Brothers Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here to celebrate a true classic, Superman II, for its 40th anniversary.
Superman IIÂ was directed by Richard Lester and Richard Donner (Lester replaced Donner and was the only one who received on-screen credit). It released in Australia and parts of Europe in December 1980. It opened in the US on June 19, 1981. In the film, Superman (Christopher Reeve) gives up his powers to live together with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) as Clark Kent. Meanwhile, Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O’Halloran), a trio of Kryptonian super-criminals, team up with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) to take over the world.
The film garnered a positive reception from critics. Among them was Roger Ebert, who gave it four out of four stars. The movie also set box office records in its opening weekend in the United States.
Aaron and Josh discuss Clark and Lois’ relationship, the villains, and the enduring legacy of Christopher Reeve’s portrayal of Superman. They also talk about the troubled production of the movie and the alternate cut of the film that came out many years later in 2006.
For another podcast on a classic superhero movie, you can listen to Josh, Aaron and Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin discuss Michael Keaton’s first outing as the Caped Crusader in Batman (1989).
