Review of Superman III (1983) by Gimly M — 16 Apr 2015

The Superman franchise changed hands again with the release of III. A move which pissed a lot of people off. Christopher Reeve was disappointed in the series' new direction, but not so much as to turn down the paycheque of another role. Margot Kidder's negative reaction gained her a back seat in the film, and Gene Hackman left the piece altogether.

Though there's plenty to be said about Christopher Reeve's acting ability, as he plays Clark Kent, Superman and a darker, uncaring version of Superman, all in the one film with vigour; this is essentially all Superman has going for it by this stage.

Richard Pryor is out of place in the DC universe, making slapstick terror and taking up nearly as much screen time as the Man of Steel himself (much to my chagrin). Robert Vaughn's Ross Webster makes for a poor Luthor substitute. Lana Lang's insertion as a love interest was completely disrespectful to the effort that had been put in with the first two films, making Superman's sacrifices and emotions all but redundant.

There's very little new material in the piece, and everything that is new, is for the worse. The end result is a cheap disappointment that should never have been made, whose only saving grace is it's titular character. which the film severely under uses in favour of boring sideline exposition and pointless, deranged silliness.

21%.

-Gimly.