Plot
Synthetic kryptonite laced with tobacco tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel.
Release Year: 1983
Rating: 4.8/10 (23,976 voted)
Director:
Richard Lester
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Margot Kidder
Storyline Wealthy businessman Ross Webster discovers the hidden talents of Gus Gorman, a mischievous computer genius. Ross decides to abuse his talents, in a way to help Webster with his plans for economic control. When the man of steel interferes, something must be done about Supes. When Gus' synthetic Kryptonite fails to kill Superman, it turns him in an evil incarnation of his former self. The tar-laced Kryptonite pits man against himself, setting up the Clark vs. Superman battle.
Writers: David Newman, Leslie Newman
Cast: Christopher Reeve
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Superman
/
Clark Kent
Richard Pryor
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Gus Gorman
Jackie Cooper
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Perry White
Marc McClure
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Jimmy Olsen
Annette O'Toole
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Lana Lang
Annie Ross
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Vera
Pamela Stephenson
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Lorelei
Robert Vaughn
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Ross Webster
Margot Kidder
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Lois Lane
Gavan O'Herlihy
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Brad
Nancy Roberts
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Unemployment Clerk
Graham Stark
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Blind Man
Henry Woolf
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Penguin Man
Gordon Rollings
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Man In Cap
Peter Wear
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Bank Robber
Taglines:
Alexander Salkind Presents Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor as you never seen them before. With more action, more twists, and more fun than Superman has ever had before!
Trivia:
According to the producers' commentary on the Superman III: Deluxe Edition DVD, this film was actually not a flop. While critics and fans generally expressed disappointment with the film, and its $60 million gross fell short of the previous two movies' $100 million+ gross, Superman III still made an impressive profit, despite stiff competition from
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (which opened 3 weeks earlier) and
Octopussy (which opened 10 days earlier).
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers):
When Gus is first taking over the weather satellite, as he breaks in, the computer responds that it is ready to "recieve" instructions.
Despite the overwhelming hatred for Superman III, I gotta say that I
think it's an excellent film. One of the two best of the whole Superman
saga, actually. The other, of course, is the original film. But
Superman III is so much fun, and a great example of how it's possible
for Superman to have enemies OTHER than Lex Luthor. The guy's been the
main villain in, how many is it, FOUR of the now FIVE Superman films? I
liked Gene Hackman's Luthor (far superior to Kevin Spacey's), but you
gotta take a break at some point. No, Superman III is a refreshing
change of pace, not only in that respect, but in several ways.
Most noticeable, and much to the chagrin of many people, is the
slightly more comedic tone of the film, centered mainly around Richard
Pryor's character, August 'Gus' Gorman. I thought Prior was great. He
plays an over-the-top character in a movie series about an over-the-top
character. I hear people complain all the time that they hate the
comedy that Prior brought to the film because Superman is supposed to
be, and these are actual quotes, "gritty" and "realistic". NO, he's
not. Superman is not gritty, and he's not realistic. Never was, never
will be. Richard Donner's original doesn't even come CLOSE to playing
it straight. Just look at how he portrays Clark Kent. In the comic
books and 1950's television series, the "mild-mannered" Clark Kent is
treated with respect and professionalism. He basically co-exists
amongst his peers at the Daily Planet. In "Superman: The Movie",
Richard Donner has taken the character straight out of the old comics
and TV series, with all the same mannerisms and morals, and placed him
in a very modern 1978. This is a set-up for much of the films adequate
amount of comedy relief. "Superman: The Movie" is not a comedy. Neither
is "Superman III", but they both have comic relief. The Clark Kent
character is slightly more serious in this one, thus, you have Gus. A
funny little man, with an interesting power. A savant-like intellect
that gives him complete control over any computer system.
I especially like how Clark Kent, Superman's alterego, is fleshed out
more as he returns home to Smallville. This is a great follow-up to
Richard Donner's brief exploration to Superman's early years in
Smallville. The inclusion of Lana Lang as Clark's high school crush was
great, even better in that they chose the lovely Annette O'Toole to
portray the character. I LOVE Margot Kidder, but I think Lana is a very
important character in Superman's backstory.
All the delving into Clark Kent's character and background leads us to
one of the greatest scenes in motion picture history... Clark Kent vs.
Evil Superman. I could sit here and expound on the scene's metaphoric
implications all day long, but simply put, I found it jaw-dropping.
Christopher Reeve was always perfect as Superman, but his best work is
here in this scene. Evil Superman is a very physical representation of
everything Clark/Superman has ever repressed, and obviously we're
talking about a lot of repression here. It's great stuff. I still wanna
cheer every time the victorious Clark Kent opens his shirt to reveal
his famous insignia, which, by the way, is differentiated by Evil
Superman's in that it's excessively bright, where as his was really
dark and dingy looking. Having been a Superman fan since I was a kid
way back in the day, that's one of those scenes I'll remember 'till the
day I die. I remember it from my childhood, but it's actually more
relateable for me now as an adult.
Superman III is one of the greats. If you haven't seen it yet, I only
ask that you watch it with an open mind and not look for grit or
realism where it has no place being. Instead, just believe a man can
fly... again.
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