Superman II (1980)

Superman II

• Overall this was a great sequel, and although the first is still my favorite, this was a good continuation of Superman’s story. I enjoyed the opening, which had a recap of the first movie. Although it did feel a little long to me, I liked how you get to see several key moments from Superman’s origin. I loved the story, and being able to watch Superman take on General Zod is always awesome. I really liked that Mario Puzo did the story and screenplay, and I was excited when I found out he was in charge of those. The story actually reminded me a lot of the old Superman TV show, so this movie definitely gave me the nostalgic factor. It also reminded me a bit of the Get Smart TV show, which is my second favorite show of all time. Regarding the villains, I wasn’t a huge fan of how Lex Luthor was brought back, and I felt that this movie kind of wasted his character. He was thrown in just to be there, and he didn’t really add much to the overall story. However, seeing Zod and Luthor team up is an awesome duo. The rest of the plot was good, and even though the whole  “take-over-the-world” scenario does seem to get old, it was still enjoyable. The effects were pretty good for 1980, and though cheesy, they were still well done. The laser eyes and flying scenes were awesome, and for an 80’s superhero flick, they were great. There was one specific scene where you could see Gene Hackman’s bald cap outline, which I found hilarious, but the rest of the makeup/graphics were great. They did a great job with the moon set, and I really liked seeing Zod and the others interact with the astronauts on the moon. It was fun and different, which I loved. I also liked how Zod infiltrated the White House, and it helped advance the story in a great way. The score was really good, and though I was disappointed that John Williams didn’t do it, it was still great. It kept the original main theme that was done by Williams, which happens to be the greatest theme song ever written. I get chills every time I hear it, and it’s freaking amazing. The last two things I’ll mention: 1) I loved watching Clark and Lois’s relationship progress and struggle, and watching Lois slowly figuring out who Clark is is really intriguing and entertaining. 2) I love that Richard Griffiths was briefly in this, and seeing a young and thinner Vernon Dursley was hilarious. Overall, this movie was great, and it was a great sequel that was definitely a fun one to watch. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go check it out now!