Yee haw! This was a fun movie. A direct sequel to Superman, things start out with a big bang. Terrorists have a hydrogen bomb in the Eiffel Tower and Lois Lane is there investigating. Supes saves the day and takes the bomb into space where it explodes. However, said explosion intersects the Phantom Zone crystal the 3 criminals from the first movie were exiled into. They are set free and head to Earth. Lois Lane figures out Superman is Kent, Supes gives up his powers to be with Lois and the Kryptonians take over Earth. Kent gives up Lois and gets his powers back in the Fortress of Solitude. Lex introduces himself and promises to give them the son of their old enemy Jor-El. A big fight ensues in Metropolis before Superman flies away when he realizes how many people will die. Everyone ends up in the Fortress of Solitude where Lex betrays Superman only to have the tables turned. The Kryptonians are turned into ordinary humans and fall to their deaths in the depths of the Fortress. Superman super kisses Lois and makes her forget knowing he is Clark Kent. The World Is Safe, Once Again.
Yee haww again I say! I had so much fun watching this. It was definitely bordering on the campy in places but considering it was 1980 it was no surprise. The villains were appropriately tight leather’y shininess and they looked bad ass. Having 3 other beings with the same powers as Superman was a fantastic move. Luthor was comic relief more than anything and his continued demands to be King of Australia had me rolling.
The idea that Superman couldn’t be with Lois unless he was a human was a bit foreign to me, as I’d grown up with Lois and Superman as a couple. Heck, in the Death and Rebirth of Superman storyline in the comics in the 90’s, Clark and Lois were engaged. There were no reasons given, it just was “one of those things”. It was refreshing to see a hero simply do something without spewing all his inner thoughts to the audience. When Superman gives up his powers I was expecting a monologue from him or Lois about his duty to the rest of the humanity. Imagine my pleasant surprise when it simply didn’t happen.
The film’s biggest weakness is what most superhero films suffer from. That is, not being an origin story. Once the creativity has been expended on the origin story it seems like most movie story writers can’t write themselves out of a paperbag. This also had more in common with the Adam West version of Batman than any of the more modern superhero movies. Actually, if you do the math, it is literally closer to Adam West too, sigh.
You know, reviewing movies is tough. I could never be a movie reviewer. With that being said, I’ll be watching the director’s cut of this movie and reviewing the differences in a week or three. I wonder if doing this counts as some sort of disability on my part? Maybe I can get money from the government!
I always enjoyed watching this film as a kid. It was certainly the best one for me.
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I’m a sucker for Origin stories, so I think I liked the first one a bit better, BUT, having 3 super villains of Superman’s caliber was great 😀
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Sounds like fun and it’s nice to be reminded of how much the character evolved with each actor taking on the role. I wonder what was cut from the theatrical though. Thanks for sharing!
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I’ve got the Donner Cut coming up next Sunday 🙂 But surprisingly, I liked the theatrical version better…
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Glad you enjoyed this one – it is, admittedly, very much on the campy side 😉
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Yeah, it was definitely campy. I guess that is where cartoons still were back then. Not sure if I like the fact that they’ve moved in the direction they have…
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I actually do. It’s a relief, not to watch Adam West or Ben Affleck type of superhero comic book adaptations 😉
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Back when things were simple and straightforward. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. 😀
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I did enjoy it, quite a lot 😀
Not as cool as the new Superman trilogy with Cavill, but much more the Superman type I enjoy.
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Wow, a classic! A rare “older superhero movie” that actually isn’t too bad. I want to watch both 1 and 2 now.
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Worth re-watching at least once. At the least, it will make you appreciate what we have today in cinematography…
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Origin stories are certainly the best part of superhero movies. I should re-watch these at some point, too. Chris Reeve will always be Superman to me.
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Reeves, thankfully, was the first Superman I ever saw on the television screen, so he’ll be what I imagine for the rest of my life. I’m really glad I never saw George Reeves, The pictures I’ve seen just don’t cut it…
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You do a way better job at reviewing stuff, i can only say”liked,loved or hated…
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Yeah, but who writes poetry? Not me! 😉
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Expressing the written word happens in so many ways. I almost literally couldn’t write a poem if my life depended on it.
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Youve had some great moments tho…
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I do love this movie- it’s great fun! Though I get what you mean about a lot of non-origin superhero movies running into problems- maybe that’s why I tend to love origin superhero movies the most.
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I know I love the origin story for most superheroes. Unless it is an individual taking on the role of said superhero, like Green Lantern or Black Panther. Since the human side is changing, I don’t care so much.
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Ah ok that makes sense.
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