Lynn, to me "Superman II" was the awful shock that I thought would put me off Superman for the rest of my life. After I had seen that movie, I spent months thinking about what could possibly be done to at least slightly rectify the situation. I could see that the number one thing that would have to happen was that Lois had to become pregnant from her lovemaking with Clark.
So I imagined what would happen in a movie that would bring Superman and Lois back together after "Superman II". I knew this much about such a movie:
1) Lois would have to be pregnant with Superman's child.
2) Lois wouldn't know that CK=S, at least not initially, as Clark took away her memory of that with his Super-kiss in SII.
3) Jonathan would be dead, since he died in the first Christopher Reeve movie. Martha was alive in Superman II and would presumably be alive in the new movie, too.
This is pretty much what we see in SR. Of course, I didn't imagine that Superman would leave the Earth before finding out that Lois was pregnant and return home years later to find that she - and he - had a five-year-old son.
But there are also other similarities between the first two Christopher Reeve movies and this new one, such as Lex Luthor having a slightly parody-funny moll and Lex Luthor being interested in land.
To me, there can be no doubt that SR is meant to be a sequel to the first two Christopher Reeve movies. And, as Noelle said, that is the only way I can appreciate the new movie. As a stand-alone, it would be disappointing in its portrayal of Lois, Clark and Superman. As a sequel, though, it does at least somewhat remedy Superman's heartless rejection of Lois in Superman II.
Ann
