Superman III is an anomaly in every way. The premise, its tone, the "good with the bad", and it being the Salkinds and Pierre Spengler's idea of what "their" Superman movie is.
Christopher Reeve as Superman...
...a.k.a. Clark Kent
Richard Pryor as Gus Gorman
Annette O'Toole as Lana Lang
Robert Vaughn as Ross Webster
Annie Ross as Vera Webster
Pamela Stephenson as Lorelei Ambrosia
Gavan O'Herlihy as Brad Wilson
Margot Kidder as Lois Lane
Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen
Jackie Cooper as Perry White
And yes, this is the best scene of the movie by far.
Much of my movie dissection is in the form of "the good and the bad", but Superman III is one of those films that's so "split down the middle" (if moreso two parts bad, one part good), that it lends itself to a post like this all too well.
Again, the purpose of "Extended Observations" is not to diverge from the (however-divided) overall reception, but to scribble down my reactions to the Supes installment that's chock full of general whatthefuckery, in contrast to its attention-stealing sequel, which is so full of headache-inducing plot holes and poor execution that it would make the Earth spin back again (or, as of 2006, for the third time). But I digress...
Few openings have dashed the hopes of moviegoers like this film's.
Calgarians will love the city standing in for Metropolis,
even if it is the site of such a cringey opening.
Aaron Smolinski (toddler Kal-El in the first film) as the boy at the photo booth.
Graham Stark (Alfie, Casino Royale, the Pink Panther series) cameos as a blind man.
Few photographs sum up a character like this one of Vera Webster.
Because an American movie filmed in the U.K. wouldn't
be complete without an appearance by Shane Rimmer.
Seriously though, what the hell is this guy's dance?
David and Leslie Newman's script doesn't embarrass itself as much as Superman IV,
and progresses Clark into a more confident guise.
As much as I miss Jeff East, it is nice to see baby Christopher Reeve here.
Even though it's retroactive, I'm adding Superman III as yet another
fictional property ruined by the cultural stench of E.L. James.
Ever since I saw this movie on T.V. as a kid, Vera Webster's
character, look, and mannerisms have always fascinated me.
I mean...
She wears a suit, has two-toned hair, and calls her own brother "Bubba".
What the heck am I supposed to make of that?
(I think Ross moves his lips.)
Though she pulls off this disguise quite well...
...is a competent henchwoman with excellent machinery skills...
...and has her own video feed (pretty advanced stuff for 1983).
Pryor is clearly trying (and it's not that he can't do cleaner material),
but anyone would have trouble with the often-painful comedy in this film.
Like in the first film, Alberta stands in for Smallville.
So that's where The Tragically Hip got their song from!
It's no surprise that kids took to Lana when they first saw this film,
as Lana's sweeter charm likely appealed to them over Lois' neuroses.
Having Brad work at Webscoe-owned WheatKing is a bit contrived,
but then again, his old man is the chairman of OCP.
It's unsurprising that Pryor's at his best whenever Gus has to take on a different persona.
Before Batman and Roger Rabbit, Superman III led the way for
mistakenly using U.K. spellings on American items and facilities.
Back when companies like American Express were more than happy
to feature their brands as a means for crime.
Ironically, these two still fared better than the couple who went to South Park's Cow Days.
By simply adding tar in place of the unknown ingredient...
...Gus pretty much invents the Superman equivalent of "tomacco".
Reeve is still pitch-perfect as Supes, and gets to have much fun playing him as a jerk.
"Otis, take his glass."
...
"I don't think he wants me to, Mr. Luthor."
"It's good to be the Man of Steel."
Vaughn is having fun as Ross Webster, but the character is so
vaguely defined and uninteresting, that it emphasizes how
Trading Places did pretty much the same plot (and better).
No explanation is given as to why Lorelei pretends to be a shallow airhead
when she's easily capable of being the series' smartest henchperson to date.
Say it with me now, "Still better than Superman 64!"
The scene that scared many kids back in the day, though for me,
this pales in comparison to the flame-throwing Evil Irona from
Richie Rich's Christmas Wish.
If this scene above doesn't encapsulate what the 80s meant for
crossovers and absurd movie premises, I don't know what does.
This scene actually works in playing the rom-com "misunderstanding" trope
with a character so attuned to the "Cary Grant" archetype as Clark Kent.
An awesome setup for a sequel plot that never happened.
I cannot pass up the opportunity to feature this photo of Reeve (with his Supes hair) visiting the set of Octopussy.
JoBlo.com's "Awfully Good Movies" series covered Superman III in 2016.
As did Oliver Harper in 2020.
Copyright © Chynna Moore
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