Superman II (1981)

This movie and the more modern Man of Steel have a lot in common. That is to be expected with the same villains. Despite the limitations of the time, it still was action-packed. They did some questionable things i.e. the finger point power and the S plastic sheet thing. Idk, the fights had odd moments. Lex kinda became annoying in this one. He was more worried about saving his ass and getting a small sliver of the world pie. The chemistry between Clark and Lois is fantastic and a strong point in the film. It just sucks that this movie had a similar studio interference that WB/DC has been infamous for even in the last several years.

Donner Cut: I watched the Donner cut the day after I watched the original version. The dialogue and events were a little better in some places and the weird plastic sheet attack was gone. I don’t think it made a huge difference to the enjoyment. I’m always for director over studio, but this didn’t change that much of the experience in my opinion.

Story - 15%

Characters - 16%

Pacing - 14%

Spectacle - 17%

Entertainment - 18%

Total score: 80%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here