I love Superman, Superman II and also happen to really enjoy Superman III. It did lack the epic nature that the previous two films had since they had a lot to do with Krypton with the origin and Phantom Zone villains, III was more down-to-earth. IV was an under-budgeted piece of cheese enjoyable in that own right, the best things being Reeve's usual great performance & the nuclear plot which was his idea but as he himself said "the less said about IV the better."

Most of the people that dislike III didn't like the fact that Richard Lester played to his strengths. He's a good comedic director, just not as appropriate to tackle this type of film, Supes III just had his regular brand of humor. The opening in Metropolis, the fighting stop-lights, and the kill Superman video-game sequence i found funny as a kid but it's still kind of amusing now. I enjoyed Richard Pryor and thought he had some pretty funny bits here. Reeve was at his physical prime here, he kept increasing his weight gain with each Superman peaking here (by IV he opted for a more cardiovascular workout) and he really looks the most like the onscreen incarnation of Superman. Rather than have Lois be Clark's love interest again and Lex be in this again, it is a nice change of pace for another villain and Lana Lang, who actually loves Clark Kent while Lois just liked Superman the most. The scenes with Lana are great and really sweet. We get to know Clark a little better and see him in a better light through Lana's eyes than we do through Lois'. He plays a more down-to-Earth Clark, more like Smallville Clark than Metropolis Clark, but still never losing that loveable dorkiness from the first two films.

Reeve always wanted to challenge himself as an actor, and it shows here. He would have played no less than 4 different characters by III: Superman, his natural Smallville Clark, Metropolis Clark, and the evil version of Superman. The premise of synthetic kryptonite screwing up Supes (a premise which was done countless times on the Smallville show) is excellent, him being lazy, doing mischevious things (like straightening out the Leaning Tower of Piza which was one of Donner's ideas in his drafts), banging that chick on the Empire State Building, his 5 o'clock shadow and darker suit makes him look completely badass. Getting drunk and breaking alcohol bottles by flicking peanuts with a "WHATTYA YOU LOOKIN AT!?!" toward the onlookers, instead of making it just a 2D evil character, Reeve gives legitimacy to it; Supes really disdains everyone and himself included (he burns the mirror when he sees himself with his eyes) and the junkyard battle between Clark and Evil Superman is, hands down, my favorite fight of the whole series. It was just staged so great. Evil Supes screaming "COME ON, COME ON!" is such a powerful moment. I won't spoil the end of the titanic brawl but it feels like the most Superman part of the whole damn series. Evil Superman is truly my favorite villain of the movies, how ironic Reeve could play the best antagonist too.

The computer element, and the super computer at the end felt like an un-named version of Brainiac. The film has some real neat effects too, the Kryptonite Ray, and one of the creepiest parts ever, that haunted me as a kid, when the lady gets sucked in the computer and instantly transforms into a robot with those silvery eyes. I like how Supes also outsmarts the supercomputer instead of using his powers. Superman III i feel is a lighter movie from the previous 2 but it's interlaced with the most extremely dark parts of the series, the romantic Smallville scenes, and is a really underrated film that to me, makes a great installment in the series.

Clark versus Evil Superman is easily my favorite fight and moment out of all the Superman films.

Superman banging that blonde girl is the best part in the entire series.

Richard Pryor as a chronically unemployable black man, who finds a calling in a highly technical, educated profession. However, due to his (presumably) inherent low moral character, he puts himself into a compromising position, which can then be leveraged and exploited by his rich, white benefactor played Robert Vaughn. This combination, the film suggests, is what can threaten to bring about the downfall of the (extra-aryan)super-man.

the childish slapstick that many fixate upon, is in actuality, a mask behind which lies a trenchant commentary on 200+ years of American history.



j/k- I really can't stand this one.

Horrible Movie.

I rewatched this again recently and it's an interesting failure. The parts with Reeve are great, particularly the duplicate fight, but there's not enough of him - there's long stretches of the movie where Superman doesn't appear at all, and wayy too much of the unfunny, past his prime Richard Pryor. It's like two movies squashed together. That and Vaughn is a terrible villain. It's a C+ movie for me, but could have been so much better.

