Superman II

This Superman movie has got to be the bench mark for future producers of Superman movies. They must be sat down with this film, because it is an absolute classic, and as far as Superman films go it will be hard to top.

Richard Lester is not very popular with some Superman fans because he took over on a movie that they feel would have been better had Richard Donner been allowed to complete. But Lester has his admirers, and I am one of them. The first Superman movie tended to go along with boring philosophising, or over sentimental dramatics. These are mainly absent in Superman II. They are replaced with cut to the action dramatics by Richard Lester who in my opinion saved the movie, or at least made it all the more exciting.

I enjoy his sense of comic book adventure, and the final Times Square battle between Superman vs Zod, Non and Ursa is straight out of a comic book and is all Lester. The main thing that complements the movie is the towering performance by Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman. Reeve is hilarious in his Cary Grant-a-like interpretation of Kent and wonderful as a humanistic Superman. Margot Kidder is fabulous to and it is the acting of these two that makes the Superman//Lois love triangle work. Terence Stamp as Zod is very creepy, and Sarah Douglas as Ursa very sexy, but the man who very nearly steels the show is Gene Hackman. He again is hilarious as Lex Luthor.

The special effects are brilliant, because they look glossy, and the Ken Thorne variation of John Williams Superman theme is at its best here. The best aspects though is the action, the afore-mentioned Times Square battle, and the interaction between the actors. Well done Richard Lester. A true classic of Superhero cinema.