Superman II (1981)
84%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 7 nominations
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
Superman II is like a superhero version of leftovers – it’s not as fresh as the original, but it still gets the job done. The special effects are the real star of the show, and the return of the main characters and the Zod storyline make it worth a watch. Plus, who doesn’t love a good “kneel before Zod” moment? Overall, it’s not the most inspired sequel out there, but it’s still a fun ride for fans of the Man of Steel.
Production Company(ies)
Margate House Films,
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1981
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 7m
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Language(s):English, French, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 19, 1980 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2001
Genre(s)
Adventure/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Jack O’Halloran, Terence Stamp, directed by Richard Lester, written by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Adventure, Fantasy, Action, PG, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Patrick Gibbs, Derek Malcolm, David Robinson, David Denby, Bruce McCabe, Gary Arnold, Philip French, produced by Pierre Spengler, Warner Bros., Superman, General Zod, Kryptonian, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Otis, Perry White, Ursa, superhero, love story, special effects, Richard Donner, Richard Donner Cut, continuity, Clark Kent, slapstick, humor, sequel, 1980, Warner Bros
Worldwide gross: $108,185,706
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $364,508,841
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 417
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 39,750,146
US/Canada gross: $108,185,706
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $364,508,841
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 141
US/Canada opening weekend: $14,100,523
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $47,508,728
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 249
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $54,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $181,941,572
Production budget ranking: 145
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $97,975,536
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $84,591,733
ROI to date (est.): 30%
ROI ranking: 1,243
Margot Kidder – Lois Lane
Gene Hackman – Lex Luthor
Ned Beatty – Otis
Jackie Cooper – Perry White
Sarah Douglas – Ursa
Director(s)
Richard Lester
Writer(s)
Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman
Producer(s)
Pierre Spengler
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 7 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (10)
Alas for good intentions, the new mixture turns out to be much as before, which I didn’t rate very highly.
June 17, 2022
Patrick Gibbs
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
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.
June 17, 2022
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
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.
June 16, 2022
David Robinson
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Superman II is easily the best spectacle movie of the season.
December 31, 2019
David Denby
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
The problem is that the film is too unwieldy to maintain any consistency of humor or tone. Whenever the relationships start to develop, the film has tobreak away for a stunt, leaving you feeling depressed and depleted.
April 27, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
What seems to have been lost is the straightforward heroic exuberance of the original film, despite Reeve’s gallant and endearing efforts.
October 4, 2017
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Superman II appears to have been made from discarded scraps retrieved from the wastepaper-basket at the Daily Planet.
June 16, 2022
Philip French
Observer (UK)
What new director Lester did right was bring back all the main characters and revisit the Zod story. He also captured the comic book feel in his storytelling…
January 31, 2022 | Rating: 6/10
Alan Ng
Film Threat
It’s a matching continuation, even if it’s an uninspired one, whose stale direction wasn’t dismissed in later years, prompting fired director Donner to release his own cut.
January 2, 2022 | Rating: 5/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
A very good film that denies the famous saying that second parts are never good. [Full Review in Spanish]
February 12, 2020
Alberto Abuín
Espinof
Like in each of these films, the best part are the special effects. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 15, 2019
Jesús Fernández Santos
El Pais (Spain)
Kneel before Zod, y’all. This is the best Superman movie of all time.
June 18, 2019
Leona Laurie
Geek Girl Authority…
Plot
Picking up where “Superman: The Movie” left off, three criminals, General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa, (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O’Halloran) from the planet Krypton are released from the Phantom Zone by a nuclear explosion in space. They descend upon Earth where they could finally rule. Superman, meanwhile, is in love with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who finds out who he really is. Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) escapes from prison and is determined to destroy Superman by joining forces with the three criminals.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Superman II on Fresh Kernels.
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