Superman II (1980)
#62 in my 2007 movie challenge was Superman II. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the first movie stood the test of time. I didn’t feel the same about the sequel, though it was mostly well reviewed.
The Kryptonian villains introduced in Superman are released from their virtual prison, and terrorize the earth. They do this at the exact time that Lois Lane uncovers Clark Kent’s secret identity. The scene in which Reeve switches from his Clark Kent persona to that of Superman as he reveals himself to Lois is a wonder. In an uneasy sequence, he readily gives up his powers, though Lois looks far less certain that he’s done the right thing, even before he gets his ass kicked in a diner. Eventually he contrives to restore his powers, and is conveniently able to cause amnesia in Lois with a kiss.
I found this movie much sillier and unbalanced than the first. I don’t know if it’s because Richard Donner was removed as director half way through, or if the end result simply wasn’t to my taste. But I found myself cringing many times during the movie, and not at scenes that were intended that way. Luthor’s plan and arrogance, the myriad and shifting powers of the Kryptonians, the ridiculousness of the several super-breath blowing scenes all detracted from what I felt to be the strengths of the film: the awkward vacillation between humanity and heroism, the chilling villains played by Terence Stamp and Sarah Douglas, and the doomed romance between Kent and Lane.
A Richard Donner cut of the film was released in 2006, since he shot much of the footage for the second simultaneously with the first film. This included all of Hackman’s scenes; Hackman did not return for the second film, even though he plays a prominent part. Also conspicuously absent are both the voice and visage of Brando, so the filmmakers could try to exclude him from profits. He sued, and they failed. Some of this footage was used in Bryan Singer’s 2006 Superman Returns, and is included in the Donner version of SII.