Superman II

In honor of the release of Man of Steel this Friday, I'm having Superman Week where I review the previous Superman movies. Today, Superman II. Before hoping in, I have to say that you will probably be able to make a drinking game out of how many times I mention how hot Ursa is.

The Good

• Superman - Supes was once again very good in this film. Christopher Reeves just does a great job with the character. There were a few corny/cheesey moments/lines, but I think those were intentional.
• Lois Lane - She was once again good in the movie. She finally pieced together that Clark is Superman (though followed that up moments later with what was basically a suicide attempt), which is good. Not much to say really.
• Jimmy Olsen - He wasn't shoved down out throats as much as in the first film and was much more bearable.
• Ursa - Ursa was just great in this film, and I think is somehow hotter than she was in the first film. And since she was a major villain this time, we saw her in a lot more scenes. And she was hot is almost all of them (there were a few times where it looks like no one used make up, but that's the case with all women in this film). Very hot. As for the character, she was a great character played by a great actress (Sarah Douglas) and had some awesome scenes. I loved seeing her kick Superman's @$$ at one point. Just her in any fight was awesome, and just in front of a camera was good.
• General Zod - I probably should of had him before Ursa. But I love Ursa and she's very hot, so I felt like I had to have her first. As for Zod, he was great and is a classic for superhero film villains. He was just the ultimate bad@$$ and a great character.
• Non - Why does every villain in this series have a hot female (Miss Tessmacher for Lex & Ursa for Zod [though Ursa puts Tessmacher to shame]) and a not so smart guy (Otis for Lex & Non for Zod)? Just something I noticed. Non never spoke, but was still neat. I though it was cool that he always seemed to use stuff like heat vision at full force.
• Action - The action is better in this film that the first. He never had a real challenge in the first, but he had a ton of challenge in this one. He had awesome fights against Zod, Ursa (she seems to get hotter every time I picture her) and Non. Ending for the final fight was a bit sucky, but it was really the only logical thing to do.
• Special effects - I could complain about them, but then I remember when this film came out. For the time, great special effects. Once again, great job guys!

The Bad

• Otis - What was the point to him? He almost ruined Lex's escape, and that's it. Outside of a mention from Miss Tessmacher, we never heard from him again. Speaking of Miss Tessmacher...
• Miss Tessmacher - Remember how much I liked her in the first film? Well the little bit we saw her here, she was annoying and useless. In the first film she at least seemed like some help, but she didn't do anything here. She rode a hot air balloon over the prison to get Lex & Otis, and the few times we saw her later, all she did was complain. They just ruined her.
• So, apparently General Zod, Ursa, & Non have telekinesis. Where the Hell did that come from?
• This is getting into the plot a bit, but I'll still bring it up. Basically, Superman has to depower himself to live his life with Lois Lane (According to a hologram of his dead mother). He does it, and he's normal again. This took place at the Fortress of Solitude. So how the Hell did he get back to the US (or anywhere for that matter)? They cut to another scene, and the next we see of Supes is he and Lois driving up to a dinner. What the Hell? Where did the car come from, and how fast were they going? Plus, wouldn't they have to cross water? They needed to explain this more. And after the scene at the dinner, he attempts to hitchhike back to the Fortress until he eventually decided to walk. Does Supes (or I should be calling him Clark at this point?) live in his own time zone where days (and possibly weeks) take place over the course of a few hours?
• Plot Convenience News Cast - I was going to rant about this, but I'm tired. Basically, they use one of the most lazy things in screenwriting: The Plot Convenience News Cast. Someone turns on a TV, and a news cast just happens to be on where the characters learn something major to the plot. As soon as it's over, the TV is turned off. Man, they got really lazy with this.

Lex Luthor

I wasn't sure what to think of Lex in this film. He is MUCH better than in the first film, but there are so many moments where he comes off as pathetic. Had they cut out some of those scenes (and the wig), he would have been a great villain in this film. But they ruined him. Hopefully a sequel to Man of Steel has the Lex Luthor I love (I always though Billy Zane would be good in the role). But even with the script making him look pathetic in spots, Gene Hackman is still a great actor in the role.

That Cellophane S

I just had to bring it up. I can't do it justice, so here's a clip from Family Guy that covers it (Sorry for the poor quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV4CqelFTlA

And know I learn I can't post videos (at lest in reviews) since the redesign. That's just dumb.

My Final Verdict

I could of went more in debt for this film, but with the exception of yesterday's Superman review, it's been a while and I need to get back into the swing of things. I apologize if this upsets anyone.

As for the film, it's very good and is by far the best Superman film. Good acting, good plot that's not overly complicated but not dumbed down, good fight scenes, etc. They should have had some second film with someone like Bizarro and saved this as a way to end the series. It would have been perfect. But sadly, that didn't happen. But this is still a great film I strongly recommend you see if you haven't already.

My Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars.

Tomorrow I'll be reviewing Superman III. May God have mercy on us all.