Superman II (1980)

Directed by: Richard Lester, Richard Donner | 127 minutes | action, adventure, fantasy, science fiction | Actors: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Jack OHalloran, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, Clifton James, EG Marshall, Marc McClure, Leueen Willoughby, Robin Pappas, John Ratzenberger

Lois Lane goes on a report to Paris, where terrorists threaten to detonate a hydrogen bomb on the Eiffel Tower. Superman rescues Lois from her predicament and hurls the bomb into space where it explodes. A nuclear explosion is the only thing that allowed these dangerous criminals to escape from the so-called twilight zone. When the thugs arrive on the moon, they find that they possess invincible powers in this solar system and they decide to establish their rule here. Crime mastermind Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) has escaped from prison along with his assistant Otis (Ned Beatty) and immediately sees the potential of three superhumans with a serious criminal streak.

Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent is unaware of this. With Lois Lane, he goes undercover as a newlywed couple for their newspaper ‘The Daily Planet’ to Niagara Falls. This is where Lois finds out about Clark’s true identity. Finally he can reveal his love for her and he decides to give up his extraordinary powers to share his life with her. The shedding of his powers is an irreversible process.

Christopher Reeve, with his bodybuilder body and the face of the ideal son-in-law, is the superhero incarnate incarnate. He does what is necessary without expecting anything in return and has a kind word for everyone and a sweet smile. As Clark Kent, he is very convincingly the nerd who is not taken seriously by anyone, including Lois. The intensity of his love for her and the accompanying frustration that eats into him are palpable. The split of his existence clearly weighs on him. Gene Hackman is a lot of fun as the self-righteous criminal who almost nonchalantly cheats everyone, plays off each other and only thinks of himself and Ned Beatty is possibly even funnier than the really stupid Otis to whom everything, absolutely everything, has to be explained.

‘Superman II’ is a nice campy film with an impeccable superhero, dangerous villains, corny humor, romance, fat sentiment, lots of drama and good special effects. In combination with the self-mockery and the acting that exactly fits such a comic book adaptation, it is a very successful episode from the series.