Superman II (1980)
Directed by Richard Lester
Three Kryptonian criminals led by General Zod team up with Lex Luthor to conquer Earth, forcing a depowered Superman to regain his strength and stop them.
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What critics compared Superman II to
When Superman gave up his powers in Richard Lester’s wonderful “Superman II,” it was so he could love Lois Lane as a mortal.
The gravely splendid Spider-Man 2 (Columbia Pictures), again directed by Sam Raimi, dramatizes this schism as powerfully as any superhero picture since Superman II (1980): Its protagonist (Tobey Maguire) is so conflicted that neither side of him can properly function.
The film's intimate psychological explorations of what it means to be invincible are probably its strongest aspects, as Logan, much like Kal-El in 1980's Superman II, loses his most important powers — the mutation, technically, that allows him to heal immediately from even the most gruesome injuries — and is thereby rendered something closer to human.
When Harriet is backed so far into the corner that she’s got no choice but to go on live television and plead for the Doctor’s help (Superman II, anyone?), it’s as if she’s speaking for us, the viewers: “Yeah! Where’s my new damn Doctor?”
Transporting the action to, er, Samoa – and recalling the end of Superman II, the plan is to lure Elba’s robobastard to a remote part of the world to face Hobbs and his family of native engineers/rugby players, with Shaw bringing up the rear while rebuilding the relationship with his sister.
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The battles between these two, which take place on the streets and in the skies of Philadelphia (or Toronto when acting as a stand-in), feel like a low-rent version of the Superman vs. Zod bout from Superman II, although without the exploding Coca Cola sign.
There’s a little tension there as Charles’ uncle Malcolm (Terrence Stamp, Superman II ) stole his fiance, Suzi (Shioli Kutsuna, Deadpool 2 ).
Iron Man 2 doesn’t stand alongside the great superhero sequels like The Dark Knight, Superman II and Spider-Man 2, but it’s far better than the disasters that were Batman & Robin and Spider-Man 3. Favreau and Downey Jr. have done their jobs well with ultimately forgivable exceptions.
Step aside, Spider-Man 2 and Superman II: The phenomenal The Dark Knight now reigns as the greatest superhero film of all time.
A handful of others -- "Superman II" and "Spider-Man 2" come to mind -- may have fewer loose ends and a more exhilarating spirit.
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Listening to fans a generation or two older than me talk about films like Superman II (dir. Richard Lester, 1981) or Batman (dir. Tim Burton, 1989) puts into perspective how little reverence Hollywood had for these characters before X-Men (dir. Bryan Singer, 2000)…
Margot Kidder turned 29 while shooting the original Superman in 1977, and Kate Bosworth was a ridiculously young 22 when Superman Returns was filmed — this, despite the fact that the film was set several years after Superman II and Bosworth’s version of Lois Lane was mother to a 5-year-old boy!