let's just say he ask jor el to return his powers and he said yes so yes he became superman again so anyway my name is ethan i'm the fan of your videos and i have been reatching smallville show because tom welling his birthday is april 26th and mine is april 25th lucky for me i got blue shirt and red leather jacket as bike rider
I love how when Clark took off his glasses to reveal himself to Lois, his posture, voice and entire attitude changed. Christopher Reeve was a brilliant actor.
@@Batman88878 Well it's not just the glasses, it's the way he acts and the way he carries himself, right? 🙂Plus you wouldn't really expect to find Superman as a reporter, lol...he sort of fades into the background as Clark Kent. 🙂
I remember Snyder's Man of Steel coming out and he was all "Nope, this has NOTHING to do with the Donner universe, at all" - and then Zod showed up - a character solely created for those films.
Despite the complaint that the diner revenge scene was "out of character for Superman," this is actually perfectly in-character for The Golden Age version of the character.
Yeah! Although this Superman film was way after that - into the Bronze Age superman era. But yeah, I don't know if these films were styling him on older ones. General Zod first appeared vs Silver Age Superman in the comics, I believe. Your point still good, as teaching a baddie a good firm revenge lesson was still going strong XD
@@csw3287 Kal-L is earth two Superman. Kal El is silver age etc. You saying it's confirmed he's golden age Superman in the film? Not saying it isn't - just interested if there's a definite answer.
At least it's better than destroying the guy's livelihood by wrecking his truck for throwing a beer can at Bizarro. This is perfect for ANY version of the actual character, he doesn't hit the guy, doesn't destroy the guy's truck, and what damage he does cause - HE PAYS FOR.
The one thing I really love about this one is Terence Stamp as Zod. I don't think Zod was even a big deal in the comics at the time, but he became an arch-enemy after this. I think Terry gives a masterclass in playing a supervillain - you know he's a great actor by how much humour he can get out of playing an over the top role with a completely straight face.
Terence downplayed his role in the movie. He felt he shouldn’t have been in such a movie. His belief he was “above” all the other actors made him snobbish.
For me Chris Reeve was my Superman He played Clark as equally well as he did Superman. I met Sarah Douglas (Ursa)in passing in the dealers hall of a convention and my God she was wonderful and awesome.
One of my favorite Superman scenes came out of the TV show Lois and Clark. "You know Miss Lane in the future where I'm from your considered intergalactically stupid, here you are one of the best investigative journalists and your totally blind." Tempest. "Why do you say that?" Lois (Tempest puts on some glasses.) "Hello I'm Clark Kent." (Takes them off) "I'm Superman" (puts them on) "Clark Kent" (Takes them off) "Superman..... Hello!" lol
I've just taken a massive delivery of old 1980s superhero comics in the post today. I can't understate how much fun their campy, weird stye. I love the old pages of adverts in them too, for everything from muscle equipment and x-ray specs to Bruce Lee manuals and poetry ... all on one page!
The John Williams theme always makes me smile. Superman learning how to safely be intimate with his significant other is actually a plot point in the Smallville TV show
An excellent, well thought out, and hilarious essay. I fondly remember sitting in my local library long, long ago and reading the part where Niven points out that adolescent Clark's bedroom walls would have been riddled with what would have appeared to be bullet holes. I laughed out loud, and a librarian shushed me, which made it all the funnier.
Having been born in 1973 this movie was indeed impressive for its special effects for the time it was made. I personally roughly equally like the 1st and 2nd movies of the franchise. The helicopter rescue scene in the first movie will always be iconic. How many times do you see a woman hanging on for dear life out of a crippled helicopter? But the villains in the second one are cool to watch too. And of course the hydrogen bomb in Paris gives that movie a brief international flavor.
