Superman III

Plot

Gus Gorman, a long time unemployed ‘bum’ has miraculously become a computer hacker at his new job, and a plans to take ‘fractions’ of pennies from the employees payroll – however a mistake in his plan has given him a exceptionally large pay day.

His boss, Billionaire Ross Webster who wants to control the coffee industry, bribes Gus to use satellites to create weather to destroy the crops of the one country who won’t work with him, instead of turning him over to authorities.

When Superman stops the weather – Webster orders Gorman to kill Superman, and Gorman creates a ‘fake’ Kryptonite that turns Superman evil.

Also, Clark Kent goes to his high school reunion where he connects with old flame, Lana Lang.

Direction

I have mixed feelings on Richard Lester’s direction. Firstly, due to Richard Donner’s firing we have; No Gene Hackman, barely any Margot Kidder, and some truly terrible graphics (including seeing the strings that hold Superman while flying). The saving grace is an early action sequence with a power plant explosion that is “passable”.

Don’t get me started on the beyond silly ‘opening credits’ that have no place in a Superman movie…

Cast/Characters

Christopher Reeve is back once again (and finally billed first), but he is almost a secondary character to Gus Gorman. It feels more like a Richard Pryor comedy than a Superman movie.

The absence of previous key players Hackman and Kidder are felt, as Robert Vaughn and Annette O’Toole as Webster and Lang are pale comparisons.

Pamela Stephenson’s character is purposely irritating (with a Betty Boop type voice), but actually does not speak like that.

Screenplay/Setting/Themes

I absolutely hated most of the screenplay and story-line – and the slapstick comedy that is within it. The opening credits play like a Benny Hill or Three Stooges bit. There is a moment when Gus is controlling the traffic lights and the red and green little men start fighting?!? What in the actual was that?

The pacing is off completely, with Gus’ timeline seemingly taking weeks, but Clark’s is only days.

There is some truly cringe worthy dialogue (Clark lives in the BIG APRICOT!), and some ‘C’ story-lines (the couple who win the holiday from The Daily Planet) are just plane terrible.

The two moments that do save this, are when Vera Webster gets ‘computerised’ and the EPIC Junk Yard fight between Clark and Evil Superman, which might be the best 10 minutes in the entire franchise.

Overall

Despite the few ups previously mentioned, there are FAR too many downs for me to give this a passing grade. It is a complete fail of a movie, so I do not recommend this.

1.5/5