Superman III (1983) Movie Review
Synopsis:
Wealthy executive Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) seeks to destroy Superman (Christopher Reeve). He hires computer hacker August "Gus" Gorman (Richard Pryor) to do so. After receiving the kryptonite, Superman’s personality begins to alter for the worse.
Review:
Returning to direct Superman III was Richard Lester. This time, he brings a far more conflicting tone. Take the film’s introduction as the main example.
Superman III’s opening scene involves people bumbling around and falling into each other, akin to a comedy skit.
While Superman II had its goofy moments, most of the charm from the original film remained intact. This is not the case for Superman III.
Much of its story has very dated practical effects and inconsistent characters. Take Richard Pryor’s Gus Gorman as an example.
At every waking moment, Richard Pryor’s Gus exaggerates to the point of annoyance.
It’s almost as if director Richard Lester told Richard Pryor, “Pretend that this is a comedy skit,” and he went with it.
This overabundance of comedy takes away from some of the film’s more enjoyable moments.
Take Clark’s interactions with his high school sweetheart, Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole).
Annette radiates positivity and warmth as the character of Lana. This goes well with Christopher Reeve’s mild-mannered Clark Kent.
When the film diverts focus from this, its quality suffers in the process. Take Superman’s brief turn from an upstanding hero to an uncaring one.
Though this villainous side to Superman allows Reeve to showcase different emotions, it does not last.
One instance where this idea works is when the villainous Superman confronts Clark Kent at a scrapyard.
Reeve is at his most charismatic during this scene. This is not the case for most other scenes in the film.
Superman III’s other characters are not as consistent. This film’s main antagonist, Ross Webster, is your typical power-hungry businessman.
As a whole, Robert Vaughn’s performance is decent. Despite that, he lacks the presence and wit of Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor.
Superman III also has two other secondary antagonists. These are in the form of Ross’s sister, Vera (Annie Ross), and Pamela Stephenson’s Lorelei.
Annie Ross’s Vera character is about as cartoonish as you would expect. While Annie Ross seems to embrace this, her over-the-top dialogue is grating.
Pamela Stephenson’s Lorelei is less of a scheming antagonist. Instead, she portrays the ditzy, carefree blonde archetype.
On occasion, her character shows signs of intelligence. These are few and far between.
This film’s other flaws are its dated practical effects and stunts.
Whilst some of the first two Superman films had dated special effects, they were more consistent. Superman III has very dated practical effects.
These are evident in the film’s use of very obvious wirework and background imagery.
This happens to be the case with the film’s visuals, which are not very memorable.
Take whenever Superman flies as an example. Many of them take place during the daytime. This makes each one all the more obvious.
In the two previous films, much of these flying sequences took place at night. This allowed each director to hide the wirework.
Superman III’s use of fake backgrounds is all the more obvious. Again, they take place during the daytime. As a result, they look fake.
Returning to compose the score for Superman III is Ken Thorne. As with Superman II, Thorne repurposes much of John Williams’s previous compositions.
Otherwise, Thorne’s music lacks much change from the previous entry. Despite this, his score fits the events of the film to a decent extent.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Superman III is an inconsistent, muddled third entry in this series.
Its main flaws are its overabundance of comedy and questionable practical effects. This ends up hurting the story as a result.
Its main characters also lack consistency. Take Robert Vaughn’s Ross Webster, for example.
Despite a decent performance, he lacks the presence of Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor.
Superman III’s other secondary antagonists fit two basic archetypes.
Annie Ross’s Vera is the over-the-top villain, and Pamela Stephenson’s Lorelei is a ditzy blonde. They lack much beyond these superficial traits.
Richard Pryor’s Gus Gorman highlights the film’s overabundance of comedy. This style of comedy is more grating as the film progresses.
Superman III’s practical effects also lack the consistency of the first two entries.
Each flying scene takes place during the daytime. As a result, they look cheap.
Where Superman III finds its strength in Annette O’Toole’s Lana Lang and her interactions with Clark Kent.
Annette radiates such a positive energy that it is unmistakable. Along with Reeve’s performance, this makes their scenes together the most watchable.
Christopher Reeve also showcases a different side to Superman. It’s in the scrapyard encounter with Clark where Reeve gets to have fun.
Ken Thorne makes his return to compose Superman III. As a whole, his score is serviceable for those who enjoyed his previous work in Superman II.
Superman III is a clear sign that some films shouldn’t go past the second entry.
Even for Christopher Reeve fans, Superman III may leave them disappointed.
Sam’s Action Reaction score:
Characters - 5.5/10
Story - 5/10
Practical effects - 6/10
Visuals - 6/10
Soundtrack - 6.5/10
Overall score: 5.8 out of 10