Great movie review as always, to explain the kid falling into the falls, the movie clip would've been less than 1 second long, and extremely blurry, like when Superman flew so fast in Superman 1 that he changed the rotation of the earth to save Lois, so what you saw was the boy falling and Superman saving him in Slow-motion, for us viewers sake. cheers
I saw this in the theater when it was released, and I loved it as much as the first one! and FYI, the green crystal was the 'master crystal' as it were. It created the Fortress of Solitude and all the mechanisms inside it, and when it wasn't in the storage console because of Lois, it wasn't destroyed with all the others. Also, Zod and crew, while very powerful, only had their powers for a matter of days, where Superman had years to figure out all he was capable of. And he had Lex to help with pulling the wool over their eyes, all the while thinking that he was serving himself. And as for Lois and Supes getting busy, a well known SciFi author, Larry Niven, wrote a short story, 'Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex' to describe the potential realities of that, well, union. So if you're up for some reading on human alien relationships, well I'll just leave this here.
Superman 2 is so funny because halfway through production, director Richard Donner was fired and replaced with Richard Lester, a director best known for making comedies. So Lester came in and added more comedic elements that didn't previous exist. There is actually a very different version of Superman 2 available called The Richard Donner Cut. In the mid-00's, lost footage that Donner filmed for Superman 2 had been found, along with screen test footage of a scene between Clark and Lois that never made it into the production. So they cut it together to create a version of the film that was closest to what Donner originally intended.
@@MaryCherryOfficialyou'll actually see Superman "hug" his real father played by Marlon Brando in the Richard Donner version. And General Zod shooting an M-16 was phenomenal and funny.
13:18 Mary: "So, anyone could come here?" Technically, no. In the comics, the Fortress is protected by a holographic image of an ice mountain. It used to have giant key that only he and Supergirl could lift. When not in use, the key sat on a perch outside of the Fortress, where it appeared to be an aircraft path marker. This was until a helicopter pilot followed the direction of the arrow straight to the entrance of the Fortress, forcing Superman to develop a cloak to camouflage the entrance and key (which now hung on brackets on its side beside the door) and to ensure the Fortress's secrecy.
I adored this movie as a kid. Characters with the same powers as Superman, survivors from Krypton, EVIL characters who can go toe to toe with Superman on a physical level, these things are all incredibly common and old hat now in comics and movies, but at the time this was kinda revolutionary. Honestly, despite the fact that the 3 Kryptonians were doing shtick for most of the movie, they were still really intimidating and a little bit scary. Also, Superman 3 and 4 are good shlocky fun. Really stupid, but fun.
A very enjoyable reaction, Mary! Was ‘Superman II’ co-directed by Richard Donner and Richard Lester? Yes, in one way, but no, in another way… Richard Donner directed most of the original cut of ‘Superman II’ - a film that was planned from the outset to be a ‘chapter 2’ with the first ‘Superman’ film. That’s why you see the 3 Kryptonian prisoners exiled at the start of the FIRST film - to whet your appetite for the sequel. The original cut of ‘Superman II’ included Marlon Brando as Jor-El. But, the producers, the Salkind brothers, would not agree to pay the huge fee that Marlon Brando requested. Instead, they insisted that the Director re-write the script and reshoot parts of the movie with Jor-El omitted, and with Superman’s biological mother (Lara, played by Susannah York) substituted for the 'mentor-to-Kal-El' role, instead. Richard Donner refused, and the Salkinds fired him. Richard Lester, the director who replaced Donner, followed the instructions demanded by the Salkinds. In order that they would not have to give ‘Director’ credit to Richard Donner, they had to arrange for Richard Lester to shoot more than 50 percent of the final film cut. A number of additional scenes were shot, and a number of scenes that Richard Donner had shot were dropped from the film. There are two existing versions of Superman II. One is the theatrical release, which you’ve watched. The other is ‘The Richard Donner Cut,’ assembled from the earlier footage, in an editing project completed more than 25 years after the theatrical release. The two versions DO have overlap, but they are different films, telling different stories. Key events in one film, happen in an entirely different way than they do in the other film. (From comments you've made about Lois, I suspect that you, too, might ultimately prefer the way events play out in 'The Richard Donner Cut.') While I personally prefer the Richard Donner cut overall, the truth is that each version has its strong and weak areas. I can’t describe what those are, without spoiling things for you, so I won’t. I can simply encourage you to view ‘The Richard Donner Cut’ when it’s convenient for you. :)
The Salkinds were father and son. I love the Donner cut to see all the missing Brando footage and additional scenes directed by Richard Donner. That being said, they didn’t have much of a budget for the Donner cut and for the casual viewer certain scenes are a bit jarring, as special effects are a bit dodgy and the screen test scene instead is a bit jarring. The theatrical version I saw on the big screen back in the day and on VHS, DVD and blu ray for years. I recommend watching the theatrical version first and then the Donner Cut.
