Customer Reviews

Superman III (Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(39)
2 star:		(34)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

For this third installment, the producers decided to inject a more modern twist into the Superman mythos via Richard Pryor's antics and the dependence on computer technology theme. The result was met with mixed reviews but did provide Christopher Reeve the opportunity to turn his dual role into a triple. Not only does he play Clark Kent and Superman, but also an evil Superman that manifests after exposure to synthetic Kryptonite (a plot device repeated at nauseum on the 'Smallville' TV series). The fight sequence between Clark Kent and his evil counterpart plays like a scene right out a Superman comic book! As far as the supporting cast is concerned, Margot Kidder's Lois Lane is not given much screen time but Annette O' Toole's Lana Lang (another 'Smallville' TV series staple) fills the role of Clark's old love interest nicely. The flying shots are easily the best of the franchise and Reeve is definitely the most buff he's ever been making him the most realistic physical embodiment of Superman to date. Unlike the previous DVD release, there are extras this time around including a commentary by the producers, a 1983 'Making of' special hosted by Chris Reeve, and almost 20 minutes of deleted scenes! In closing, while this movie isn't quite as magical as the first two Superman films, a terrific performance by Christopher Reeve and some nice supplemental material makes it worthy of another look on DVD.

After two major hit movies, the third entry in the Superman movie series was definitely viewed as a letdown. Indeed, compared to both the commercial success of the first two films as well as the quality of the films themselves, it is indeed a weak sequel. However that doesn't mean it's outright bad.

The third entry has Supemran / Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve, once again playign the aprt to perfection even if thw writing and the film itself are less than stellar) returns to Smallville, his hometown, where he hooks up with old flame Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole). Meanwhile, a down on his luck computer geek named Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) has used his keyboarding skills and with the help of an evil industrialist (Robert Vaughn), plans on buildiding his "Super" computer and turning it into a weapon. Of course, Superman naturally gets in their way, and now they must achieve kryptonite and get him out of the way. They do indeed achieve it, but it does not kill him. However, it splits him into two separate personalities: Clark Kent and Superman, with Supemran being the foe, Clark now must get control of his other half before it destroys him in time to stop them from destroying the world with the "Super" computer.

First of all, let me start off with the good aspects of the film. Reeve is once again fantastic as Superman. He manages to overcome the film's flaws and turn in another magnifificent performance. It's also nice to see Samllville revisited, and the subplot with him and Lana was nice.

Now for the bad. Richard Pryor for the most part wasn't all that great. He was a truly brilliant comedian, but he's just out of place in a Superman movie. With him in it, the film automatically becomes more of a comedy (take a look at the opening credits sequence) and he just doesn't make a great villian. Next, Robert Vaughn's Webster is one of the worst villians ever. I know a lot of people complained that Hackman's Luthor was campy and over the top, but Vaughn surpasses him by MILES. And his henchman are much more annoying than Luthor's Eve and Otis. The score by Ken Thorne is autrocious, and you automatically yearn for John William's truly astounding score from the first two films to swell up out of nowhere. Add to that a cheesy soundtrack of original songs from Georgio Moroder and it just adds to the film's campiness.

I can go on and on about more positives and negatives, but I'll just say that "Superman III" is worth checking out, even if you will be a little disappointed by the end.

I've watched bits and pieces of Superman III over the years since it first came on cable back in 1984. Finally I rented the disc yesterday and got a chance to judge it.

First it was great to see the film in a widescreen presentation with good sound. The picture looked great for a film made over 23 years ago (time goes by so fast these days).

As for the film itself, it's not the disaster that so many say. I can't imagine another actor at that time playing Superman other than Christopher Reeve. He was(and many say still is)the perfect embodiment of The Man of Steel. I also thought Annette O'Toole was perfectly cast as Lana Lang. It would've been interesting to see at that time if they decided to do another one to play on the rivalry between Lana and Lois for Clark/Superman's attention.

As for the minus: I have to agree that Richard Pryor's Gus Gorman and Robert Vaughn's Ross Webster weren't that really interesting villains. I know that Gene Hackman, Terrence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran were a tough act to follow but Superman had so many other foes in is rouge gallery such as Brainiac, Toy Man and Bizzaro. It's too bad that two tremendous talents were wasted. Although Annie Ross was very fun to watch as Vaughn's sister Vera.

