Watching Superman II as a kid, I was unaware of any of the behind-the-scenes drama that afflicted the production—director Richard Donner was let go after several clashes with producers Alexander & Ilya Salkind, and was replaced by Richard Lester. Revisiting the sequel as an adult, or at least, a reasonable hand-drawn facsimile of one, the clashing sensibilities are impossible to ignore, and the result is a patchwork production featuring wildly out-of-sync tones and leaps of storytelling logic that make Superman turning the earth backwards and, resultingly, turning time itself backwards, in the 1978 original seem perfectly reasonable. It’s a good thing that the over-the-top supervillains played by Sarah Douglas, Jack O’Halloran, and, most memorably, Terence Stamp, bring so much personality to the proceedings, or else Superman II might have been beyond salvage.
Originally conceived as a massive 500-page screenplay that was inevitably broken up into two movies so the first film could make its planned release date (and not have a six-hour running time), 1980’s Superman II is cobbled together from footage shot by Donner and original director of photography Geoffrey Unsworth (who had passed away by the time the second film began to take shape), and new material created by Lester and new DP Bob Paynter. The film opens with The Man Of Steel thwarting a terror plot at the Eiffel Tower (Lois Lane is, of course, on hand and in peril) by throwing their nuclear device into outer space. The resulting detonation cracks open the Phantom Zone, freeing Kryptonian criminals General Zod, Ursa, and Non, who now have Superman-level powers thanks to Earth’s yellow sun. Zod and his gang first murder a group of astronauts on the moon, then proceed to conquer a small town in Texas, before moving on to the White House to declare themselves masters of the world. Unfortunately, Superman is nowhere to be found, since he’s decided to use some wonky Kryptonian pseudo-science to make himself mortal so he can be with Lois.
Superman II explores some interesting thematic territory regarding Kal-El’s place in the world—with all his responsibility, can he ever have a normal life? Can he find love with a human woman? In throwing his power away, he finds himself immediately confronted with enemies that represent a distortion of himself—they have all his power (and, for whatever reason, a few he doesn’t have, like telekinesis), and nothing but contempt for his values. But the movie’s tone is, perhaps inevitably as a result of its two directors, all over the map. There are moments of real darkness—the assault on the hapless astronauts, Clark’s horror at his newfound human weakness when he is bullied by a truck-driving boor—sharing the screen with slapstick goofiness, like the Lois-and-Clark Niagara Falls subterfuge early in the film, or the silly behaviour of Metropolis’ citizenry during the superpowered war between a repowered Superman and Zod’s forces. The footage shot by Unsworth—cinematographer of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Cabaret—is easily, recognizably superior to the material filmed by Paynter. Gene Hackman was unavailable for the reshot footage (his Lex Luthor returns to team up with the Phantom Zone criminals), so much of his appearances are represented by a body double and voiceover dialogue from another actor. A 2006 Restored Director’s Cut of Donner’s vision for Superman II gives us an interesting alternate glimpse of what he had in store for the sequel, but given that he was removed from the original project early on, and some of his ideas ended up in the 1978 original anyway, it remains more of an interesting historical curiousity rather than a full-on alternative.
All that aside, Superman II remains a very watchable film, due once again to the fine cast headed by a right-from-the-comics Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman. But where the film really shines is in its portrayal of the gleefully evil Phantom Zone criminals, led by a forceful, arrogant Terence Stamp as General Zod. Even in their shiny black Disco-era jumpsuits, the villains exude such menace and ruthlessness that they steal the film away from Superman. Their city-shaking showdown with Supes results in super-breath tornadoes, shattered buildings, and a casually-thrown city bus. The special effects in this set piece may be pretty low-fi by today’s standards, but the actors sell it with gusto. The finale in the Fortress Of Solitude veers back into silliness once again, but the sneering villainy of the Kryptonians (and the ever-deceitful Luthor) redeem it. Despite all the zany super-gimmicks (Superman’s amnesia kiss, his giant plastic capture-logo), visual & tonal inconsistencies, and the inexplicably British kid hanging out in East Houston, Superman II is worth watching for the mayhem caused by Zod and his pals, proving that a hero is only as good as his villains.
