Superman III. Third Time Unlucky

#Superman
Stam Fine Reviews looks at the 1983 film Superman III, directed by Richard Lester. At some point, it was clear Superman would hit the law of diminishing returns. Superman III is the franchise hitting the law of diminishing returns in a major way. Leaning harder into goofy comedy, Superman III sees a computer genius, Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) being used by a business Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) in his plans to control the world. Superman meanwhile has a personality altering experience with some I Can't Believe It's Not Kryptonite.
Sounds good so far, doesn’t it? But don’t clap yet, it’s a weak finish.
Also stars Annette O'Toole as Lana Lang.
Shopping Links (Supports this Channel)
US amzn.to/3xlqnbd

[@kildogery]

If you watched this as a kid and weren't traumatised by the robot transformation scene, then you were already gone.

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

I was 7, and I'm still traumatized. That should not have been left in the movie as is. Besides that, I have tons of nostalgia for the movie and loved Richart Pryor? Cheers from Canada

[@felipehernandez-pedroza8288]

I was a kid too and wasn't traumatized by it. I don't know why people said they were.

[@kildogery]

@@felipehernandez-pedroza8288 you were clearly already traumatised. Sorry bro.

[@jediknight73]

Was 10 was creepy

[@Alondro77]

Traumatized? I thought it was the coolest part of the movie!

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

If only Richard Donner hadn't been fired. We could've gotten more great films with him and Reeve

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Hmmm, not sure about that. Donner directed all four Lethal Weapon films and only the first two are great.

[@MAMoreno]

@@ricardocantoral7672 If only the Superman films could boast that they never got worse than Lethal Weapon 4...

[@stuarttacey]

The greed of the Salkinds

[@samuelosler1994]

@@stuarttacey but without the Salkinds we never would have gotten this series to begin with or Donner as director of the first as they hired him

[@carlrood4457]

This movie's greatest contribution to cinema was that the embezzling plot was used in Office Space.

[@o0pinkdino0o]

As a kid watching this at the cinema, the robot transformation was scary enough to give me nightmares.

[@neiltaylor6645]

In the wrecking yard scene you can see the 007 stage in the background

[@robbiethepict2783]

Christopher Reeve will always be Superman.

[@nerdfatha]

I was one of those kids who was disturbed yet fascinated by the robot transformation. honestly, i think it left such and indelible mark on me that I have had a a love of cyborgs and science fiction ever since. I will always thank this movie for that.

[@Alondro77]

You could say it was the first time we saw 'assimilation'. ;]

[@blackamerican40]

RIP Christopher, Richard, Margot and Vaughn.

[@spacemanmattscifi]

I liked Superman III. I was a little weirded out when that woman transformed into a killer cyborg, but as an adult it just makes me laugh.

[@emmacrawford11]

Me too

[@TheEqualizer-iw1bz]

Clark Kent “acid washed” Superman’s costume to make it clean again.

[@6581punk]

This one coincided with two things. 1. Getting a video recorder (we called them that in the UK) and 2. Being into computers and games. So as a kid it was perfect for that. Oh and I can't watch this without wishing I had my own Annette O'Toole lookalike.

[@jimjam51075]

One of the channels here has an extensive Annette O'Toole interview about this film. Sorry, I can't remember which one.

[@Mrd9960]

@Newsbender II Definitely, what a blonde bombshell she was! Ohhh!

[@Mrd9960]

@Newsbender II No I haven't but I'll check it out, thanks man!👍

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

Did you guys get to choose berween Beta and VHS. We did, and we chose poorly :( Cheers from Canada

[@Neil070]

@@Pocketrocket-pj1us vhs, betamax and Philips. Tech nerds ranked them Philips best, then betamax. How we ended up with the least favoured is a mystery 🤔

[@Jabberstax]

This film was good..... for 10 year olds. The bit where the woman gets dragged into the computer scared the shit out of me when I was a kid.

[@TheBeird]

I dunno, I quite like this one. It’s more consistent with itself than the second flick. It’s got plenty of piss-weak stuff in it, and I ain’t gonna die on any hill for it, but I find it fun enough.

[@shsrpr]

Yeah, especially if you grew up watching it, it's not a terrible movie like IV and Supergirl are. Just a lot of weird choices that made it a disappointment compared to the first two.

[@desperatemohammedantheworl5833]

For the last couple of decades I honestly thought III was my favourite Superman film simply because it was always my favourite as a kid. Then last year I finally got the boxed set and, well, it was OK. Has good moments but so much makes no sense.

