THE MAN OF STEEL MEETS HIS MATCH!

As Superman (Christopher Reeve) and Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) continue their love story, three villains with the same powers as Superman’s threaten Earth.

This sequel is close to the original, not only in story but style; most of the cast members also return. Richard Lester and his team add a lot of humor, but don’t go overboard; it’s a romantic, funny, exciting adventure with a script full of creative ideas. Aging visual effects and logical gaps are acceptable under the circumstances.

Reeve shows that he’s an actor of considerable range; Terence Stamp, though, may be having a little too much fun as the power-crazed Zod. 

1981-U.S. 127 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Richard Lester. Screenplay: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman. Cast: Christopher Reeve (Clark Kent/Superman), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor), Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, E.G. Marshall, Terence Stamp. 

Trivia: Richard Donner originally shot a lot of the material for this movie, but was subsequently replaced by Lester; all the scenes with Hackman were directed by Donner. Before Lester was hired, Guy Hamilton was considered as director. The film was released in Europe seven months before the U.S. premiere. Followed by Superman III (1983); Superman Returns (2006) picked up right where this movie ended.

Last word: “Getting fired off a picture is no shock. You just glare and scream and hit the wall and punch your dog. Yeah, sure, I was all packed and ready to go back to London and finish II since we had done so much of it. Tom Mankiewicz, we were going to rewrite it obviously. We had new ideas. I never even heard from the producers. I heard from the lawyer or somebody said, ‘Your services will no longer be needed.’ Showbiz, it’s our life. All the good things we learn about.” (Donner, About.com)