Superman II

Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Action

Gene Hackman	Lex Luthor
Christopher Reeve	Superman/Clark Kent
Margot Kidder	Lois Lane
Ned Beatty	Otis
Jackie Cooper	Perry White
Sarah Douglas	Ursa
Clifton James	Sheriff
E.G. Marshall
Marc McClure
Jack O'Halloran	Non
Valerie Perrine	Eve Teschmacher
Susannah York	Lara

Director	Richard Lester; Richard Donner
Producer	Pierre Spengler
Writer	David Newman; Leslie Newman; Jerry Siegel; Joe Shuster

Director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night) took over the franchise with this first sequel in the series, though the film doesn't look much like his usual stylish work. (Superman III is far more Lesteresque.) Still, there is a lot to like about this movie, which finds Superman grappling with the conflict between his responsibilities as Earth's savior and his own needs of the heart. Choosing the latter, he gives up his powers to be with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), but the timing is awful: three renegades from his home planet, Krypton, are smashing up the White House, aided by the mocking Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). The film isn't nearly as ambitious as its predecessor, but the accent on relationships over special effects (not that there aren't plenty of them) is very satisfying. --Tom Keogh