@@jonathanaldecoa1099 I agree with all your points (I did not know that the Salkinds were father and son.) ...I agree that watching the Donner cut first, would seem jarring, for the reasons you describe, and because the viewer has no point of comparison. The theatrical version is •polished• in a way that some scenes in the Donner cut are not. After a person has seen the theatrical version, the Donner cut may seem to folks (including myself) to be the better STORY, primarily because there's now something to compare it to. (Jor-El belongs in the story more than Superman's biological mom; Lois is smarter, more determined and a better thinker in the Donner cut, etc.)
The funny thing is, Lois would have died multiple times over if not for Superman being Superman. Let’s say this hadn’t happened, and he just gave up his powers, he has 1, at most 2 years before she died in some terrorist incident or earthquake etc…
Watch superman returns (2006) starring Brandon routh as superman , Kate bosworth as Lois and Kevin spacey as Lex , it’s meant to be a direct sequel to this superman 2 you’ve just watch
The trope of Lois not recognizing Superman through Clark's glasses is a carry over from the comics, which began publication in 1938. The stories were originally targeted for kids, so the simplistic tropes had their origins with this as a foundation. The whole trunks on the outside look as a carry over from the circus strongman look of the day where they would wear shorts. Not sure why Shuster and Siegel decided to put him in blue pants and shirt as well. The comics were a great seller back in the day, it was cheap entertainment, and the character's popularity led to radio plays where families would tune into every week to listen to a new adventure. In comics and radio, it's probably easier to accept the idea people can't see Superman through the disguise. When they rebooted the character in the comics in the mid 80's, they did have a story where Luthor refused to believe Superman would have a human identity, because why would someone with such power bother to pretend to be a normal man. Obviously they'd be Super 24/7. I always liked this idea better.
I had that comic! Lex Luthor tasked a computer with finding out as much as possible about Superman, and the computer figured out the secret identity. But Lex flat out refused the idea.
You should watch the Richard Donner cut of the Superman 2. It's an entirely different version of Superman 2. Different pacing, a slightly different tone, and a bunch of different scenes that didn't make this theatrical cut. Also, I think you would probably like Superman 3. The comedy isn't as funny as Superman 2, but the movie has a good heart with lots of good scenes for Clark/Superman.
I saw this movie in its first weekend. No one understood that! 44 years later, I still don't know what that was about. I also don't understand the power/levitating beams the Kryptonians shoot out of their index fingers. None of these powers are canonical. They made up new nonsensical powers for the movies. In Number Four, Superman reconstructs a busted wall just by looking at it: masonic vision! Go figure. :(
The original ending of the first film was Superman releasing the rocket into space, which explodes, releasing the Kryptonian villains. But they were running out of time for the release date, so they did the turning back time ending.
Imagine the B-roll his parents must have recorded to cover all the bases. Just hours upon hours of awkward dialogue response to questions Kryptonian parents hope they never have to answer. I wonder if Kal-El ever just sits around asking fake questions to see if they covered them.
🔔 @18:05 That southern sheriff on the left was in two James Bond movies, starting with "LIVE AND LET DIE", then the sequel, "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN".
I really like this movie but still to this day never understood why he couldn't be with Lois and be Superman. Its never explained why. Don't give me that he'll kill her if he was intimate because he can crush coal into diamonds but can shake hands with people perfectly fine. In the Richard Donner Cut it is explained that he can't be Superman and be the protector of humanity but also have one person (Lois) have priority over others. Superman decides to forgo his powers because he can't be a proper protector to humanity.
8:06 Oh wow, seen this movie almost a dozen times and I just now noticed. Cliff Clavin...aka John Ratzenberger, the voice in most every Pixar animation. Oh, and 3 astronauts just got murdered and I was hearing laughter........ 🤔 hmm
What I love about this is that it takes it self seriously enough, but with a little tongue and cheek. Also all the billboards in Metropolis aka New York keep this movie grounded and in the real world:)
The 2006 Richard Donner Cut is the true sequel to Superman 1978. It's the better version and its a completely different film. The making of these two films is a fascinating story.
