Superman III (1983)

Superman III (1983)

6/10

Starring

Christopher Reeve

Richard Pryor

Annette O’Toole

Robert Vaughn

Directed by Richard Lester

Here’s a movie that ditches the seriousness of the first and second Superman films and adds a heavy dose of comedy, thanks to the introduction of Richard Pryor. This new direction turned many viewers off, but for me, while this movie isn’t as good as the first two, it’s still an interesting and enjoyable film you can watch with your family.

The movie’s production had its quirks. The female lead is Lana Lang, played by Annette O’Toole, instead of Lois Lane. O’Toole delivers a wonderful performance as Lana, but let’s be honest—what’s Superman without Lois? This happened because the producers had issues with Margot Kidder, sidelining her character to a cameo appearance.

The producers also brought back their desired writers, David and Leslie Newman, who had wanted to make Superman a comedic film from the start. Richard Donner, who directed Superman I and part of Superman II, had rewritten the scripts for both movies (which were shot back-to-back) to make them serious and impactful. But since the producers parted ways with Donner during Superman II (1980), they returned to their original vision for Superman III.

The biggest issue in this movie is Richard Pryor’s performance. While the film has other flaws, Pryor’s acting could have been much better. Additionally, Gene Hackman stepping down as Lex Luthor led to the introduction of a new antagonist, Ross Webster, played by Robert Vaughn. Unfortunately, Vaughn’s character was nowhere near a good addition to the movie. He was irritating, and I just wanted him and his evil sister off the screen as soon as they appeared.

The best part of this movie is Christopher Reeve. His portrayal of a corrupted Superman is memorable and something you have to see. When I think about this movie, what stands out is how Reeve convincingly pulled off an evil Superman. The battle between his good and bad sides in the junkyard is also a sight to behold.

The movie’s plot starts with a slapstick intro, letting viewers know from the get-go that this film is more comedy than action. A millionaire, Ross Webster, plans to become even richer by controlling America’s oil supply. To achieve this, he enlists the help of a computer hacker, Gus (Richard Pryor).

When Ross’s plan to manipulate the weather is thwarted by Superman, he decides to create Kryptonite to kill him. However, Gus, tasked with this mission, realizes that one of the components of Kryptonite is an unknown element. He substitutes it with tar, resulting in a compound that doesn’t weaken or kill Superman—it turns him evil.

Now, Ross begins his plans, and the only person who can stop him doesn’t care anymore.

In the end, the movie was a critical failure but a moderate commercial success, though it didn’t make as much money as the previous two films.