give you anything! The... the... the... the Brass Ring, unlimited freedom to maim and kill! PLUS! Lex Luthor's keen mind, Lex Luthor's savvy...." and he puts his hand on Ursa's and says "Lex Luthor's school of career guidance.." and she begins to crush it.  And Luthor then reveals a valuable piece of info that might keep him alive as he says to Zod "Oh Great One, what I am bargaining with is what YOU do not have: The Son of Jor-El".  And Zod says "Come!  We will bring him to his knees!" and as they make to walk out Luthor stops them saying "WAIT!  First you must find him... and Lex Baby is the only one who knows where he is".

Then there is the scene where Zod, Ursa and Non invade the Daily planet and Non smashes his way into White's office.  And after Luthor arrives and says to himself "Even with all this accumulated knowledge, when will these dummies learn to use a DOOR KNOB?!" and he walks into White's office and says " Hi! You should see the White House; they'll be cleaning it for months!". Zod however is not impressed when he sees that Superman isn't there and says to Lex "You promised me the son of Jor-El!" and Lex awkwardly says "Oh, your grace...what I've given you is the next best thing! All you need to do is hold onto that little lady there and he'll show up. They're the best of friends!" and he laughs furtively and says "You know what I mean?".  

And when Zo threatens to kill Lex once again and orders for the others to be killed, Superman finally shows up outside and challenges Zod to "step outside". So, at this point, Luthor out of character shows a sign of relief and says to himself "Superman, thank God!" and Zod glares at him and Luthor quickly says "I mean, get him!".

And lastly is the confrontational scene at the Fortress of Solitude where Superman whispers to Luthor about the molecule chamber and how it can take away the supervillain's powers but Luthor decides to betray Superman by letting him know.  And Luthor says to Zod "Don't go in there, General, its a trap.  That's a molecule chamber. It turns people like you into people like me".  And after Superman has defeated the evil trio he says to Luthor how he knew he would double cross him and Luthor tries to backpedal and says "Are you kidding? That was beautiful! Did you see the way they fell into our trap!" but Superman shouts "Too late, Luthor! Too late!". Lex then tries to make one last ditch attempt to appeal to Superman and says "Look, Superman, I know I owe you one. But if you take me back, I promise I will turn over a whole new leaf!" but Superman leaves him behind. 

Terence Stamp is also great as the main villain, General Zod, the ruthless Kyrptonian who leads his group of supervillains and threatens to take over the Earth.

Stamp has a great role and he appears to really revel in it (and why not?!) and he has his fair share of great moments that include the scene where Zod, Ursa and Non kill a NASA space crew on the moon as they talk about their great new powers. 

So, in the scene Ursa says to Zod "Something is happening" and Zod says "Yes, to all of us. The closer we come to a planet with one sun, a yellow sun. The more our molecular density gives us unlimited powers". Ursa then says "They come from there. A place called Houston" and Zod says to her "Then we will go there to rule. Finally to rule!" and they take off and head for Earth. 

arrive in a small town in America and they wreak havoc as the army turn up but they are defeated easily.  And Zod says after Ursa destroys a helicopter by blowing at it "I win!  I ALWAYS win!  Is there no even on this planet that will challenge me?!".  

And then after Zod announces on himself on television and he says to one of the army generals " So you are a General? And who is your superior?!" and the General says "I only answer to the president" and Zod angrily says "And he will answer to ME!  Or else all his cities will end up like this one!" and he rips off the general's star from the shoulder of his uniform and throws it away.

Another good scene for Stamp is when Zod, Ursa and Non invade the White house and they enter the oval office and Zod confronts the president.  And one man steps forward and Zod says to him "Now kneel before Zod" and the man obediently kneels straight away and Zod says "You are not the president.  No one who leads so many would kneel so quickly" and the real president (E.G. Marshall) then reveals himself and says "I will kneel before if it will save lives" and Zod says "It will, starting with your own".  And the president says "What I do now, I do for the sake of the people of Earth. But there is one man on this planet who will NEVER kneel before you" and Zod says the great line "Who is this imbecile?  Where is he?" and the president says "I wish I knew" and he kneels saying "Oh God" and Zod unwittingly corrects him "Zod!".     

Then there is the big fight scene between Zod and Superman in Metropolis and Superman turns up and asks him to step outside and Zod shouts out "Come to me, son of Jor-El!!  KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!" and he flies smashing through the window as do Ursa and Non.  And in the scene Superman flies to a building site and Zod lands on a building across from him and says "Son of Jor-El, we were beginning to think you were a coward!" and Superman says "I'm not a coward, Zod" and Zod uses his heat vision powers to break off the side of a building and he grabs with both hands and aims to launch it at Superman and shouts "Then die as you deserve to!" and he throws it at Superman who destroys it with his heat vision.