Its like they cast Pryor to get people in the theatre and we didn't need him too.

I haven't seen the movie in years but isn't there a scene where Clark and Lana are having a picnic and a kid breaks his leg in a field and a combine is coming towards him. So Superman goes to save him but instead of going fast and moving the kid out of the way in time (and let the combine continue on its path), Supes practically destroys the farmer's combine that will cost him $1000's to repair. Always thought Superman was an ass for basically screwing over the farmer when he could have saved the kid and not trashed the combine.

I thought the late Richard Pryor was miscasted in Superman III due to the fact of his comedic characteristics were unessential to the movie.

My thoughts precisely. The evil Superman aspects and the Id fight are superb. Everything else is shite, though Pryor works his ass off.

BTW, the Superman banging the impossibly hot chick is cool simply for the impossibly perverse possibilities.

I enjoy the film. Its not as good as part one or two, but i find it pretty good overall. The Clark vs Evil Superman is a fantastic scene. Part four was a load of old tosh...but part three really gets a hard rap that it doesn't deserve.

I hate III although the Supe vs Supe fight was even better than Supe vs Zod & co. in II. The addition of Richard Pryor for a comedy element is to this day a real head-scratcher.

GREAT KRYPTON!!! That's how they can get rid of Lois's annoying kid in Superman Returns 2! What if the hot chick had Evil Superman's baby, too? Then Evil Superkid can meet up with Annoying/Good Superkid, and like matter and anti-matter cancel each other out!

superman IV is better

Yeah, I only like the fight Supes has with himself, the rest of the movie is shit.

I've always thought it was a really fun movie. Richard Pryor going down the building on skis was by itself more enjoyable than all of Superman Returns.

Yeah, I think that point is pretty valid.

I enjoyed Superman III when it came out. I haven't popped the DVD in since I bought it a few years back and haven't seen the movie otherwise since the late 80's, so I can't say that I'd still like it as much (but I also liked Supergirl, so what do I know?). But as others have pointed out, that Evil Supes bit is a classic. I remember it being the most comicbooky thing I'd ever seen in a movie (I mean that in a good way) and it resonated well with me.

I also remember seeing Pryor on the Tonight Show sometime after II talking about Superman and basically making a public announcement that he wanted to be in a Superman movie . At the time he was a pretty big star, so I suppose the producers just couldn't resist the oppurtunity. The same thing would happen years later with Samuel Jackson and Star Wars, with an arguably better result.

Yep, Pryor was a huge Superman fan, and he was also one of the biggest box office stars in America when SUPERMAN III came out. Warners figured putting the world's biggest star into their franchise couldn't hurt. Thankfully, the Superman/Pryor team-up saved us from seeing Eddie Murphy in STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (Murphy wanted to be in the movie; Paramount didn't think it was such a great idea).

My short answer is yes, but I'll echo others' sentiments that Reeve is not among the film's problems. I'll add that I also did really like O'Toole as Lana.

Yeah, the Smallville scenes and Evil Supes are the only parts of the movie I care for. The ending seemed to set Lana up as a potential love interest for Clark. For some reason they abandoned that and replaced her with Mariel Hemingway in the 4th flick.

Interesting how Spider-Man 3 is mimicking Superman III with Peter Parker going bad and Gwen Stacy being introduced as a new love interest. And that's after Spider-Man 2 had Peter giving up his powers to live a normal life. Hmmm.

Are you for real? Never heard that story before but thank god it didn't happen.

Star Trek IV: The Wraith of Pluto Nash!

"PLUTOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I love this movie. Sure it's not as good a 1 or 2, but DAMN Reeve was just so damn good as evil Supes. That smirk he gives after blowing out that torch is classic.

Yep, Murphy was being considered for the role that eventually went to Catherine Hicks. Paramount nixed the idea, and let Murphy star in THE GOLDEN CHILD instead.

You know, I think I need to see this movie again. I probably haven't seen it since I was in elementary school. I don't remember anything but the fact that Richard Pryor is in it and that the duplicate fight was pretty cool.