Also missing is the wonderful Margot Kidder. I know she and the Salkynds were at war over the firing of Richard Donner and Lois was only featured in the beginning and end of the films, but the producers had to know the chemisrty between Reeve and Kidder was extraordinary. Maybe if Lois had gone to Smallville with Clark, that would have made it much more interesting (not to take anything away from Annette as she was wonderful). Oh well.

On the whole: the film was entertaining but not as legendary and memorable as Superman and Superman II.

P.S.: I can't wait to see Superman Returns!

This is not `Superman III'
This is NOT `Superman III'. If you watch this DVD expecting to see `Superman III' you will be very disappointed. This is not the `Superman III' which played in theatres or was released on VHS.

The DVD is about 30 minutes short. Several scenes have been shortened or deleted altogether without explanation. Nowhere on the DVD does it mention that this is a new "shortened" version of the film.

What's wrong: Most of the missing footage is of the inner circle of the Webster villains.

For example the scene where Vera and Lorelei shack hands angrily is missing, leaving us to wonder why they are standing there is pain

The scene where Ross Webster threatens Gus Gorman with prison is shortened to only the two meeting. Leaving a huge plot hole as to why they are meeting. In the actual scene Ross introduces Gus to Lorelei as his "aerobic astrologist". Lorelei shows how she has bought the toy penguin which caught fire in an earlier scene. As Lorelei plays with the penguin Ross threatens Gus with prison is he does not destroy Columbia.

Gus's description of Superman saving Columbia is also shortened.

The Websters working out in the gym is also shortened.

Most of the edits consist of single lines. For example when Vera tells Gus to stop the oil pumps, Ross says, "Tell him the part about the pumps. I know the you love the part about the pumps." Missing!

When Gus shows his sketches Lorelei comments they are the plans to a computer. After getting odd stares she cover this up with, "A hairdryer?"

There are many other scenes as well. While the film does not rise or fall on these scenes my point is that it's very annoying that the DVD makers would simply edit out these lines thinking the audience wouldn't notice.

This is not `Superman III'.

While most DVDs boast containing bonus footage some DVDs have now started editing out footage for a shorter running time. Yet there is no mention on the `Superman III' cover box that this is any type of alternate version.

Movies like this beg many questions. One prime question that was running through my mind during my viewing of "Superman III" was "How could they screw this up so bad?" Other questions, such as "What were they thinking" and "Why didn't someone tell them this was a bad idea" also popped up sporadically. When the two previous movies were a smash and had good stories going for them (despite limited special effects) you really wonder where things went so wrong. See, it's not that the third installment in the "Superman" movie franchise is bad...it's completely horrible!

All the familiar cast members show up again -- from Superman himself, Christopher Reeve, to Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, and even Margot Kidder, doing what can only be described as a "brief cameo" as Lois Lane. This time, Gene Hackman's brilliant Lex Luthor is substituted for a new villain (who is so forgettable, it's sad) as played by Robert Vaughn. The story itself is outright ridiculous, and I swear the script was written by an A.D.D. riddled eight-year old. Not only do we have Superman heading home for to Smallville for a class reunion, but he forgets his feelings for Lois Lane, and falls for hometown honey, Lana Lang (played by Annette O'Toole). In the midst of this, a Kryptonite substitute splits Kent in two -- one part good, one part evil -- which reduces to an admittedly amusing scene where Superman gets drunk in public and loses his temper. Eventually, he settles his differences in a Fight Club-esque manner -- which is more ridiculous than it sounds -- in order to make way for some more subplots that make absolutely no sense and go nowhere. From controlled weather changes, to a super-computer that merges itself with a woman, to a video-game being played by the villain against Superman, what happens in this movie is best forgotten. In fact, I'll be damned if I can sort any of it out. I started dipping into an insanity and boredom induced coma towards the end of it.

Put quite simply: This movie makes no sense. When it's not being outright cheesy, it just betrays the spirit of the first two movies. What a surprise, since "Superman II" director Richard Lester was behind the lens. Which still begs the question: What went wrong here? This should have been a good movie. No wonder nearly twenty years went by after "Superman IV" before we got a new movie. Movies like this do no good. I only gave "Superman III" the two-stars because, for one thing, Richard Pryor was entertaining in every scene, and for another, because it was a thrill to see Superman burst into a drunken rage. If you thought other franchises such as "Batman" and "Star Wars" went awfully sour after a while, perhaps you should avoid this little turd.