[@desperatemohammedantheworl5833]

For the last couple of decades I honestly thought III was my favourite Superman film simply because it was always my favourite as a kid. Then last year I finally got the boxed set and, well, it was OK. Has good moments but so much makes no sense.

[@docsavage-8616]

@@desperatemohammedantheworl5833 You accidentally Posted Twice.

[@BugRib]

@desperatemohammedantheworl5833 You accidentally Posted Twice.

[@davidbull7210]

I was one of the ones traumatised by the cyborg woman!

[@Foxonian]

I heard that the creator of the Borg on ST-TNG got the idea for them from that character in Superman III.

[@mikehunt4986]

I just noticed that Richard Pryor's boss in the movie is the Cuban hitman from For Your Eyes Only!

[@BooshmanLee]

He's the IT course tutor.

[@carlrood4457]

While Christopher Reeve normally did a good job at making it believable that Clark and Superman are different people and normally the camera angles and character positions help out, the reunion scene really highlights just how much bigger and taller he is than everyone else. It kind of makes the idea that Brad or anyone would bully Clark seem absolutely ridiculous.

[@glenfahselt8378]

The robot transformation really did bother me a bit when I was a child. I was eight when this film came out, that seems like a ripe age for a bit of screen trauma, as some images can't be easily processed for such young minds.

[@GrandFunker]

I've always liked Superman 3. I like anything with Richard Pryor in it.

[@docsavage-8616]

At least It's not an Editor's Nightmare like Superman Four, Which has Entire Scenes Missing.

[@emmacrawford11]

Me too

[@toplaycool21]

Have you noticed that earlier superhero flicks lost its magic by the time the third movie came out? Superman III, Batman Forever, X-Men Last Stand, and Spider-Man 3 all have this in common.

[@docsavage-8616]

Sometimes It's just hard to do a Sequel.

[@suk6323]

I still believe that Superman 3 is the 3rd best Reeve Superman movie - a bit like Spider-Man 3 being Raimi's 3rd best Spider-Man movie alongside the superhero turning superbad moments - a bit like a really good Italian meal turned into pasta bake from the local supermatket.

[@chrisbutler4689]

No Way,Superb Film,Stella Cast,Perfect Plot.

[@deadandburied7626]

Annette O'Toole makes the movie re-watchable.

[@darkman699]

I was young when I saw this so I loved it! I loved all the comedy quirks of it to! Also for some reason I think I remember that when it was shown on TV they edited out the part where Annie Ross turned into the robot because I don't remember seeing it until we got the full unedited version on VHS!

[@spencerhjalseth7288]

Seen a lot of contnet on this topic. Your sense of humor kept me watching. More please

[@DonDonP1]

Hello. Great vid. I see that "Superman III" was the inspiration for the Borg in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

[@docsavage-8616]

"Resistance Is Futile."

[@thedanielstraight]

Canon, the God of printing.... This multi-layered funny deserves top marks. I laughed so hard, the public is glaring at me.... completely worth it, though.

[@shsrpr]

Lol, I cracked up there too, and immediately went for the like button. :-D

[@deadandburied7626]

Lester made "Robin and Marion" and "The Three/Four Musketeers" which were fun.

[@emmacrawford11]

RIP Christopher Reeves will always be Superman I love ❤️❤️❤️ all Superman movies with Christopher Reeves

[@damc8415]

I saw “Superman III” in the theater as a kid, and it was a great movie for that age. For grownups, it wasn’t as good as the first two movies, but it was infinitely better than the fourth one. You yourself had to admit that the fight between Clark Kent and the Evil Superman was cool.

[@probablynotmyname8521]

I disagree, i used to really enjoy this film. Th evil superman part is fantastic and the robot lady at the end used to scare the hell out of me. I always found this film to be a lot of fun and more playful than the first two. It is goofier in parts but in my view it nails it where it counts.

[@docsavage-8616]

Superman 3 definitely has It's Moments.

[@mjwchapman]

i liked this one as a kid, and it gave us "yeah, they did it in superman 3" from office space. superman 4 was terrible.

[@TheDukeofMadness]

It seems Christopher Reeve was the only thing going for the last two films. As you'll show in the fourth one, he brings a nobility to a very weak film. When Gene Hackman, who would have starred in a tampon commercial for money in the 80's, looks digested to be in a film, you know it's bad.

[@kimrice394]

After having Super Villains, this was a laughable follow up. Shoe-horning Pryor in was… a 🤷‍♂️ move.

