Confused about scene in Superman II

[csw621]

I'm sure Superman can do the levitating thing too, but why would he be running around levitating people? And another thing. For purposes of this conversation, let's say that Superman is 35 years old. So that would mean that Krypton exploded approximately 35 years ago. This raises a few questions. First, the three villains look exactly the same on krypton as they do on Earth 35 years later. Second, the movie takes place in approximately 1975, meaning Krypton exploded in 1940, which would presumably be when Cal El landed on Earth. So that must mean that Smallville (the TV show) takes place in around 1957. But I'm not even going to go into all of the inconsistencies between Smallville and the Superman movies. Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they had one-manned, self propelled rocket ships capable of travelling 50 light years on a single tank of gas in 1940, and don't you think that if one were to find such a ship, they would tell someone? Or am I reading way too much into this?

[DoctorZero]

About the levitating thing;  that was the explanation the producers eventually gave out to the public.  Superman could do it, they said, but we just didn't see him.
Still, this was a power that Superman never had before.  
One day I would like to see the uncut film.  The scene with the Arctic police would have been good.

[Johnny Nevada]

Ah, the PZ crooks live, then--good. Wouldn't want to think the movies' writers were having premonitions of Mr. Byrne or anything... :-)  ("Arctic Police"?! Not Canadian, Russian or U.N. law enforcement officials?)

>>I'm sure Superman can do the levitating thing too, but why would he be running around levitating people? And another thing. For purposes of this conversation, let's say that Superman is 35 years old. So that would mean that Krypton exploded approximately 35 years ago.
This raises a few questions. First, the three villains look exactly the same on krypton as they do on Earth 35 years later.
<<

As the comics explained, those in the Phantom Zone don't age at all while there---how Mon-El was able to stay in there for 1,000 years...

>> Second, the movie takes place in approximately 1975, meaning Krypton exploded in 1940, which would presumably be when Cal El landed on Earth. So that must mean that Smallville (the TV show) takes place in around 1957. But I'm not even going to go into all of the inconsistencies between Smallville and the Superman movies.<<

Don't think Smallville and the movies are connected in any way (a few tongue-in-cheek references by Smallville's writers aside, perhaps). While Clark's teen years in the movies were (as they were in the 70's comics of the time) shown as taking place in the 1950's (we hear "Rock Around the Clock" playing on the radio in one of his classmates' cars...granted, we also see a Black student hanging out with all-White students. In the *1950's*? I suppose Smallville is a reasonably accepting place and all, but still, it is the 50's [and esp. with no Superboy as a good example]...).

If one wanted to set "Smallville" in the past (which it obviously isn't---Clark is using the Internet on a late-model Mac), Clark's teen years should be taking place in the late 80's to early 90's. Think Katie Couric upon seeing Smallville for the first time asked one of the show's producers about why the cars looked "too new"...

>> Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they had one-manned, self propelled rocket ships capable of travelling 50 light years on a single tank of gas in 1940, and don't you think that if one were to find such a ship, they would tell someone? Or am I reading way too much into this?<<

Well, they don't have such faster-than-light ships *now* ;-)  but I suppose you might be wondering why the Kents didn't tell someone about a device that in the 1940s was still experimental/science fiction at best to the people of Earth. Um...because the Kents were good people and not about such exploitation (esp. since there was a baby involved)?

[csw621]

Well then I guess everything's wrapped up in a neat little package. One more thing, has anyone else noticed that everyone Clark comes in contact with in Smallville happens to be carrying a piece of Kryptonite in their pocket?

[DoctorZero]

That's true.  It was even worse the first season, where everything had to do with kryptonote.  At least there's a little more variety now.
It's been pretty much accepted in all versions that the Kents never said anything about the rocket because they feared they would lose Clark.  Too many questions they would have to answer if they revealed the rocket.

[nightwing]

I think the original question was more about physics (or what passes for physics in the world of superheroes). And I have the same problem.  In fact the whole fight scene is a mess from my point of view:

- A hurled manhole cover, upon hitting Superman, does not bounce off (as bullets do) or crumple (as you might expect) but instead lifts Superman off his feet and sends him flying as well.

- A lampost swung at the head of Superman, but hitting Non instead, should, you would think, wrap around Non's head like taffy (after all, he's stronger than the steel in the post).  Instead it sends Non "out of the park" like a human baseball.

- Superman is tossed into a cigarette truck (nice product placement there!) and the side crumples like thin aluminum (guess why!).  So apparently Kryptonians' bodies are stronger than the steel in vehicles, but not stronger than the steel in manhole covers and light poles.

- Superman "cages" Non on top of a skyscraper with a radio antenna.  Again, for some reason you really expect the feet of the tower to crash through the roof of the building.  Instead they bend like rubber.  And incredibly, Superman flies off, when it's obvious the next step for Non will be to brush the tower aside and fly away.  Which means the tower is once again falling toward the street, more people are in danger and Superman has accomplished nothing.

The original question on this thread, I think, is in a similar vein.  Why, when a bus is thrown at Superman, is he not able to stop its forward motion?  Why is a flimsy thing of Earthly steel able to move a super-powered Kryptonian backwards when he is making an obvious effort to stand still?  It should not be possible.

Frankly, it's "little stuff" like this that ruins the film for me (well, that and an insane plot that establishes an absolute rule, then breaks it with no explanation).  To this day I can't understand why so many fans regard it as better than the first film, let alone call it the greatest comic book movie of all time.  It is a total mess.

[csw621]

On Smallville, Jonathan and Martha are always talking about people taking Clark away. Who's going to be able to take him away? Of course judging by his previous actions, Clark would probably go with them and let them do whatever they wanted to him. And I would have liked the scene in the diner at the end of Superman II to be a bit longer, and a lot more graphic. The producers really blew a great opportunity there. One more thing, the circumference of the Earth is 24,900 miles. In the first movie, I'm estimating he was flying around the planet about 3 times per second. Therefore, he was moving at approximately 75,000 miles per second. So that means Superman can fly at almost half the speed of light, but he can't dodge a man hole cover thrown from 20 feet away?

[The Starchild]

To this day I can't understand why so many fans regard it as better than the first film, let alone call it the greatest comic book movie of all time.  It is a total mess.

I stand by my assertion that IV and I are both much better films than II.

So that means Superman can fly at almost half the speed of light, but he can't dodge a man hole cover thrown from 20 feet away?

Maybe he doesn't dodge because his only limit is really the speed of his thought?