Film Review
The first sequel to the phenomenally successful
Superman:
the Movie (1978) is easily the best, and certainly the most
enjoyable, in the entire
Superman
franchise, partly because it has the best constructed narrative, partly
because it has just the right balance of family-friendly comedy and
special effects-laden action, but mainly because it features Terence
Stamp as one of the most superbly bonkers super-villains of all
time. The film's slick storyline and polished production values
disguise its troubled production, and you would hardly notice that it
was actually two films, shot two years apart by two different
directors, spliced seamlessly together.
The shooting of
Superman II
began in parallel with that of
Superman
but was aborted when the producers got cold feet over a likely
overspend. When filming was resumed, director Richard Donner was
replaced with Richard Lester after a dispute with the film's
producers. Over half of the footage shot by Donner was re-shot by
Lester, so that he could claim the sole director's credit.
Unhappy with Donner's dismissal Gene Hackman declined to reshoot his
scenes and so his character, Lex Luthor, has less of a presence in the
film than was intended, with all of his scenes as shot by Donner.
In view of all this, it is remarkable that the film manages to be as
coherent as it is. You can
just
see the join if you look closely enough, but you have to have pretty
good eyesight and an extraordinary level of self-control so as not to
be distracted by the delights offered by the film.
Unburdened by the necessity to account for Superman's origins and
introduce all of the characters,
Superman
II is able to dive head first into the action, beginning with a
spectacular sequence on the Eiffel Tower - just one of the many
familiar world tourist attractions to appear in the film. The
writers were also able to have much more fun with the Clark Kent-Lois
Lane-Superman quasi-love triangle-thing, and they pull off the
implausible feat of allowing Lois to get her man and then conveniently
(for the sake of future sequels) forgetting all about it.
Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder handle their scenes together
superbly, with Reeve once again doing a superlative job of delineating
Kent from his super-alter ego whilst investing them with the same
irresistible gauche charm. What we admire most in Reeve's
Superman is not his physical prowess or his plethora of special powers
but his humanity - he genuinely does have a love for humankind.
With so many villains ranged against him, all bent on pretty much the
same objective, Superman more than has his work cut out this
time. As if Gene Hackman's mischievous Lex Luthor wasn't enough
to contend with the heroic Kryptonian in the fetching red underpants
has to fend off three of his own kind, which wouldn't be so bad if one
of them wasn't Terence Stamp at his most uncompromising. Stamp's
General Zod isn't just evil and power-mad - we expect that as a
prerequisite for any self-respecting super-villain - he is also
lethally sarcastic. One disapproving curl of the lip or
contemptuous raised eyebrow from Zod cuts far more deeply than a manic
rant or punch in the kidneys. As far as psychotic, power-crazed
villains go Zod is a cut above the rest, and Stamp gained a reputation
for playing cool, sardonic men of power that would serve him well for
the rest of his career. Expect the mother of all punch-ups when
Zod and Superman come face-to-face in Metropolis. So what if
the effects look slightly dated? This is
comicbook action at its most exhillarating. Roll on
Superman III.
© James Travers 2014
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
In the nick of time, Superman manages to thwart a plot by terrorists to
blow up Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower with a hydrogen bomb,
but when the bomb detonates in deep space it releases three criminals
from the planet Krypton from their two-dimensional prison. Guided
by their super-powers, General Zod, Ursa and Non make a beeline for
planet Earth, where they are soon asserting their supremacy over the
President of the United States. Only one man can oppose them in
their plans to subjugate the peoples of the world, but unfortunately he
has just given up all of his superpowers so that he can live a normal
life with the human female he has fallen in love with, namely Lois
Lane. Once he has escaped from prison, criminal mastermind Lex
Luthor seeks an audience with General Zod, hoping to gain control of
Australia if he reveals the whereabouts of the feared son of Jor-El...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.