Superman II

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Superman II

PG

Released Jun 19, 1980

2h 7m

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Superman (Christopher Reeve) foils the plot of terrorists by hurtling their nuclear device into outer space, but the bomb's shock waves free the Kryptonian villain General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his henchmen Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran) from their imprisonment. Traveling to Earth, they threaten the planet with destruction at the same time that Superman decides to renounce his superpowers in order to live a normal life as Clark Kent with his new love, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder).

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Critics Consensus

The humor occasionally stumbles into slapstick territory, and the special effects are dated, but Superman II meets, if not exceeds, the standard set by its predecessor.

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Patrick Gibbs

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Alas for good intentions, the new mixture turns out to be much as before, which I didn't rate very highly.

Jun 17, 2022

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Dick Lester's Superman II makes a groaningly slow start but finally ends up a better movie than Superman I. Of course, it has to be because more of the same would look a bit second-hand another time round.

Jun 17, 2022

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David Robinson

Times (UK)

Superman's adventures, certainly, could be no sillier -- suspending our disbelief, of course, by the expertise of the technology, the prettiness of the art work, [and] the effacing charm of Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.

Jun 16, 2022

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Slam-bang entertainment.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 13, 2023

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Lawrence O'Toole

Maclean's Magazine

Both the writing and the opticals are fiendishly clever and chock-full of dry, sly wit that is never gratuitously employed.

May 3, 2023

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John Brosnan

Starburst

Superman II is a winner on all counts and is even better than Superman I. It shines as a perfect example of how to put a comic strip character on the screen.

Jul 26, 2022

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jacob c

A great, action-packed sequel with heightened emotion and more formidable villains.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

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Luke B

Though this movie is definitely not as good as the first movie and focuses a little too much on the romance and less on the heroism of Superman it still all comes together in the third act and it definitely a movie worth a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/01/25

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Mike P

Superman 2 is Superman Redux...After the stunning epic original; which presented The Man of Steel as Christ himself and The Son of God...This chapter brings him back down to Earth...This is the HUMAN side of Superman...As he struggles with life here on earth; trying to reconcile his love for Lois, with his annointed role as Earth's Savior....Particularly once Lois learns his secret; and he decides to give up his powers so he can marry her; all at the same time his Dad's greatest enemy General Zod comes to Earth to get revenge...And inspite of this being one of the most fraught and chaotic film sets in history; Donner was unceremoniously fired by the greedy Salkinds; causing an uproar among the cast; and inspiring actors like Gene Hackman to quit the production mid-shoot; in spite of all that; this chapter still works wonders and is indeed a very solid and even spectacular sequel to the original. Probably because it was set up so brilliantly by the first one; and then the script by Leslie and David Newman and Mario Puzo was so good; so air-tight, even Richard Lester couldn't really screw it up. And the result is actually another modern classic; a worthy successor to the masterpiece original.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/29/25

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Jelisije J

A more polished version of the Richard Donner cut that was still very good but was lacking with the overall message as to why Superman gives up his powers and the consequences because of it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/25/25

Full Review

Star Trek XV: T

With Lester and Donner directing it, the result is an uneven good but not great sequel with a good plot, strong villain and golden acting but dated special effects and some silliness.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/09/25

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Carnage David Z

Superman 2 although not as good as the first film still a very good take on the man of steel!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/25

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Richard Lester

Director

Christopher Reeve

Clark Kent

Margot Kidder

Lois Lane

Gene Hackman

Lex Luthor

Ned Beatty

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Jackie Cooper

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Synopsis

Superman (Christopher Reeve) foils the plot of terrorists by hurtling their nuclear device into outer space, but the bomb's shock waves free the Kryptonian villain General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his henchmen Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran) from their imprisonment. Traveling to Earth, they threaten the planet with destruction at the same time that Superman decides to renounce his superpowers in order to live a normal life as Clark Kent with his new love, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder).

Director: Richard Lester
Producer: Pierre Spengler
Screenwriter: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 19, 1980, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Surround

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