That scene of Zod and company attacking the astronauts always freaked me out as a kid, specially the part where Non is crushing the lander. 29:27 I don't think anyone would want a framed picture of Bill Cosby in their office now. Nobody has ever deciphered the point of the cellophane S Superman throws. I like a deleted scene where Zod, Ursa, Non and Lex Luthor get arrested by the Artic police at the end and Lex is trying to convince Superman to become a boxer and he will be his promoter.
In Richard Donner's version, the nuclear missile thrown into space at the end of Superman: The Movie is what freed them. Superman II is my favorite Superman movie, and Superman Returns (2008) is my second favorite. I hope you'll watch that next!
I actually love the comedy in this version,as it gives the city of metropolis it's own unique character. The Richard Donner cut has some poorly spliced in scenes that can be a little awkward looking. The best version was the 80s tv cut if you can find it. It's adds some extra scenes for this version and has better editing than the Donner ver. imo. And despite what some may say the third film is actually very good,with some very meaningful moments. It's also has many hilarious memorable scenes that are worth the watch. Can't say the same for the fourth film but it has it's moments. Anyway great reaction enjoyed it very much.😊
Little technical point. Back then, it was bluescreen, not greenscreen. With the present day digital photography, any colour could be used, and green has tended to be the colour of choice. I am not sure, but I think blue must have been easier with traditional film. It's all just about picking one colour to be made transparent so it can be replaced by the background you choose. Of course, you have to avoid that colour in the foreground, or else that would turn transparent as well. Look at the original Star Wars: A New Hope, and you may notice that in the final space battle, when R2-D2 is shown against the space background, his usually blue spots are black instead. But for Superman, this created a problem for the flying scenes, since his costume is almost totally blue. He'd have just the head, trunks, boots and cape on an invisible body. So what they did for the flying scenes was to make a purple suit for Christopher Reeve that looked blue using the appropriate colour filter.
His parents didn't prepare every speech. A form of their conciousness, personality or their minds were created in the crystals. It's basically like an AI version of themselves that Superman can interact with.
As the first film was a golden standard for it's genre, this sequel also set an standard for the genre as well. Donner was paid $1 mil to direct these first 2 films, back to back. He never finished and was fired over claims of overscheduling and overbudget. Newly hired Richard Lester reshot a chunk of what was already filmed and completed the rest. It was both travesty and blessing. Superman 2 was still a success. The action, the romance and the humor were magnificent. If you choose, you can check out the Richard Donner cut (2006), his original vision. From here you have 2 different continuities to go on. 1. Moving onto Superman 3 and 4. 2. The standalone spinoff, Supergirl (1984) and Superman Returns (2006), which was the requel, reboot/sequel to part 2.
Explanation for Superman being able to defeat three (almost) equals. Kent/Superman has had decades to learn how to use his powers, so he had experience and the knowledge of how to work around the limits.
Another thing you should keep in mind is this is based upon a comic book. Superman taking on 3 of his own kind is not out of the question. His father imprisoned them. It's a comic book come to life. Yes there was a show back in the 40's or 50's but this was different, color, rich bing cherry red. The film was something of the times. Times were changing in many ways. This is pre internet, precable(for most). 1984 was the first time this film was on TV. No one was watching it over and over looking for plot holes back then unless you saw it in the theater more than once. It was not acceptable to be talking during a movie back then. You just watched, and enjoyed the ride.
Objectively it isn't that graphic, but the sequence of the astronauts dying (especially the crushing of the lander) stuck with me for decades. Of all the deaths I have seen over the years, those struck me as horrible. Funny how the mind works.
You should also watch DC animated films. My personal favourites: Batman Under the Red Hood, Superman vs The Elite, Justice League Crisis on Two Earths and Justice League The Flashpoint Paradox.
Part of the reason for all of the plot holes was actually because there were two directors. Richard Donner had actually filmed most of Superman II while he was filming the first Superman movie. He made it about 90% complete before he was fired by the producers over creative differences, which is when they brought in the second director. Most of the plot holes are caused by the reshoots that the new director did in order to please the producers.
