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Superman II

Superman II

Science Fiction · Action · Adventure · 1980

Three Kryptonian criminals led by General Zod team up with Lex Luthor to conquer Earth, forcing a depowered Superman to regain his strength and stop them.

Movie details

Superman II

“The Man of Steel meets his match!”

1980 Science Fiction · Action · Adventure 2h 7m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Three Kryptonian criminals led by General Zod team up with Lex Luthor to conquer Earth, forcing a depowered Superman to regain his strength and stop them.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Superman II?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Richard Lester

Written by

Leslie Newman · Mario Puzo · David Newman

Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve

Superman / Clark Kent

Margot Kidder

Margot Kidder

Lois Lane

Terence Stamp

Terence Stamp

General Zod

Sarah Douglas

Sarah Douglas

Ursa

Jack O'Halloran

Jack O'Halloran

Non

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman

Lex Luthor

Ned Beatty

Ned Beatty

Otis

Court is in session

Put Superman II on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.