SUPERMAN II

(June 1981, U.S.)

Like SUPERMAN-THE MOVIE, I'd to stay in that zone inside the mind of the child who first saw it on the big screen in June 1981 (I like it there!). During that summer, I did not get to see the movie that was most important to me, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (I finally saw it when it was re-released in 1982). I did, however, manage to see SUPERMAN II twice. Since the first movie, the general knowledge among fans was that a sequel was immediately in the works to further the story of the three villains from Krypton and their ultimate battle with the Man of Steel himself. Having lived as a kid of the late '70s in a world of movies predominantly ruled by sci-fi and space battles, I put any anticipation for SUPERMAN II in the back of my head, for the time being. I guess you could say I was entertaining a level of patience for its release in that it would simply arrive when the time came. No big deal. I could wait.

After re-visiting the trial, conviction, and sentencing of the three Kryptonian criminals to the Phantom Zone (without Jor-El this time), the new Superman movie, instead, provided a montage of the first movie’s best scenes from beginning to end that would lead us up to the new story that began in Paris with terrorism. Though these men who’d seized the Eiffel Tower acted a lot more like the Three Stooges than serious terrorists. Regardless, I was old enough to know what a hydrogen bomb was and the massive destruction it would cause, even before Lois Lane confirmed the fact by declaring it could "blow up all of Paris!" When she held onto the tower’s elevator for dear life as it fell to the bottom at top speed, I got a small knot in the pit of my stomach as if my senses were falling with her; kind of the way you feel as if you’re actually riding a rollercoaster if you concentrate hard enough on film footage taken from an actual coaster. Of course, Superman arrived in the nick of time and saved the day by hurtling the bomb into outer space where it would explode and hurt no one. As it turned out, however, the bad side of that move was that the explosion destroyed the Phantom Zone and the three sentenced criminals from Krypton were now free, and it looked as if Superman didn’t see any of this happen.

Before flying to Earth, General Zod, Ursa and Non (who was mute) decided to stop off at the moon first to cause some trouble with the astronauts who just happened to be there. It was on the moon they realized their natural abilities served as extraordinary superpowers the closer they came to the yellow sun. When they arrived in Idaho, they made themselves well known to the local folks by causing more trouble and destruction. I particularly enjoyed watching Ursa take down a rather hairy and disgusting-looking man in their own little arm wrestling match. That’s what he got (and deserved) after telling her, "Let me know if this tickles." just because she was a woman and presumed the weaker sex. Even with damage done to buildings and a series of explosions, the United States military moved in on them to try and stop them, with no success. This was clearly just a small prelude to the harder action that would take place later in the movie.

Meanwhile, Superman...or rather, Clark Kent and Lois Lane were on a newspaper assignment together in Niagara Falls, posing as a newly-married couple. As they toured the falls, a small boy decided to test his balance on the wrong side of the safety rail. Just before he eventually fell toward the water, I couldn’t help but ask myself, "Just how stupid is this kid?" I also recognized the stupidity that immediately followed Superman’s rescue of the boy in a line spoken by an old woman watching the action when she said, "What a nice man!" (really??). Unfortunately, Superman’s heroic feat would have a bad side to it because now Lois suspected just who Clark Kent really was, as he was never around when Superman showed up. She nearly proved her point when she jumped into the water, fully expecting Superman to save her. It wasn’t until later in their hotel room when Clark accidentally fell into the fireplace (was it really an accident?) that he revealed himself to Lois when his hand wasn’t burned. This was when the movie decided to stop being so light and humorous for a while. Things became serious and dramatic as they two of them realized the truth of Clark’s identity and the love they felt for each other. This shift in the movie’s mood made sense to me, because even at my young age, I understood that love was a deep emotion that wasn’t always funny. After years of Superman keeping his secret from Lois, in comic strips, comic books, cartoons and an old TV show, the cat was finally out of the bag. With any ordinary movie couple, none of this would’ve been such a major event. However, this was Superman and Lois Lane, so it meant something.

Things stayed focused on just the two of them for a while. When he took her to his home at the Fortress of Solitude, they proclaimed their love for each other over dinner. But the true test of this love was whether or not Superman was willing to give up his superpowers to live as an ordinary mortal man, which according to the spirit of his dead mother, was the only way he could be with Lois. This was a shocking decision to contend with as someone who loved Superman, because we had to watch it happen when he stepped into the molecule chamber that took away his powers forever and turned him into just Clark Kent. Now an ordinary man, he could be hurt as one, too. He was hurt, in fact, when he and Lois stopped at a local diner and got into a fight with a bully who wouldn’t give Clark his seat. Clark was practically fascinated by the sight of his own blood, something he’d never seen before. It was ironic him being an ordinary and powerless man now, because it was at this very moment that he finally learned of General Zod’s existence on Earth and that he was now challenging Superman on national TV to come forward and kneel before him. What now? Superman was gone and all the world was left with was the ordinary (and weak) man, Clark Kent. He’d try to get his powers back, but there was no way to know just how he’d do it.

