Superman II Reviews

Poking fun at its American mythos, but never descending into camp comedy, this sequel makes for a wonderful time. Christopher Reeve reprises his role as the bumbling reporter/Man of Steel with marvelous success. The film opens with a fury as terrorists who have taken over the Eiffel Tower threaten to blow it up with a nuclear bomb. Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), ever the inquisitive reporter, tries to interview the terrorists and finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for. Fortunately, Superman comes to save the day, rescuing Lois and flinging the bomb into outer space. But this sets off a nuclear explosion that frees some bad guys (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, and Jack O'Halloran) from the cosmic prison they were sentenced to in SUPERMAN. The movie hits full stride as the villains come to take over Earth, not knowing their fellow Kryptonian is that planet's hero. The result is an especially fun movie and a rare instance of a sequel that not only equals, but even betters, its original. The same cannot be said for SUPERMAN III or SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE, despite Reeve's continued command of the role.