the fresh films reviews

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Superman III (1983)

Preceded by: Superman II (1980)
Succeeded by: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Director:
Richard Lester
COUNTRY
UK
GENRE
Superhero
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Supermann III
RUNNING TIME
125 minutes
Producer:
llya Salkin
Pierre Spengler
Screenwriter:
David Newman
Leslie Newman


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Superman/Clark Kent Christopher Reeve
Gus Gorman Richard Pryor ½
Ross Webster Robert Vaughn
Lana Lang Annette O’Toole ½
Vera Webster Annie Ross
Lorelei Ambrosia Pamela Stephenson
Perry White Jackie Cooper -
Lois Lane Margot Kidder -
Jimmy Olsen Marc McClure -
Brad Wilson Gavan O'Herlihy -

 

Review

Ilya and Alexander Salkind wanted to lighten the mood and give the third installment of the Superman movies a comic touch. The way to do that was hiring Richard Pryor in the role of Gus Gorman – a good-guy who gets mixed up with bad-guy Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) and his scheme to kill Superman. And the film kicks off in exactly that playful, amusing manner which the Salkinds were probably after, with a delightful and perfectly choreographed intro to set the tone. Unfortunately, it's mostly downhill from there, save a few interesting plot threads. Pryor's overdone character gets far too much screen-time and relevance, and the whole group of villains and their scheme is not worthy of the legacy of the two first films and Christopher Reeve's dedication in the title role. Superman III really only ever gets interesting when Superman is given a chunk of kryptonite and must fight some unexpected inner demons. There's also a nice subplot involving Annette O'Toole as his high-school friend Lana Lang, but these fine segments ultimately only serve to highlight the silliness of the final battle between Superman and the aforementioned moronic villains. The film is only watchable for Reeve's performance. The series would reach a new low with Superman IV a few years later.

Re-reviewed: Copyright © 01.01.2019 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang
Original review: Copyright © 19.2.1997 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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