Although this was really the first film where the Salkinds started to muck around with the legend, I regard it as a fun movie to watch just the same! Of coarse when I was a little kid, I was a bit freaked out by Superman turning into a villain! However, the scene between the bad and good Superman does make the film stand out in my opinion! Christopher Reeve pulled that scene off excellently in this film! The other actors, including Richard Pryor, although not getting the best out of the whole story, were still fun to watch! Not too bad of an attempt to be light-hearted!

This is by far the worst of the SUPERMAN movies. Oddly it's lack of quality is due chiefly to the addition of the fantastic Richard Pryor who before and since has shown considerable brilliance as a performer many times over. The problem is he has no place in any Superman movie. The character and his involvement in the plot is not only lackluster, it makes one yearn for Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor all the more. Added to the cast for star power, Pryor actually chips away at any chance the movie has for success everytime he is on the screen.The majority of the rest of the cast are adequate to poor, although their characters are sometimes underdeveloped. Annette O'Toole is passable as Lana Lang (although one wishes to see more of Margot Kidder as Lois Lane), Robert Vaughn is fittingly mean and greedy as Ross Webster and Jackie Cooper is again good as Perry White. The rest of the characters are either poorly written or poorly portrayed or both.The only thing the film has going for it (outside of the brilliantly staged opening) is once again Chris Reeve. He is the only reason for the above rating. Not only does the script add much new dimension to both Clark Kent and the "Super" dude, Reeve's performance is more than up to the writing. And when Superman fights his evil twin due to a batch of faulty fabricated Kryptonite, Reeve captures both the good and the bad so well it's sometimes hard to believe both parts are played by the same actor.As SUPERMAN movies go this is the bottom of the barrel but if you are a D.C. comics fan, you will at least appreciate Mr. Christopher Reeve's fine performance. The film is clumsily directed by Richard Lester.

Gus Gorman is an out of work, down on his luck nobody with no clue of what to do with his life. That is, until a shot at some on-the-job training helps him discover his natural talent for computer programming. Suddenly, Gus is making money again, but not nearly as much as he'd like. When he learns that a fraction of a cent out of every employee's paycheck is discarded by the computers that dish out the wages, he comes up with a plan to have all that spare change paid out to his name. Soon, Gus is living high on the hog, but his carelessness makes it easy for the big boss, Ross Webster, to pinpoint the employee who's been embezzling from the company. To Gus's relief, Webster is not looking to prosecute his newfound computer genius. Instead, he puts Gus's talents to work on his plan to control the world's weather, thereby giving the already filthy rich Webster control of the world's cash crops as well!

Meanwhile, mild-mannered reporter for "The Daily Planet" Clark Kent convinces his boss, Editor-In-Chief Perry White, that his upcoming Smallville High class reunion would make a great story for the world-renowned newspaper. He soon finds himself on a bus with friend and photographer Jimmy Olsen, heading back to his hometown in Kansas, and making a brief stop along the way so that Superman can take care of an out of control fire at a nearby chemical plant. Once Clark is back home and reunited with his old flame, Lana Lang, at his class reunion, romantic sparks begin to fly. Clark is having a great time playing hero to Lana and her son Ricky, both in and out of his tights, and he even gets to befuddle local bully Brad from time to time too. Yep, everything is going hunky dory for Clark Kent, until Superman interferes with Ross Webster's plans to corner the market on coffee. Webster quickly realizes that if his next plan is going to work, Superman must be taken out of the picture first. Together with his sister Vera, girlfriend Lorelei, and lackey Gus, Webster plots to kill Superman by synthetically making his own clump of Kryptonite. Unfortunately for them, upon analysis, there is an unknown element in Kryptonite's chemical make-up. Gus foolishly uses tar to fill in the gaps, with no idea of what the result will be. Then, in full military garb, Gus presents the hunk of unknown mineral to Superman at a Smallville festival in his honor. Things don't go exactly as planned, but the little deception still seems to pay off for the dastardly group. After his encounter with the strange, synthetic kryptonite, Superman begins to grow more and more apathetic. Eventually forming into outright bitterness and anger. The man of steel soon cares about no one but himself, and is miserable with contempt for his own good-natured secret identity. While the new, downright rotten Superman, clad in darker shades of red, yellow, and blue, goes about causing trouble in the world instead of saving the weak and helpless, Ross Webster and his cronies are free to put their next plan into action: taking over the world's oil supply! However, this time Gus has a condition that must be met before he will agree to any computer hacking for Ross Webster's self-serving purposes. Gus wants a computer, a super-computer; one that even Superman would be powerless against! And, even if Superman knew of Ross Webster's greedy plans, he first has to deal with the villain within himself!