And later there is the final confrontation at the Fortress of Solitude where Zod and the others finally arrive and Zod mocks Superman's home saying "Scruffy. Morbid. A sentimental replica of a planet long since vanished. No style at all!".  And after their fight, Superman surrenders and Zod says "Did you think we would give up our advantage? No. The son of Jor-El will be my slave... forever. Or else, the millions of Earthlings you protect shall pay for your defiance!".  And after Superman is forced to step into the molecule chamber and it activates, Superman steps out looking weak and he moves toward Zod who says "And now... finally. Take my hand and swear eternal loyalty to Zod" and Superman takes Zod's hand and crushes it and lifts him up and throws him into the chasm below!   

And the last few cast members I will mention include Sarah Douglas who is good as Ursa, Zod's villainous second in command. Interesting enough, Douglas's dialogue was partly dubbed over by Annie Ross, who appeared in Superman III as the villainous Vera Webster.

And Douglas has some good moments also that include the scene just after the supervillains arrive on Earth in the woods and Ursa picks up a snake and it bites her and she uses her heat vision to kill it and in surprise she says "Did you see that? Did you see what I did? I have powers beyond reason here!" and Zod replies "We all have them, my dear".

Then there is the scene where Zod and Ursa walk into a bar and survey it and notices two men doing an arm wrestle and the winner looks over at Ursa leeringly.  And Ursa walks over to him and sits down and holds out her hand to wrestle and she smiles saying "Let's just hold hands" and the man takes her hand and says "Let me know if this tickles!" and Ursa swiftly twists his arms and knocks him off the table which breaks in half.

And then there is the scene just after where a television crew have arrived to report on the havoc wreaked by Zod and the others but Zod then steps out and tells him to continue his report.  However Ursa quickly get's fed up and says "Enough of this! If the whole planet is watching, cannot we show them something more interesting?!".  And as the army show up and a major orders them to surrender and "this is an order!" Ursa says "General Zod does not take orders!  He gives them!".

And lastly there is the scene where Zod, Ursa and Non invade the Daily planet offices and they find White and Lois and Ursa mockingly says of Superman "What an undemanding male this Superman must be!".  And Lois retorts "Yeah, and you could use a tuck here and there yourself, sister!" and Ursa moves at her but Zod stops her.  And later after the fight is over and Superman retreats, Zod and the others fly back to White's office and Ursa says of Superman "If he cares so much for these humans...." she then grabs Lois "...why not take his favourite?!".

Jackie Cooper is also pretty good in his role as Perry White, the tough no nonsense editor of the Daily planet.

Cooper also has some good moments although I will only mention his opening scene where he informs Clark about the terrorist incident at the Eiffel tower.  

And Clark is unaware of the situation which prompts Perry to say "Get your head out of the closet, Kent! Where've you been for the past twelve hours?!".  And at this point Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure) tells Clark that terrorists have seized the Eiffel tower "in Paris!" and Perry says to Jimmy "He knows where the Eiffel Tower is, Olson!" and he has an afterthought and says "You do, don't you, Kent?!".  And Perry says "Yeah, but that's just petty anty stuff. These guys claim that if the French government doesn't meet their demands, they've got a hydrogen bomb ready to level Paris" and Clark says "Well jeez, Mr White that's terrible!" and Perry says "That's why they call them "terrorists" Kent!".

Clark then asks Perry "Does Lois know about this?" and Perry says to him "Does she know about it? She's IN it! If Paris is gonna kaflooey, I want my best reporter in it!". Clark asks Perry "But jee, Mr White, don't you think that's a bit dangerous?" and Perry says "It goes with the territory, Kent!". Perry then says just as Clark discreetly walks out of the office "Don't worry if I know Lois, she will come back with a Pulitzer prize winning article with the headline "What makes me tick?!". Perry then turns around and says "Now don't stand around, Kent..." and he is surprised to see Clark has already left. 

Jack O'Halloran even though he has no dialogue at all in the film given that his character is mute does well as Non, the not-too-bright supervillain who likes to wreak havoc, chaos and destruction.  And O'Halloran best moments come when he tests out his heat vision against a truck in the small town and he starts to get the hang of using it and he looks pleased with himself and later as the army attack he uses the heat vision to full strength and destroys an army truck with it and he grins and looks to Zod, who looks fairly impressed.

And lastly there is the scene where the supervillains invade the offices of the Daily planet and Non literally smashes his way into Perry White's office.  And Non then walks right up to Perry's desk and Perry makes a feeble attempt to hit Non as he picks up his atlas globe and throws it at Non and it simply bounces off his head and Non smashes Perry's desk in half and he grabs him and lifts him up to the ceiling and puts his head through the roof, knocking Perry out.