[@docsavage-8616]

Richard Pryor was a Big Star at the time. That's why they wanted him in the movie.

[@jacobktan]

Thanks for the video. I'm really looking forward to the Pierce Brosnan era in the bond films.

[@carlrood4457]

It seems a lot of the time that trying to appeal to kids is done by people who know nothing about kids, particularly anyone older than 5. Older kids can see that shoehorned slapstick doesn't fit in a Superman movie.

[@thebasementfilmgroup]

I actually liked Superman 3 when it came out - but I was about 12

[@justinbrown691]

I was one of those that blocked out the machine lady and the bubble, but you brought them both back, thanks. Wow, I apparently need to watch this movie as an adult.

[@witajy]

I'm glad to read that I'm not the only one who likes this movie! I've watched it a looot of times as a child and yes, I was traumatized too by Vera's transformation ! ;)) oo

[@emmacrawford11]

I like all the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve

[@star_man]

I absolutely loved this as a child, especially the "high tech" aspects as home computers were just emerging, I recorded it off the television and lost count how many times I watched it when young. Admittedly it doesn't hold up as well to adult eyes but as a film for children it was great.

[@Hawkeye26]

4:17 Definitel the best thing I have ever heard you say in these videos! Excellent! (I DO love irony too!)

[@deanrussell2224]

It has Pamela Stevenson in it - what’s not to love ….

[@Mrd9960]

Hell yeah, she was really what I loved the most about this movie, what a bombshell she was!😍

[@Mrd9960]

@tom ace 🤣🤣🤣👍

[@Homeschoolsw6]

" That's Busters dog food. "

[@llYossarian]

8:01 - Omg! I'm so glad to find out I'm not the only one...

[@brianmccarthy8541]

Stam, love the videos. I'll be invoking Canon the God of Printing all day in work😀

[@richmanz447]

As a kid watching this movie (and having used a Commodore 64) I knew that you can't be an accidental genius at computers. When it showed Richard Pryor type "List" in the command and then the computer displaying the BASIC code for a program, I knew that they didn't even take the time to fool a beginning user of computers. It was no genius move, just a lazy scene and a bad sign of scenes to come.

[@paulgregory1364]

Mate you hit this in one. Seen many a review of superman 3 but you hit it one the head!!!

[@wmlau69]

This movie came out when I was in middle school and I remember picking up the promotional material from my local comic book store before the movie came out. My friends and I were excited for the movie. Unfortunately, we were all disappointed with the movie. It was nowhere at the same level of quality as the first movie.

[@holgerschulz4104]

Great review! I pissed my pants! 😂As a kid, I actually enjoyed watching Superman III when it came out in cinemas. But then again, since that was my entrance into the Superman movies, I just didn´t know any better, back then.

[@oobrocks]

Compared to Superman 4, this is citizen Kane. Btw: every time I c Richard Pyior I’m super happy we had Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles

[@TheEqualizer-iw1bz]

“I hope the 4th one would be better”. Nope. Not even close.

[@jordanglasper1064]

I actually love this movie. It is the most comedic of the fort. But I still love it nonetheless

[@monotonehell]

2:45 ONNNLYYYYY AMMMIGGGGAAAAA!!!!!!! MAKES IT POSSSSSIBLLLLE!!!

[@knchen]

It can't be that bad. They re-used that idea of some object turning a hero into a villain in Spider-Man 3. And the idea of some computer nerd being involved in something that created a monster, though in Superman 3 the monster was the villain's sister and in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 it was the nerd himself.

[@GradyBaby13]

Pamela Stevenson JUNK IN THE TRUCK ; Superman with a BAD-ASS -ATTITUDE-Richard Pryor as a HACKER; Superman hitten DAT ASS (Pamela Stevenson) BEST SUPERMAN EVAAAAA!

[@docsavage-8616]

So glad you liked it.

[@michaelwebster8666]

As a kid at the time of it's release I loved it. Years later I saw how disappointing it actually is. I have always liked the dark Supermanscenes and love the figh in the breakers yard between good & bad Superman. Great review 👍

[@SJHFoto]

I too loved this when it came out and still do. (And before someone says "OK Boomer" to me, read your history of generations! If you must, say "Ok Xer!")

[@michaelwebster8666]

👍

[@1978rharris]

I’ll be the first one, then: I liked it. 🤷‍♂️

[@docsavage-8616]

I liked it too. At the End of the Day It's Still Another Superman Film Starring Christopher Reeve. What's not to like?

