Superman IIMovie Reviews

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Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 99 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 OK for kids 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    The New York Times | Elvis Mitchell

    A marvelous toy. It's funny, it's full of tricks and it manages to be royally entertaining, which is really all it aims for. Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Reader | Dave Kehr

    With his perfect pacing, elegant narrative design, and depth of characterization, Richard Lester has made as good a matinee movie as could be imagined: it's a big, generous, beautifully crafted piece of entertainment, with the distinctive Lester touch in the busy backgrounds and the throwaway dialogue. Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    It brings the fantastic into our everyday lives; it delights in showing us the reaction of the man on the street to Superman's latest stunt. Read full review

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly |

    It boasts a more consistent tone, better special effects (such as villains throwing buses around like paper planes), and even an affecting love story. Read full review

  • 90
    Variety |

    Superman II emerges as a solid, classy, cannily constructed piece of entertainment which gets down to action almost immediately. Read full review

  • 88
    TV Guide |

    Poking fun at its American mythos, but never descending into camp comedy, this sequel makes for a wonderful time. Read full review

  • 88
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    Superman II delivers on the promise hinted at in "Superman." Which is the better film? That's a hard choice to make, since both succeed in different ways. Read full review

View more reviews for Superman II on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+ A witty, action-packed superadventure.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this sequel to the 1978 live-action film is heads and shoulders above the original. Witty and fast-paced, a playful sense of humor pervades this superhero saga. Excellent acting and tight direction more than compensate for special effects that have dated badly since the movie's release. School-age kids respond to both the action and the sympathetic portrait of the nerdy Clark Kent. Although they'll be repelled by the primitive-looking special effects, preteens respond well to the flippant humor and fast pace. They're also able to comprehend Superman's "sacrifice" for love. Teen and older viewers enjoy the movie's irreverent attitude towards many hallmarks of the Man of Steel mythos, while also appreciating the "date" between Lois and Clark. This film does, however, deal with mature themes of world domination, crime, love, heroism, sacrifice.
  • Families can talk about what they value most in life and what they would sacrifice for it. What would they do in Superman's shoes?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Superman wins the day by lying to Lex Luthor and the Kryptonian supervillains (knowing that Luthor's pledge to not reveal a secret was, in itself, a lie).
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence and scariness: Lois is nearly crushed to death. Superman undergoes a creepy-looking change (with muscles and skeleton visible) when he sacrifices his powers for Lois. Younger viewers might be disturbed when the powerless Clark Kent is bested by a roadside bully, resulting in a bloody nose. Superman has several encounters with villains, the most notable being his battle with the trio from Krypton, which leaves much of Metropolis destroyed. Not many casualties are viewed, with the exception of a snake who is burnt, and a little boy who receives the same treatment (offscreen) for trying to warn authorities about the trio's threat.
  • sex false3 Sexy stuff: Lois and Clark's "interlude" is discreetly presented.
  • language false0 Language: Not an issue
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Superman II Movie Ratings + Reviews

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