And the last few I will mention starts with Ned Beatty who has fun reprising his role as Lex Luthor's dim-witted sidekick, Otis.  

Beatty only really appears early on in the film while Lex is still in prison but he some good moments that include the scene where Otis does laundry and he tells Lex that Superman always travels North.  And Luthor muses "North... Why does he always go north?" and Otis offers a suggestion "To skie?!".  And later there is the scene where Luthor and Otis try to escape and Miss Teschmacher turns up in air balloon for them both and Luthor climbs up the ladder but as Otis tries to climb onboard his weight causes the balloon to sink leaving Luthor to kick the ladder off and leaving Otis behind with the guards surrounding him.  

Valerie Perrine is also reprises her role very well as Miss Teschmacher, Luthor's assistant and girlfriend who helps Luthor escape from prison.  And Perrine has a good moment when Luthor and Teschmacher arrive at the Fortress of Solitude and Miss Teschmacher subtly drops the hint that she needs to go to the toilet.  And Luthor says to her "Its beautiful! I has everything!" and Miss Teschmacher says "Wrong!" and she gives him a look that tells him she needs the loo and he asks "Why didn't you go before we left?" and Miss Teschmacher sharply says "That was two days ago!".

Susannah York also returns and does well in her brief role as Superman's mother, Lara and her main scene comes when Superman speaks to her image at the FOS and he asks her permission and approval to be with Lois.  

And Lara warns him that "If you intend to live your life with a mortal, you must live as a mortal.  Then you will become an ordinary man and you can be hurt like an ordinary man. But be warned if you choose this path, there is no going back".  And then she walks out of the crystal block she appears on into as a more solid figure and she pleads with Superman "Oh, my son, are you sure?" and Superman says "Mother, I love her" and she disappears.  

And last of all is Marc McClure who also reprises his role the young Daily planet photographer, Jimmy Olsen.  

And McClure's role is quite small here but I will mention the one scene where Lois anxiously awaits the return of Superman from the Fortress of Solitude to fight against Zod, Ursa and Non. So, in the scene, Jimmy tries to reassure Perry and Lois that Superman will turn up "I bet he's on his way here now, chief. Lois knows his plays better than anybody!" and Lois, worried, says "Yeah...better than anybody". And then we hear a large rumble as the office shakes violently and Jimmy says "It sounds like an earthquake!".   

DIRECTOR(S)

Finally moving onto the direction, unusually this time round there were two involved given that Richard Donner worked originally on the first Superman, he also filmed a fair amount of Superman II aswell as the two films were initially to be shot back to back.  However Donner had run into some problems with the film's producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler off screen and he was then replaced by Richard Lester who had previously directed two of the Salkind's films with production being halted during 1977 and restarted again under Lester's direction in 1979.

And it safe to say that you can easily notice the shift in tone of the film due to the change of directors as Donner's scenes have a more grounded and serious tone to them even though they have humour aswell.  However Lester's scenes have a more slapstick and comical feel the tone of those scenes are generally more light hearted which can be seen as both a criticism but also in a way plus.  Its difficult to say which director provides the better effort here as both of them brought something valuable to the film despite their different styles so overall Donner and Lester both did a commendable job in putting Superman II together.

Although I have to say I still prefer Lester's version of the film as it works better as a film overall as Donner's cut which was later released in 2006, which is a bit uneven and some of the scenes feel a bit disjointed especially the scene where Lois works out Clark's secret identity which was taken from Reeve's screen test.  It just doesn't feel that natural as a film in places and for that reason I have to go with Lester's take on it.   

MUSIC 

Also finally a little note on the music score by Ken Thorne, which is mostly an adaptation and variation on John Williams main score from the original film.  Williams was not available at the time of the production of the film as he was working on the score for The Empire Strikes Back so he suggested Thorne, who was a personal friend of Williams (Thorne sadly since then passed away in 2014, aged 90). Although, it was also said that Williams did not get on well with the producers, the Salkinds and he decided not to come back to score the sequel as a result.

And I think its safe to say that Ken Thorne's score isn't in the same league as John Williams, in fact there are at times you think you are listening to the score from a TV movie.  But overall he doesn't do a bad job at orchestrating the music for the film, and he adds in a couple of good passages of music himself, the scene where Lois ascends the Eiffel at the start of the film is one that comes to mind and where Clark makes his way back to the Fortress of Solitude.

FLAWS 

As for the film's flaws.....yes Superman II has some worth mentioning.

So to start off one of the problems I have with the film is to do with Lester's direction as he does lean towards slapstick a bit in the film which does undermine its credibility at times.  And this is particularly notable in the scene where Zod, Ursa and Non all use their superpowers to blow away the people of Metropolis as they aim to try and fight them after Superman appears to have been "killed" by the bus crash.  Its a pretty tedious scene and it features some unecessary slapstick in it especially with the man in the telephone booth still talking as the booth is blown over and the man is dragged along the ground with it!  Its just a stupid daft scene and I think it has no real in the movie.