[@andrewblanchard2398]

great movie

[@beatrixwickson8477]

I would love to see you do videos of the Cannonball Run movies.

[@jamesstewart7736]

I was 8 when this was released and I loved it. Guess I was the target demographic. Great content as always Stam! ❤️👍🏻👏🏻

[@DenkyManner]

There's a lot of bs in this movie but also a lot of great stuff so I can't call it a failure by any stretch. The Superdouche section is great and I love seeing Reeve playing the ahole version of him.

[@docsavage-8616]

Wish this movie had been about Bizarro. This would have been the Perfect Opportunity to Introduce him.

[@kyleolson8977]

If my memory is correct, the intro comedy bit for Superman III was pulled from from the original massive script for Superman I+II

[@collegeman1988]

I never saw Superman 3, but I think the biggest mistake was having Richard Pryor star in a live action comic book superhero movie. Because Richard Pryor was a huge comedian and a box office draw at that time, I’m sure moviegoing audiences were confused about whether this movie was a comedic film with Richard Pryor as the star, or if this was another Superman sequel starring Christopher Reeve. A similar thing almost happened with Star Trek IV, when Eddie Murphy was considered for the role of the marine biologist. Instead, the role went to Catherine Hicks, who was pretty much unknown at that time.

[@guywgane3]

There are elements of this film that are great, but its mainly a Richard Pryor movie

[@davemardon6756]

It is what it is. With that said: IMO anything after #2 is...meh.

[@Rendezman562]

No super villain , that was always my beef with the film

[@threeparots1]

Nice Amiga Guru meditation error

[@Lloyd_Meadhbh]

PRAISE CA-NON!

[@briandain8432]

I had heard somewhere the villain, especially in the end was Braniac, but the typical Studio having no idea how to make a Good movie went with the filthy rich villain instead.

[@360whiplash]

I remember 1983 was the worst year for sequels. Besides Superman 3, there was Jaws 3 and Smokey & The Bandit 3 that same year.

[@docsavage-8616]

Smokey & the Bandit 3 was Unwatchable. At least Jaw3 had a few laughs in It.

[@Alondro77]

The entire movie should have been about the computer guy finding Brainiac in the Fortress of Solitude remnants and building the computer which is taken over by the Kryptonian AI. THEN the cyborg thing and it's ability to fight Superman so effectively makes far more sense. It also focuses the plot tremendously into a single narrative, rather than all these sloppy subplots.

[@garethspotfur1]

To this day I still consider this lacklustre film, to be worse than superman 4.

[@bonghunezhou5051]

"3" has better _production values_ than "4", though it is arguably is the worse entry.

[@garethspotfur1]

@@bonghunezhou5051 better production values, alas, does not a better film make. we can at least laugh at IV. III is just painful to endure.

[@bonghunezhou5051]

@@garethspotfur1 I actually concur with you; on balance "4" is microscopically better than "3".

[@bonghunezhou5051]

If that "money" is left unclaimed - floating about in wherever - then was it even stolen??

[@PhilMoskowitz]

There's a good premise in this movie. But it's not for a Superman movie. I would have loved to see what someone like the Coen Brothers would have done with the corporate financial raiding scheme used in the movie. I know the movie "Office Space" uses it, but in that movie it's just a throw away plot.

[@MAMoreno]

I find Superman III more watchable than the theatrical cut of Superman II. At least it's purely one director's cartoonish vision rather than the sabotage (or Whedon-ing, if you will) of another director's more serious vision, sorta like letting Joel Schumacher come in and film some additional scenes for Batman Begins.

[@redringofdeathgamer]

Ah yes. Another Stam!

[@lancebaylis3169]

I will give it this. Reeve goes all in on making The Man Of Douche really uncomfortably evil. He so embodies Superman's wholesome character perfectly in the other movies that seeing him acting so out of character here really hits the right notes for disturbing. Can't lie, part of me wishes we could see more of it, because I really think it could've been a great charscter study. Just not in Superman 3.

[@davidnorman4786]

Even as a 17 year old in 1983, I knew this was just stupid. It had potential... maybe. But it didn't have the talent to pull it off (obviously excluding Reeves and Kidder, obviously).

[@Knightfall182]

Superdickery. The Movie.

[@carlrood4457]

Lana being more interested in Clark than Superman is true to the comics. In the early 80's, Clark became a news anchor on TV and Lana was his co-anchor. While she'd crushed on Superboy as a teenager, she realized that Lois had Superman and she set her sites on Clark. Superman & Lois had kind of broken up, so he dated Lana as Clark.

