Revealing mistake: In the final scene, Superman is returning the White House's flag to its rightful place, flying over the fountain on the lawn...which is frozen solid in place. Obviously a photo backdrop.
Superman II (1980)
2 reviews
Directed by: Richard Donner, Richard Lester
Starring: Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Terence Stamp, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper
Your rating
Average rating
(8 votes)
Superman II is a step down from the first movie and suffers from sluggish pacing and a few instances of unfunny comedy, but is nonetheless still an entertaining sequel with decent action and great performances, particularly from the late Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder, whose chemistry with each other really is the heart of the film.
Superman II is an 1980 Action Adventure Science Fiction movie where the Man of Steel fights Lex Luther as well as three despicable Kryptonian criminals-Zod, Ursa and Non. Though highly dated, there are still some fun moments in this classic and the effects are serviceable. Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder star.
More mistakes in Superman II
Clark Kent: I have to go back.
Lois Lane: You can't go back, there's no way now.
Clark Kent: I have to. I've gotta try dammit, I've got to try something. Anything.
Lois Lane: It's not your fault. You didn't know this was going to happen.
Clark Kent: They knew. I heard 'em. I just didn't listen.
Trivia: Some of Gene Hackman's scenes were actually filmed with a body double and a voice impersonator. That's because he had already completed all his scenes under Donner's direction and was not obligated to return for Lester's reshoots, either due to unavailability (according to Ilya Salkind) or unwillingness (out of loyalty to Donner). The voice impersonator was also used on a lot of Donner footage for audio consistency.
More questions & answers from Superman II
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: In the theatrical cut, nobody really knows why the green crystal restored his powers. However if you watch the Richard Donner cut, it is explained that the green crystal is a communication device that helps Superman talks to the residual essence/spirit/ghost of his father Jor-El. Before he died, Jor-El gave the crystal to his son. Jor-El anticipated that Kal-El might give up his powers, and he also anticipated that Zod might eventually escape the Phantom Zone, so Jor-El lets his son absorb the leftover energy of his spirit, thus restoring all his Kryptonian powers.
Matt Van Gogh