The three Kryptonians, now in a partnership with Lex Luthor, took over the Daily Planet in anticipation that Superman would eventually show up to face them. I wasn’t surprised when Superman finally returned with all of his powers intact. This being a movie where the good guy ultimately wins the battle, it seemed clear enough he’d have to come back somehow. But how did he pull it off? I knew his rediscovering of the green crystal must’ve had something to do with it, but the answers weren’t clear. I’d have to think about that later because a showdown was taking place between Superman and his enemies in the city of Metropolis with all its citizens watching. The battle was quite a spectacular show, with great visual images of good and bad fighting each other in the air and on the ground. I loved the moment when Superman hurled Non into the giant antenna of the Empire State Building and then watching it fall toward the street; Superman, of course, saving the woman and her baby from being crushed by it. The battle raged on for a while before Superman realized the only way he would defeat these villains was to draw them away from Metropolis. It was a shame, though, to think the people thought Superman was a coward for flying away when he did. We in the audience knew better. Kidnapping Lois Lane and taking Lex Luthor along for the ride, the villains followed Superman to the Fortress of Solitude where the fight would continue. For a time, it looked like Superman had his enemies where he wanted them until Ursa and Non grabbed Lois and threatened to kill her. Superman was, for the moment, defeated because he’d never allow Lois to be hurt. The final surprise and climax of the movie came when Superman was forced back into the same molecule chamber in order to be rid of his powers, once again. Just when we thought Zod had won, we learned through the hard cracking of Zod’s bones in his hand, that Superman had switched the effects of the chamber to take away the villain’s powers while he was safely protected inside. The battle was over. Evil was defeated and Superman was, as always, the hero of the hour.

The next morning at the Daily Planet, Clark and Lois still had to resolve the nature of their relationship. They loved each other and the thought of having to keep Clark’s secret and deny her love for him was too painful for her to bare. Clark kissed her and there was something magical about that kiss because when he finished, she couldn’t remember anything that had taken place throughout the movie. It was the “kiss of forgetfulness”, as we’d call it later. Since it was always a pleasure to watch a bully get beaten up, I loved the movie ending with Clark returning to the diner to teach the one who got the best of him earlier a thing or two with his superpowers restored. Superman was back and we, as well as the entire country, were very glad to have him.

SUPERMAN II premiered on the ABC Sunday Night Movie in 1984. Like the first movie, it also featured extra footage originally not shown in theaters. This time, however, the new scenes weren’t nearly as interesting or intriguing as the original movie. Some of this pointless footage included Lex Luthor discovering one of his prison cellmates was a bed wetter and telling Otis to pass it on, as well as a moment where Superman used the heat rays from his eyes to cook a souffle in seconds. Was this the best the network could do in order to hold our attention just a little longer? I realized, of course, this footage was originally shot by the director and it wasn’t the network’s fault, but still, I felt I had to blame somebody.

What I knew about SUPERMAN II back then and what I know about it today are two different matters. As a kid, it was just a sequel released in the United States nearly three years after the original film, the standard wait time. Shortly after the first film, there were rumors and bits of information on TV that the sequel was filmed at the same time as the original and would be released within a year. I dismissed this trivia until 1981 came along and it was finally released. It was in 2006, with the DVD release of SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT that I learned the secrets and the dirt behind the making of the movie and the difficulties between Donner and producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, and Donner’s subsequent firing from production in March 1979. The specific reasons and details behind Donner replacement with Richard Lester remains a debated issue. One point behind this filmmaking controversy that’s always impressed me was the decision among much of the cast and crew to stand behind Donner after he was fired. Creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz, editor Stuart Baird and actor Gene Hackman declined to return to the film, though Hackman had already completed many of his scenes under Donner’s direction. Marlon Brando, who’d also completed scenes with Donner, chose to sue the producers and as a result, all scenes featuring Brando were ultimately cut from Lester’s film and replaced with Susannah York playing Superman’s mother instead. None of this really mattered, though. SUPERMAN II was a huge success at the box office, as well as with critics and fans, including myself.

As a kid, I felt the sequel outsoared the first film simply due to the fact that it had more action, primarily the fight sequences in Metropolis. I have since, changed my position on that opinion due to any cinematic maturity I’ve managed to maintain as an adult. While SUPERMAN II remains a fun and effective sequel, I cannot deny that SUPERMAN-THE MOVIE is a more spiritual film. Still, like so many others, I felt compelled to check out the DONNER cut to see what all the hubbub was about. While I can appreciate the place the original artist holds with the finished product, I am, at heart, a movie purist and strongly feel that a film should stand as it does without interference or changes later on. Regardless of what may or may not have taken place behind the scenes of production, who was right, who was wrong, who got screwed and who didn’t, SUPERMAN II, for me, remains the film it was in 1981 under Lester’s direction.

Finally, despite thirty-seven years having passed since first seeing it as a kid, I still remain unclear about just exactly how Superman got his superpowers back. We know the green crystal had something to do with it, but just how remains a mystery to me. Did Clark re-create the Fortress of Solitude with the crystal just as he had in the original film, thus getting his powers back? It’s possible, I suppose, but there remain too many holes in that theory which require explanation; explanation I’m likely never to get because I’m not one of those comic book geeks who overthinks these things. It’s just a movie...even if it’s a Superman movie.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Superman: "General, would you care to step outside?"
General Zod: "Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!"