Superman II (1980)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Jerry Siegel (characters) &
Joe Shuster (characters) ...

Release Date:

19 June 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Miraculously freed from eternal orbit, the three outlaws from Krypton descend to earth, for the ultimate confrontation.

Plot:

Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to marry Lois, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Superman | Criminal | Paris | Prison | Phantom Zone

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Lex Luthor
Christopher Reeve	...	Superman / Clark Kent
Ned Beatty	...	Otis
Jackie Cooper	...	Perry White
Sarah Douglas	...	Ursa
Margot Kidder	...	Lois Lane
Jack O'Halloran	...	Non
Valerie Perrine	...	Eve Teschmacher
Susannah York	...	Lara
Clifton James	...	Sheriff
E.G. Marshall	...	The President
Marc McClure	...	Jimmy Olsen
Terence Stamp	...	General Zod
Leueen Willoughby	...	Leueen
Robin Pappas	...	Alice

Also Known As:

Superman 2 (Australia) (TV title)

Runtime:

127 min | USA:116 min (Richard Donner Cut)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (MegaSound encoding) (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Norway:12 (1980) | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Alexander Salkind

Trivia:

Originally, Richard Donner had filmed Superman talking to his father for Superman II (1980), but Marlon Brando sued for (and won) a percentage of the profits of the first film, so the producers had his scenes removed, and they were replaced by those with Superman's mother instead. The lawsuit also resulted in him receiving a share of the proceeds from this movie - even though he doesn't appear. These scenes with Brando appear in Superman II (2006) (V) and can be heard briefly during a scene in Superman Returns (2006)

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the fight in Metropolis, Ursa throws a manhole cover into Superman's chest, and as he gets flung backwards by it, you can see what is holding the man hole cover to his stomach as he bounces off the hood of a car.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Krypton guard: Alert, alert, alert.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

Soundtrack:

Pick Up the Pieces

Excellent film from the days when a good story was essential!

Not many films from the 70's have stood the test of time but those that have had one basic fact in common: "a good story". The fact that this film has a great story as well as some of the best special effects available in the 1970s is perhaps the reason for it's success. If you are reading this thread and have not seen this film you must certainly be from another planet.

I will not spoil this film by telling you the plot or anything that happens in the film as others more worthy of my name ("filmspoiler") have done. I will only say that this film joins the very few (Terminator 2, Back to the future 2, Final Destination 2) sequels that are as good as, if not better than, there prequels. I only hope that the 2006 remake "Superman Returns" is 30 years ahead of it's time!!

(PS: Above comments written by someone old enough to remember the much older "Rocket Man" TV series)