Then there are some plot issues with the film too such as the one where it seems to take ages for Superman to fly from Metropolis to Paris when at the end of the first film he flew around the world many times as quick as a flash!  Its another pretty silly moment in the story that doesn't quite ring true but obviously is thrown in to build up the suspense of Superman arriving just in the case nick of time.

Then we have the scene where Lois starts to suspect that Clark is in fact Superman after he conveniently disappears when the boy falls into the Niagra falls.  And despite the fact that the boy fell into the falls some 15 or 20 seconds before Clark managed to change into Superman suggests that the kid would hit the water before Superman realistically would have been able to change and fly in to rescue him!  So basically the boy should have been dead by the time Superman would have got to him!   
And this brings me onto the age old problem of just how incredibly obvious it is that Clark is in fact Superman and how a pair glasses can conceal this from Lois and everyone else for that matter!  And it takes Lois a movie and a half before she begins to piece it together despite being such a supposedly great journalist with finely tuned instincts to sniff out something! 

Another daft moment for me was just how did Zod and his underlings know how to get to the White house?!  I don't image they stopped to ask anyone for directions!  Its just like they have a built-in GPS or its part of their super powers to know just where to find it!  But again its just something that is taken for granted in these superhero films that the villains always just know where to go without a single hint or clue!   It would have been fun if Zod stopped and asked one of the generals or soldiers "How do you get to this White house?!" it might have been daft but it would have been a bit more logical. 

I also thought it was a bit strange how the image of Superman's mother, Lara, did not tell him about the fact that Zod, Ursa and Non had arrived on Earth when she had told Lex Luthor in a message to him earlier in the film!  I mean at this point in the film, Zod had arrived and started terrorising the small town so surely she SHOULD have warned him about it!  Instead Lara doesn't tell him and let's Superman lose his powers, leaving the world in a vulnerable state and at the mercy of the ruthless Zod.  Yep, smart move, mum!

Its also a bit strange that Miss Teschmacher suddenly disappears from the film later on as she only appears in the earlier scenes at the prison breakout and the FOS and it makes you wonder what happend to her????  Also its strange how Luthor decided to trust Miss Teschmacher again after she betrayed him in the first film by saving Superman from drowning in the pool after Luthor put the chain of Kryptonite around his neck.  But I guess at this point he had little choice and decided he needed her help to break out anyway.

I also thought there was a weird inconsistency in the display of the supervillains strengths and this particularly notable in the scene where Non smashes his way into the Daily Planet and some office staff try to stop him but he just brushes them aside. However, earlier we saw Zod do this as he pushed aside a man in a diner and he went right through the wall but in Non's scene, he merely brushes the office staffers to the side and they DON'T go through the wall, which you really think given Non's strength they should have! 

Then we have Superman's final confrontation with Zod which has some silly moments especially that one where Superman throws a large plastic "S" cover from his chest which surrounds Non who flies right at him only for the plastic cover to absorb into or disappear from Non's body.  Its another strange addition to the story that makes no sense whatsoever and you are just left guessing as to what it is!

Also this scene raises a rather morally dubious point about Superman killing people as he clearly kills off Zod at the end as he crushes his hand, picks him up and throws him into the chasm of nothingness below in the fortress.  And Lois Lane does the exact same to Ursa as she punches her into the chasm aswell, making her a murdered aswell but its something that never causes a problem for her and she never questions herself after (well Clark erases her memory later anyway!).

And this last of all brings me onto that kiss between Clark and Lois at the end where Clark takes off his glasses and kisses her which causes her to have her memory wiped of Clark being Superman.  Its a pretty stupid moment for sure and makes no sense either as to just how one single kiss from Superman could easily do that!  However it is slightly better than the alternative in Donner's version where Superman simply spins around the world again to make time go backward so Lois would have no memory of her discovery and we see the events of the world go backward including Perry White brushing his teeth and tooth paste sliding back onto his brush!  Now THAT is stupid!

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, in summing up, Superman II is a very entertaining sequel to the original and it features again a fine cast, lead by Christopher Reeve who confidently continues the role of the man of steel as well as being backed up by Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman and Terence Stamp who makes a great villain as Zod.

It still does have some problems as mentioned above and it misses John Williams at the helm in terms of scoring the music as Ken Thorne does a decent job but it just isn't the same without the great master composer in Williams.  Also the styles in direction do make for an inconsistent tone in the film at times too, which is a bit bothersome but it doesn't ruin the film experience and Superman II overall is still a very good sequel. 

So, I will finish and give Superman II a rating of:

8.5 out of 10.

So, that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post.

Till the next one, its bye for now!