Starring the ultimate Superman, Christopher Reeve, pitted against the nasty Robert Vaughn and legendary funnyman Richard Pryor, "Superman III" is an all too underrated piece of the 4 film Superman franchise of the 70s and 80s. The film is much lighter than the first two Superman films, but why does that have to be a bad thing? "Superman III" is far from an out and out comedy, but, in essence, harkens back to the classic corniness of the Superman TV series with its take on humor, while still being completely substantial as a contemporary feature film. One is reminded of Christopher Reeve's own statement about how he tried to play a bit of early Cary Grant in his innocent, goofball take on Clark Kent, and the humor of "Superman III" plays on that fact quite well. The opening credits scene with the snowballing mishaps is fantastic! With key characters reprising their roles, a focus this time on Superman's conflict with his own dual identity, and a charming homecoming to Smallville and the girl Clark Kent left behind, "Superman III" is a wonderful part of the film series that any true fan should enjoy! Richard Pryor is at his funniest, Robert Vaughn is pure sleaze, and even in her most wishy-washy moments, one still can't imagine how Clark let Lana (Annette O'Toole) get away. The film takes a hilarious stance on the computer revolution of the 1980s, along with the greed of the corporate world, but I'm sure it's the Clark vs. bad Superman fight that most of us remember from this classic film! As for the whole Superman vs. Super Computer thing and the lack of Lex Luthor or other recurring Superman villains, what's the big deal? Superman shouldn't face the same ol' trouble makers every outing! The theme of Superman vs. machine in this film takes me back to the old Fleischer cartoons from the 1940s! Great stuff! "Superman III" didn't have it easy following the fantastic first two Superman films, but it fits nicely into the franchise as another fun-filled Superman adventure! The DVD doesn't offer much in the way of extras. All you get is the theatrical trailer and some cast filmographies. Still, the film itself is a must own for fans of the last son of Krypton! Don't sell it short! "Superman III" packs plenty more punch than it was ever given credit for!

Conceived as a vehicle for comedian Richard Pryor, Superman III is the least successful of the series. Despite a somewhat prescient storyline dealing with the use of computers to manipulate the economy, the script has no depth and very little entertainment value. Margot Kidder's Lois Lane has been reduced to a brief walk-on part, and the rest of the cast appears to be merely going through the motions. Even Christopher Reeve, who was reportedly very angry about the producers treatment of Kidder, is lacking his usual charm.

The visual effects are not on the same level as in the previous two movies: models blatantly look miniature, most of the flying sequences look two-dimensional, and there are numerous instances of visible wires... In short, there is none of the epic-scope that marked the first film and most of the second. ...the final confrontation between Superman and the supercomputer is flat out boring--looking as if it has been lifted from a cheap 1950s science-fiction movie. Lester's Metropolis scenes lack the razzmatazz of Richard Donner's scenes in Superman I.

The picture quality on the DVD is good but not outstanding. The sound is flat and lacks dynamic range.

When seeing this movie for the first time during its initial release my first thought was, "What are they thinking?!" I HATED the film. It was simply too different from the previous outings.

Then something happened that I can't fully explain. For some reason I watched the movie a second time...and a third...and a fourth...the off-beat humor and storyline seemed to get better with each repeated viewing.

This movie is now one of my favorites in the Superman series. Richard Pryor is a comic delight, and Christopher Reeves is superb as always. A scene in which a deranged Superman straightens out the Leaning Tower of Pisa (much to the chagrin of the Pisa souvenir stand operator) never fails to bring a smile to my face.

If you take the Superman legend seriously, avoid this movie. If, on the other hand, you have fond memories of the 60s version of "Batman," give Superman III a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

This being said, I will not be purchasing the DVD. Warner's has chosen to release only a 2:35 anamorphic transfer of the film. This will no doubt look superb on a large-screen digital set, but such transfers look pathetic on standard NTSC. The DVD player must perform its own "letterboxing" for such a transfer if you don't have the proper set, and this degrades the image even more.

Warner, how about releasing a full-frame version for those of us who can't afford a state-of-the-art setup, and have no desire to sit three feet from the screen?