Superman II (1999)
| Superman II (1999) |
| 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 |
Review by Bret Walker
The Man of Steel returns in this action-packed adventure which finds our hero pitted against three outlaws from his home planet of Krypton. Zod, Ursa, and Non are freed from their eternal prison by a nuclear bomb that explodes in their vicinity. Ironically enough, it is the son of their jailor who causes this event to happen. While the Krypton trio take over the Earth, our man Sup is at the North Pole giving up his powers to be with Lois Lane, who has recently discovered his secret. But when they return from their honeymoon to find the catastrophy which has taken over the world, Clark leaves his mortal life and becomes Superman once again, and the streets of Metropolis rock with the thunder of the ensuing battle between good and evil.
While the first Superman broke the ice and certainly a lot of barriers in this genre, Superman II does what the majority of sequels fail to do: outshine the original. Here we see Superman uncovered by Lois; we see the love affair between the two deepening; we see Superman as a vulnerable human being; and we see super-Superman getting his butt kicked by the super evil trio. Of all the Superman films, this is the one that actually has Sup on the brink of destruction. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that he will triumph in the end. I mean, DUH!
The effects are better than the first, although by today's standards it's like seeing Godzilla's zipper. The story is terrific from start to finish. It's no wonder: the story is written by Mario "The Godfather" Puzo, who is a classic author in his own right! The direction, the action, the acting, all come together to make Superman II my favorite in the series. Those who enjoyed the Superman series will do themselves a favor to check out #2 in the set. It doesn't get any better than this.
Rating:
Trivia:
Jack O'Halloran, who plays Non in Superman II, is an ex-prize fighter from Boston. He's also appeared as Emil Muzz in Dragnet (1987), and as the Yeti in The Flintstones (1994).
Links:
Feedback