83
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrWith 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.
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIt 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.
- 100Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyIt boasts a more consistent tone, better special effects (such as villains throwing buses around like paper planes), and even an affecting love story.
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliSuperman 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.
- 88TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazinePoking fun at its American mythos, but never descending into camp comedy, this sequel makes for a wonderful time.
- 80The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinA marvelous toy. It's funny, it's full of tricks and it manages to be royally entertaining, which is really all it aims for.
- 80TimeRichard SchickelTimeRichard SchickelA stylish, well-paced film with a good variety of moods and moves.
- 80EmpireChris Hewitt (1)EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Manages to gain classic comic book feature status through a combination of great stunts and a great human angle.
- 80NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenSuperman II is a success, a stirring sequel to the smash of '79. Whether you will prefer it to the original is like choosing between root beer and Fresca. They're both bubbly, but the flavor is different. What the follow-up doesn't have is the epic lyricism of Richard Donner's version; it's harder edged, fleeter on its feet, less reverential. [22 June 1981, p.87]