Julian RuncanSuperman III: This Hell Was Built Off Of Good Intentions
April 29th 2010 15:36
Superman III is a film that's composed of good intentions executed terribly.
Superman has other worthy foes than Lex Luthor and the whole Lois Lane love story is played out, so you can't fault them for wanting to mix things up a bit for this one. Unfortunately, supercomputers and Richard Pryor weren't the best fixes for these problems.
The decision not to use Lex Luthor was good, but using a another amoral business tycoon as a cheap clone was lazy. Pryor's character takes up far too much screen time, and the plot surrounding Superman's new love interest is uninteresting and forgettable. Also, if you're going to make a movie about hackers and computers, a general rule should be that you know at least something about either.
Yes these are problems, but my biggest problem with Superman III is the franchise's change in tone. The series started as a grand action-fantasy, but has now been turned into a campy slapstick mess. Superman turns evil, so he straightens the Leaning Tower of Pisa? While talking about their evil schemes, Richard Pryor accidentally skis off of the side of a building while wearing a pink tablecloth as a cape? What audience were they even aiming for?
All negatives aside, Pryor managed to make a sympathetic antagonist, and Reeve did an alright job delivering the nonsense that was given to him. It's still probably better for everyone if the movie is never talked about again. Ever.
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Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
I must say though I did enjoy the appearance of Bizzaro Superman - the only other arch villain aside from Luthor to ever feature in a Superman film