Movie Plot – Superman II (1980): General Zod and two other Kryptonians are planning to conquer planet earth. Meanwhile, Superman sacrificed his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware of the threat he is about to face.

Directors: Richard Lester
Writers: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman
Cast: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp

Superman & Lois Lane

I’m a fan of the new Superman Henry Cavill, but I have to admit that Christopher Reeve was iconic. No one could play Superman/ Clark Kent as he did. I don’t know how to explain it, but Reeve has charm that works in his favor.

In Superman II, the love life between him and Lois Lane is explored even more. He becomes so in love with her that he decides to give up on his powers.

Now, I know he does this to have a normal life, but I never really understood it. It’s something Superman won’t do. Plotwise, I understand it since they also use this technique to lose powers in the end.

As in the first one, Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve have great chemistry together.

I also love watching the scenes at the diner where Clark gets beat up by a random man. Just so see him, come back with his powers to show this guy a lesson. I’ll leave a video down below in case you have forgotten:

The best villains

What makes this one of the best Superman movies is the villains. I still don’t know which Superman movie as I love the first one, but I also really liked Zack Snyder’s take on it. I rather keep the modern and classic takes separate.

Gene Hackman is back as Lex Luthor and is even a better villain in this film. He still keeps on telling people he’s the greatest criminal mastermind of earth, which always bothers me.  I just don’t like villains telling everyone out loud: “hey, I’m a bad guy.” We know you don’t need to tell us.

The most menacing villain is General Zod, played by Terence Stamp. He is power-hungry and wants to rule the earth. When he learns about the son of Jor-el, he sets out for revenge.

Terence is one of those actors I only see in roles as bad guys. No offense to the guy, but he has a real menacing, evil face. As Zod, he plays it straight and powerful. And everyone should kneel before Zod. Well, no, I just love that phrase. It shows strength and power.

Conclusion

Overall, Superman II is a very entertaining film, and really surprising considering it is the work of two directors. There is also the Donner’s Cut, which I haven’t seen yet. But that would be for another time!

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