@@Rocket1377 I know. I've seen it. Lois was definitely behaving more intelligently in The Donner Cut. She actually uses her brain to deduce that Clark was Superman and not learn by accident.
Really hoping you do Superman 3... it's actually as good as the first 2. Unfortunately, some people simply didn't like Richard Pryor. I'm a huge Pryor fan. I think you will love it.
@@avengemybreath3084the 1st 2 movies are also silly. The 1st movie has Ned Beatty hamming it up & even has a dumpty-dump music cue for whenever he's on screen. I'll take Richard Pryor over him any day.
Nerd facts on this film!! General Zod and crew hadn't absorbed as much radiation from a yellow sun as Superman, so they weren't as strong as him, that much is shown when Non, the big one, is having trouble with his heat vision for a bit. Kryptonians are basically living solar batteries and they weren't fully charged. Also, the weird powers from the Fortress of Solitude, many assume to be items (cellophane-looking S that Supes threw at Non) and abilities enhanced by not only being under a Yellow sun, but also being in what was essentially a mini Krypton, and while it's never said, can be postulated that Kryptonians in their natural habitat may have access to telekinetic abilities. And yes, Supes 3 and 4 SUCK, however Reeve's performance is never a disappointment.
You have to remember Superman grew up with his powers. Zod and the others were very new with their abilities. It’s like they just learned how to walk when Superman could run.
Taking away his powers was forever because all the control & memory crystals would go in the self-destruct so that he couldn't use them again. But Lois didn't put the main original control & building crystal back, so Clark was able to use it to operate the chamber again. Um. . . that's not what reverse engineer means, Mary.
I saw this as a kid. Me and ALL of my friends never saw the plot-holes. All my friends and I saw was Superman taking on Three other Kryptonians and owning their asses through guile instead of brute force. Superman defeated Zod with words. 🤯
I love Mary's Cali girl voice when Clark saved Lois in the water scene haha. Funny.😂 Yeah Mary honestly the Clark being Superman reveal is MUCH better in the Donner cut, if you ever watch it you'll see what I mean...lol it was so lame in this version by comparison. In the comics Superman and Lois do it, he just has to be careful lol.
Well hello Mary Cherry where the content may vary but still the same old Mary Cherry, it's been a hot minute, glad to be back with a movie reaction. Nice one at that, this one had some more comedic lines in it that were pretty spot on. I like this one and the original. You can watch the third one with Richard Pryor if you wish. The fourth one was alright as well. Lex wanted Australia, he wanted to have that as his land to do whatever he wanted. Gene Hackman played him perfectly. Terence Stamp as General Zod was equally good. Don't forget to watch Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Great show.
There's actually a story behind the co-directors, Richard Donner was fired halfway through production and replaced by Richard Lester, which is why you have all the comical moments. That being said, I've seen the Donner Cut, and without spoilers, I'm not a huge fan of where he was going to take it. I much prefer what you see here. One of the biggest questions I've always had about this film, what's with the kid with a British accent in the middle of Hicksville, USA, pleading with General Zod not to kill his farmer "daddie", seriously weird casting. 😂
At least half of this film’s footage was shot by Richard Donner. Similar situation with Zack Snyder’s Justice League and the theatrical cut of Justice League with scenes added by Joss Whedon. The reason Superman II has plotholes is largely because in the middle of production, the producers fired Richard Donner and hired Richard Lester to complete the film. It’s almost the same story but there are significant differences. The Donner cut was released in 2006 but it is a rough cut and not a very complete film but it is the vision of what Superman II was supposed to do. Marlon Brando was cut in the theatrical cut. His scenes are in the Donner cut of SII.
Mary your cute, funny and goofy. Your reactions are great. Should have watched the Richard donner cut tho 🍒 was finally completed in 2006. The old footage was found and put together. Richard donner was fired with 75% of superman 2 completed. They brought in Richard Lester ( well known for goofy films / slapstick films ) and he reshot most of it ( this version ) which to me is more goofy. Has lots of plot holes. Donners cut feels more like the true part 2.
Regarding Superman flying to Paris and then to space. If Metropolis is considered to be New York, then the distance to Paris is more than 5800 km. The Karman line is just 100 km up and is considered the border to be in space.
