a5c7b9f00b A group of terrorists seize the Eiffel Tower & threaten Paris with a hydrogen bomb if the French government does not meet their demands. Superman immediately heads to Paris, where he launches the elevator carrying the bomb into outer space before it can detonate. Unfortunately, when the bomb explodes, it disintegrates the 'Phantom Zone', where 3 Kryptonian criminals, ,General Zod (<a href=">Terence Stamp), Ursa, (<a href=">Sarah Douglas), and Non (<a href=">Jack O'Halloran) who had been imprisoned years before by Jor-El. Immediately, the 3 criminals, led by the psychopathic General Zod, head to Earth with the intention of enslaving the people Superman protects. The Man of Steel, however, is unaware of their arrival, and is forced to sacrifice his powers for a life with Lois Lane. When he finds out about Zod & his companions, Superman returns to the Fortress of Solitude to regain his powers and confront the horrible Kryptonian criminals - on his terms. Can Superman defeat the 3 villains who are armed with identical powers to his own? This time, the Man of Steel has his hands full with a trio of super-powered villains ,General Zod (<a href=">Terence Stamp), Ursa, (<a href=">Sarah Douglas), and Non (<a href=">Jack O'Halloran) who escape from their Phantom Zone prison (remember the weird flying diamond-shaped mirror that scooped them up from the planet Krypton?) and land on Earth, where all three have powers to rival Superman's own. How does it all come out? With a fabulous duel above the streets of Metropolis, and a startling plot twist that neatly ties in Superman's explosive past. Arch-criminal Lex Luthor (<a href=">Gene Hackman) plays both ends gleefully against the middle in hopes of a modest reward: Australia. This film is an amalgamation of two shoots of Superman II, and as a result has an inconsistent tone, poor pacing, inappropriate comedy, and comparatively poorer editing, music, and acting.<br/><br/>This film feels half in earnest, and half as though it were done by someone who didn't like or believe in the material he had to work with. His lack of attention to detail (inconsistent makeup and wardrobe) and unconvincing alterations to the script make the whole thing rather silly in places.<br/><br/>See the superior cut (Superman II: The Donner Cut), by original director Richard Donner instead. It's more dramatic, less 'campy,' and more consistent with the first film, as well as being remarkably complete. Sequel to "Superman" is a rarity--it's better than the first film.<br/><br/>Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) finally discovers that Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) is Superman. He loves her but to have sex with her (not said but implied) he must renounce all his powers. He loses them just as three villains from Krypton--General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Nod (Jack O'Halloran)--escape from their prison and invade Earth...and Superman is powerless to stop them.<br/><br/>I loved this in 1981--I must have seen it three times in the theatre. The special effects were (back then) state of the art and I found the action just terrific. Seeing it now over 20 years later I'm seeing difficulties I didn't see before.<br/><br/>The special effects are really bad now but kind of amusing; the story ceases to make sense in several spots (it's established in the first film that Superman can't lie--but he has no problem doing it here and what DID happen to the three villains at the end?); the comic book level script and dialogue just got annoying (I was practically gagging at the love scenes between Supes and Lois) and what the hell was Luthor doing in this (not much)? Still I'm recommending it.<br/><br/>Reeve is just perfect as Superman--he WAS the hero. He plays Clark Kent a little too whiny but as the Man of Steel he's totally believable. He was able to show off the innocence and kindness of Superman without making it seem silly. Kidder is just great as Lane--she now regrets doing the movie but she's very good here. Hackman (having a whale of a time) spices up his few scenes he has as Lex Luthor. And I really liked Douglas as Ursa--incredibly sexy and evil. Stamp got on my nerves--his overacting was overbearing and O'Halloran (who has NO lines) is just there. Also the sex angle was handled very tastefully--basically Superman can't have sex with Lois--he'd kill her. That's why he has to give away his powers. It's not addressed at all explicitly and the bedroom scene is actually very romantic.<br/><br/>Some people complained about the violence in this film. Well. has anybody read a comic book lately? Comic books are violent too and all the violence here is non-bloody and VERY cartoonish. The only misstep is when they kill the three astronauts on the moon--why? And the rousing score pushes the movie right along.<br/><br/>I recommend this very much--just turn off your mind, kick back and enjoy! A stylish, well-paced film with a good variety of moods and moves. Not exactly. The cellophane "S" logo and the multiple holographic projections were traps Superman had prepared for the villains. This is confirmed by a line from the shooting script: "Zod begins to realize that Superman, on his home turf, has powers and devices at his command beyond their comprehension."<br/><br/>As for the villains, the lasers they shoot were intended as heat vision, while their "disappearing" power was not teleportation but super-speed. Although it was written as such in the script, these powers were not accurately depicted on screen.<br/><br/> Yes, but it was rarely used and later dropped. While not specifically stated, it is implied that he drained the power of the green crystal to restore his powers. In the screenplay, and as originally filmed, Jor-El used the remainder of his life force (from that crystal) to give his abilities once again. This was finally shown in the 2006 "Donner Cut". A comparison between the Theatrical Version and the Richard Donner Cut is more than difficult, as both version are very different from each other. Not only the usual additional scenes were added, it is almost a completely new movie. Parts of the story are shown at completely different points in time, other sequences were completely removed and some new sequences were added. In total the Donner Cut is approx. 11 minutes shorter than the Theatrical Version. Due to the humanisation process being spread out all over the vast interior of the Fortress of Solitude, rather than heavily concentrated into one small chamber as it was for Superman himself, it is feasible to conclude that the pain inflicted would be far less noticeable to them.