It is my last gift to you. When a Russian space station is struck by debris Superman (Christopher Reeve) swoops in to save the crew from drifting away into space. At the Smallville farm he inherited from his deceased parents, Superman, as Clark Kent, uncovers the capsule that brought him to Earth and removes a luminescent green Kryptonian energy module. A recording left by his mother Lara (Susannah York) declares that its power can be used only once. Clark returns to Metropolis where he finds The Daily Planet newspaper has been taken over by tabloid tycoon David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker) who fires editor Perry White (Jackie Coogan) and hires his own daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemingway) to replace him. Following the news that the US and the Soviet Union may engage in a nuclear arms race, Superman decides not to intervene, seeking guidance in the Fortress of Solitude. However when Warfield sensationalises the inaction, Superman announces before the United Nations he will rid the world of all nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, young Lenny Luthor (Jon Cryer) breaks his uncle super villain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) out of a prison chain gang. Returning to Metropolis, Lex and Lenny infiltrate a museum, steal a strand of Superman’s hair and create a genetic matrix. Lex converses with black market arms dealers, angered by Superman’s actions and wanting to re-arm the countries with nuclear warheads, and makes a deal with them to attach the hair to a nuclear missile. After the missile is test-launched, Superman intercepts it and throws it into the Sun. A glowing ball of energy is discharged, which develops into a superhuman. This ‘Nuclear Man’ (Mark Pillow) makes his way back to Earth to find his ‘father’, Lex, who establishes that while his creation is powerful, he will deactivate without exposure to sunlight. A vicious battle ensues between Lex’s creation and Superman. While saving the Statue of Liberty from falling onto the streets of Metropolis, Superman is infected with radiation sickness by scratches from Nuclear Man’s radioactive claws. Nuclear Man kicks Superman into the distance with such strength that Superman’s cape falls off. After the Daily Planet, which has been reformatted as a tabloid newspaper, publishes the headline ‘Superman Dead?’, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) angrily seizes Superman’s recovered cape. Lois ventures to Clark’s apartment where she proclaims her love for Superman. Felled by radiation sickness, Clark staggers to his terrace where he retrieves the Kryptonian energy module and heals himself. Having developed a crush on Lacy, Nuclear Man demands to know where she is or he will hurt people. The encounter between Nuclear Man and the newly restored Superman is taken to the Moon, which ends with Superman being driven into the Moon’s surface by Nuclear Man who forces his way into the Daily Planet and abducts Lacy, carrying her into outer space … As of today I’m not a visitor here any more. I live here too. The Salkinds having given up producer duties, the Go-Go Boys aka Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, took over the franchise and spent about two bucks on the latest iteration of the beloved DC superhero with effects and UK-based production notably short on verisimilitude. We’re gonna make this kid a celebrity! The smalltown story is effectively sidelined to make way for the bigger world issue which in 1987 was a real thing: Superman has entered the arms race. It’s nice to see charming Hackman return as Luthor whom he plays with insouciance: Remember my motto: the more fear you make, the more loot you take. With our beloved Ducky in tow, he becomes an even more impressive evil genius: We’re going to be parents is parried with I am the father now. Unlike the Frankenstein story this manmade monster is very much his own sentient bad guy. With my brain and frankly your brawn the possibilities are endless, warbles Lex, blithely unaware of what he’s unleashing. This operates as the negative energy to the positive parenting of Superman’s own rather more godly antecedents. The business of newspapers is business. The ethics of journalism and newspaper proprietors figure largely in the screenplay by Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal which is based on an idea by star Reeve, who still gets to rescue an awful lot of people, even on the Great Wall of China. What kind of disaster could we possibly bring about? With great power comes great responsibility as we know from another superhero and after Superman uses the gift he’s been given to escape real death things go back to how they need to be. This has been widely criticised but there’s still a lot of smart writing, a pleasingly short running time (87 minutes), it has two sexy leading ladies competing for Clark’s attention and it fits more obviously into the series than the previous entry. Directed by Sidney J. Furie. How can one man be so square and so delicious?
mondomovies 