[@timtsv1]

So basically, meh? Loved the Guru Meditation btw :)

[@thedancehackersguidetoarge4301]

It's a Superman movie. Much better than the next one and not as bad as some would like you to believe. In comparison everyone agrees IV was terrible.

[@docsavage-8616]

In Superman Four's defense-Canon Films Cut the movie right before release, So that It could have more Screenings and more people would be able to see it, Before word got around about how bad It really was. There are Entire Scenes Missing from the film, Which is why the Story makes No Sense. For Instance Nuclear Man suddenly decides to kidnap Lacy Warfield for no reason, He causes a Riot Outside the Daily Planet, Superman appears out of Nowhere to Stop him, He asks Superman-"Where's the Girl ?!!", Superman Instantly Knows What he's After and Answers-"Where You'll Never Find Her!". There's really no explanation why Nuclear Man became So Focused on Lacy Warfield Right Out of the Blue, For No Reason At All. Except for the fact that there was actually an Earlier Scene in the film where they met for the first time, and that's when he fell in love with her. Unfortunately, That was one of the Scenes that was Cut. An UnCut Version of Superman Four has never been Shown Anywhere.

[@thedancehackersguidetoarge4301]

@@docsavage-8616 It's obvious something happened with IV. The effects looked unfinished too.

[@tskmaster3837]

I think Superman 3 is more in line with the Superman comics than Donner's grand vision, the real problem is that they didn't fully commit as the film still tries to be Donner lite. Where Superman 3 works, it's because of generic Red Kryptonite and off brand Brainiac. I can give it points for not having Lex Luthor or an evil version of Superman... and then immediately take those points back for having generic Lex Luthor and just plain evil Superman. Toyman, Parasite, Metallo, Bizarro, Mxzilptlik? 80 years in the comics, zero years in the movies and still counting.

[@Azzeyman25]

are we gonna get any more Doctor Who videos? please Stam please

[@neiltaylor6645]

Morning singing daleks

[@StamFine]

certainly, the plan is there will be a doctor who-themed video roughly every two months.

[@JohnDoe-yr4wc]

5:17 lol

[@markeastwood74]

2:08 - 99% of gargoyles look like Bob Todd

[@crhisduarte9382]

THERES TO MUCH FILLER FOR ME ROBERT VAUGHN WAS A CRAPPY VILLION

[@coecludd]

Sorry, I've always liked Superman III. Never had a problem with it.

[@docsavage-8616]

A Competently Made Film, Actually.

[@coecludd]

@@docsavage-8616 Absolutely! 👍

[@seanp8220]

You didn't talk about the explosion at the end which goes on for 10 minutes

[@jomeke101]

Still better than Superman IV.....lol

[@djpookie2000]

Lol, I'm insulted either way.

[@barkwahlmerg]

as an eleven year old kid with terrible taste, i hated this movie so maybe it was great!

[@mws755]

It's actually the best Superman movie. Lois Lane and Lex Luthor had been exhausted in the first 2 movies. You seem to be digging deep in the trash for reasons not to like this movie lol

[@rennmaxbeta]

Agreed. Over the decades I rewatch Superman III more often than the first two.

[@stuarttacey]

I've grown up on the Reeve Superman films and i think 3 is a good film. I could do without Lester's stupid slapstick humour throughout though.

[@ronstewtsaw]

This is the second-worst movie I have seen end-to-end (behind Howard the Duck). I remember the time and the place and the anger that I had wasted the time and money.

[@docsavage-8616]

Still a Hundred Times Better Than Anything Directed by Hack Snyder.

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

God I hated this film. I love Superman and Superman II, and this was such a massive disappointment. It drove me crazy throughout the film how much screen time Richard Pryor got. I didn't find his character funny or interesting, just very annoying. I disliked this film so much that I didn't even bother watching Superman IV when it came out. (However, from what I've heard about it, that might be a good thing!)

[@richmcgee434]

Abysmal garbage from start to finish. Reeves is wasted in this.

[@douglasheath34]

It's awful but I still like it. Which is much better than what I can say about Superman 4.

[@thedancehackersguidetoarge4301]

Or the Supergirl movie. And yet I liked that one better than Superman IV.

[@andrewgahan3568]

Me 72 comments

[@duncancurtis1758]

Supe being saved by Gus is the only redeeming part in a near disastrous production budget.