Superman II

In the finest of Christopher Reeve's four outings as the Man of Steel, Superman squares up to the despicable General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his cosmic hench-baddies (mute giant Jack O'Halloran and vampy Sarah Douglas). Banished from Krypton when Supes was a nipper, the terrible trio are back with a vengeance to rule planet Earth... with a little help from arch-fiend Lex Luther (Gene Hackman). First class villainy and more romantic bumbling with Margot Kidder's Lois Lane make Richard Lester's super-sequel a triumphant mix of characterisation and action. The battles between our underpanted hero and the tyrannical tag team cannot be beat.