Superman II [PG]

Superman is now the beloved hero of America and the world, but it transpires that he now might have met his match as three criminals imprisoned by his father have broken free and are headed for Earth with one intention: to rule it. Lois Lane has also cottoned onto the connection with Superman and Clark Kent and when they announce their love for one another, it follows that he must choose to live with her as a mortal or retain his powers and live without her.  

Yeah, it has to be said that this is better than the first one. Now that the characters and the general story has been grounded, there is room for the romance to be focused on as well as more drama, more complexities, and more action. 

Superman is now the beloved hero of America and the world, but it transpires that he now might have met his match as three criminals imprisoned by his father have broken free and are headed for Earth with one intention: to rule it. Lois Lane has also cottoned onto the connection with Superman and Clark Kent and when they announce their love for one another, it follows that he must choose to live with her as a mortal or retain his powers and live without her. 

Now that we are familiar with the characters, and the story of this movie was sort of already hinted at in the first one, we are indulged in a little more intrigue of the plot on many levels. In Superman II we have more emotional drama with plot complexities rising: Superman choosing to stay Superman or really become Clark Kent, Lois discovering the Clark cover and the problems that arise with that, as well as a revenge plot with three villains who actually pose a threat to the ‘man of steel’. 

Everyone is back reprising their roles, Christopher Reeve is as beautiful to look at as ever (he even gets his shirt off and lies in the coolest silver bed ever. My mum said that she wanted that bed and I answered with “I’d buy it if he came with it.”)… HE’S SO GORGEOUS! And he delivers a more dramatic performance in this flick… it’s not necessarily Oscar-nomination-worthy but it’s dramatic and a change. And I also really like that there is more action and a stronger sense of danger in this film. We’ve got some great explosions, fires, vehicle wrecks, and it’s pretty cool actually. 

Starring Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Jack O’Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, Terrence Stamp, E.G. Marshall, and Gene Hackman, Superman II is a good family movie packed with action, romance, drama, revenge, and comedy. It’s not exactly Book-worthy, but it is entertaining and better than its predecessor.