Superman II (1981) Review

“Kneel before Zod!”

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

When one formula works, it’s okay to reuse it once in a while.


PLOT


1981’s Superman II takes place roughly five years after the events of the previous film where Kal El/Clark Kent is beloved by Metropolis for his heroic deeds as the titular hero. When going to Niagara Falls with Lois Lane for a story lead to follow, she is able to realize his secret due to being unfazed of accidentally placing his hand in a fireplace after tripping. He had tried so hard keeping his secret from her after spending most of the time being suspicious. Shortly after their trip does he take her to the Fortress of Solitude where he can explain his upbringing. He then declares wanting to spend his life with her by using a crystal chamber that takes his powers and makes him mortal. Adjusting to normalcy doesn’t go well when he’s beaten to a pulp at a diner, solely off of defending Lois from a trucker named Rocky (Pepper Martin) harassing her. Troubling only worsens when a trio of evil Kryptonians escape form their inter-dimensional prison, The Phantom Zone, and make their way to Earth. The trio includes: General Zod, Ursa and Non. They were freed thanks to a hydrogen bomb Superman got rid of and sent to space, whereas the ripple effect caused the damage. They first make an impact when taking over a small town in Idaho before heading to Washington DC, challenging Superman to face Zod. Since he wasn’t prepared for this to happen, Clark immediately decides to travel back to the Fortress of Solitude to get his powers back, knowing the world will need to be saved from new enemies. Zod and his followers find the Daily Planet thanks to a recently escaped Lex Luthor who had trespassed the Fortress to discover Superman’s identity. He shares this information with Zod in exchange for control of Australia. Zod agrees to it since he hates Kal’s father Jor El for jailing him. Superman returns in time to face the three, who use bystanders as an advantage against them. Wanting to minimize casualties, he directs them to the Fortress, but they threaten to kill Lois if he doesn’t surrender. He asks Luthor for his help to lure them to the chamber, but he quickly snitches him out to save himself. Knowing he would do this, he still goes in but with the chamber reconfigured so that it’s effects affect everyone outside. This makes the evil Kryptonians and Kal defeats them when knocking them into a crevice. When he and Lois leave the Fortress, a deleted scene confirms the villains to be arrested for their crimes, as well as Luthor. The theatric cut concludes the story with Clark using a magical kiss that wipes memories of his secrets before he fixes Zod’s mess; The director’s cut would instead show Kal reversing time again to the point where he could send Zod back into the Phantom Zone that prevents his future damages from occurring as well as Lois finding out his secret. It also showed him destroying the Fortress to prevent Luthor from using it against him again, only for him to restore it after reversing time. Both versions conclude with Clark revisiting the diner and humiliating Rocky.


THOUGHTS


It is a shame that creative control that led to a switch of directors between Richard Donner & Richard Lester as both men had the burden to follow-up on something special. Ironically, both versions are not that bad which is the same feeling I had with Blade Runner. While there are addons in the Donner cut like showing unused  footage of Marlon Brando as Jor El and more time spent with Luthor before Eve Tessmacher (Valerie Perrine) picks him up and leaves Otis (Ned Beatty) behind, the emphasis on a difference was in the climax. The biggest change of the ending course show exactly how powerful the protagonist is. Either way, it does end with Superman making the sacrifice of not being with the woman he loves. Before that though, the stakes feel higher when we get to see him have an even match and go against a physical equal. While I do get a big laugh at Gene Hackman trying to scour his way into having some kind of loose advantage as Luthor, the spotlight is instead on Zod who is incredibly played by Terrence Stamp. What sets him apart from the sophistication he brings as a leader is the constant arrogance where he believes he can bring purity through dominance, which is why trying to overthrow Krypton in the first film led to his banishment. Sarah Douglas & Jack O’Halloran would also stand out for making Ursa & Non have this equal subservience to Zod that make them all the more fierce when in action. This trio was so intriguing in this case because Superman had to instead use his width to defeat him, whereas he’s past used inner strength for the most part. Hearing Ken Thorne’s score peaked when they were on the prowl. Knowing how different they are from past threats truly brings the story full circle in telling us true heroes make sacrifices in order to manage responsibilities. Christopher Reeve reminded us that as the man of steel who wants to avoid being overwhelmed in order to be happy. He goes on to believe making Lois happy will be enough and as genuine as he feels about it, he quickly caught on it was wrong to disregard the world. There is no shame in wanting to live his life but because he’s the only one to have such power, it made sense for him to let the burden get to him. Margot Kidder was able to show us Lois is still a selfless lady besides having such determination to seek the truth; The examples are best shown when she jumped out a window and a boat to prove Clark is Superman. Her own selflessness goes to how she told Clark in both cases he didn’t have to change to be happy and it isn’t his fault he wasn’t prepared for Zod. Clark does take it in consideration, but it didn’t feel enough for him if he wants to make sure she’s safe, hence making sure she doesn’t know who he is. It does suck for her to not remember what he does for her, but him still remembering her is the real reward in this case and it’s a good thing he can still see her everyday at work knowing she’s safe, continuing to be a will they/wont they dynamic in the process. This movie is still pretty good on its own but whichever version you prefer, there were still a few things that don’t make much sense upon rewatching. For instance, no one noticed the impact made when Clark gets hit by the taxi except the driver? The bystanders passing by should be passing in shock Clark caused that without having a scratch on him. And personally, Luthor should’ve shut off the hologram by the time he was actually off. He gets caught either way, but he almost gets stopped so he’s lucky Otis was still his cell mate in order to be his sacrifice. Also, why doesn’t the hologram of Lara El (Susanna York) mention the chamber can reverse its effects. Clark is betting on luck because he doesn’t know it can be done until after Zod gets his attention. I know we want to respect Clark wanting to be godless, but it’s a trip it’s never mentioned since the holograms are supposed to tell him everything. Clark’s also lucky he doesn’t over compensate layers of clothing when we walks back to the Arctic where the Fortress. He’s very lucky that he and even Alex don’t freeze to death in the separate occasions they get there. Other than that, this movie still works for what it is. In conclusion, Superman II remains a great sequel whichever version you prefer for being able to speak louder than expected with such simplicity. If you enjoyed the first one, see this as well.