Superman: The Movie was a major investment and risk for Warner Bros and producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind. Featuring a then unknown Christopher Reeve as the lead actor, a huge budget, and experimental special visual effects, it was a a make or break deal for director Richard Donner. Originally envisioned as a two-part series, both the first movie and Superman II were shot concurrently until a looming deadline forced Donner and the Salkinds to put a stop to the sequel's production and concentrated on the first movie.

Of course, Superman: The Movie proved to be an unparalleled success for Warner Bros., and the Salkinds were allowed to continue production on the sequel. Cast and crew alike were elated, only to be shocked by the sudden and surprising dismissal of director Richard Donner, who was replaced by Richard Lester.

Released in 1980, two years after the first installment, Superman II opens with a quick recap of the events of the first movie interspersed with the credit sequence, beginning with Kal-El's escape from the planet Krypton all the way to the climactic conclusion with the rupturing of the San Andreas Fault. John Williams' classic score is still as awe inspiring here as it was in the first movie, despite being adapted by Ken Thorne for this installment. The story begins proper with Superman racing to Paris to rescue Lois Lane as well as disarm a nuclear bomb planted at the Eiffel Tower by terrorists. Flying off into space with the bomb, the ensuing nuclear detonation releases three familiar black-garbed characters from a flying object.

These black-garbed characters are of course Non, Ursa and General Zod, the three Kryptonian criminals banished by Jor-El to the Phantom Zone in the introductory sequence from the first movie. General Zod, wonderfully played in all his evilness by Terence Stamp, is certainly the best villain in the entire Superman motion picture series and inspired John Byrne and Joe Kelly to create similarly named villains in the comics. The alluringly dangerous and sexy Ursa is portrayed by Sarah Douglas, while Jack O'Halloran plays the mute simpleton Non.

Following their escape from the Phantom Zone, they soon make their way to Earth with ambitions of world domination. Here we have three super-powered criminals and where is Superman during all of this? He is out romancing Lois Lane after inadvertently revealing his secret identity to her while working undercover at the Niagara Falls. With the criminal mastermind Lex Luthor out of the way and the world a seemingly safe place, Clark undergoes a de-powering process by exposing himself to the rays of Krypton's red sun at the Fortress of Solitude. Now mortal and powerless, he is prepared to embark on a new life together with Lois Lane, only to discover the White House under attack and the world cowed by General Zod. At the same time, Lex Luthor has escaped from prison and soon allies himself with Zod. Powerless, Superman must return to the Fortress of Solitude all by himself in order to regain his powers.

This is where the biggest plot hole in the story appears. For a seemingly permanent process, it is sure easy for Kal-El to regain his powers by simply exposing himself to the green energy shard which originally created the Fortress of Solitude in the first place. With his powers returned, Superman returns to a Metropolis under siege by Zod, Ursa and Non. From here, it is a special effects filled slugfest between these four survivors of Krypton that starts in Metropolis and ends in the Fortress of Solitude. Seemingly defeated in Metropolis, Superman utilized a different approach in apprehending these criminals.

Following the defeat of these three dastardly villains and Lex Luthor returned to prison where he belongs, there is still the issue of Lois. She cannot accept the fact that Clark Kent will always risk his life saving the world over and over as Superman, and this hurts her. Superman, deciding not to have this burden placed on her, gives her a Kryptonian kiss of amnesia, and she loses all memories of knowing Clark Kent and Superman as same person, while retaining all other aspects of the memories. This is a really poor attempt at reverting to the status quo and a highly convenient deus ex machina plot device that reeks of bad comic book science.

Despite all its faults, this is still an extremely enjoyable movie and is a must have for all Superman fans. However, as a DVD, it is very poor in terms of utilizing the potentials of the format. Sure, the anamorphically-enhanced video is crisp and clear, but the audio is presented only in Dolby Surround format. Compared to the excellent 5.1 remix lavished on the first movie's DVD release, the audio here sounds dull and flat. Another disappointment comes in the special features, or rather the lack of it. Extras are limited only to a theatrical trailer and cast and crew bios.