By Stephen Pytak 

     Of the four "Superman" films which starred Christopher
Reeve, it was the last to deliver the goods.
     The money men and the screenwriters pushed 
"The Man of Steel" to his limits emotionally and 
physically with a cool story and three nasty villains 
from Krypton.
     The special effects are dated.
     But the movie -- made up of material shot by directors
Richard Donner and Richard Lester -- is very watchable.
     The worst line in the film is the one we see when 
the credits start to roll: "Coming Soon: Superman 
III."
     I hate over confidence.
     To get an education about the making of this 
film, I really suggest one and all get a hold of the 
DVD release of "Superman (1978)" and "Superman II: 
The Donner Cut" and listen carefully to the 
commentaries with the original's director, Richard 
Donner, and creative consultant,  Tom Mankiewicz. 
Or pick up Jake Rossen's 2008 book "Superman vs. 
Hollywood."
     Turns out "Superman" and "Superman II" were 
filmed simultaneously and, Mankiewicz alleges 
that Donner directed 90-percent of the latter.
     When the original became a success, the 
producers, for whatever reason, fired Donner and 
brought in Richard Lester to finish the sequel. 
     Margot Kidder said in one of the making-of 
specials on that disc that she and many cast 
members weren't inspired by the decision.
     Lester directed "A Hard Day's Night (1964)" 
and "The Three Musketeers (1973.) And, it's hard 
to tell exactly what he did on "Superman II."
     He went on to direct "Superman III (1983)." 
But that's not why you're reading this.
     "Superman II" had a tough act to follow.
     Donner said the ending where "Superman" 
turns back the world to save Lois Lane was 
supposed to be the climax of the sequel. But the 
creators decided to put it on the end of the of the 
original. 
     It's quite a punctuation. I don't think any super-
hero movie will ever top it.
     But there were other dilemmas.
     In the original "Superman" script, one of 
"Luthor's" rockets, sent into space by "Superman," 
was supposed to be the key to unlock "The 
Phantom Zone."
     That thread is still suggested in "Superman II." 
You'll hear it during the scene when Luthor and 
"Miss Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine)" sneak into 
The Fortress of Solitude. They play with some 
crystals and hear a message from Superman's 
mother, "Lara (Susanna York)."
     "The Phantom Zone might be cracked by a 
nuclear explosion in space," she says.
     But in the film, a hydrogen bomb "Superman" 
launches from Paris does the job.
     "Superman II" is hard to dislike because of 
some interesting twists and turns, fine 
performances and humor. 
     It wouldn't have worked at all if it wasn't for 
Reeve. This time out, he plays three versions of 
himself, all interesting.
     First there's his "Clark Kent," who personifies 
innocence by claiming to read Dickens instead of 
watching TV. This is comic genius.
     Then, there's his "Superman," confident and 
dead on. No one flies better.
     On top of that, we see a vulnerable third side, 
the human who's in love with Lois Lane, the 
weakling who can't live without the red and blue 
tights. 
     The shot of Reeve taking that long walk back in 
the snow to beg for his powers back will always 
stick with me.
     "General Zod," Ursa" and "Non," meanwhile, 
are just plain fun to watch.
     Their attack on The White House isn't as 
colorful as "Nightcrawler's" in "X2: X-Men United 
(2003)." But their confrontation with the 
"President (E.G. Marshall)" is hard to beat. 
     It's played dead serious. There's an atmosphere 
of genuine dread which makes us anticipate a 
showdown.
     That showdown, as many of the posters billed, 
is the battle between the villains from Krypton and 
"The Son of Jor-El" in Metropolis.
     The special effects are just O.K. but there are 
some highlights.
     I love it when "Ursa (Sarah Douglas)" kicks up 
a sewer lid and throws it like a Frisbee. 
     Then there's the bus toss.
     I don't know how they did this. I doubt it was 
with miniatures. But, on Reeve's end, it looks like 
it hurt.
     If directed today, the battle would have been a 
little more extreme, akin to the efforts of Roland 
Emmerich or Michael Bay.
     The ending isn't the greatest and it's the reason 
why I'm not giving "Superman II" the gold.
     Personally,  I thought the writers could have 
turned up the heat a bit more on "General Zod," 
"Ursa" and "Non."
     I know it was a PG flick. But, for God's sake, 
they killed astronauts, wreaked The White House 
and no doubt left a body or two in front of that 
Kentucky Fried Chicken house in Metropolis.
     A broken hand, a toss into the white abyss and 
a punch from Lois just wasn't enough.
     Maybe "Superman" should have picked them 
up by the legs and gave them a 350-mile-an-hour 
launch back into space. 
     But any problem with the storyline is easily 
forgotten when you hear a line or two from Gene 
Hackman, who's "Lex Luthor" saves the day more 
than once here.
     I love it when he looks at his pocket watch in 
the middle of everything and says "I never thought 
this thing would go the distance."
     Not everything does.
     Fans of the film should also check out the "Donner
Cut" released on DVD by Warner Bros. in 2006. While 
patched together with auditon tapes and some of Lester's
scenes, it's fun and Donner and Mankiewicz give an 
insightful commentary. 
    There are a lot of alternative scenes and new directions,
a lot I like more than choices made in the theatrical cut.
    There's an alternative scene of Luthor and Teschmacher
in the Fortress of Solitude. After playing with some crystals,
they unlock a hologram of Brando's "Jor-El." After putting
two and two together, Luthor yells: "ARE YOU
THE OL' MAN!" 
     Notice what Lois is wearing after hours in the Fortress,
Superman's shirt. That is a heck of a nice touch. 
     In its current incarnation, I have to give the Donner cut
the same rating as the theatrical, basically four stars out of
five. 
      But if I was the hand of God, I would have had 
Donner finish this film back in 1979 to give us something 
that would have no doubt scored a five out of five.