Superman III (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)
- Matt Palmer
- Nov 7, 2022
- 3 min read
Initial release date: July 17, 1983
Studios: Warner Brothers
Tagline: If the world's most powerful computer can control even Superman ... no one on earth is safe.
Plot: Computer programmer Gus Gorman is hired by financial tycoon Ross Webster to seize control of a weather satellite and annihilate Colombia's coffee crop. When Superman manages to thwart the plan, Webster commands Gorman to use the satellite to locate Kyptonite, the Man of Steel's mortal weakness. But a missing unknown element in the Kryptonite - replaced by Gorman with tar - causes an unintended side effect when presented to Superman.
Cast
Christopher Reeve - Superman/Clark Kent
Richard Pryor - Gus Gorman
Jackie Cooper - Perry White
Marc McClure - Jimmy Olsen
Annette O'Toole - Lana Lang
Annie Ross - Vera
Pamela Stephenson - Lorelei
Robert Vaughn - Ross Webster
Margot Kidder - Lois Lane
Writer(s): David and Leslie Newman
Director: Richard Lester
Rated PG (125 minutes)
The first two films of the 'Superman' franchise were action-packed and incredibly entertaining. Now, moving on to the 1983 sequel, which did have its moments. Yet, it wasn't nearly as good as the first two films.
There are a few fun sequences, one of which involves the Man of Steel briefly turning evil. During one of those sequences, both versions of Superman fight each other ... and that was really cool. And, as always, Christopher Reeve was amazing as the Man of Steel!
The filmmakers did have a good amount of humor scattered throughout the movie, which can also be seen during the opening credits. Now, it's fine to add some humor in a series, just like they did with 'Thor: Ragnorak.' But, for the third 'Superman' movie, it was almost border-line slapstick humor. Richard Pryor can be funny (like he generally was) yet he kinda felt out of place in a 'Superman' movie.
'Superman III' can be streamed on the HBO Max streaming platform.
Here are a few interesting tidbits for 'Superman III':
After Margot Kidder expressed her disgust about the firing of Donner to producers Alexander and Ilya Salking, her role was cut to 12 lines and less than five minutes of screen time. In the film's 2006 DVD commentary, Ilya Salking says there was little need for Lois Lane in this movie because her relationship with Superman ended at the end of the 1981 movie.
This is the first time Christopher Reeve had top billing in a Superman movie. In 'Superman,' he was behind Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman. In the first sequel, he was behind Hackman.
Reeve wasn't happy with the film, and often expressed in interviews that he hated how it turned out. He initially swore never to play the role again. He was persuaded to make a fourth one in exchange for more input on the script.
According to Ilya Salkind, an earlier version of the script included the comic book villains Brainiac and Mr. Mxyzptik teaming up, and Superman meeting his cousin, Supergirl, which would lead to the potential Supergirl spin-off.
The film was released in the year of Superman's 45th anniversary.
This is the only Reeve 'Superman' film not to feature Lex Luthor. It's also one of three live-action theatrical 'Superman' films in which Luthor doesn't appear. The others are 'Superman and the Mole-Man' (1951) and 'Man of Steel' (2013).
Donner confirmed that he had been interested in writing at least two more films, which he intended to allow Tom Mankiewicz to direct, and he would've included Brainiac as the villain.
However, Donner has infamously departed the series during the production of the first sequel. The film was formally announced at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival in May 1980, months before the theatrical release of the second film.
'Superman III' was shown at the Uptown Theater in DC on June 12, 1983, and then had its NY premiere on June 14. It was released nationwide on June 17 and July 19 in the UK.
The sequel grossed $60 million at the US box office, and $20.2 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $80.2 million, a decline from the previous films. The film was the 12th highest grossing film of 1983 in North America.
Fans of the series placed a great deal of blame of the mixed results on director Richard lester. Lester made a number of popular comedies in the 1960s before being hired by the Salkinds in the 1970s for their successful 'Three Musketeers' series, as well as 'Superman II' which, although better received, was also criticized for unnecessary sight gags and slapstick.
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