Movie Reviewed: Superman 2

Yeah, yeah, I know they spelled it II in the movie. I'm lazy, give me a brake.

Alright, so now that I've watched the sequel to the comic book movie that started all comic book movies, it's review time. I should clarify, I watched the original theatrical version, not the Richard Donner cut, so I'll be reviewing that.

Heads up, I am reviewing this with spoilers. Odds are, you already know the plot of this movie, but either way you've been warned.

So, Superman 2 starts off with a quick recap of the first movie along with the music, which I personally thought was a nice touch and it's probably helpful for people who never saw the first one. Then we cut to Nerdy-Reporter Man AKA Clark Kent finding out Lois is near a hostage situation in Paris and flies in, saves her, and throws a bomb into space. The problem? The explosion destroys the doorway to the Phantom Zone, releasing General Zod, the man who destroyed Kryton, and his minions whose names escape me. Zod then goes to Earth and starts destroying stuff, eventually carving out a plan for world domination. I'll speak for a moment about Zod: he was awesome. Terrence Stamp as General Zod was one of the best parts of the entire movie. He says all of his lines perfectly, he kicks some ass, destroys stuff, he's freaking evil, and, above all else, he says one of the best lines in the history of movies: "KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!"I love that line. Granted, Zod as a tad underdeveloped, and his minions are like that in the extreme.

While all this is happening, Lois Lane rather unceremoniously learns that Clark is actually Superman, and since the two are pretty flipped for each other, they go on a date at the Fortress. But, Clark can't be with her if he's Superman, so he willing gives up his powers. And then he finds that Zod has raised hell on Earth (buzzkill), so he has to get his powers back. The romance side of this movie was a vital part, but at times it does feel a bit dragged out. Don't get me wrong, the actors have good chemistry and they make it really believable, and I thought it was a good character moment for Clark/Superman when he has to re-become the Man of Steel and give up what he wants to do the right thing, but there are moments where it makes the movie feel slow. At the end of the movie, Clark wipes Lois memory, making her forget that he's Superman. I personally loved that, and I think it really does embody who Superman is.

I won't lie, the movie takes a while to get going. The slow build-up pays off to an extent, but I was put off by how long it took to get to the point. There's also an absurd amount of humor along the way, which I have mixed feelings about. Some of the jokes were really funny, but others just weren't and made the movie feel overly campy, something I'm not a fan of. Lex Luthor is back in the movie too, and I actually like him better in this movie just because he actually does sort of steal the show, but his presence doesn't feel necessary most of the time. And he still says "I am Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mastermind of the 20th century! Bwahh!"Then you've got the final fight scene, which was actually really cool despite the dated special effects and provides a very satisfying climax. I say despite the special effects, which are pretty bad and prevent the fight from being genuinely awesome.

Overall, I enjoyed Superman 2, but I I liked the first one better.

Final Rating: 85%


So, whose your favorite Superman villain? Comment below, let me know!


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