Superman II (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)

Initial release date: June 19, 1981

Studios: Warner Brothers

Tagline: Miraculously freed from eternal orbit, the three outlaws from Krypton descend to Earth, for the ultimate confrontation.

Plot: Superman 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 and his henchman Ursa and Non 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.

Cast

Gene Hackman - Lex Luthor

Christopher Reeve - Superman/Clark Kent

Ned Beatty - Otis

Jackie Cooper - Perry White

Sarah Douglas - Ursa

Margot Kidder - Lois Lane

Jack O'Halloran - Non

Valerie Perrine - Eve Teschmacher

Susannah York - Lara

E.G. Marshall - The President

Marc McClure - Jimmy Olsen

Terence Stamp - General Zod

Writer(s): Mario Puzo David Newman Lisa Newman

Director: Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night; Superman III)

Rated PG (127 min)

Continuing on with my small DC slate, I check out the 1981 sequel 'Superman II,' a worthy follow-up to the superhero classic.

The first sequel delivers a lot of tense action-packed moments that are visually amazing to watch. The General Zod character is a very compelling villain and will always be an iconic character. Terence Stamp does a fine job as the main villain!

Unlike the first film, this sequel featured a little bit of humor which works for the most part. Some of the visual effects are really decent, yet there are some that are absolutely dated. The final battle sequence is definitely one of the best parts of this sequel!

'Superman II' is available to stream currently on HBO Max!

Here are a few interesting tidbits for 'Superman II':

• In a 2004 interview, Margot Kidder claimed that Donner shot enough scenes to make his own cut of the film, and that the unused footage was "somewhere in a vault." A website started a petition for WB to allow and sponsor Donner's cut of this film. The footage was re-edited into 'Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.'

• Hackman didn't return to do re-shoots for the second film. All of his scenes were originally filmed by Donner. Other scenes shot by the new director that required Hackman used a look-a-like and a voice impersonator to add any lines needed. A few of these moments were noticeable.

• The fight scene in Metropolis visually recalls the epic battle in Action Comics #473, where Superman fights Zod, Faora and numerous other Phantom Zone criminals in Metropolis.

• The decision to replace Donner was controversial among the cast and crew. Creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz was approached by Terry Semel, then a WB Vice President, to return for the sequel, but he declined out of loyalty to Donner.

• During a preview of the finished film, WB execs had hoped to maximize the box office returns by releasing the film in every part of the world during their peak movie-going period.

• On its opening domestic weekend, 'Superman II' broke box office records with a first day gross of $4.3 million and had an opening weekend gross of $14.1 million. In its first month of release, the sequel had grossed $75 million, and went on to gross $108.2 million domestic, the highest grossing film of 1981.

• A new edition, titled 'Superman III: The Richard Donner Cut,' was released on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray on November 28, 2006.

https://youtu.be/jxD8RlGnP64